When I stepped up to the entrance, the chill from the stone exterior settled over me. Guaranteed, this was another sterile prison, like the one I’d come from.
A butler strode up to us, clad in all black. He had a distinguished air about him, like he’d been with the family for ages. “The Durands?”
“Yes,” Angus said, giving a sniff.
“Follow me,” he said, holding the door open and gesturing us inside.
My father escorted my mother, and I trailed behind them, the butler taking the rear. Upon entry, splendor sprawled out in every direction, a marble staircase to the right, a seafoam bluish-green color to the walls with white accents. The chandeliers were made of sea glass that cast glimmering deepblue and green patterns on the tiled white floor, with veins of silver and black.
Two figures emerged from an anteroom. One was a tall man with a crisp black and gray beard and similar hair, dressed in a formal suit like my father. The other, though…
They weren’t human. I’d seen cecaelia before, but never any as striking as the one before me. They stood at an equal height to the other man, but instead of legs were eight dark tentacles. Their short silver hair was carefully coiffed, and their skin gleamed like a moonstone in the light with a pale-blue hue. The suit jacket they wore had longer tails, and they had a maroon vest on underneath, the whole look complementing their broad shoulders and solid frame. Their dark eyes held a sharpness that fascinated me, and the severity of their pursed lips made them seem dangerous.
My mother bristled. Of course she’d take offense to being in the presence of a monster.
“Ah, my esteemed guests,” the man said, stepping forward. Frederick, I presumed. “I was just finishing business with my lawyer here. Ursuline, this is the Durand family.”
They gave my father and mother a quick scan over and arched their brow, as if they found them wanting. Then their gaze landed on me, and I froze. The intensity there was something I’d never experienced before. A whole-body shiver traveled through me, as if I’d been plugged in, and the hum of electricity zipped to life.
Ursuline tipped their head in a nod and then shuffled past us on their tentacles. I glanced behind to watch them go, wishing they didn’t have to. They were the first bit of unexpected since the moment we’d headed out for the night. Everything else felt like the same old-wealth circles I was accustomed to—and loathed.
“Come, dinner will be set out for us soon,” Frederick said, sweeping his arm to the right. “Arielle is waiting, as well as my wife, Darla, and our two other daughters, Olivia and Pearl.”
“Right,” my father stated, heading in the gestured direction. My mother quickened her pace, as if she could escape having been in the same room as a monster. Much of my family involved themselves in Human First far too much for my liking.
We stepped into the dining room, where four women were seated around a massive table, the cherrywood seats polished to perfection, and a cream tablecloth and pale-blue table runner across the length. The chandeliers in this room mimicked candles with their tremulous false flames glittering. The older woman with her hair in a low bun must’ve been Darla, and two women who appeared to be in their twenties sat beside her.
My gaze landed on a familiar redhead. “You’re from the beach.”
She glanced at me, and her smile brightened. “And you’re the one the sea spat out. Funny seeing you here.”
“You’ve already met Arielle?” my mother asked, stepping beside me.
“Apparently so,” I said, taking the steps to go sit beside her. I’d rather her company than my parents’. I’d rather most company to theirs.
She flashed me another grin when I sat. “Who knew you’d be the esteemed Durand heir?”
I shook my head. “Nothing esteemed about me. Just happened to be born into a rich family.”
My father coughed into his napkin, and when I looked up, his glare burrowed deep into me. Clearly, that had been the wrong answer. Though I never knew how to navigate these conversations, not truly. I wasn’t interested in business or fluffing my ego, and my real passions were off the table for discussion.
“Do you go swimming often?” Arielle asked, and I leapt onto the question, grateful for one I could answer.
“I love it,” I responded. “I’ve been swimming in the ocean for as long as I can remember.”
“Same,” Arielle said, a glimmer to her eyes. She glanced over at her mother, who glared as well. Apparently we could both garner parental disapproval.
Frederick entered the room at last and took a seat at the head of the table, something that probably had my father prickling. For as much as my father had always scolded me for being sensitive, he was a hypocrite given the amount of small things that hurt his feelings on a daily basis. Like not getting to sit at the head of the table.
“Dinner will be served in a moment,” Frederick said with a smile, “but I’d love to talk with you, Angus, on how business has been as of late.”
My mind started drifting at the mere mention. All around the room, more of the trident motif threaded through the decorations, as well as a lot of oceanic details. One room might be a style choice, but the exterior, the main foyer, and now the dining hall felt more like this was tied to the Triton family themselves.
“Have they filled you in on their plans?” Arielle asked in a stage whisper.
“They have,” I mentioned, my heart sinking at the reminder this wasn’t just a normal dinner. “What do you think about it?”
She shrugged. “As a woman in this society? I’m lucky if I find someone who’s kind, not cold. I never expected love from a marriage, nor even fidelity.”
