Page 17

M y breath came in rough pants as I shoved aside dancing merfolk and fish-tailed servants. Lukas couldn’t have gone far. Just moments ago, he’d been twirling one of Adriana’s sisters across the shell dance floor. If someone had taken him, he’d be close by. He couldn’t have left the ballroom. Not that quickly.

A stream of shouts tore me from my panic.

“You scared him off, you brute!” one of the mermaid princesses yelped.

“Me? You’re the one who elbowed him with every turn!” another sister huffed.

Scoffing, I charged past the group. But then I froze. There he was. A glimpse of dark brown in a sea of bright tropical colours. By the back wall, a door to a balcony had been left open, and hunched over the railing with his head in his hands, was my missing king.

Air whooshed out of me. It was enough to leave a trail of bubbles as I rushed out of the glittering ballroom. But any bubbles from my lips burst when I reached the balcony.

The secluded half-moon-shaped space looked out into the ocean. The deep dark ocean. There were no vast coral forests or multicoloured rocks to gaze out upon. No bright scaly fish or scuttling sea creatures. Only a dark endless ocean – lit up by thousands of glowing jellyfish.

I gasped. I’d never seen something so spectacular. Most glowed a soft moonlight blue, while others paraded through the ocean, shimmering in shades of pink or green. All of them drifted in time with the softened music from the ballroom.

I smiled, reaching out to poke a smaller jellyfish that’d been brave enough to drift onto the balcony. But then my gaze fell to Lukas, and my smile faded. He wasn’t watching the jellyfish at all. Instead, his head hung low while his shoulders shook against the marble railing.

“Lukas?” I kept my voice soft as I called out to him.

He flinched – hard enough to scare any nearby jellyfish off of the balcony. “Naria?” he rasped, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for leaving the ballroom. Are you alright? Did something happen?” He kept his back to me as he spoke, using one hand to wipe his face while the other gripped the railing.

My eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. Just needed a moment.” He spoke quickly, scrubbing at his face.

“Lukas…” My voice was soft, careful. Stepping to his side, I reached up to pry his hand away. He tensed at first, his arm rigid, but after a few ragged breaths, he let me lower it to his side.

My lips parted. Tears mottled his perfect face, each one twinkling like the stars under the light of the glowing jellyfish.

With a steady exhale, I cupped his cheek. “You’re crying,” I muttered.

His shoulders tensed. “I’m not.” He swiped away another tear. “It’s just the seawater here, it’s irritating me – making my eyes hurt.”

“You’re crying ,” I said again, taking a breath to steady my anger. “What happened? Was it one of the princesses? Did one of them hurt you?” I swallowed down the rage in my words, hiding it behind a mask of tenderness. He didn’t need anymore anger. He needed comfort. And in the moment, the reason why didn’t matter. “How can I help you feel better?” I whispered.

“You’re already helping,” he murmured, blinking away tears. A brief silence sat between us as I continued to cup his cheek. But then his breath became ragged again. Before I could offer any sort of support, I was pulled tightly against his chest.

“Lukas,” I murmured, surprised. Reaching around his middle, I stroked his back while his shoulders shook with muffled sobs.

“Forgive me,” he rasped. “I can’t stop.”

“You don’t have to,” I said into his shoulder. “Just take deep steady breaths.” My palms rubbed his back in soothing circles. “In and out, slowly… It’ll help.”

Our breathing became one as we inhaled and exhaled together. My fingers stroked his back with each deep breath.

“That’s good,” I said as his breathing slowed to a less alarming level. “When we get back to the palace, I’m making you some tea.”

“I’d like that,” he murmured. I could hear a slight smile in his voice. But then he straightened and stepped back, forcing his entire body away from mine.

“What is it?” All my concern came rushing back.

“Forges Naria.” He panted, running a hand through his hair. “You must never speak of that to anyone.” His fingers gripped the balcony, tipping his head back, but when his eyes met mine again, all the fear drained from them.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, voice raw.

“Like what?” My head tilted.

“Like you do not see me as any less than you did before.”

“Why would I?” I laughed softly as I bridged the gap between us, my thumb brushing over his cheek. “You’re talking with someone who cries enough for an entire kingdom.”

Lukas studied me for a moment. “But kings aren’t supposed to cry… It’s shameful.”

“‘ Shameful ’?” I repeated, disgust twisting at my face. “Why, if you don’t cry when you see me walking down the aisle on our wedding day, I swear I’ll turn right back around and walk out the way I came.” Stepping closer, I pressed my hand against his bare chest, trying my hardest not to give away how molten my bones were feeling.

“Listen to me,” I started in a low voice. “If you do not wish for me to share what happened today, then your tears are safe with me. They always will be. But trust me when I say,” I drew closer, not missing the way his breath hitched, “no amount of crying will ever change the respect I have for you. You are so strong, and the bravest person I know.”

“Naria…” he rasped. More words hovered by his lips, desperate to fill the water between us. But instead of speaking them, his hands took over. One hand brushed my chin while the other trailed down to cup my elbow.

Shifting closer, his gaze fell to my lips. “How is it you always know just what to say to make me feel better?”

“I’m a healer, remember?” I teased, but my smile didn’t match his.

Glancing towards the ballroom, he asked seriously, “Do you think I’m sick?”

“Of course not.”

“Just broken then.” He swallowed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Frowning, I took his face in my hands, forcing his gaze away from the party. “But even if there was, it wouldn’t change anything. I don’t care about your past or what other people might think of you. I wouldn’t even care if you grew a long fishtail like that unhinged queen in there, because it doesn’t matter. All I see is you.” My heart fluttered as his gaze pierced mine. “Every part. The light, the dark. And I want it all, Lukas. I want you—”

His lips clashed against mine before I could finish. Dropping his arms to my waist, a satisfied growl rumbled through him. The noise vibrated through my chest, and I sighed. When his tongue ran along the seam of my mouth, I wanted to melt.

And I almost did, until a burst of red hair popped through the door making us both jump apart.

“Oh! There you are!” Adriana grinned before her attention focused on Lukas. “Your disappearance caused such chaos amongst my sisters. It was wonderful to watch. Please do it again.”

Whatever moment that had lingered between us had gone, disappearing amongst the now departing jellyfish.

Lukas cleared his throat. But before he could answer, I stepped out in front of him.

“Your mother has permitted us to leave,” I said plainly. “Please take us back to the shore now. We’ve endured her party long enough.”

Adriana’s bright mood faded. “Oh… Yes, of course.” Leaning against the doorframe, her gaze fell to the floor. “I suppose I can take you back.”

“On a dolphin this time,” I added. I wasn’t actually sure if Lukas would be alright with a dolphin, but it couldn’t be worse than a shark ride, surely?

Adriana lifted her head, smirking. “As you wish, pretty human.”

An hour or so later, we were back on dry lan d. Or at least as dry as the land could be in the blue glowing cave that surrounded the rock pool. Wringing out the skirt of my chemise, I watched as water dripped onto the stone floor, making a puddle around my feet. Behind me, Lukas grabbed his shirt from where he’d tossed it earlier and pulled it over his head, shaking out the dampness from his hair.

“You’ll come and visit again soon, won’t you?” Adriana called up to us. As promised, the princess had escorted us back through the merfolk kingdom and returned us to the cave. Now, she watched us both, her long red hair slick against her shoulders as she propped herself against the edge of the rock pool – despite all of Lukas’s protests.

“I asked you to leave and yet you’re still here,” he grumbled, pulling on his boots. “Do you have a death wish?”

Adriana smiled far too sweetly. “No, just oceans of love for you, dear cousin.” She pressed her chin into her palms, making no effort to disappear back under the water. I couldn’t help but giggle at the exchange.

“You’ll bring him back to us, won’t you, Naria?” She turned her grin towards me while I attempted to wriggle into my gown.

“Keep my fiancée out of this,” Lukas snapped.

“But she’s so much lovelier than you…” she sighed in a sing-songy tone. “You’ll have to at least take my shell.” She straightened her shoulders. “My sisters will murder me if I don’t give you a way to contact us.”

“No.”

Adriana’s grin faded, but then it pulled into a smirk. Reaching for something around her neck, she tugged it off before dangling it out in front of her. A golden necklace swung from her hand. Attached to the necklace, a pink shell glimmered in the light of the cave. “If you take my shell, I’ll leave,” she offered slyly.

Lukas paused until eventually, he stomped over, snatched the necklace from her hand and forced it over his head.

“Happy?” He scowled.

“Very,” she trilled, then leaned back, resting her chin on her palms and making no effort to return to the ocean.

“You said you’d leave,” Lukas argued.

“I did…” she hummed thoughtfully, before splashing him. “But I’m afraid I never said when , cousin.”

“Why you absolutely infuriating little—”

I laughed as chaos erupted around me. Lukas lunged forward, but Adriana was quicker. Over and over again he lunged for her, only for her to dip below the surface and pop up again somewhere else. Each time she use to her mouth to squirt more water into his face, cackling with every direct hit.

I’d reached the lacing of my gown by the time he gave up and stalked over to the other side of the cave. At the same time, Adriana pushed herself onto the ledge of the pool and turned her focus to me.

“Human clothes look awfully complicated,” she said with a yawn.

“You’re not wrong,” I said, struggling with my laces. When I first left the rock pool, it was as if all the magic had dripped off me to return to the water. My once-smooth fingertips were wrinkled. My hair, which was so soft before, now crunched with salt from the sea. Even my limbs felt heavy, as if I’d spent the entire day swimming instead of effortlessly strolling through the ocean like we’d been.

When my corset lacing slipped through my fingers for the fourth time, I dropped them with a snarl – only for them to be caught by a completely new pair of hands.

“Allow me.” Lukas loomed over me.

My breath caught.

Not waiting for a reply, he began to thread my laces, working quickly and confidently as if I was far from the first lady he’d helped back into her gown. I swallowed down the awful taste that thought left in my mouth.

But then my gaze caught on something, and my lips parted. Despite just being soaked with sea water, his hair was already dry and his hands were smooth. It was as if he’d never stepped into the ocean, at all.

“How are you already so dry?” I stammered, shivering from my wet underlayers.

“I know,” Adriana huffed. “Wish I had the Divine Gift.”

Lukas stiffened.

“The what?” My head whipped to face her, but before I could ask her what that meant, Lukas’s hands were yanked away from me as a roar boomed through the cave. Everything became a blur of screams and flying leaves. Then, three things became clear all at once:

Lukas was pinned against the wall in a tangle of thorny vines.

The screams were all coming from my throat.

And finally, I was now pressed against a hard chest by two familiar arms – a chest that vibrated as Prince Arenn’s furious voice filled the cave. “You’re going to tell me right now exactly what you’ve been doing with my princess all day before I tear you limb from limb, boy king.”