His lips twitch. “Better seen firsthand.”
I snort, turning to face the water again. “Okay, what about this: are you related to King Kai?”
Tua chuckles. “That I am. His father was my eldest brother.”
“And were youhisadvisor as well?” I ask as footsteps sound on the deck behind us.
“I was.” It’s all he says before he turns away and bows deeply.
“I told you not to do that,” the shifter king grumbles from behind me. I keep my gaze on the ocean in front of me as I smirk. Darkness has fallen fully now, the Spell shimmering under the silver light of the moon on the water’s surface as the waves crashup against the side of the ship. My stomach twists in protest again.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. If all is well, I think I’ll grab some dinner and retire for the evening,” Tua says.
I look over my shoulder to him, dipping my chin slightly. “Thank you for the conversation, Tua.”
“Of course, Bahira. Goodnight.”
I turn back to face the water, my hands gently gripping the railing as his footsteps fade away. My palm and wrists throb, reminding me that I need to keep the injuries hidden from the king standing silently behind me.
“Why are you lingering behind me like a ghost?” I swear the deck itself shakes as he takes a few steps until I can feel him looming nearer. “An annoyingly close ghost,” I grumble. He snorts but doesn’t answer me, and my frustration rises until I turn around and fold my arms over my chest, leaning my back against the railing. Even then, I still have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “If you’re going for an annoyingandcreepy ghost, well done. You’ve achieved it.”
“I’m wondering if perhaps staying silent is safer. Wouldn’t want to get punched again,” he drawls, lifting a dark brow. My eyes narrow, hands instinctively closing into fists before pain flares and I have to grit my teeth to hide my reaction. “I’m still unsure of what I did to have warranted such a hit in the first place.”
I scoff, my head jerking back with the movement. “You’re joking,” I reply flatly. When he continues tostareat me, I open my mouth to list all the reasons he was due that punch and honestly even another, when he takes a step closer. His hands brace the railing on either side of my body as he leans down to get on my eye level.
“I must admit, you hit much harder than I would have thought. It makes me think that you do in fact know how touse that spear you brought.” His eyes catch the scant moonlight above, his irises appearing toglow, andI’m unable to look away from him as I push myself farther back against the ship’s railing. The next inhale I take mixes his scent with the salty ocean air around us. My stomach tightens in response, and I’m positive that I have the seasickness to blame for that.
“You need to back up before you find out what it’s like to get hit on the other side of your jaw,” I grit out. Ignoring the slight breathiness to my voice, I observe said jaw, disappointment flaring when I note how his golden skin is unmarred.
The corner of his mouth tugs up while his eyes flick briefly to my hair. They linger there for a breath before they are back on mine. “You do not act like how I imagined a princess would.”
“Well, you actexactlyas I imagined a male who is half beast would.” I attempt to straighten my spine and force him out of my space, but he is as immobile as the mast of the ship behind him. “Move.”
His powerful stare lingers another moment, both of us battling silently against one another before he finally pushes up from the railing and steps back. I have to temper the sigh of relief I want to draw in as I step around him and walk back to my cabin, my stomach still too upset to consider eating anything.
But I feel the heat of his gaze scorching my skin the entire way.
Chapter Ten: Bahira
I hate sailing.The thought rattles around in my brain as I throw up again and again into the toilet.
Wiping my mouth with a cloth, I lean against the edge of the tub, the cool stone biting into the skin at my temple. We’ve been on the water for three days, an estimated few more to go, and I’ve managed to avoid King Kai since our last interaction that first night. But it’s only because I’m too sick to leave my cabin. Tua has come by to check on me a handful of times each day,offering food and water which I manage a few bites and sips of. Most of it ends up coming right back out.
My head feels heavy, and my skin clammy, as my stomach continues to churn. Distantly, I hear what sounds like knocking, but I don’t register what it is before I’m unconscious.
“Princess, wake up,” a stern voice rumbles near me.
I go to speak, to move, to doanything,but my body feels as though it’s weighed down by lead. Even my tongue is too heavy as I try—and fail—to remove it from the roof of my mouth.
“Bahira,” he says again, closer this time. His voice sounds distorted through the ringing in my ears, the dizziness in my head swirling until I start to feel nauseous again.
I force my eyes to open, the world spinning around me as I reach out to grab the toilet. Hauling myself up with barely any strength, I start to dry heave though there is nothing in my stomach to actually purge.
“Fucking gods,” the king mumbles before I feel my hair being pulled back from my face.
For a long while, my stomach cramps and spasms in its effort to expel something that isn’t there.Finally,it settles enough for me to sit back, my forearm coming to my mouth as I try to focus my eyes. The glow of a flame gem silhouettes his figure where he squats down in front of me. His hair looks ruffled, the strands on top pushed back and off to the side. A few days of scruff peppers his jaw and cheeks and surrounds his lips, which are currently in the shape of a frown. I meet his eyes, unable to decipher what I see in them before they narrow.
“When was the last time you ate or drank?” he asks accusatorially, as if being debilitated my first time on a boatis my fault. “It shouldn’t take you this long to overcome your seasickness.”
