He looked so sad and dejected that Odessa couldn’t help but soften. Katrin stepped forward, bumping her forehead into his shoulder. A soft smile spread across his face as he ran his hand down her silver neck.
Odessa watched them for a moment, a hopeless ache building in her chest. “Your mother isn’t signing any treaties yet, Dimi. It sounds like she just wants you to start seriously looking. After all, she and your father had to meet somewhere, didn’t they?”
Dmitri stilled, his face going slack for a moment. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he gave his head a shake and grinned. “You’re a genius!” He gave Katrin one last pat and stepped closer to Odessa, throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her into a one-sided hug. He pressed a swift kiss to the top of her head before stepping quickly away. He walked backwards down the path as he spoke, “I need to speak with Mother. Can I borrow the boat?”
She blinked, attempting to regain her equilibrium at his sudden swing in emotions. “Absolutely not. You’re a hazard on the water, and I’m not going to fish you out of the lake again. Go around like the rest of us do. If you’re in a hurry, run; you have two perfectly healthy legs.”
He sighed dramatically but was already nearly out of earshot. “Fine. But one of these days, I’m going to get back out there again.”
“Lucky for me, it’s night.”
He made a face at her, then lifted his hand and took off at a steady jog. Odessa shook her head at his retreating form, breathing out a fond, amused chuckle. Katrin joined her, her attention glued to the prince in a doe-eyed stare. Odessa’s amusement faded, giving way to determination. She looked at the deer, whispering. “I’m going to break this curse, Katrin. I won’t let him marry anyone else.”
Katrin swung her head around and gave her a look of gentle reproof.
Odessa sighed. “I know I can’t actually keep that from happening. But he wants to be loved for who he is! Do you know how hard it is to see that and know that what he’s looking for is right in front of his nose, if only he knew the truth?”
The doe stepped into her space, arching her graceful neck over Odessa’s shoulder in the closest thing to a hug she could manage. Odessa returned the gesture, throwing her arms around Katrin’s neck. After a moment, she stepped back and set her shoulders. “Right. Curse-breaking will have to wait for at least an hour or two. I have cages to clean and hungry mouths to feed.”
She moved purposefully down the graveled walk to the next enclosure and had just fished out her keys when a frightened scream broke the stillness of the night air, followed by a heavy splash.
Odessa looked at Katrin with wide eyes. “Dmitri.”
She dropped her keys into her pocket and sprinted toward the lake.
Chapter Four
ODESSA
Odessa kicked off her shoes as she ran, stopping only long enough to peer over the water in an effort to locate the spot where Dmitri must have fallen in. She frowned as her eyes skated over the rowboat, still tied securely to the long, narrow wooden dock.
“Surely the foolish boy didn’t decide to tryswimminghis way across?” she muttered.
A dark shape on the surface of the lake caught her attention, and she saw what looked like a pale hand disappear into the depths. Without a second thought, Odessa plunged into the cold water, pulling herself forward with strong, sure strokes. When she reached the place where she had last seen Dmitri, she breathed in a deep lungful of air, then dove. She felt around blindly as she pushed herself deeper—the lake was murky on a clear, sunny day, and in the pale moonlight, she could barely even see her own hand in front of her face.
Panic grew and clawed at her chest the deeper she dove. Her lungs began to burn, and bright spots danced in the corners of her vision when her fingers finally felt the brush of fabric. She wrapped both hands around what felt like an arm and then kicked as hard as she could to the surface.
She gasped as soon as her head broke the water, and for a moment it felt like her lungs would never recover. She used her arms as well as her legs to pull Dmitri to the surface, and then nearly dropped him again once his head finally emerged from the water.
He wasn’t Dmitri.
She treaded water while she adjusted her hold on him, wrapping one arm around his chest and letting his head fall back onto her shoulder. Dark, thick lashes fanned out over his pale cheeks. He seemed nearly too pretty to be real, with high cheekbones, a strong jaw with just a hint of stubble, and dark eyebrows that even in his unconscious state hinted at unspoken expression. She began towing him to shore, spurred on by the dark ring of blue that tinged his lips.
Once the water was shallow enough that her feet could touch the bottom, Odessa stood, hooking her elbows underneath his arms and pulling him backwards. Katrin met them as she collapsed beside the stranger on the shore.
“Don’t worry; it’s not Dmitri.”
The man was wearing a leather bag strapped around his shoulders, and she tugged it off and tossed it to the side as she pressed her ear to his chest, running through the emergency rescue steps that had been drilled into her since she was a child. It was hard to hear with the heavy leather vest he wore, but she could just barely make out the slow thump of his heart.
“He’s alive, but he’s still not breathing.”
She gripped the man’s chin, tilting his head back, and pinched his nose shut as she covered his mouth with her ownand blew, watching for his chest to rise. She counted to five slowly, then breathed for him again, and again, and again, until he gave a shuddering gasp and water gurgled up from his mouth.
Odessa rolled him onto his side and held him steady as he continued to cough up what seemed like the entire lake. Her own adrenaline slowly started to fade, leaving her limbs shaky and exhausted. Once the man’s lungs seemed to be finally clear, she laid him flat and leaned back onto her heels.
His eyes fluttered open for the briefest of moments before they closed again, and a slow, lazy grin spread over his face. “I didn’t realize death would be so beautiful,” he murmured, his words slurring together.
“Sir?” Odessa leaned over him. “Sir, can you tell me your name?”
