Hoping she wouldn’t regret it, she took his hand.
He looked back toward the king he’d been conversing with when she arrived. “Are we done?”
“We are. I’ll have the captain return you to your boat.”
Xaydin inclined his head as a gong rang out. A few seconds later, another merman came forward. He bowed to his king before leading them from the palace.
Gisela didn’t say a word as they left. In part because she was still too impressed with the city, but mostly due to the fact that she didn’t know what to say to Xaydin.
“Did you fall overboard?” he asked her.
Heat suffused her cheeks so much that she wondered if they glowed in the water. “I did.”
Mersin snorted. “Not what I heard. She jumped in after you, threatening anyone who harmed you, my lord.”
“I did not!” she quickly snapped.
The captain smirked at Xaydin. “Did.”
Xaydin was amused by their argument. But most of all, he was strangely thrilled at the prospect of her jumping into the sea to save him. “You can’t swim.”
“Which is how you know I didn’t jump in. Who would do such?”
“Really, she did. Four of my men described it in great detail. They were quite impressed by her determination to find and free you.”
Xaydin turned to look at her.
“Liars. Troublemakers. Everyone knows you can’t trust a Ningyoan.”
“But they were right about your mother,” he reminded her.
“As I said, troublemakers.”
Now, she wouldn’t meet his gaze at all. Nor did she say another word until they broke the sea’s surface not far away from their boat.
With a relieved breath, Masakage held his hand out to Gisela to help her on board first. Xaydin pulled himself up, then turned back to Mersin. “My thanks, Captain.”
Mersin inclined his head before he vanished back under the water.
“Do I want to know?” Masakage asked.
Xaydin didn’t answer. “What I want to know is whyyoudidn’t jump into the sea to help me?”
“After Gisela went in, I thought it best someone stay here and make sure our guide didn’t leave you to a watery grave.”
Ferris looked away sheepishly. “Not saying I’d have done that.”
“He would have done that.” Masakage gave Ferris a stern glower. “I had to threaten his life and those of every member of his family to keep him here.”
Ferris muttered something under his breath.
“And you didn’t stop our princess from diving in after me?”
“She moved too fast to be stopped. Besides, I knew she was going for you and that you’d both return.”
Xaydin arched a brow at the arrogant tone and the fact that his brother hadn’t reacted to something he’d just disclosed. “You knew she was a princess?”
“Of course. You can smell it on her. I knew the moment I met her that she was a daughter of the bitch.”
