I spanned my senses around the terrace and surrounding chambers. The palace remained occupied with the festivities below. We were truly alone, with even Felaf still monitoring the celebration.
Worry crept into the moment, bursting our heated cocoon. If Felaf wasn’t entirely preoccupied, there was a massive chance she could hear every word and kiss we’d exchanged.
Rahzlyn appeared too distraught to notice my tempered arousal.
“The wind… is there a breeze?” she whispered, trembling. “I can’t feel it, but I hear something.”
The palm trees swayed slightly, their leaves barely rustling. The lanterns that dimly illuminated the terrace from their staked torches flickered slightly. This wasn’t the first time she’d spoken about the wind or surrounding air, particularly in times of panic or distress.
“A gentle one,” I affirmed curiously. “Why?”
She touched her ears. “You don’t hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“The music.” Her fingers threaded the pooled water between our hips. “A song.”
The ball’s music was too far for her ears. As much as I wanted to stay here like this, with her wrapped around me, I knew this moment couldn’t last any longer. “We should get you dried off.”
She unhooked her legs. I stepped back as she dipped beneath the surface. Her inky, floating hair concealed her. Seconds turned into a perplexing minute.
Her heart pounded. The sounds of underwater screams graced my memory, blurring with the present. I yanked her up. She hadn’t been screaming, but she gasped as though her lungs couldn’t get enough air.
“What the fucking stars were you doing?” I demanded, smoothing her hair back. I hadn’t meant to be harsh. It was the idea of her drowning like the past twelve princesses before that bothered me.
If I had to listen to her drown…
No. That wasn’t going to happen. Rahzlyn was different. She had to be, regardless of Maryn’s intentions for forcing the ceremony on her so soon.
“We need to find Gregorios,” she said.
I tried to discern the brightness in her features with the furrow of her brows, to no avail. “An odd time to practice, don’t you think?”
“I did it, Raithe.”
Anticipation gripped me in place.
Her expression shifted from shock to pride. “I think I’ve foundhudro.”
Chapter 49
Raithe
Within a week,all of Gaianos learned of Rahzlyn’s success.
Whispers trickled into the palace of the realm’s reluctant merriment. Some took Rahzlyn’s unprecedented Choosing as a good sign, whereas most believed it to be an omen of the curse’s continued peril. Maryn remained unusually absent, tucked away in her own chambers leading up to Rahzlyn’s ceremonial trial set for tomorrow.
With the return of all the barons and the necessary preparations, her frenzied schedule scarcely allowed a moment for us to talk. It was for the best. My lips still burned with the memory of hers, craving more. A mere flash of her skin had my own tingling in the places I’d held her in the pool.
I’d denied myself many things over the years and been content to do so.
Until now. Until her.
I’d never kissed anyone—not really, and not likethat. Taking cues from Rahzlyn’s body, my own seemed to know precisely what to do. I wasn’t sorry for any of it, only that it hadn’t been enough.
“What are you smiling about, boy?” Nio mused from his workstation.
“Excited to finally have the curse broken,” I said, wiping the smile from my mouth with my napkin. I pushed my plate aside. “Was that garum I tasted?”
