Page 30 of The Stolen Kingdom

The room was not bright, nor dark, perfect enough to lull Maris to the awaiting bed.

She glanced down at herself, her nightshirt hanging loosely to the middle of her thighs. She wondered if she looked presentable…

Scoffing, Maris shook her head. How could she even think about being presentable when she wasn’t sure if she was going to be happy to see Valda, if shewasgoing to see her?

Her chest tightened as doubt crept in. She wanted to see Valda. Even through her anger, even with the lingering desire for consequences to befall her for what she had done, Maris’s soul cried out for her. Her body ached to be in her presence…

Pressing a hand to her stomach, Maris rubbed away the nausea as she closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, she couldn’t help but hope, foolishly, that Valda might be standing there. But the room remained empty, as it had always been.

Maris hadn’t collected any personal belongings. All she had to call her own were the books Melvian had given her, and some clothing Eyphah had gathered for her to use.

Sitting up on the bed, she rubbed her face in frustration, her thoughts turning to her mother’s violin. The instrument and its case, along with everything else she once owned, were still in Oberon Castle—likely discarded or destroyed in a fire.

Her only real belonging was the trident in the altar above the room she was in.

That trident. She hadn’t been able to use it effectively, but deep down, she knew that soon, she would have to.

Releasing a shaky breath, Maris pulled the bed sheets off her body. She was too nervous, too anxious to consolidate sleep.

Before she could decide what to do next, she climbed the narrow staircase to the attic.

The altar to Poseidon’s trident seemed to glow more vividly at night.

Maris paused at the top of the stairs, taking it all in. Even the trident seemed to hum with a faint spark.

Taking a deep breath, liquid warmth seemed to spread through her forehead. Maris eyes widened as a bright blue hue illuminated from her forehead. The room came alive, with slight underwater ripples and glistening gold and diamonds.

Maris held her breath, unable to do anything but take in how beautiful the small room looked. It was unreal. If she ever swam in the seas of the Sea Kingdom, she imagined it would look just like this.

If only Valdawerehere to see it…

The glow on Maris’s forehead dimmed, fading until she was once again wrapped in darkness.

Maris released the breath she was holding, her gaze on the trident that didn’t stop shining.

“Maris.”

Her head snapped toward the entrance of the attic, but the door was firmly shut. There was no one in the House of Arago but her.

“Maris…”

That deep voice…

She knew it all too well. But she wasn’t dreaming. She wasn’t even lying in bed…

A shiver ran through her as she rubbed the center of her chest, her lower lip trembling. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

The trident pulsed. Its glimmering decorations moved in time with the rhythm of a heartbeat. Maris’s knees weakened, bending beneath her as she stared.

“Valda?”

The distinctive pull of the bond made Maris gasp. It hadn’t felt this strong ever since she had returned to New Agenor. Her mate was calling to her, thrashing about like a caged animal, desperate for release.

Pressing her hand firmly against her sternum, Maris closed her eyes, bowing her head low. The pulsing energy of the trident faded, dissolving into the distant echo of running footsteps.

The air inside the chamber thickened, growing dense with the unmistakable scent of Valda’s chamber back in Oberon Castle.

When Maris opened her eyes, she found her.

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