Dreamily, I nodded, catching sight of the moon high in the sky through a nearby window. My bedchamber wasn’t far, but it was already so late. Besides, this chaise lounge was wide enough for two, and Lukas’s chest was a nice pillow – except for the small object poking me in my shoulder.
I twisted, adjusting myself. As I tossed and turned, the moon rose higher past the window. Though no amount of twisting stopped the coin shaped object from digging into my skin.
“What is that?” I hissed. Eventually, I pushed myself up to see Lukas’s lips parted as he slept peacefully. But my gaze didn’t linger on his candlelit face. Instead, it flew to the small gold object peeking out from the collar of his tunic.
I chewed my lower lip. Adriana’s shell necklace winked up at me.
It glittered in the fading candlelight of the room, as if urging me to take it. We were leaving tomorrow. That meant I had one more night to help Raphael. One more night before I had to leave my friends here to care for a sick prince that may or may not even be curable with herbs found on human soil.
I could just use it to talk to Adriana, I thought to myself.If it’s a merfolk curse, she might know how to fix it, and she did insist that we meet with her again.But then my focus drifted back to Lukas as he slept. What would he say if he found out I’d used it?
He wouldn’t find out. Not if I was quick enough. I’d just speak with her then come straight back here. He’d never know. And even if he did figure it out, I didn’t have a choice. This could be Raphael’s only chance. His life was in my shaking hands.
That was all it took.
After carefully unhooking the necklace, and slipping off Lukas’s sprawled out body, I hurried away from the chaise lounge without looking back.
CHAPTER 26
Gripping the shell, I charged out of the candlelit alcove. My thoughts raced faster than my feet against the carpet. I’d take the shell to the beach, speak with Adriana, then let Cora know what I’d found out the following morning. All going well, we’d have a cure for Raphael’s curse in time for the wedding. The butterflies inside me took flight at the thought. Only to dive down again when my foot caught against something firm and leg-shaped.
I smacked a hand against my mouth. A man lay across the floor in front of me. Or at least itwasa man. His skin was wrinkled and pale, while his gaunt face had sunken in on itself, as if all the life had been sucked out of him.
Gasping, I stumbled back. I’d seen corpses before. Many times. But this was unnatural. His body seemed centuries old, but his brown hair was thick and youthful, and his servants’ uniform appeared new. This man hadn’t been dead for long. Someone must’ve—
Hot breath hit my ear. “Grow tired of healing, Princess?”
I whipped around to find Arenn looming over me. His head tilted as he continued with a dark smirk, “Turning to murder instead?”
“Did you do this?” My heart pounded in my chest. If this was all some cruel trick to scare me…
Arenn chuckled. “Calm yourself. Stealing lifeforce is not really my style. And besides,” he wrinkled his nose in disgust, “though he might smell like it, this creature isn’t dead.”
“He’s not dead?” I gasped.
Looking past me, Arenn drew closer to the man. “No. Just severely weakened. He’ll recover after a few days of rest.”
“But if this is magic, and you didn’t do this, then who?”
“Who indeed, Princess.” Eyes glinting, he dropped to a crouch and picked at the servant’s tunic. “Either my sister has escaped her prison or your merfolk king’s accepted he’s not so powerless after all.”
“Lukas isn’t merfolk. He’s human.” I folded my arms. But in the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure I believed that any more.
Arenn shrugged. “His mother was, and whatever gift she gave to Lyssandra, she clearly passed down to her son too.”
“The Divine Gift,” I thought out loud before shaking my head, scoffing. “You think Lukas did this? Really?”
“Who else could it have been?” He poked the man nonchalantly. “The real question though,” he turned to me, eyes glinting, “is why?” Pushing up on his knees, he rose to his full height. “Do you think perhaps one of the books here gave Princess Callie a papercut and your beloved king got a bit carried away while healing her?”
My eyebrows pinched together. Arenn didn’t know what he was saying. Even to save a life, Lukas would never do something like this – at least not on purpose. He was good. Honourable. As I scowled, the crystals in my wrist tingled, the tiny bubbles inside them fizzling against my skin.
I almost died today, and Lukasdidsave me. Somehow…
“Or maybe he was just testing out his new power for fun?” Arenn’s babbling made me flinch. Quickly, I hid my wrist behind my back. “Either way, he must’ve transferred this poor soul’s lifeforce somewhere. I suppose we’ll find out soon enough when someone waltzes through the palace tomorrow, all full of life and glowing.”
I blinked. Now that he mentioned it, I did feel unusually awake considering it was well past midnight and I’d spent the entire evening dancing.
“Oh Ancients…” I breathed, holding back a gag.
