Page 22

22

Claira

T he first breath was a struggle.

Even the sea wizard couldn’t escape a wet hacking cough the moment we finished teleporting and appeared on land. His arms quickly locked around my waist, pulling me close before I could collapse to the floor.

My body trembled, exposed to the open air yet caught in the sea wizard’s embrace. No, no, no.

Even while they were shut, my eyes burned. The room he’d taken us to wasn’t dark enough. I pressed closer to his solid figure, coughing uncontrollably as I buried my face in an attempt to hide my eyes.

The pressure in my eyes built as my head pounded. My lungs screamed for something more substantial than air. Water . That’s what I needed. Even Cyre was in agreement with me.

“BACK,” he insisted, and with just one word, his meaning was clear: Come back to the water and be closer to me .

Right as the pain became too much to bear, a soft touch slid underneath the damp hair clinging to the back of my neck. Relief seeped into me, expelling the tension. Each breath grew easier, and each cough came out less forcefully.

That’s right . I eased in another slow breath. I didn’t need water. I was more than a creature of darkness or of the ocean. The word ‘air’ was woven into my name. Claira . I had always been meant for land.

“Are you all right?” The sea wizard’s voice was raw, and it was an odd comfort to know that the transition hadn’t been entirely effortless for him either.

“A bit… overwhelmed,” I managed to croak, still relying on him for support. Formidable, my ass . Even with magic, as long as I had this tail dragging me down, I was always going to be pathetic. I wanted to tell the sea wizard to leave me, to let me flop down to the floor, but he never seemed to mind holding me up.

Like right now. His arms were steady, and his touch was the only thing grounding me as I regained my bearings.

“It’s crazy how different the air feels,” I noted, gasping and shivering. “After being underwater for so long.” It was almost foreign. Even though I was adjusting, a part of me wanted to agree with Cyre and ask the sea wizard to take me back to the water. But maybe once my tail changed into legs?—

Panic swept over me, turning my stomach.

Oh…

Oh no.

How could I have forgotten that my legs would be completely exposed the moment my tail split?

Kill me now , I screamed inwardly. Cyre sent soothing signals back to me, confused yet ready to comfort me.

“Not literally,” I assured him, but still. All I had on was a simple band of ocean silks that covered my chest and some midriff. They were basically just thick enough to prevent my boobs from falling out.

I blinked rapidly, hoping to help my eyes adjust faster. I needed to take in my surroundings and find something to use as a cover-up quickly . It was either that or get away from the sea wizard long enough to cast another invisibility spell.

Oh. That might work.

A feeble squeak escaped me as I suddenly lifted off the floor. “ Eek! Wizard!”

He hoisted me up effortlessly, taking me into his arms. “Just making sure my princess is comfortable,” he murmured, close enough for his cool breath to tickle my neck. One of his tentacles twirled around my tail, playing with the frilled end while also helping to support it.

No, he sure didn’t mind holding me. In fact, I was starting to suspect he enjoyed it.

“Not fair,” I protested as soon as his tentacles began carrying us across the floor with the ease of walking. “You can move anywhere with those. On land, in water.” I huffed, gesturing to my tail. “And here I am, currently useless in both.”

“It isn’t fair, I’ll admit.” He gave a deep, nearly breathless chuckle. “If life were fair, you would have kept your tentacles.”

“Fair to whom , exactly?” I shot back, my eyes narrowing. That struck a nerve—I didn’t like to think of myself as a cecaelia. But being in his presence, watching how gracefully he coordinated his movements, I couldn’t deny that his cecaelian half was impressive.

Instead of answering, he moved us to the back of the room. In the dim light, I could barely make out the outlines of the various objects and furniture that filled it. Bookshelves? If this was his office, that was a safe bet.

He carefully placed me on a soft, cushioned surface, even making sure the end of my tail rested comfortably on the floor underneath. His tentacle gave it one last flick before releasing it. I squinted down at the retreating appendage as the sea wizard slid away, disappearing into the shadows of the room.

He’d put me in an old, creaky office chair. In front of me was a nearly empty desk with worn corners. I must have looked ridiculous with my tail instead of legs, dangling from the front of the chair.

“Do you mind if I turn on a light?” he asked, and my stomach clenched as my panic came rushing back.

Only a small amount of salt water had made it through the teleportation with us. Any second, my tail would change into legs.

Another thought hit me, and my stomach clenched even tighter.

The sea wizard didn’t have pants. He didn’t even have ocean silks. As soon as he transformed, he would most definitely be?—

Pain pulsed through my eyes as the light flicked on, flooding the room with harsh illumination. “Poseidon’s balls,” I hissed, raising an arm to shield my face. It wouldn’t matter if he ended up naked—I couldn’t see anything in this light.

“Poseidon?” I wasn’t sure if it was simply the mention of Poseidon that turned the sea wizard’s voice frigid or because I alluded to the god’s ancient testicles. “My apologies,” he said, brushing off the bitterness and continuing, “You didn’t answer, and I’m afraid I’m running short on time.”

Braving the pain, I peeked over my arm just to glare at him. “ Damn , that hurts.”

His soft chuckle curled through the room like a wisp of smoke. “Perhaps you’ll one day find it second nature.”

It took a moment for the white light to fade from my vision and the room to come into focus. Unlike the chaos of his bedchamber, this space was tidy, with only two modest bookshelves and a few filing cabinets. There wasn’t a single seashell in sight. But there was color—so, so much color—in the spines of the books and the scuffed tan paint on the walls.

“Wow…” My heart squeezed. Seeing it all was worth the pain of my eyes adjusting. I’d missed the look of colors on land so much.

The sound of wood creaking caught my attention, drawing my gaze to the sea wizard. “Charmed by my exquisite taste in office decor, are we?” he asked with a flat bite of sarcasm. He stood in front of a wardrobe in the corner of his office, just to the left of the door. Two of his tentacles held open the doors as he perused the wardrobe’s contents, but it was impossible to see beyond the sleek lines of his pale back blocking my view.

Those lines flexed, and it wasn’t until he turned to face me, a stark white garment thrown over his arm, that I realized how openly I was staring.

Oops. Dammit.

One of his eyebrows arched.

“No, I — I mean, yes. Very charming.” Heat rushed to my cheeks as I hastily averted my gaze, focusing on the desk in front of me like the chipped, dingy wood was the most interesting thing I’d ever seen.

Pop.

With a gasp, I forced my bare knees together, scooting the chair underneath the desk.

The sea wizard shifted closer, and my stomach flipped. Fan-freaking-tastic . But instead of commenting on how my bare ass was currently gracing the one and only chair in his office, he extended the garment draped over his arm.

“I hope this will suffice.” His voice was unexpectedly soft.

It was a collared button-down shirt, crisp and white, like the one he’d bled all over the day my grandmother had made him slice his neck. I glanced at the wardrobe to see a row of neatly hung suits, dress pants, and shirts. From the shoes to the belts, everything except the button-downs was as black as midnight.

I snatched the shirt from him, my blush deepening. “Thanks. And pants?” I asked with a hopeful note to my tone.

My ass probably wouldn’t fit in his suit pants, but maybe…

One of his tentacles offered a folded, black square, and when it unfolded, I nearly choked on my tongue.

A pair of boxer briefs. As soon as he passed it to my hand, he turned away, gliding back over to his wardrobe.

I blinked down at the garment, unsure whether I should laugh or cry.

I couldn’t believe it. I was holding a pair of the sea wizard’s underwear.

He didn’t really expect me to wear these, did he?

When I glanced back up, his back was turned to me once more, and he was buttoning up a shirt identical to the one he’d given me. He must have been used to this routine, teleporting to his office and getting dressed. That explained why his wardrobe was so well-stocked and?—

Pop.

Suddenly, my view was filled with long, pale legs and a sculpted backside that looked like it belonged to a Greek statue. A pink birthmark the size of a sand dollar adorned the area just above the crook of his right knee.

I sensed Cyre’s disinterest immediately, his attention drifting away from my mind as my focus sharpened on the figure before me.

Either the sea wizard didn’t notice, or he didn’t care that I had a full view of his ass. When he pulled a neatly folded pair of boxer briefs from the wardrobe, my face was burning hotter than ever. He bent down to step into them, and I choked back a gasp.

I shouldn’t have looked—shouldn’t have even wanted to look. You’re a pervert, Claira! It wasn’t like I had a shortage of other attractive male bodies in my life to admire.

But I had looked, and now I knew. Damn. Even with legs, one ‘tentacle’ remained.

I turned away, too mortified by my joke to laugh at it. I fumbled with the shirt he’d given me as a distraction, hastily pulling it on over my ocean silks. The fabric hung loose on my frame, the sleeves falling past my wrists, but it was better than nothing. I stood up long enough to smooth it down over my ass and took a seat again.

If it weren’t for the shirt being white, I might have felt comfortable wearing it without worrying about exposing myself. But it was white. Very white.

My gaze fell on the boxer briefs. Nope. I couldn’t. But then another thought occurred to me: why not?

It was just underwear. If they were Kai’s or Barren’s, I would have worn them. Not Leander’s—but only because I couldn’t imagine him actually having underwear of his own for me to wear.

I hesitated for a moment before picking them up. I was just using them to cover up. It didn’t mean anything.

I reached under the desk and quickly slipped my legs through them. After I’d hiked them up, realizing that the front flap was a bit loose where a ‘tentacle’ might normally be, I couldn’t help but steal another glance at the sea wizard.

He was adjusting his suit cuffs when he looked up and caught my eye. A slow, easy smirk spread across his lips. He reached up, slicking his damp hair back with a practiced hand. “Comfortable?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice coming out higher than intended. “Thank you for the clothes.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” His gaze lingered for a moment too long before he broke eye contact and went to retrieve a pair of shoes.

To be fair, it was hard not to stare back at him. Now that his magic wasn’t engaged, his eyes were dark, and the white center I was so accustomed to was completely gone.

It made him seem like a different man entirely. Like he was human, almost.

But I’d never met a human that looked as composed as he did. So sharp and cold. Yet, there was a hint of warmth hidden inside him. Not the blazing heat of a fire, but more like the controlled release of smoke after a flame had died down.

“You wear it well,” he commented casually, not even looking up from his dress shoes. But it was enough to send a blush creeping up my neck, proving my point.

“Although it’s unfortunate we forgot your crown, princess.” He straightened upright to come closer to the desk, the subtle scent of salt water still lingering in the air around him. He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Might I offer you a tie instead?”

I gave a dry laugh, feeling his dark stare and playful teasing drain every last drop of moisture from my mouth and lungs. “I think I’ll pass on that.”

“Hmmm.”

My pulse quickened as he reached out to adjust the collar of my shirt.

His fingers lingered on the fabric as he murmured, “Perhaps a tie would be excessive.”

Instead of leaning back in the chair to get away from him, I leaned forward. His hand withdrew.

“Well, princess, I really should get going.”

Wait, get going? He was going to leave me here?

“Just a few papers to have signed and a short meeting or two to attend,” he drawled. “It shouldn’t take me more than, say… four or five hours.”

I stared up at him, dumbfounded. “Hours?” I repeated, my mind struggling to process what he’d just said. Sure, he looked ready for a day at the office in his neatly pressed black suit, but this was his office. Was he really expecting to just leave me here, sitting at his desk in nothing but his shirt and underwear?

With that, he turned to leave. The chair squealed as I stood up abruptly, its wheels scraping against the floor in protest.

“You’re leaving me here for four hours? Really?” I gawked at him.

“Don’t worry, princess,” he said without turning back. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to entertain yourself in my absence. Feel free to indulge your curiosity. Explore my office if you wish. But a word of caution: there are guards patrolling this side of the building, so it would be wise not to let them catch you in their sights.”

But, I…

“Wizard,” I called out to him, exasperated. “Are these meetings really so important? More important than your princess? ”

He froze with his hand on the door to his office. Slowly, he turned to face me, his expression unreadable. The hollow face of a puppet.

“Nothing is more important to the Undersea than its princess,” he said tightly. “The queen is planning a formal party to introduce you as royalty, and I must ensure everything is prepared. She doubts my ability to restore you to your true cecaelian self, so she’s decided the party will be held here.”

“ Here? ” My mouth dropped into a frown. “You mean on land?”

“Precisely. In the reception hall.” He turned back to the door. “It will be quite a grand spectacle, with you and hundreds of your adoring subjects all gathered to welcome your return.”

Why was he saying it like that? He should have known me well enough by now to know that I didn’t even want a party like that.

“Don’t worry, my dear little captive, you’ll be the utmost center of everyone’s attention,” he added, almost cruelly.

Ice slid through me. My dear little captive. It had been so long since he’d called me that.

With that final touch of fear, he opened the door to his office and walked through it, closing it behind him.

He didn’t even look back.