The second her door shut, I sagged with relief. I reached for the railing of the staircase and gripped it tight, just to keep myself from swaying forward. I was drenched with sweat, my shirt plastering to my chest. Snooping in the area the Triton family inhabited hadn’t been my brightest idea. And I’d come too close to being discovered.
However, I had more information than I’d started with today.
I needed to plan my escape. No other option existed. And yet, the idea of leaving Ursuline behind squeezed my chest hard, pain radiating through me. But if Darla’s words held weight, staying wouldn’t just be dangerous for me.
Ursuline was in trouble too.
Chapter 22
Ursuline wasn’t able to come to the manor until that night.
I’d texted them at once and then done my best to avoid the Triton family by spending the rest of the day painting in the studio. Distraction was all I could do to keep from losing my mind. I didn’t want to fake conversation with Arielle or Darla, not after what I’d overheard.
I splashed color onto the canvas in one furious brush stroke after another. I hadn’t even come up to eat, because the kitchen served as a reminder that Jacques had vanished. That the Tritons were no different than my family in disposing of people who didn’t reach their exacting standards.
And I couldn’t tie myself to that for the rest of my life.
If I tried walking out of here, someone would catch me before I trekked halfway down the long, winding drive. If I asked to leave, a bodyguard would escort me, and I’d have to find a way to ditch them, which wasn’t my strongest suit. I stabbed red onto the canvas, as if I could somehow unleash the frustration and desperation bubbling up inside me.
“What did that canvas ever do to you?” Ursuline’s voice sounded behind me, their tone wry. I tensed and relaxed in the span of a breath as the surprise of their appearance faded away. Tension percolated inside me with the weight of what I needed to tell them, and my lips dried. Maybe they already knew. They were viciously intelligent, so I might be spiraling over information I’d been blind to.
Would they have hidden all of that from me? The idea made my gut churn.
I dipped my brush in the murky cup of water and stepped away from the canvas. When I turned around, the sight of Ursuline in the doorframe offered the first gasp of relief I could clutch onto, even though nerves still simmered through me.
They’d clearly come from work, wearing a high-collared black shirt, cut long like most of their tops to drift over their hips before the tentacles flared out beneath them. Their silver hair was slicked back, and the lighting of the room cast their light blue skin in a slightly different hue, deepening the dips of their muscles, the definition of their clavicle. They carried a plastic bag in one hand laden with foam containers, rich scents of food traveling my way.
“Figured you hadn’t eaten,” they said, holding up the takeout. “Here or upstairs?”
“Here,” I said, casting a nervous glance to the door. At least the studio room was contained. I couldn’t risk sitting up in the kitchen where anyone could overhear from another room or walk right in.
Ursuline’s brows drew together, and they gave a tight nod as they found the nearest bench and sprawled over it. I took a seat on the floor beside them, not wanting to be farther away. They passed me one of the foam containers, and I popped it open—pancakes with strawberry topping, which I’d commented was my favorite the last time I’d looked over Haven’s menu. My heartthrummed. Their consideration, the way they listened and saw me, touched a deep part of me.
Silence spread between us for a few moments, and I took the opportunity to cram a bit of pancake into my mouth, just to stave off my rioting stomach. I hadn’t eaten much at all today—couldn’t manage it with all the confusion churning around inside me.
“What’s going on?” Ursuline asked, breaking through the quiet. They hadn’t taken a bite of their food. “Based on your message, how jittery you are, something happened.”
I swallowed the bite of pancakes and then sucked in a deep breath for bolstering. “I need to leave.”
Ursuline lapsed into silence for a moment, but they bobbed their head. “I agree.”
“You need to leave too,” I said, daring to meet their gaze.
Their dark eyes flashed with pain, and their lips thinned. “If only I could, Elrich.”
I shook my head. “Beyond what they have planned over the union between my family and theirs, I don’t think they’re being honest with you about your deal.”
Ursuline sighed. “The contract is ironclad. I wrote it myself. If I violate it, my family is forfeit.”
“If your family is safe…” I hedged my bets, even though my pulse thumped so rapidly I thought it’d take off. “Then why are they trying to keep you distracted? Why don’t they want you to go to New Atlantis?”
Ursuline’s eyes widened, which told me all I needed to know.
“And I stumbled upon what my family gave them in return for a chance at some of the orichalcum wealth,” I continued, before they could argue with me or stop this train from moving forward. “Access to Alpha Blue.”
Ursuline’s expression darkened, and they let out a low swear. “How do you know?”
“I overheard Arielle and Darla talking about you earlier,” I murmured, squeezing my nape. “They weren’t aware I was there. As for Alpha Blue, I found my family’s token in Frederick’s office.”
