Page 118 of The Nymph Prince

“The prince will be upset when he wakes,” Malik said, moving his gaze to the closed door.

“Tell him it had to be this way.” My words came out shakier than intended. It felt like I was saying goodbye to him.

Reif and I moved down the corridor. He needed to pack a bag, so we went to his chamber. I’d never seen his room before and was mildly curious.

There was only a bed and a wardrobe. Nothing else. Very plain. Maybe he preferred it that way. Life for a warrior was always changing. He needed to be able to pack everything and leave in a moment’s notice.

He filled a bag with weapons and a change of clothes before slinging it over his shoulder and moving past me.

“Do you still wish to bring the girl?” he asked once we were in a narrow passageway.

I wanted to have her with me. Eva gave me confidence when doubt tried to creep in. Over the past several months, she’d taught me so much. Even when I was a pain in the ass, she kept her patience and helped me through the difficult tasks. She believed in me; believed I could achieve anything.

But then I thought of Troy—of him waking to find his sister gone without so much as a goodbye.

“No,” I answered, looking up at Reif. “She’ll slow us down. Let’s go.”

As we left the palace and approached the portal, I inwardly groaned. Once again, I’d have to be carried like a babe through the water. That also meant that Reif would have to give me the kiss of life…oh, joy.

If there was ever a moment I wished I could sprout gills and a tail, it was that one.

Just another man to add to my list.

First Malik and then Lorcan. Now Reif. Next it would be Troy. Though, with the latter, I was sure I’d have to be the one holdinghim.

“I’m looking forward to this just as much as you,” Reif muttered.

“Do you promise to be gentle?” I teased, fluttering my eyelashes.

He snorted. “I am never gentle, boy.”

I wondered if that included the elf boy from his story. Try as he might to say it was only a story, there’d been truth in it. It didn’t take much to connect the pieces. He’d been an assassin, told to kill the elf for whatever reason. When he failed to do so, had he been stripped of his position?

Reif interrupted my thoughts when he pulled me against his chest. “Hold on.”

I took a deep breath before he jumped through the portal. His body changed, growing longer as his black tail formed. Though the water was dark, I saw the red dusting around his dark eyes. He held my gaze a moment before shooting upward.

My head spun as we dashed toward the surface at a ridiculous speed. The water held a chill, and with the darkness around us, I shivered. I’d never been uneasy in the sea, but it was different then. Some areas were so dark that they looked black. It was disturbing not to know what lay within the depths.

As my lungs started to burn, I reluctantly reached for his face.

Reif jerked away from my touch, but not before I’d felt the jagged scar on his left cheek. I started to panic as I thought he was going to deny me air. Of course with the panic, the little air I’d had left rushed out.

“Calm down, boy,” he said.

So strange how they could speak underwater. Lorcan had done it to me, as well.

He gripped my chin and pressed his lips to mine. My panic subsided as air was breathed into me. The burning in my chest stopped, and I relaxed. He didn’t linger on my mouth. Only a few seconds before he moved his head away from mine.

When we broke the surface, we were greeted by the moon. Had it always been so big? The silver of it reminded me of Lorcan’s hair.

My sweet, beautiful nymph. I hoped he’d forgive me for leaving him. Before we were fully bonded, I could only sense him when he was near, but I felt him right then. Felt his soft heartbeat. He must’ve still been in the clutches of sleep. The distance between us caused a crack in my chest.

It has to be this way, I reminded myself.

Reif carried me to shallow water before releasing me and shifting back into his human form.

The moon’s reflection on the dark water brought back countless memories from when I’d been on theCrimson Night. I still missed my family, but I’d gained more members of that family. And I would do anything to keep them safe.