Queen Peisinoe observed me with curiosity in her dark eyes.
“Using too much dream magic will exhaust her.” Finn’s tone was sharp. “Iwill lead us there.”
The queen held up a hand. “I will offer you both a dream,” she said,looking between us. “My husband’s health is worth my exhaustion.” She turned to King Proteus, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Noticing her gaze, the king shook the fear from his eyes and rolled his shoulders. “Yes, well, let us be merry and forget about this for tonight.” He forced a wide grin. “It is not every day my nephew comes to visit.”
Finn took a second, composing himself enough to smile at the king, but his eyes remained dark.
“Elias will show you to your rooms. We Thálassians are the keepers of pleasure, and tonight, you’ll experience one of our kingdom’s famed indulgences—a pleasure party at the sunken palace of Baiae.” King Proteus clasped his hands over his muscular chest.
“Wicked.” Edward’s eyes sprang wide.
A muscle in Finn’s jaw clenched. “Uncle, you know that my father’s half-brother, Taranis, has been possessed by Manannán. A war is coming.”
“Yes, yes.” Proteus waved a hand. “Pisceon and your lovely wife-to-be have been to see us. The castle is warded. All the more reason to party.”
The herald, Elias, drifted away from the king to lead us to our rooms, and I started to follow.
Finn caught my arm in a firm grip. “What do you think you’re doing getting a dream?” he snapped, his black eyes flashing.
“The same thing you are,” I shot back, yanking myself free and following Elias up the stone steps that led to our chambers.
This was perfect. If I was granted a dream of the prophecy, I could set out alone. I wouldn’t need Finn at all. That was probably what he feared. I cast one last glance over my shoulder. He was still watching me, arms folded, dark eyes narrowed, the muscle still ticking in his jaw.
I bit my lip to stop my grin. Perhaps I would only have to pretend I trusted him for one more night.
22
Skye
As soon as I was alone in my chambers, the darkness crept in. When I’d been around the others, it had been easier not to think about everything that had happened. About what I’d become.
I glanced around the room I’d been shown into, chewing on my lip as I took it in, my breathing becoming shorter and sharper. The gills on my neck flared. I clamped my hands over them, then tore them away as suffocation gripped me and my vision swayed. Stepping farther into my new bedroom, I willed the anxiety clutching my chest to release its hold.
More pillars adorned the area, meeting a polished marble floor, and the roof was decorated with finely painted squares of red, white, and blue. In one corner stood a limestone basin and an expansive mirror, and the stone bed was topped with a sea sponge mattress. A marble balcony looked out over the turquoise waters, coral gardens, and colossal structures beyond.
My breath hitched, fear dissolving in a sharp burst of pleasure as my eyes fell on the jewels laid out before me, shining from the carved shelf below the mirror. I presumed they were to wear to the party.
Rushing over, I clutched them to me: gleaming bracelets inlaid with colorful stones, matching earrings and necklaces, and a finely carved golden crown featuring strands of seaweed woven together.
I lifted one of the earrings to my cheek, and my stomach tightened as I faced my reflection. My breath turned ragged again as the mirror reflected the gills, now carved into either side of my once porcelain neck.
I gripped the edges of the basin, a wave of nausea rolling through me, as everything I had been pushing down, pushing away, came flooding back. Parker’s head lolling, his sticky blood staining my thighs... under my fingernails...
Sickness expanded in my gut as more memories surged through the floodgates of my mind. The Drowned... I’d screwed my eyes shut when Evelyn and Daniel’s throats had been slit, and then there had been that monster with a tentacle for an arm who’d had killed a man right before our eyes. The world warped as panic and devastation churned within me. I exhaled, releasing a stream of bubbles into the water.
This doesn’t have to be my life. I can change back anytime.
But for what? Aranare was dead to me. Parker was gone. And the police... they were probably out there, searching for me. I’d killed a Stewart—a member of one of the most powerful families in Scotland.
This. This was my life now. I’d made a deal with Agápe.
My breathing quickened again, and hot tears welled at the corners of my eyes. I wiped at them angrily, scooping up the scattered jewels, then turned away from the reflection I no longer recognized.
Moments later, I knocked on the door to Morgana’s room,which was next to mine. I steadied my breathing, forcing a practiced smile and bracing myself as she opened it.
“I can see why you like this place.” I kept my grin wide as I swanned into her room. “Shall we get ready for this pleasure party together?”
