Page 66 of A Wraith Beneath the Tides (Beyond the Tides #1)

Esmyra

T he first merlights indicating dawn barely crept through her curtains when Esmyra slipped out of her chambers, the castle still quiet and dark. She moved silently, her bare feet padding across the cool stone floors as she snuck out to meet Draevyn in the gardens.

Draevyn wanted to ensure she was protected in the case of falling victim to velsinyte once more. And while she could’ve argued the same for him, she wasn’t blind—she had heard the whispered rumors of how skilled he was, had seen how he moved with that practiced, predatory grace.

But Esmyra wasn’t na?ve, either. Draevyn didn’t trust Syrena, or anyone down here, for that matter, and he made no attempt to hide it.

His words from earlier echoed in her mind, a prickle of doubt seeping into her excitement. You may think you’re making a choice, but this place…it’s choosing for you.

She frowned, hating that a part of her couldn’t shake his words.

Esmyra just didn’t understand why he suddenly cared. Her mind drifted back to the day they met—when Draevyn instantly moved to aid her and come to her rescue in Anchorage Cove. So, perhaps, the concern wasn’t sudden at all, and had always been there, lingering behind his fire-lit stare .

You don’t need his protection, she reminded herself as she moved through the halls. She’d made her choice. Syrena had offered a connection to something far greater than anything she ever fathomed before.

For once, Esmyra wasn’t some pawn or piece to be pushed across the board. This kingdom could be as much hers as Syrena’s.

But beneath Esmyra’s defiance, a sliver of uncertainty pulsated. What if she was being swept along by forces she couldn’t control? What if Syrena wasn’t the person Esmyra desperately wanted her to be?

And then there was Draevyn, who seemed to want to make sure whichever path she chose was the right one, instead of trying to move her in whatever direction he wished.

Ugh. He’s only a temporary ally.

The sooner she understood her power and brought the kingdom up to the surface, the better. Esmyra would free the people of Maerinys. She would save her father from an eternity of suffering. And she would finally have a purpose in this endless life, aside from destruction.

But as she rounded the final corridor, Draevyn’s face lingered stubbornly in her mind—his intense, whiskey-hued gaze burning through her like flames.

Esmyra wasn’t afraid to play with a little fire, but what would happen if she allowed herself to be burned?

She finally reached the inner gardens they had walked through that first day. The tall sea grasses and wildflowers filled the air with a briny sweetness, while pale blue light filtered through the delicate coral framing the pathways.

Truthfully, she had never dealt with hand-to-hand combat—never had to.

Draevyn was right. She had always relied on her magic and would occasionally shoot a pistol for fun.

So, as much as she was irritated, she needed practice with something; some part deep inside her was thankful, excited, even, to learn something new.

When she spotted Draevyn leaning against a weathered stone pillar, arms crossed, she couldn’t help the little flutter in her chest. His expression was as unreadable as ever, fiery eyes locked on her as she made her way to him.

“You’re early,” he remarked, pushing off from the stone.

“I could say the same,” she replied, trying to sound as unbothered as he did. “I was half expecting to be stood up.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” A haunted look passed across his face, but it was there and gone in only a moment.

“Besides, I’m the one who requested your presence.

That would be a bit counterproductive, don’t you think?

” Draevyn gave a short laugh, though his eyes never softened.

He gestured to a clearing just past the flowers and grasses, where the ground was flat and open enough to spar. “Shall we?”

Esmyra nodded, but her palms became slick with sweat, unsure of what to expect or how to spar.

She squared her shoulders, stepping into the clearing before turning to face him.

The early morning light cast a sharp glow over his features, shadowing his jawline and making him seem somehow more intense, more lethal.

They circled each other, the silence stretching as they sized each other up. “We’re fighting with fists?” She cocked a brow. “And here I thought you don’t hit women.” She winked.

“Was a bit difficult to find weapons. We’ll need to make do for now.”

He struck then, his movement swift. She parried, but was significantly slower than him, barely blocking the initial blow.

“Well to start…your stance is shit,” Draevyn taunted.

Esmyra’s lip curled. “You didn’t even touch me!”

Another barely dodged swing came from him, and his grin was infuriating.

“You’re all over the place. Find your balance,” he demanded. Draevyn reached around her, placing his large hand at the small of her back, and her spine straightened at the contact. “Good girl.” He winked, and heat rushed to her cheeks.

Draevyn struck again before she could recover, and she was forced to quickly adapt to his rhythm during their intense back-and-forth of punches, kicks, and strikes. Esmyra’s body began to warm up, her muscles loosening, and she allowed it to distract her from her heart fluttering at his touch.

“Keep your feet shoulder-width apart!” he bellowed between hits. “Stay light on the balls of your feet.”

Esmyra loathed being told what to do, but she listened, taking his advice. She soon found herself with a smile beaming across her face as she got the hang of it.

Her fist collided with Draevyn’s cheek, and his eyes flared. Their stares met, and she didn’t miss the lilt in the corner of his lips. “Perfect. Just like that,” he praised, and her smirk turned wicked.

Their sparring continued a moment later, both of them not bothering to hide their grins.

Was she…having fun ?

Though she wasn’t skilled in physical combat, her muscular build gave her an advantage in the fight. Swimming beneath the waves for centuries had sculpted her body, giving her unparalleled strength—especially in her legs.

“Perhaps you’re not a lost cause after all,” Draevyn admitted, his voice low and mocking as he sidestepped one of her punches, catching her wrist before she could strike again. “Though I wonder if that’ll mean much when you’re not up against someone going easy on you.”

Breath heaving, she pulled her wrist from his grasp, her eyes glaring. “And here I thought we were just warming up.” She tsked. “Or are you just trying to get inside my head and discredit me?”

They slowly circled each other again in a dance.

His gaze darkened. “It’s not about credit. It’s about reality. And you’re putting your faith in people you don’t know every second we’re down here.”

“While I may not know Syrena yet, I felt the power we had together. You weren’t there,” she snapped, frustration flaring as she threw herself back into the spar, kicking him in the center of his chest.

Draevyn grunted as he stumbled back, hands flying to his sternum. Pride flared through her.

His gaze fell to where she struck him, a knowing grin on his face.

“Maybe not,” he countered, “but I’m here now.

The only thing that holds true is that you don’t know her.

And all I see is someone charging into a story she doesn’t even know the ending to, trusting that strangers to our entire world above will bring her peace. ”

Peace .

She bared her teeth as they fell silent, their sparring growing fiercer. A mixture of strength and pent-up tension surged through each of her strikes, the heat of her fury rising within her.

Esmyra moved to trip him, but when he side-stepped her, she leapt onto his back, her legs wrapping around his torso with a crushing strength against his ribs.

He stumbled forward a few steps before regaining his balance.

She kept his neck in a headlock as a single talon slipped from her finger and pricked the edge of his throat.

She brought her lips to the edge of his ear and whispered, “You fear I’m putting my trust into strangers, but is that not what we are, Draevyn Rowe?” Her voice dripped with sweetened venom.

A throaty chuckle left him, and her vicious smile dropped. He pivoted his head as much as he was able to in her grasp. One fiery eye boring into hers. “Is that what we are, Esmyra? Strangers?”

Her breath hitched. No , she thought. The more days that passed, the less Draevyn felt like a stranger at all.

“Oh, you’re making this too easy,” he said with a laugh.

Fuck .

He reached back, calloused hands sliding up the back of her thighs as he secured his grip on her legs. The tips of his fingers dug into her skin, making her pulse quicken. The touch was steady, but it lingered just a moment too long, sending a shiver down her spine.

Esmyra tried to ignore the way his hands felt on her, her mind desperate to stay focused on the fight rather than the heat of his touch.

Without warning, Draevyn shifted his stance and, with a swift move, flipped her over his shoulder. She tumbled forward, bringing him down with her before landing on her back in the grass. Esmyra was breathless as he loomed above her, his hands still resting on her thighs from the flip.

For a moment, neither of them moved. He was close—entirely too close.

The weight of him pressed down on her, his face only inches from hers, his gaze intense, dark, and searching.

His stare flickered down to her mouth for only a moment before returning to her eyes.

That, combined with the heat of his body, had her cheeks flushing.

“You cheated,” he said, his breath hot against her ear. His voice was rougher now, but playful.

Esmyra couldn’t bring herself to look away, her words catching in her throat. “You pissed me off,” she managed, her voice coming out softer than she intended as her chest rose and fell.

Draevyn smirked, his infuriating dimple on display, before leaning back just enough to release her from his hold. “The point of this is to act powerless ,” he said, offering a hand, though the glint in his eyes suggested he knew the effect he’d had on her.

She reached for it, her fingers brushing against his calluses. The steady beat of his pulse beneath his skin fell in line with her own as he pulled her to her feet.

For a moment, they just stood there, the tension thick, an unspoken charge lingering between them.

“There you are!” Briar’s voice echoed from across the garden.

“Shit,” Esmyra muttered.

Briar walked up to them hesitantly. “Is…is everything alright?” She glanced back and forth between the two of them before her eyes landed on Esmyra once more. Her next words were a whisper. “Do you need me to call the guards?”

Esmyra barked a laugh, but Draevyn grumbled some retort she didn’t care to decipher. “That won’t be necessary. We were just sparring,” she admitted.

Briar raised a brow. “Like the soldiers?”

“Yes. Like the soldiers,” Esmyra answered, merely guessing.

“Is this normal in the world above?”

Esmyra was about to say no , but Draevyn cut her off. “It is. It’s how we start our days.”

She turned to face him and saw no kindness in his eyes when he spoke to Briar, and it rekindled a bit of her irritation toward him .

“Do you need something, Briar?” Esmyra asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear and crossed her arms, changing the subject.

“Queen Syrena won’t be able to join you for breakfast this morning, but it’s ready in the great hall. She wishes for you to meet her in the tower when you’re done.”

“Aye,” Esmyra answered with a sigh. “Thank you.”

With those words, Briar reluctantly turned away and left the garden.

Esmyra whirled on Draevyn the second she was out of view, smacking him in the stomach and earning a grunt as he barrelled over. “Really? I know you don’t trust the people down here, but Briar is nice enough. The girl is skittish, for fuck’s sake.”

Draevyn straightened himself and shot her a glare. “I don’t trust any of them. And she thought I was abusing you for everyone to godsdamn see. Last night, I?—”

“She just doesn’t know you,” Esmyra cut him off.

His jaw ticked. “She doesn’t know you either.”

“Ugh.” She took her first step to follow Briar’s steps. “You’re infuriating sometimes.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” he said. “Two days ago, it was all the time.”

Esmyra had to turn away from him to hide the laugh that nearly slipped from her.

Draevyn stepped up to her and offered her his arm. “Shall we? You mustn’t keep Her Majesty waiting,” he mocked.

“And what of this?” She gestured to the empty garden.

He shrugged. “We’ll pick back up where we left off tomorrow.”

Esmyra’s eyes narrowed before they fell to his arm, still extended toward her. She let out a huff before sliding her own through and allowed him to lead the way back through the corridors and to the great hall.