Page 23 of Coral Prince Conundrum (Runaway Prince Hotel #1)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Daryl

As the sun rises, I’m finishing breakfast with Oroy and Priya when Seero walks in. He seems well-rested, his hair is disheveled, and he’s only wearing a green waistcloth—like always, he’s the epitome of sexiness. I’m all bundled up in my jacket with my knapsack by my side, and he eyes me curiously.

“What is going on?” he asks.

“We, uh…wanted you to get some sleep,” I reply.

“Daryl here told us he is leaving,” Priya points out.

“He is going back to America,” Oroy adds. He grins and says, “Where it is totally rad and cowabunga all day.”

I laugh. “It sure is.”

I stand up, but Seero furrows his brow. “But…um, what?” he asks.

“As I explained to them, I’m going to get some more of my stuff—clothes and devices.

And settle my affairs back home.” I gaze around the room and button up my coat.

“Then, in two weeks, I’ll be back to start planning our wedding…

uh, honey.” I bounce my eyebrows at him and pray that Seero understands I’m still bluffing.

“Would you like to use my sea dragon?” Priya asks.

“That will not be necessary, sister. I will take him,” Seero says. I bid them all farewell and exit the dining area. I follow Seero upstairs, and after a minute, he whispers, “What is going on?”

“I’m leaving. Are you gonna bring me to the port? Or should I call a water taxi?”

He freezes in the living room, and I try to avoid staring at his perplexed face. Or his tight abs. “But…I thought you were staying here?”

“Until the presentation was over, and now it is. And according to your siblings, the Corali Court will be deliberating the bill for the next three days.” I shrug. “I’m not needed here anymore. It’s time to go back to my real, barista life.”

He opens and closes his mouth twice before slowly nodding in understanding. “Yes.” He shakes his head and walks to the garments on the couch. “Yes, of course, Daryl, how could I forget?”

I smile and clap my hands for no reason.

He quietly puts on a tunic, and I bounce on my toes.

The energy between us is so awkward, and I’m not sure why.

This handsome prince got everything he wanted from me, in addition to some enjoyable sex.

We’ve reached the end of our relationship, a conclusion we both saw coming.

The clairvoyant must have been full of shit, because his life and mine were always meant to move in different directions.

I need to ignore that gnawing feeling that wants me to beg him to let me stay.

Because, again, I’m not his soulmate.

Thirty minutes later, Seero and I stand at the private dock not far from where we entered the country. The water mystics have cleared a small path in the fog, and Drakey swims up to us.

“Hi, boy,” I coo with a grin. You don’t ride on the back of a sea stallion for hours without growing to care for him.

“Drakey has been instructed to take you back to Princedelphia. He has also been sworn to protect you with his life, and of course, not submerge.”

“I hope not. Otherwise, Layla will be super pissed that you made me drown,” I say with a laugh. Seero, however, does not react.

“No harm will ever come to you. Shall I accompany you?”

“No, no.” I wave him off. “You have like a dozen meetings today, we both know that.”

He nods. “Right.”

“You got your princely duties…” I hop off the dock and onto the gray saddle-type structure on Drakey. “And I got coffee to make.”

I laugh, but he still gazes at me with a serious look. “I would put my duties on hold for you.”

“I’ll be okay,” I reply, shaking my head. “Plus, you need to come up with a convincing alibi as to why that Black guy you were dating disappeared!” I laugh again, and it sounds so forced, even to my ears. We were never real boyfriends, so why does this feel like a true breakup?

“I…suppose I can wait a week, then tell them that I found…another boyfriend. One of the many male suitors of our kingdom.”

My breath catches in my throat at the thought of him dating someone else, holding him, and sharing his bed— our bed—with another dude. The very idea makes me nauseous, but I manage not to frown. “Perfect! There ya go, Seero.”

After a beat, he whistles up to the sky, then an old friend appears. “Pelly!” I say with a genuine grin. The bird flops down and lands on Drakey’s head. He bristles, then she flies back up.

“Pelly will also ensure that you get back to America.”

I nod at Seero. “Thank you.” Even a few feet above, his gaze on me seems almost upset. But why should he be? We’re just friends who hooked up a few times, that’s it.

“Don’t worry, man. We’ll be in touch. If you ever have any questions about surface life, I gave your brother my number.”

“That is good to know.”

“And, uh…thank you. For everything.”

“Thank you , Daryl Tishman. May the ocean gods protect you for all that you have done for the sea this week.” He kisses his palm, then maneuvers his arms. In the next moment, Drakey is lifted up as Seero summons a small tidal wave.

I brace the reins of the coral saddle and stare at my fists. Pelly flaps above, a pelican sentinel in the clouds. Drakey swims toward the great blue ocean, and the moisture on my face is definitely from the sea, nothing else.

All of this is for the best. Our worlds are too different; it never would have worked out if I stayed. If I keep chanting those words, then maybe I’ll believe them one day.

Drakey and I have only been sailing for half an hour when a massive fog patch sets in. Behind me, the rainstorm that shrouds the Coral Kingdom is a tiny blip in the great blue ocean. The sky has been clear this whole time, and the fog seems to have appeared from nowhere.

“Woah,” I say, as Drakey starts braying and bucking. He’s never been more than calm on the water. Why is he acting up?

I brace myself and grip the reins harder. Drakey moves back and forth, causing me to sway. I think I hear Pelly squawking above, but I certainly can’t see her. The fog is so thick, I can barely see the dragon underneath my feet.

Before I can even consider whipping out my phone, my whole body is slammed.

Pain. No Air. Darkness. I’m overwhelmed with salt water. A massive tidal wave has hit me, and down I go.

Panic sets in as I flail underwater, and my lungs feel constricted in shock.

On instinct, I swim up. When I breach the surface, the fog has lifted somewhat.

I take several gasping breaths, but I don’t have time to relax before a new threat emerges―I spot an honest-to-goodness whirlpool to my left. Ocean gods, no.

The force of nature pulls me in, so I try to swim in the opposite direction. I cough as I desperately try to stay afloat. My lungs are burning with effort and panic.

I’m overjoyed when I spot Drakey approaching me with determination in his eyes. Before he can reach me, however, he’s lifted into the air. Supernatural rings of water shackle him, binding him up above, and he brays in panic.

“Dra…Drakey!” I shout while treading water. The whirlpool is pulling me in, and my sea dragon protector is being held in the air by magic. But where did it…?

There .

A robed figure is standing on a type of brown-and-gold canoe several yards away. The stranger’s hands are raised up, and they’re turning their wrists in a circular motion. I look up and see Drakey gasping and struggling as he’s bound to the sky.

“N…no!” I shout, wishing for the sea creature to be spared. But I can’t say another word, as the whirlpool finally catches me.

The torrent holds me down, and saltwater floods my nose.

The pressure on my chest grows, and my life flashes before my eyes. I see my dad, my buddy, Justice, and my life at the café and the hotel.

And Seero’s precious smile. He made me feel complete, he made me feel loved.

The stormy sky howls above me. The last thing I see before I’m pulled under is the stranger pulling back their dark hood to reveal her long black hair. Then, I’m completely lost underwater.