“Right. Your mother warned me you were still living in a state of denial, but do not be fooled, Daughter of the Sea, the Damned do not lie. The veil separating the halves of a whole awaits your awakening, and I’d highly suggest you start working onthatbefore we are all turned to ash.”
A sharp gasp followed, coughs flowing from Rohen in waves.
“Secondly, I cannot kill you because you are about to find yourself at a reunion.”
“Reunion?” The single word came from Rohen with enough venom to poison an army of men. “What thefuckare you on about, you psycho bitch?”
The abrupt ring of the town’s bell erupted across the courtyard, slithering through its alleys and in through open balcony doors and windows with warning. It was a sound that I’d only heard once out of the handful of times I’d been to Veilmar—the approach of a Royal fleet.
“Oh, fuck me,” I groaned, steeling myself to catch the remnants of Morwenna’s utterance.
“...He has arrived to claim what is rightfully his.”
For once, the witch was wrong about something. Though she did favor spewing white lies so long as a partial truth coated them, and in this instance, that was exactly what she had accomplished.
Listening to her steady, heeled retreat, I counted her steps before I elected to slip from where I’d lingered. My gait was light as I prowled toward Rohen, the brand burning as if it were some newfound beacon guiding me to her. With the distance fading entirely, I stepped around the pillar, planting myself in the alcove’s arch and making it impossible for her to escape.
As soon as I crossed that threshold, steel met my throat just as fast as I’d settled my own blade against the back of her neck.
“Caspian Vayne,” she growled between clenched teeth as she glared down her nose at me.
Eyes settling on the faint line of crimson that slid from just beneath her chin down the column of her throat, I chuckled. “Fancy seeing you again, little siren.”
“Do you truly believe you can survive the speed of a slash to the throat? You’re confident enough you can sever my spinal column before I drain you of your polluted essence?”
“So angry for a woman who has no right to be.” Yanking her closer, she gasped as our chests met. “Tell me, Rohen, should I be concerned about your ability to slit my throat? Because, correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time we found ourselves in a similar… position,” I leaned forward, my lips brushing against her ear. “Youhesitated.”
“My loathing for you has grown immensely, just as?—”
“Has it?” My free hand moved, two fingers pressing against the brim of her tricorn. “I’d state the opposite, considering that ismyhat you’re wearing.”
CHAPTER 34
Sung Warning
KAEL
Leaning against the gunwale, golden tendrils of afternoon light kissed my skin. The work on the ship hadn’t ceased since Alastair had made his exit with the two women, the half of the crew that’d elected to stay behind loading crates onboard—likely courtesy of the coin their captain had tossed at one of the deckhands.
Percy stood beside me, forearms settled against the wood. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, giving me the perfect view of his side profile.
Not a single blemish marred his skin; even the small scars lining it contained stories of their own, details of a life worth admiring. A thick layer of ebony stubble caressed his cheeks and jawline, showcasing the abrupt shift in lifestyle he’d so willingly taken with me. Something I’d never be able to thank him enough for. Dark lashes capturing the sun’s rays, his emerald green irises seemed to ignite with a newfound glow, one I often caught whenever he looked at me.
As if sensing my admiration, he turned, a smile gracing his features. “Enjoying the view, Prince?”
“You enjoy calling me that far too much,” I replied, raking a hand through my untamed, sea-salt-laden hair.
“Something I became accustomed to over the years, I suppose.” Tongue traveling over his bottom lip, he shifted back to the sea once more.
Reaching over, my fingers traced down his back, admiring the feel of him even with the linen shirt serving as a barrier. The question came from me before I could think, “Do you miss it?”
“Miss what?” he posed, attention still settled on the waves that carried us to Veilmar.
“Serevalen. Your life as a Royal Guard.”
Huffing a breath, his shoulders settled. “It’s a complicated question. There are some things I do reminisce about, like the men who became like brothers and the banter we shared. But your father?” He shook his head, an unamused chuckle coming before his reply. “Absolutely not. There is no place in our world for someone as wretched as him, and the disgrace he has brought upon our lands is something I will forever wish to rectify.”
While his statement contained nothing but the truth, there was something about it that stung. My ties to the Marellan lineage carried a vileness that would follow me from this life into the next, the rivers of bloodshed my father carved staining my hands just as much as they coated his. It was an affiliation that I wished to strip myself from, chains I wished to shatter becausehisruling contained a ruthlessness with which I would never lead.
