My eyes slide to Jenna and she tips her head forward. She’ll back up anything I tell Lo. The words fall out of me like rehearsed lines. “I was surfing and thought I saw something. I panicked. I remember falling and then I saw the wave coming down on top of me.” I stop, improvising madly. “I must have gotten dashed on the rocks because my wet suit was ripped, and the water getting in there was freezing. I figured I’d die of hypothermia if I didn’t at least get to shore. I found a towel and got undressed. Then I passed out. That’s all I remember.”
“You took everything off?” Sawyer interjects from behind Jenna. She shoots him a glare that he pretends not to see. “Seems a bit much.”
“I thought I’d been bitten,” I say quickly. “And my swimsuit was in shreds, anyway. Sue me, dude, I was delirious with cold and pain.”
“Sorry. Just saying,” Sawyer mutters. I meet Lo’s eyes. His expression is the same as before, only a corner of his lip is tugging upward as if he finds something amusing.
“What?” I ask him.
“Nothing, just that Sawyer finds your state of undress so interesting.” He smiles, his teeth a fine white line. For some inane reason, I think of Ehmora’s perfect smile earlier and I shiver. “What’s wrong?” Lo asks, noticing the look on my face. There’s nothing similar about their smiles other than the flawless whiteness of them, or maybe Lo is just the first person to smile at me since my interaction with Ehmora. Either way, my stomach sours.
“Just cold,” I say.
Lo leans in, his eyes warm. “Do you mind?”
“Mind what?”
But before I’ve even finished the sentence, he has pulled my entire body against his. He’s so warm that it’s all I can do to cuddle in against him, seeking heat and comfort. Jenna is smiling and I wrinkle my nose at her. She winks and takes Sawyer’s hand, leaving us alone for a minute.
“Thanks for the blanket,” I say against his chest.
“My pleasure,” he says. We sit quietly, the murmur of voices around us fading now that the almost-dead girl is alive. “So...all your clothes?”
I can hear the laughter in his voice and I shove him in the arm with my free hand. He grabs it with his right and intertwines our fingers. Breath forsakes me as something unfurls deep within my stomach, something raw and beautiful. It makes my heart race and my chest feel like it’s going to break apart from the sheer force of it.
His light touch moves to caress my palm and then slides upward again to wrap his fingers between mine tightly. “You have beautiful hands,” I murmur. “Like a pianist, long and slender.”
“Thank you,” he says. “You are beautiful, too.” I flush at the look on his face and the feel of his hands closed against mine, reinforcing the sound of his words.
“Don’t you mean ‘yours’?”
A smile. “No.”
“So you don’t hate me?” I ask, my own voice tremulous. The heat of him reaches through the thin wool of the blanket, and of their own volition my waters beat against my body with insistent demand.
“No,” he says again. “How could I? You’re you.”
Perhaps it is my tiredness or my own weakness, but for a second, I let myself imagine what it would be like to be with Lo, human or not. If I weren’t already lying down, the weakness in my legs at the mere thought wouldn’t be able to hold me up. They feel about as strong as kelp fronds. A jittery feeling takes hold of my entire body, and suddenly, I’m the one with the unsteady heartbeat.
“I thought I’d pushed you away,” I say inanely.
“You tried.” Lo’s hand releases mine to move a curl of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail into my face. His fingers trace a pattern on the side of my forehead down my temple to my cheek, and I almost melt with the tenderness of it. “But you didn’t succeed.”
“I’m glad,” I murmur, and blush.
“Me, too.”
His voice is so quiet that I have to strain to hear him so I look up. He’s staring at me with the most intense expression in his eyes and everything around us stops. The hand that’s resting against the side of my face slides around my nape into my hair, his thumb resting against my chin, and I realize that he’s waiting for permission.
Permission to kiss me.
I’ve never wanted anything more than this moment. I smile and he does, too. He bends toward me, his fingers pulling upward, drawing my face toward his. Lo smells of salt and sea, and everything else that I love about the ocean. His eyes are open and are a deep mesmerizing blue, staring deep into mine as if he’s searching for something other than my consent to kiss me. I don’t know what it is but his gaze makes me feel like I’m made of tingles and air.
At the last minute before his lips touch mine, his eyes flutter closed.
The kiss is a shock of images and smells and feelings, hitting me all at once—my home, my friends, the ocean, the land, beauty, chaos, life and this strange, infuriating, lovely boy. Everything about him flashes into me, and then there’s nothing else but Lo.
His lips fit mine as perfectly as our fingers did, and his mouth is as warm as the rest of him. My own hand is splayed against his cheek, holding him to me, as caught as I feel. I’ve kissed a few boys but nothing came close to the feeling of Lo’s lips against mine, and I don’t want it to end.
But it does, when I hear Speio’s anxious voice.
“Where is she?”
Lo and I pull apart. He leans in to kiss my cheek and then my nose, brushing my hair back with one hand. “You’re going to be fine, Nerissa.”
I smile at the soft words. He’s the only human who calls me by my full name. I like it. I like the way it flows over his lips and sounds like a caress instead of just a name. My gaze falls to his lips at the thought and I flush. I want him to kiss me again. He reads me easily.
“I do, too,” he whispers.
“You do what?” I ask, confused.
“Want to kiss you again.”
This time my flush invades every part of my body until my ears feel like they’re going to melt off. I drag my eyes away and stare at the sand, thinking of Speio and Echlios and how angry they’re going to be when they find out.
The tingles flee, replaced by a coil of nervous energy rippling through me. I don’t even know what I’m going to say to them. I’ve never lied to Echlios but I’m considering it. He would flip his lid if he knew that I’d confronted Ehmora alone. And been bitten by a sea snake. And passed out in the middle of the ocean.
“Where is she?” Echlios’s voice this time.
“She’s over there, by the rocks,” I hear Jenna telling him just as he, Soren and Speio come into view, pushing past the group of surfers still standing around.
Lo stands, holding me in his arms, and I’m stunned by his strength. I’m no lightweight but he’s carrying me as if I weigh nothing. I long to run my fingers along the sleek bulges of muscle at the edge of his T-shirt but resist the urge with Speio now staring daggers in my direction.
“What happened?” he demands.
“I’m fine, Speio,” I say, swinging my legs down and telling Lo that I’m okay to walk the rest of the way. Speio’s lips are a thin white line. I can’t imagine the trouble he must have been in when he went home after school and had to explain to Soren and Echlios why my Jeep was still in the school parking lot...and why he had no idea of my whereabouts. Echlios’s face is a wooden mask. Soren’s is full of concern. At least I’ll have her on my side if push comes to shove.
“Good,” Speio bites out. “Glad you’re fine.”
“Hey, man,” Lo say gently, still holding my arm. “Lay off. She’s been through enough today.”
“Lay off?” Speio seethes. He’s on a short fuse, I can see that now. He’s totally furious and looking for a target—one that Lo provides easily. “Who do you think you are?”
“I
’m her friend.”
“She has enough friends. And she doesn’t need any that force her away from school to break the rules. My parents were very worried.”
Lo’s eyes narrow. “I didn’t force her to do anything, bro.”
“I’m not your bro.” It’s obvious that Speio’s spoiling for a fight, so I step between them, physically restraining each of them.
“Stop,” I say. “It’s not his fault, Speio. I wanted to go with them.” I glance at Echlios, who still hasn’t said a word. He’s a master at controlling his emotions, but even I can see the slow tic in his jaw. “I’m sorry I didn’t call or text.”
“Are you okay, my la...darling?” Soren asks, nearly calling me my lady in front of everyone but correcting her slip at the last moment. Her eyes are worried, falling to my side immediately. She can sense the ache where I’d been bitten. I’ve never been able to hide any injuries from Soren—she’s so tied in to me that she feels them as if they are her own. I pulse to her about the sea snake venom and see her eyes widen. She stares meaningfully at Echlios and he steps forward to take my arm, steering Speio out of the way at the same time.
“Thank you,” he says to Lo. “We’ll take it from here.”
I glance at Lo but his face is once more unreadable. He confounds me so much, this boy. One minute he’s like an open book, and the next he’s a blank slate. He smiles but it’s nothing like the one before. This one is reserved and formal. For a second, it throws me, but then I realize that he’s meeting my “parents” for the first time. That’s enough to put any boy on the defensive.
“Echlios and Soren.” I rest my fingers on Echlios’s arm and he stops instantly. “This is Lotharius Seavon. He’s my friend from school. Lo,” I say, looking at him, “these are my guardians, Echlios and Soren. And you know Speio, of course.”
“Pleased to meet you,” they both say. Speio scowls and walks away.
“A pleasure,” Lo says, his smile deepening, although still not quite meeting his eyes, but he’s much more relaxed than just a minute ago. He turns to me. “I’ll call you over the weekend. Get some rest.”
After telling Jenna and Sawyer goodbye, we head home. In the car, Speio is still sulking and not even looking in my direction. His attitude is blatantly disrespectful but I cut him some slack. After all, he’s in a boatload of trouble because of me, and even if I am the regent and can do whatever I want, it doesn’t mean I should...especially if it makes people I care about take the fallout for me. Finding the balance between queen-to-be and teenage girl is more work than I ever thought it would be.
I sigh and lean back against the car seat, staring out the window and trying to figure out the best way to tell them what happened. I literally have half an hour before everything goes atomic in my house, because when Echlios finds out about Ehmora, he is going to explode. Queen regent or not, I’m in for it in spades. We pull into the driveway and I sigh again, getting out of the car.
“I like your young man,” Soren says, interrupting my thoughts.
“He’s not—”
“Come on.” Speio cuts me off, his voice brittle. He slams the car door. “Everyone on that beach saw you making out with him.”
“What is your problem?” I snap, going red at the thought that everyone saw our very public display of kissing. At the time I wasn’t even thinking about where we were. “If you’re mad at me, take it out on me, not him. Besides, I thought you said he was cleared? Echlios?”
Speio doesn’t wait for his father to respond. “He is cleared. I told you, I don’t like him, that’s all. Something about him just rubs me the wrong way.”
“Enough!” Echlios says, glaring his son into silence. But that doesn’t stop me from responding—Speio’s irrational anger toward Lo is upsetting to me. Didn’t he tell me to date Lo in the first place? He even told me to be careful.
“What, Speio? What exactly rubs you the wrong way? That he didn’t ask for your permission before he forced me to cut school to go surfing today? That he didn’t ask you to tag along? That he didn’t ask you if it was okay to kiss me? Which is it?” My voice is shrill by the last question, and even Echlios is frowning at me from where he’s standing at the front door.
“All of it,” Speio spits back. “You don’t care about anyone else but yourself. Not even your own mother.”
I step forward, cracking my palm across Speio’s face. Soren gasps at the sound, but not even that is enough to stop the flood of tears from bursting out of me—pain at what Speio has said, regret for what I’ve done and how my people have suffered, sorrow for not knowing about my mother when I should have known, guilt at undermining Echlios and Soren. I crumple to my knees, my remorse all-consuming, screaming my grief into my wet palms.
“I’m sorry, Riss. I didn’t mean—”
“Speio, go inside,” Soren tells him, and crouches down beside me. “Nerissa, let’s get you inside and into some warm clothes. All will be well, come with me.”
Still weeping, I let Soren lead me inside, where I shower and get changed into sweats. In the mirror, my eyes are puffy and bloodshot. Flipping back the protective covering from my human ones, I see that my real eyes are even worse, my pupils dilated and threaded through with fine red lines. The neurotoxins from the snakebite packed a punch. I take a deep breath and dust some concealer on my face. Gripping the sides of the sink, I stare at myself.
“You’re an Aquarathi princess. Daughter to a murdered father and heir to a stolen throne,” I tell myself harshly. “What you did is done, now take responsibility. Be the queen you’re supposed to be...the queen your mother needs you to be.”
My family is waiting for me in the living room. Speio’s face is still stony but his eyes match mine beneath the concealer, as if he, too, has been crying. Something inside me softens. Our relationship is marked by highs and lows, but despite the rough patches, we have never lost our friendship. Even though his words have cut me deeply, I know he didn’t really mean what he said. He was angry and upset because of what I’d done.
As always, Echlios cut directly to the chase. “So what really happened?” I clear my throat and recount in a few short sentences exactly what took place. I leave nothing out because I know I can’t, not even to protect my own ego. Speio’s words, though cruel, put everything in crystal-clear perspective.
My mother’s life is on the line.
And I can’t jeopardize that. Not now, not ever.
Their faces become identical masks of shock. Neither Echlios nor Soren will publicly berate me. They may talk about my idiotic risk-taking in private, but I know they won’t say anything to my face. They are way too dutiful for that, unlike their son, who takes more liberties than he should. He, for his part, is quiet, his mouth hanging open—hopefully at my bravery instead of my stupidity.
Soren is the first to speak after a long and awkward silence. “A dozen sea serpents,” she murmurs. “It’s a wonder you were able to take them all on alone. How are you feeling? Still woozy?”
“I’m fine,” I tell her. “But I don’t think they were fighting to kill. Ehmora’s glimmer told them to teach me a lesson and I guess that’s what they managed to do.”
“Who found you again?” Soren asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “One minute I was spiraling downward and the next I was on the beach with Jenna. Someone did, though. Maybe another surfer or a diver.”
“Did Ehmora say anything about Lady Neriah?” Echlios asks in a choked voice.
“No, and I didn’t give anything away, either.” I pause. “What could she have meant, you think, by she has other plans for me?”
“Maybe she means to challenge you in front of the other courts,” Speio suggests. “That’s how it used to be, remember? In the old days?”
“Yes,” Soren says. “But our laws of succession are governed by birthright, not challenge. Neri
ssa could simply refuse to accept the gauntlet. She is the true heir.”
But I’m shaking my head, mulling things over in my head. “No, I think Speio’s onto something. I mean Ehmora has my mom, right? So technically she could trade my mother’s life for me accepting her challenge. And I’d do it. There’d be no decision. I’d have to do it.”
Echlios is nodding. “Speio’s suggestion is sound.”
“I could do it,” I say. “Face her in battle.”
“My lady, Ehmora is nearly a century old, cunning and strong. She has years of experience on you.”
“And I have youth on my side,” I counter. “Plus, I have the one thing she does not.”
“What’s that?” Echlios asks.
“I have you.” I stare at him. “You were my father’s best and trusted protector. You’re trained in all of our fighting strategies. And he sent you here with me, to protect me, to train me. I’m the one who chose not to learn.” I pause, taking a deep breath before blurting out what I’m proposing. “I’m ready now, Echlios.”
Speio leans forward, his eyes bright. “She’s right. She should have been training with us from the start. We need to make up lost time.” I’m so grateful for his support that I shoot him a thankful look.
“This is nonsense,” Echlios says. His mouth is tight and he has that stubborn look on his face that says he won’t bend to anything I have to say. I’ve never made him do anything, and always deferred to his lead as my guardian in the human world, but I will if I have to. I know I’m right and that this is the only way. If I agree to her challenge, I will have to fight.
“It’s our only option and you know it,” I say firmly. “I’m asking you, Echlios, for my father. And for my mother. But if you won’t agree, we both know that I have the power to command you to do so as your liege. I don’t want to do that, so I’m asking. I am going to fight with or without you. Will you train me?”
Echlios doesn’t answer for a long time but I can see his red Aquarathi colors burning scarlet beneath his skin and I’ve never seen him lose control of himself, ever. Soren reaches her hand across the table to take his. She stares at him and nods just once, and as much as Echlios makes the daily decisions, I understand that Soren makes the big ones. Almost immediately, Echlios’s skin settles back into its normal hue but his mouth remains a hard, uncompromising line.
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