Page 26 of Taken By the Storm King

A warning. A premonition.

I pushed it aside.

For now, I just wanted to watch her smile.

LUCY

Istretched in the silk sheets, reaching for Thalassar’s warmth. My fingers found only empty space.

Pushing up on my elbows, I blinked sleep from my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, dancing on the waves carved into the stone walls. The massive bed felt too big without him.

A soft tap drew my attention. The door cracked open, and Naia peeked in, a bundle of fabric in her arms. She smiled and gestured for me to follow her.

Right. Getting dressed. In clothes I couldn’t even begin to figure out by myself.

I wrapped one of the sheets around me and padded after her to the dressing area. The fabric she held shimmered like moonlight on water, flowing between shades of blue and green.

Naia held up the first layer---what looked like a slip made of something gossamer-thin. She mimed lifting my arms.

“This would be so much easier if we could actually talk to each other,” I muttered, but complied.

The fabric settled over my skin like a whisper. Naia circled me, adjusting the drape with practiced movements. She hummed as she worked, the melody hauntingly beautiful.

Layer after layer followed, each more intricate than the last. The outermost robe wrapped around me like flowing water, secured with delicate clasps that looked like shells.

Naia stepped back, beaming with pride. She gestured to the mirror.

I hardly recognized myself. The gown transformed me into something ethereal, otherworldly. Like I belonged in this strange palace.

“Thank you,” I said, touching the elaborate braids she’d woven my hair into.

She squeezed my hand, then shooed me toward the door.

The halls were quieter than usual as I walked, my borrowed finery whispering against the stone floors. Guards nodded as I passed, but their eyes followed me longer than normal.

I needed air. Space to think.

The gardens welcomed me with their strange beauty. Flowers that looked like sea anemones swayed in a nonexistent breeze. Vines with leaves like mother-of-pearl climbed crystal trellises.

I trailed my fingers over a bloom. Just days ago, I’d been aboard the generation ship, preparing for first contact. Now...

Now I was in love with their king.

Stop being dramatic, I told myself. You have a job to do.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? I hadn’t just been sent to make contact. I’d been sent to negotiate. To convince these people to share their world, their resources.

Looking around at the careful balance they’d built, I wasn’t sure that was the right path anymore.

Something scraped against stone behind me.

I turned, frowning, but the path was empty. Still, a prickle of unease traced its way up my spine.

There. A shadow moved where it shouldn’t.

Someone was watching me.

My body tensed as I caught the hint of movement again---then a figure stepped into view from behind a twisted column of coral-like stone.

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