Page 37 of The Princesses of Ruin (The Princesses of Ruin #5)

“It was my recommendation. Meals are bonding experiences for selkies, and as I understand from my limited knowledge, Ki’ah Ohn as well.”

I want to tell him it was unnecessary, that we’re in a hurry, but that is impatience rearing. I am a princess. This is an interspecies negotiation for the survival of our kind.

“I appreciate the effort,” I say.

He makes another laughing sound. “But you find it without use?”

“I hope not,” I say. “I wish to make a good, lasting impression. I hope our request will be heard, and entertained.”

Vek’ihr shimmies in an interesting way that pushes the water away from us. “I hope so as well.”

With the important question about how I should behave out of the way, I go on to ask my culture questions while we swim.

“What are all the buildings for?”

“The survival of the people.”

“How?”

“You will see.”

I suppose I will…

“What are family units like? ”

“Clutches are not raised like Ki’ah Ohn, or selkie kind. Members become functional within days of hatching, and they all know their place.”

That sounds ominous.

“What does that mean?”

“Resources are limited. Every member has their place, and their rights.”

“Do you have commerce? With whom?”

“Yes, with Nimpoi.”

“What is it?”

“Fish and other delicacies.”

“What do they give the ga’hanoi?”

Vek’ihr pauses before the luminous, wide-open entrance of the tallest tower. “They do not hunt us.”

I take in the massive building before us with open-mouthed wonder.

“You fear being eaten?” Jasper scoffs. “Unlikely.”

“The centuries have not been as kind to the ga’hanoi as the selkie. War, loss, disease, and fear drove us to the Deep. Desperation drove us to survive. Determination drives us to fight for the sunlight.”

His large eyes reflect the wondrous colors around us.

“Any alliance we can make to that end, we will.”

Jasper grunts. “Was that before or after you started hunting my kind for flesh?”

Vek’ihr turns his gaze on my mate. “The descendants of victors know little of the vanquished.”

Jasper bristles, his spines rising along the back of his head.

I squeeze his hand. “Your history is something I’d very much like to learn. And more of the selkies. Ki’ah Ohn don’t know much of the creatures in the sea. ”

Vek’ihr dips his featureless head in a very Fynish bow. “Then a tour of the Pact Sanctum is in order when the meal is complete, if your mate is allowing.”

I look at said mate, who has yet to formally introduce himself. Jasper’s upper lip peels back in a twitchy snarl, then he schools his face and extends his hand.

“Jasper, of the Opal Isle.”

Vek’ihr takes Jasper’s hand and raises it to where lips would be if his face had any. Jasper tugs his fingers free with a scowl, and I giggle.

“I have made an error,” Vek’ihr says as his body lights up with blue and pink under his thin skin.

I smile. “It’s just funny. Men shake hands with men; they don’t kiss their knuckles like with women.”

“I see. My absorption of the information must have been incomplete, or too lax.”

My curiosity is piqued once more. “You said that before. What do you mean?”

The pulses of light grow brighter and circle his body cavity in strange patterns. “The method by which I learned…it may frighten you?”

“The ga’hanoi steal thoughts by eating a living being,” Jasper says, his voice loaded with loosely tethered rage. “They would keep us alive and eat us for days at a time. They would find out where we were hiding and raid our homes.”

“That is true of long ago, more tide-cycles than either you or I were alive.” Vek’ihr shifts away, his outer limbs encasing his body structure. “We do not eat your kind anymore.”

“That’s yet to be seen,” Jasper murmurs.

“You will eat the heart of a living being to gain its form, will you not? ”

Jasper goes deathly still, his spines fully flexed.

“Are my sources incorrect?” Vek’ihr asks.

He already knows, so there’s no point in hiding Jasper’s magus ability. Honesty will win us more trust, and I fear we’re in great need of it right now.

“It’s true,” I say. “And I can harness the sun.”

Vek’ihr’s protection peels away. “I recall the warmth. The light. Being in the shallows was a blessing, but being in your presence…it is sacred.”

Jasper pulls me against his side.

“ My mate,” he snarls in the selkie tongue.

Vek’ihr makes a tittering sound. “Yes, selkie mating bonds. So wonderous you found it in Ki’ah Ohn. Could it extend to other creatures? Basilksi? Dragon?”

He pauses, looking at me. “Ga’hanoi?”

A deep click rips from Jasper’s throat and the water trembles. The vibration hurts my fingers and eyes, making me ball my hands. Vek’ihr wraps himself tightly in all his limbs, becoming a small oval of pulsing light.

Ga’hanoi emerge from the surrounding buildings, encircling us with tentacles raised menacingly.

“You mistake me for a gentler creature, il’anka Vek’ihr. ” Jasper spits the word I’ve never heard before with malice.

My fingers tingle with numbness as I grip his arm. “Jasper, your actions are putting us at risk.”

His lips are fully stretched across his face, revealing sharp teeth. All at once, the realization dawns on him, and his features turn from hatred to fear. His eyes dart around, taking in the mass of ga’hanoi ready to strangle us.

Vek’ihr unfurls himself slowly, like a flower in bloom. His colors shift and pulse. He points here and there, and the crowd of ga’hanoi disperse.

“My apologies, Jasper of the Opal Isle,” Vek’ihr says, bowing deeply. “I overstepped.”

The silence drags on, so I jab Jasper in the ribs, hard. He glares at me, jaw flexing.

“Your apology will be considered over the next several hours,” Jasper finally says, and I growl at him.

“I’m pleased it will be considered. I would not want to spoil our negotiations.”

Tension looms between us and fear spikes through me.

What if they’re already spoiled?

Vek’ihr comes out of the bow and turns to the opening of the large tower. “Please, follow me. Dinner awaits us.”