But of course, what was so unusual about a talking owl in a world where eyeballs grew on tentacles, a man’s touch turned everything to glass, and his voice easily charmed my pants off my ass?
“It didn’t take Leslo long at all,” I said softly, unsure how to feel about that.
Should I be glad that I would no longer be a hostage? Or worried that Kye would hand me back to Leslo to fulfill his side of the deal? After all, a fae could not break his promise.
Either way, my future in Nerifir remained uncertain, as it had always been.
WE DIDN’T GO SWIMMINGthat afternoon. Instead, Kye immediately demanded to see the captain of the royal fleet and ordered to outfit a ship that would take him to the shores of Sarnala to meet Odine and fetch his precious silk.
He clearly was delighted by the news, and it proved impossible for me not to be touched by his excitement. He didn’t jump or scream with glee, of course. The king of sirens conducted himself as regally as ever. But I saw the burst of life in his eyes, the added spring in his step, and the determination in his actions. New hope energized him, giving him a new purpose too.
The silk wouldn’t release him from his curse. But for the first time after the many decades of stagnation and deterioration, there was a prospect of true improvement in his life, and I could not remain indifferent to his happiness.
After the afternoon spent in arrangements and preparations, Kye joined me for dinner on the terrace in the evening.
A beautiful ship with tall masts rising high into the sky and the kingdom’s standard billowing in the breeze had been anchored on this side of the reef, a short distance from Kye’s favorite coral branch.
I couldn’t focus on the food, watching with rapt attention as the crew prepared the ship for Kye’s departure in the morning. The wooden loading dock they used was considerably thicker than a usual gangway, as was the wooden dais erected on the main deck of the ship.
Both the gangway and the dais were made of wood but with the fragility of glass in mind because as the king stepped on them to board the ship in the morning, they would turn to glass, and they had to be strong enough to support his weight in both their forms.
“Why do you have ships at all if sirens practically live in the ocean?” I asked Kye. “I mean, did you have the full fleet before the curse too?”
I knew that in his current condition, Kye couldn’t swim as far as Sarnala. But normally, sirens preferred swimming to traveling by any vessel. I read that they generally felt morecomfortable when connected to water, which they normally did through touch. That was the reason for the underwater parts of the palace and the many open pools inside it. The sirens needed access to the ocean to feel fully at home.
“Olathana always had a fleet of vessels to use in both trade and war,” Kye replied, watching the preparations with an interest that matched mine. “Not all things can be submerged in the ocean. Not all people like it either. Werewolves hate water, for example, and their skills in shipbuilding aren't that great. They often prefer to pay for our ships to transport their goods or dignitaries.”
“Have you traveled by ship before?”
“No,” he admitted. “This will be my first time. But I know you’ll love it, my butterfly. It’ll be good for you to see more of Nerifir.”
The standard on the mast puffed out in the breeze like a miniature sail, displaying the crest of Olathana: the peak of a cerulean wave under a golden sun framed by a wreath of pearls and flowers. I watched the fabric play in the wind for a little while.
“And then what?” I asked, placing down my fork.
“What do you mean?” Kye squinted at me in the tapia light of the late afternoon.
The muted sunlight filtered through his brilliant hair like through a magical prism, casting an iridescent halo around his head. Now, he really looked like a fucking angel, though for better or for worse, he hardly ever acted as one.
“What will happen once we reach Sarnala?” I clarified.
“I’ll get the silk. Then I’ll have clothes made from it. Do you want to know the first thing I’ll order made from it?” He leaned toward me across the table, “I’ll order a pair of gloves, so I can finally touch you the way you deserve, my sexy little vixen.”
I didn’t expect my heart to thud as loudly as it did or for my cheeks to flush so hotly. But there I was, shifting in my chair as a spasm of heat below my bellybutton traveled downwards to the place between my thighs that apparently really, really wanted to be touched by him.
A wicked grin tugged up a corner of his mouth. He knew what his words did to me, just as he was well aware of his voice’s power over my body.
“But I won’t...” I ran out of oxygen before I could even finish the sentence. Taking a deep breath, I continued as calmly as I could, “I won’t be there for you to touch, Kye. Aren’t you supposed toreturnme to Leslo?”
The word “return” burned my tongue on the way out. It made me sick to my stomach to be speaking about myself like some unwanted purchase. But such was the language they used here, wasn’t it? “A purchase” was all I could ever be in this world.
Slowly, he got up from his seat and propped his hands on the table, leaning over it.
“Sweetheart.” His voice rumbled low, like a river running over sharp rocks deep on its bottom—seemingly smooth on the surface but with a powerful undercurrent. “No man, be he a fae or abrack,will ever take you away from me.”
I swallowed hard. “But that was the deal you made with him. I heard you. I was there when you made it.”
He pushed away from the table, getting up, then strolled toward me. With his hip propped against the tabletop, he folded his arms across his chest.
