An ache thickened in my chest as I surveyed the high-end Mer boutiques. There was glimmering signage—etched in Runes of the Ocean—above each entrance, and in front of some stores, lilac-tailed Thálassian guards paced.
“And we can put things on the palace tab...” Layla hooked her arm through mine. “One of the perks of us both being princesses.”
She and Porphura pulled me toward one of the fanciest stores. The Mer guard at the door bowed his head and opened it, allowing us to drift inside. Mermaid mannequins spun slowly in the current, modeling the latest jewelry, headdresses, and chains that could be draped across the hips to hang down over the tail.
Beautiful harp music floated through the boutique as a young mermaidattendant drifted forward, gesturing for us to sit on pale sponge couches before a table laid with goblets of wine.
Porphura pulled me down beside her, her tail curling along the edge of the couch. On my other side, Layla lounged on her belly, propped on her elbows, her long braids rippling down her back.
“Look.” Porphura wrapped her fingers around my wrist and used her free hand to point to the back of the store, where Mer tailors and jewelers were crafting new designs before our eyes.
My mind slipped into a memory of pacing back and forth before Parker’s house—how I’d almost gone back to a man who had cheated on me and tried to kill me, all because he had bought me designer clothes. A guilty nausea formed in the pit of my stomach, and I shrugged off Porphura’s gentle touch.
“I don’t think I need anything.” I shook my head. “I have enough jewels in my room.”
“But that’s no fun.” Porphura crossed her arms, lips pursed in mock displeasure.
“Let’s have a wine at least.” With a swish of her golden tail, Layla shifted into a seated position, her fins curling around the couch as a grin played on her lips. She handed each of us a chalice. “To enjoying freedom before war.”
My insides remained in knots, but I raised my glass to the two beautiful mermaids sitting on either side of me.
A few hours later, arms stuffed with shopping bags, cheeks glowing, and mouths sticky with Mer candy and wine, we finally found ourselves back in the piazza before the laneway of shops dedicated to the Agápe, the Goddess of Love. The lane unfurled before us like a ribbon of rose-huedsand, winding through an alcove hung with pink bioluminescent lanterns. The water here was warmer, tinged with a scent of sweet salt.
My mouth fell open as I surveyed the shops, perfumeries, Mer jewelers, tailors, silk-weavers, and poetry scroll shops, all trades dedicated to the art of love.
“Wait, is that a...” I caught Porphura’s wrist as we passed a store, its windows lined with glowing potions and coral items of different shapes. Inside, the walls were decorated with artists’ impressions of Mer and Sirens engaged in what seemed to be acts of lovemaking.
Porphura bubbled with laughter. “It’s a store for pleasure items, yes. But I doubt you’ll need anything from their shelves when my brother is warming your bed.”
I felt a blush bloom across my skin.
Layla gestured to the next shop, where mermaids and mermen sat at round tables, throwing each other nervous smiles. “A dating cafe.”
“I think I like this Agápe.” A smile toyed on my mouth.
We reached the end of the lane, where a templelike structure loomed, nestled in an alcove tiled with rose-colored stone. Ribbed pillars rose to meet a square roof, a domed crown behind them. The magnificent building glowed with a pinkish hue, as if bioluminescent algae dwelled in all its crevices.
“The priestess store.” Porphura drew me to a stop before it. “Well, it’s not technically a store, because you don’tbuythe clothes—you must be worthy.”
My breathing quickened. “You never said anything about that.”
“We’ll meet you back out here.” Porphura pushed me toward the entrance before letting Layla pull her away, the two of them drifting hand in hand back down the lane of lovers.
Inside the temple, translucent cloaks hung from Mer and Sirenmannequins crafted from stone. There were deeper-toned garments as well, dusky blues, inky purples, and stormy grays adorned with the Runes of the Ocean, and hoods that drifted in the swell.
Shelves of accessories glistened: coral circlets, bunches of bioluminescent flowers, bracelets of what looked like bone, as well as an assortment of balms and elixirs. A blessing area at the back of the temple allowed priestesses to pray or meditate beside a pool of pearlescent water on sponge cushions.
My spine went rigid as I took in the space, heat rising at the back of my neck as a wave of unworthiness washed over me, making me want to flee.
“Daughter of Agápe, I have been expecting you.” A priestess in a flowing cloak, her silver-painted lips and dark eyes serene, glided forward and took my hands in hers. Her aquamarine scales matched mine, though where I stood on legs, she drifted forward on a tail.
I flushed, casting my eyes over the nearest priestess mannequins, tall and elegant, carved into marble. “Queen Peisinoe... erm... sent me here to get some things for dream weaving.”
“Do you need to accommodate wings?” The priestess raised her brows.
“What do you mean?” I asked, the tightness in my gut strengthening its hold.
“Some of us are blessed with tails, others with legs, and a few with wings. Wings are rare, though—they manifest only in the most powerful High Sirens.” She surveyed me thoughtfully.
