Page 29 of Of Rime and Ruin (Sirens of Adria #2)

Chapter twenty-seven

Aethan

This is a first, I’ll admit. I’ve emerged from the sea naked many times. But never once with a boner. I’m naked. I’m horny. And I can’t get the princess out of my head.

The guard unlocks the iron door to my chambers, averting his eyes from my stiffening cock.

I cross the room, activate the sight-pool, and adjust my view with a twitch of my fingers. Her cell is a pile of rubble, the gate torn free of its hinges. Chunks of ice stack on the floor. Neither guard nor princess are in sight.

I shuffle through the dungeon, slipping through the cavernous tunnels. The next cell, empty. The next, and the next. She’s gone.

I slap the bowl, and it flies from its perch, shattering on the floor with a loud crack of porcelain.

Fuck.

I bury my fists in my eyes, groaning. How did I let this happen? What have I done ? One minute I was in the dining room, inviting her to join me for a meal, and the next— I made her my meal.

The back of my neck tingles. My memory is here, in order. It’s foggy and indecipherable, but I can make out the shapes. Me, charging from the castle. Plunging into the water. The transformation. My hands, grasping metal bars. Ripping. Swimming. Her ass, pressed against…

Mine.

I blink, and my gaze focuses on my lap. In the course of my reverie, my hand has circled the base of my cock. It swells in my hand, lengthening. One pump—to relieve the need.

No. I groan and release my length. The princess could be dead.

I play my memories again. The ripping. The swimming. The ass—skipping forward—the fear, the rage, icy hot and all-consuming.

Hunger.

Fuck.

With force, I push away from the desk, stand, and pace. I fist my hair, pulling until the pain sharpens my mind.

My stomach churns around a recent meal. Did I eat her?

Goddess. What have I done?

As I slip into my pants, I shove my offending cock inside the leather, then button my shirt and pull a cloak from the wardrobe.

I must find her—dead or alive.

I bang on the door until ten locks click in rapid succession and the door swings open. The guard stiffens to attention, eyes white and wide. “Your Majesty?”

“Gather a search party,” I bark. “Now.”

The sconces flare as I pass through the hall, flames fueled by the flap of my cloak behind me. The guard scurries to keep pace. “Right away, Sire. Who are we searching for?”

Will he be so accommodating once he learns my truth? Or will he abandon me with the rest of them, their once-king rightfully dethroned?

For if she’s not dead, then she’s a liability. A spy with a secret that doesn’t belong to her. And that knowledge in the wrong fins can only mean trouble.

My voice turns hoarse. “The spy.”

***

I stand on the dark shore, waiting. Unmoving. Snow falls around me like dust, crusting my hair and melting against my face. A pile accumulates on my shoulders. The white powder sits in my periphery, washed in the colors of the aethersky.

The night wind is as restless and bitter as my thoughts, skittering across the waves and tossing the ice floes, seeping through my cloak to nip at my chest. But I will not leave this spot.

Ten of my Frost Guard have entered the Rime, searching for the princess I lost.

Or consumed.

What will they find? The rest of her, stowed in a cave somewhere? Or is she gone without a trace?

My stomach rolls. My tongue turns to sand in my mouth, and I vomit onto the stones. Chunks of meat float in the remnants. Pink and fresh, littered with dainty bones.

Goddess above.

I vomit again. Then again. I heave until my stomach wrings out like a cloth, squeezed of all that’s left. Acid coats my tongue.

I can’t unsee those bones. Small, fragile bones. Are they hers? Too small for an arm but maybe her fingers…

Again, I retch. My vision clouds, and I stumble toward the ground, settling on my knees. I tuck my head between them and squeeze my eyes shut. When I inhale, the acrid scent cloys my throat.

I’m losing my shit.

When the bile finally passes, I wipe my mouth and sway as dizziness sets in.

A stronger male might have sorted through the mess, just to be sure. But I cannot bear it. Instead, I cover the evidence, pushing stones to hide my weakness.

Finally, the water stirs, and my Frost Guard emerges. Water streams from their slick bodies, their tails rearrange, and the captain steps forward.

I stand to greet him, and my cold muscles protest.

His expression is sullen, shoulders slouching with an air of defeat. The guards behind him shuffle along, kicking the stones. I cringe as they narrowly miss my vomit.

“Your report, Captain,” I say. My voice croaks, and I clear it as my cheeks flush.

He massages the ridge of his nose, shaking his head. “No luck, Sire.”

My heart sinks. That’s it, then. She’s gone. At least they didn’t find half of her. Either I consumed her entirely, and my secret is safe, or she got away.

Either way, I’m fucked.

I thank the Frost Guard for their service tonight, unable to meet the captain’s inquisitive gaze. They shiver, standing tall as they try to hide their chattering teeth. They’re good soldiers, all of them. It’s too bad their king is a monster.

I grunt, turn toward the gate, and shuffle inside without another word.

As I approach the dining hall, Deirdre’s voice floats through the night, cheerful and wide-awake. I quiet my footsteps and pause outside the door.

There’s someone in the room with my housekeeper. Deirdre offers them tea, followed by the sound of splashing water. A clinking spoon.

Another voice answers the housekeeper—familiar and warm—and my heart trips.

“This is the last one, though. Any more tea and I think I might burst,” the princess says with a giggle.

She’s alive.

Chills spread over my body, lifting every scale. I stagger, gripping the doorframe. My forehead thumps against the wood.

Inside the room, footsteps approach.

She’s alive.

Goddess, it makes me want to scream. Though for joy or annoyance, I can’t say.

She’s alive, and my secret lives with her.

Alive and giggling.

I couldn’t have harmed her that much then. If she’s feeling well enough to laugh?

The doorknob turns, and the door dips away from me. I exhale sharply and scramble to find my composure.

Light spills into the hallway, revealing the round face of my housekeeper. Her eyes are bleary and sleep-deprived but cheerful. Shock spreads over her features like a guppy caught stealing cookies.

“Your Majesty! I wasn’t expecting you at this hour.” She drops into a quick curtsy, rearranging her expression. “Did someone let you out, love? Are you okay?” she whispers.

“Do you ever sleep, Deirdre?”

“About as much as you do, Sire.”

I peek into the candlelit room. Deirdre’s silhouette blocks my view of the princess. I make out only her smooth, brown ankle tucked daintily around the leg of a chair.

If I could invoke her to turn with just a glare, I would. I stare at that small expanse of skin, willing it to move, for her foot to flatten on the floor, to stand and face me. I need to see her. All of her. Whole.

“Would you like some tea, Sire?” Deirdre hedges. I shift my gaze, locating the concern in her eyes. “I can bring it to your room.”

“No, I’ll take it in here.”

“Are you sure, Sire? I’ve got… company.”

The housekeeper opens the door wider, revealing the princess inside.

Her half-damp hair hangs behind her chair, catching the lamplight. She’s wrapped in furs, curling her hands around a steaming mug of tea. She turns, and I meet her large, brown eyes.

My heart swells, threatening to punch through my ribs.

And like a complete idiot, I smile.

“Pour the tea, Deirdre.”