I take a step forward, my hands desperate to reach for him, but I’m too ashamed to touch him. Too certain he’ll push me away. “That’s not true. It was real, and that’s why I made you eliminate me from the competition tonight. Because I realized I can’t do it.”
“When did you realize it?” His tone sharpens. “How long have younotbeen trying to kill me?”
My stomach turns as I deliver the truth. “Since last night.”
He lets out a dark laugh and shakes his head. “Since last night, but every moment before that…”
I step closer again. My only consolation is that he doesn’t retreat. Instead, he stands tall, eyes narrowed as he holds my gaze. “I had no choice, Dorian. I was manipulated into a bargain with my mother—a woman I despise. She’s the reason I’ve been living in Lumenas, hiding, thieving. I’ve been trying to evade her for over a year. When I rescued you…she found me. She wanted to punish me for foiling the attempt on your life. She cursed me to die unless I obeyed her, gave me ten days to reverse the fate she placed upon me.”
His expression flickers at my mention of the curse, but he quickly steels it behind his icy mask.
“She convinced me you were a monster,” I say. “That I was doing the right thing by entering our bargain.”
“You were told I was a monster and you believed her without a second thought.”
“At first, I did believe her, but the more I got to know you, the more I doubted myself. Why do you think I asked you for the truth? Why do you think I’ve evaded every potential kiss since my first attempt?”
“Yes, you evaded my kisses last night,” he says through his teeth, “but that’s long after you already accepted a bargain to end my life. If I hadn’t pushed you away the first time…” His expression pales, eyes growing unfocused. “I’d be dead.”
Tears pool in my eyes, and my chest tightens more and more with every breath. “I’m glad you pushed me away. I’m glad I failed my mission. In fact, I’m glad I was the one sent here to do it.”
His eyes fly back to mine, wide with terror.
“Only because if it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else.” I point at Zara, who watches us with a smug grin. “It would have been her. And anyone else would have succeeded by now. The Alpha Council sanctioned your assassination, Dorian. They wanted to stop you from gaining citizenship.”
“And I’m supposed to thank you for that?”
“That’s not—”
A bark of laughter cuts off my words. “You’re wrong, little seal.” Zara crosses her arms and leans against the wall.
“About what?” I ask.
“The Alpha Council never sanctioned Dorian’s assassination.
“Nimue said they did.”
“No, she suggested it.” Zara chuckles. “You’re so stupid, Maisie. Just a pitiful pup, gullible enough to swallow deception that’s been fed to you by a woman you profess to hate. In truth, Dorian is welcome on the isle. He’s safe. He doesn’t need a wife or to hide behind religious sanctuary.”
The blood rushes through my ears, filling my head with a pounding pressure. “The Alpha Council never approved of Dorian’s death? My father didn’t either?”
“No. According to Nimue, your father was one of Dorian’s strongest defenders when word of his impending arrival reached the council.”
“She…she tricked me.”
Her grin widens. “Are you even surprised?”
“The attack on his ship…”
“Was personal, not professional. I requested the kill, and Nimue approved. It was supposed to be quick. Easy. No survivors. Thenheattacked me with fire.” She snaps her teeth at Dorian, a growl in her throat. He sneers back, fists clenched, posture poised for attack. She turns her gaze back to me. “And you saved his life, ruining everything. I was supposed to be the one to end him. His life was mine to gift to the sea. Then your mother discovered you were involved because I so stupidly gave her that shell comb.”
She glowers at the side of my head where the comb resides, and I resist the urge to touch it. Instead, I picture its row of teeth and try to determine how much damage they could do if I get close enough to Zara. I’m no fighter. What are the chances I can do anything to overpower her? Then my gaze snags on the discarded sea glass dagger that remains on the floor. Zara has made no move to retrieve it. But the way she stalks closer, step by step, shows she’s preparing to attack again. She may have promised to let Dorian go, but she never said she wouldn’t try to hurt him after.
I can’t let that happen. Dorian may hate me, but I can live with that. As short as my life is likely to be.
Zara’s eyes dart between me and Dorian, and she steps closer again. Her hand lowers to the belt at her waist, as if she’s forgotten her sheath is empty. But it isn’t the missing dagger she reaches for. It’s a small pouch on the side. She flicks it open and retrieves something flat and silver—an object I recognize. It’s Nimue’s Chariot, the device that allows someone to transport themselves from one place to another in an instant.
As Zara draws closer, her eyes leave me entirely and focus only on Dorian. She got what she wanted out of me—to inflict pain on Dorian—and no longer sees me as a threat. He watches her back with a calculated gaze, stepping back when she steps forward, shifting sideways when she tries to sidestep them. Soon they begin to circle each other like sharks. With slow, quiet movements, I back toward the wall. When my foot brushes the side of the dagger, I start inching down.
