Page 32 of Whispers Beneath the Deep
At least, that’s what I told myself, denying with every fiber that I was actually getting close to him for myself.
“Hurry along, now.” Percival signed off on the ledger.
I followed slowly and did the same, taking the quill and signing Odele’s name. At first, I’d worried about the handwriting and how it wouldn’t match. Now, I could make the excuse that the signature was different because my hands hurt.
It’s not like anyone but the old librarian seemed to notice anyway. Thankfully, he never made comments about my wretched handwriting. Especially not with Percival around. The last thing I needed was him prying into who I really was.
As we exited the library, Percival began speaking in that clipped dull tone of his that spoke of lectures and chastisement. “You have an hour and a half of tea time. I’ll escort you there and the guards will escort you to your rooms, where you’ll change into your riding habit. I shall wait for you with your instructor in the stables.”
He spoke as though I didn’t know my own schedule, the barnacle.
I didn’t bother replying.
We passed through the opulent hallways of the palace, where rows of Eramaean royalty stared at us and made me uncomfortable. The portraits veered into statues and vases that looked like old relics. The walls widened, the rooms along the line thrown wide open. It wasn’t until we neared the end of the hallway that the sounds from the opened doorway registered.
Clank. Swish. Pant.
Percival swam right past, but I stopped at the entrance and peeked in. My curiosity got the better of me. Usually all we passed were vacant rooms or spaces filled with courtiers that were either desperate to speak with me, or desperate to avoid me. These sounds were wholly new and I wanted to investigate.
As I did, the water left my lungs and my gut clenched, flittering with nerves.
Prince Kai was in the room. It was a training room if I ever saw one. Weapons adorned the walls of the place, and the floors had thick leather-like mats in square sections.
The Prince of Draconi was in one of those sections, and I breathed him in. Every detail, every contour, everybreath. It’d been so long since I’d last seen him, and yet his beauty was still so staggering. Males weren’t supposed to be beautiful, but Kai was. He was all high cheekbones, and soft, refined features.
Although, from what I was currently witnessing, the last thing he’d be considered wassoft.
Prince Kai was engaged in a vicious sparring session with one of his guards. A long katana was gripped tightly in his fingers, the blade clashing against that of his guard.
He became a blur of silken black robes and steel as he danced through the water around the other mer.
Clash. Clank. Swish. Dodge.
It was like watching a dance choreographed in vicious savagery. There was something elegant about the way he moved but dangerous as well. His posture, and the formidable way he attacked made my heart thump a little louder in my chest. Here he was.
The Dragon Prince.
Steel sparked against steel; it was obvious his opponent was good. Not good enough. Kai made a series of blows with katana and tail, and a moment later, the katana went flying from his guard’s hands, all the way to the ground at my fins.
It rattled and settled, and I couldn’t stop myself. I bent, and picked it up by the hilt. It was a heavier blade than what I was used to, but it felt comforting nonetheless in my hands.
“Princess!” Percival was suddenly at my side—probably having noticed a bit too late that I was no longer following—screeching. His loud voice seemed to draw every eye over to us. Kai’s. His advisors. His guards.
My grip tightened on the hilt of the katana.
My eyes—and Kai’s—found each other. Where I expected that sudden politeness he was known for, something else glowed in his eyes instead. It was daring, dangerous, and it heated the blood coursing through my every vein. Still high off the adrenaline of this battle, his eyes took me in like a predator hunting for prey. He looked like he had weeks ago, in those moments when I was caught in the Black Blade’s grasp. It was feral and untamed, the darker side of him he kept hidden.
Excitement swelled in my chest, causing me to smile. He smiled back, and then sauntered forward with purpose in his every stroke.
I braced myself for the impact of his voice.
“You’re holding it wrong.” His Draconian accent clipped the words out in slow resonance, but there was a romantic lilt to it. I looked down at the foreign sword. He placed a hand over my own, fingers adjusting my grip on the weapon. “Use both hands,” he instructed coolly, pulling his own hand away from mine for a brief second. I did as I was told. With the blade pointed down at the floor, I grasped the hilt, one hand encircling at the top, the other at the bottom like he’d instructed.
Once my grip was adjusted, he moved off to the side so I could lift the katana.
Percival sputtered.“Princess!”he chastised, suddenly appearing behind me and making me jolt. “You will be late for tea with your cousins. You cannot dally around here and partake in heathen Draconian behavior.”
Kai raised an amused, delicate eyebrow in Percival’s direction. Behind him, his advisors and guards seemed to ruffle indignantly at his tone. I didn’t blame them. If this was supposed to be Odele’s betrothed, why was he blatantly insulting him for all to hear?
