My stomach is tying in impossible knots at the idea of letting him in. Letting him know me. I can't have feelings for a rebel. That is fucking stupid, and I am not an idiot. I think maybe the open air and the sun are too much all at once.
But then again, he has saved my life countless times. He makes me feel safe and insane and desired without saying a word. Iwant to stay in his arms on the bottom of this boat, but my stomach is growling.
I move to sit up, but he beats me to it.
“Tell me something nobody knows about you,” he says, and that thing inside me melts.
“I … am afraid of the dark,” I tell him and cover my eyes so I don't have to see his reaction.
The crunching sound of him chomping into an apple is his response, so I peek through my fingers, and he grins a crooked, beautiful grin. One that tells me maybe he did already know this.
“You can't be a badass and be afraid of the dark,” he argues, tossing an apple to me.
I roll my eyes. “Okay, your turn. Tell me something I don't know about you.”
I study him carefully, trying to anticipate what he might say. His face is sad when he says, “There is so much you don't know.”
I push up to sit. “That's not fair. You have to tell me something.”
Time is suspended as we stare into each other's eyes. Neither of us daring to move until he reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. His calloused hand gently holds the side of my face, and I lean into the caress. Another jolt hits me in the temple.
Whatisthat?
He rubs his thumb across my cheek, and I inhale the salty scent of the ocean that mixes with his bergamot and amberwood aroma.
“I promise to tell you everything, but just let me enjoy this peace for one moment longer,” he says, pulling me back down to him.
I'm about to argue when shouts fill the air, carried on the wind, and we both turn to find the source.
Raiden mumbles an almost inaudible curse as a huge, beautiful ship casts a shadow over our tiny boat. How hadwe missed its approach? Had we been so enamored with one another we had lost our sense of survival? I reach for my dagger, but Raiden puts his hand over mine.
The most gorgeous female I've ever seen leans over the ship's railing, waving down at us with a bright white smile. Her dark, curly hair is pulled back, wisps of it blowing in the wind, and a small golden crown sits atop her head.
The blue sky and sun shining behind her make her glow, as if she's not from this world.
“Well, isn't this a welcome surprise!” she yells, and I whip my head back to look at Raiden.
He smiles back up at her, and my heart cracks a little at the thought that he has never looked at me with such unbridled joy.
“Lavinia!” he shouts up at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Can't a girl sail out to meet her betrothed without her motives being questioned?” she replies, and I swear I've heard her wrong. I shake my head, as if that will clear things up.
“Of course!” he laughs, and squeezes my hand once. The gesture sends an ache into my gut, and I'm blinking back unexpected tears. But there's something else bubbling beneath the surface.
“Who is this? And what have you done with Father's ship?” Her hands are on her hips as she feigns a disappointed glare down at him.
“Bring us aboard, and I'll tell you everything!” His eyes find mine, and he looks at me with his mouth downturned. I try not to think about the fact that not even two moments ago, he was promising me the same.
Arina
Once aboard the ship, the monster inside me grows angrier and more unruly when the beautiful woman embraces Raiden, kissing him on the cheek in greeting.
When they finally let go of each other, and Raiden has finished a quick appraisal of her perfect, glowing body wrapped in a tan garment that’s embellished with gold and accentuates her hips in a way that's almost sinful, he turns to pull me forward. “This is Arina Chiron.” The woman's blush-pink lips twitch, and it makes me painfully self-conscious.
“Arina,” Raiden says softly, as if he's trying not to anger the animal within me that feels cornered and ready to pounce at the slightest indication of a threat. “This is Lavinia, daughter of King Gideon and Queen Kyrrah, and princess of Clestraya.”
Thank the gods my body moves automatically, curtseying as I start to put things together in my mind.
