In addition to the dead coral and seaweed “trees”, there were plenty of real trees and shrubs around too. Some looked like palm trees, with wide dark-purple leaves that I saw were used in construction on the islands. Others were shaped like pine trees. Except that their “needles” were long and soft like ribbons.
The islands also burst with flowers. Almost every shrub, three, and seaweed ribbon was in bloom. The wide, pastel blooms found their way into the hair and clothing of the locals too. Sirens seemed to prefer flowers to jewelry, decorating themselves with blossoms.
On this beautiful, gentle evening, it was hard to believe any danger could be lurking nearby.
“Can the Abyss monsters come this way? Or do you think they’ll stick to the palace?” I asked.
Kye’s jaw flexed. “I honestly don’t know what to think anymore. The creatures clearly aren’t behaving like they should, which makes predicting their next move that much more difficult.”
“Then maybe there’s no point in me leaving the palace at all? If they really are after me, won’t they find me no matter where I am?”
He held his gaze on me for a long moment.
“As much as I’ll miss you for the next few hours, you’ll be much safer in Arnon’s place. He has an entire army of guards to protect you, as well as strong magic wards all over his home.”
“What wards are those?” I asked.
“Protective wards. Be it a royal palace or a humble dwelling like those over there...” He gestured at the row of awnings attached to the shore of the closest island to our right. Each awning housed a small platform under it with a few furnishings but not much more. Ramps descended into the water, suggesting there was more to those dwellings than met the eye, but they certainly weren’t of the same size as the royal palace either above or below the surface. “Every owner tries to protect their home with whatever magic they possess. The magic of the royal family is usually the strongest, infused by generations of status and power. It’s inherited with the crown passed from one monarch to the next.”
“But you broke the crown,” I said.
“I did,” he echoed, his gaze hardening. “And the royal magic has been weakening ever since. The wards in the palace are failing, and I’m the one to blame.” He swallowed, lifting his chin and holding his back rod-straight, as if challenging his gods to shell out whatever punishment they thought he deserved. “Thecreatures of the Abyss can surface with little to stop them now. You will be much safer at Arnon’s.”
“But what about you?”
“What can possibly happen to me?” he dismissed.
I sensed the challenge in his voice again. He wasn’t afraid. He even welcomed the danger. If the monsters came for him and won, he’d probably take it as the retribution he’d been expecting all along for all his sins and transgressions.
“Stay with me at Prince Arnon’s tonight,” I said before I could even think it through.
He laughed, swaying toward me, then stopped from touching me by placing his hand over my head against a carved wood bridge pillar behind me. The pillar proved thick enough to remain standing after turning to glass, and I pressed my back to its hard surface.
“You don’t want me to face the monsters alone?” he teased.
But I didn’t smile.
The truth was, I worried about him being alone. I didn’t want him hurt or suffering. Despite all the horrible things he’d done in his past or what he’d done to me, I wanted him happy and free. I wanted him to stay alive.
“No. I do not,” I replied honestly. “I want you safe too.”
A gentle ocean breeze played with my long skirt. The breeze snuck under the light material of my bodice too. The fine silk moved against my body like a caress, stroking my skin with my every breath like a brush of careful fingers.
His expression turned serious too.
“Does that mean you care, my darling?” His voice was guarded, as was the look in his eyes as he peered at me intently.
Stirred by the breeze, a long strand of his hair fluttered across my face, brushing along my lips, and I whimpered from the sudden sensation. Tingles of pleasure scattered along the sensitive skin around my mouth. Heat rippled downward,sending sweet shivers along my arms and through my chest. Desire surged in me. It tightened my stomach, zapping through my lower belly with heat.
And he hadn’t even touched me. He never would.
“I do. Kye...” I exhaled his name like a plea.
He leaned over me, dangerously close, yet still so far away. Lifting his hand, he sketched the outline of the side of my face with his finger, inches away from actually touching me.
The wind blew the end of a ribbon in my hair. It touched his pinky and shattered to pieces, raining in a sprinkle of shards down my bare shoulder. He jerked his hand away, and still I wished he’d come closer.
My lips parted. His did too. His fresh breath fanned over my face. With my eyelids fluttering, I focused on the caress of the air from his lungs against my face. I stole and relished every bit of his warmth and closeness that I could get without an actual touch.
