Page 41 of The Ocean's Heart
He was the brother I never had. My confidant, my closest friend. I trusted him with my life, would have given him anything he desired. If only he had come to me and confessed his feelings for Evya. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known how cold our union was. I’d confided in him, of course. But he’d lied and deceived, and his only excuse once caught in his subterfuge had been that I hadn’t loved her anyway.
True. But she’d been my wife. I did not love her in the way she required, but I cared for her. There was fondness between us.
Would I have ordered his death if the affair had remained between the three of us? Would my ire have been less if no one else had known? Being with Thalia has unlocked doubts where there was only steely conviction. Being in love is changing me, and for the first time in forever, I’m afraid. Not of being in love but of losing this feeling.
Far on the horizon, the sky is gray. The sun will rise soon enough, and in a few hours, we will see land.
Dylon will undoubtedly be relieved to be excused from the betrothal, and the people will rejoice to know that their king has found his heart’s desire in the very same woman that will return fertility to their lands, for it is surely a sign that the curse is not infallible. That it is weakening.
There is hope for us all.
The sky is tinged red as the sun awakens, and the ocean, gray and cold, begins to come to life. The dappling of tiny islands that make up the Lone Isles come into view. The mass is so small that I doubt it is on any map, and the land is nothing but sand. Uninhabitable, but wait…What is that? There is someone on the beach.
ChapterTwenty-Three
THALIA
“Thalia, wake up.”
I groaned and cracked open one eye. “Is it morning already?”
Vaarin grinned down at me. “It is, and I have a surprise for you.”
I was wide awake now because who didn’t like surprises? “What is it?”
“If I tell you then it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?”
The playful twinkle in his eyes heightened my excitement. I slipped out of bed and began to dress.
He groaned softly. “I almost wish I didn’t have a surprise for you now.”
I shot him a coquettish look over my naked shoulder. “Can the surprise wait?” He looked torn as I padded naked toward him, shirt clutched in my hand. I tipped my face up to his. “Well?”
He sank his fingers into my hair and made a fist, drawing me forward roughly against his taut frame so that I could feel his thick arousal against my belly.
“You’re fortunate that I have excellent control over my desires, because the sounds you’ll make when I have my way with you will certainly traumatize your surprise.”
It took a moment for the implications of his words to register. “Wait…how can a surprise be traumatized unless…” I stepped back. “Vaarin?”
His smile was back. “Get dressed and join me on deck.”
He dropped a kiss on my head and left the cabin.
I hurriedly pulled on my clothes, then scraped my hair up into a knot before following him.
Voices drifted down the steps as I ascended to the deck. Vaarin and another. Male…Familiar.
Oh god…I rushed up the last few steps and onto the deck, coming to a halt to face my surprise.
He was pale and thin, his lips chapped, his hair matted, but it was him.
Tomas was alive.
He bolted out of his seat as I rushed toward him, opening his arms for a hug.
I punched him in the face. “You cowardly bastard!”
He clutched his jaw, his eyes dull and flat. “I know. I know what I did, and I’m sorry, but I’m glad that you’re alive. When the king told me that the princess was on board, I thought Bryony was here. You never use the title but…” His frown deepened. “Whereisthe crown princess?”
