Page 92 of The Court of Secrets
Neither broke eye contact. “Thank you for saving her life,” Blaise said.
Aquarius tipped his head to the side. “We wouldn’t have needed to the second time if you had those feral fae under control,” he snapped.
I shuddered on thinking about them, faeries who’d gone so dark they were deemed feral. I remembered when they had taken me to the gallows and tried to hang me from a noose.
I inhaled deeply. I was sure Blaise was going to snap. His eye twitched a flicker, only enough to be seen if we were watching him closely. “I’m working on it.” He paused. “You’re welcome in Niferum whenever you need to find relief from the sea.”
They both stood the same height, all of them towering over me. I waited for Aquarius to say something back, but instead, he shook his hand. I couldn’t believe Blaise was being so… normal.
“Here’s to new friendships.”
Blaise nodded. “Yes.”
I raised my eyebrows. That was too weird. Good, but weird. Blaise was being, well, nice. “Thank you again, Aquarius. Let me say my good-byes and I’ll come aboard.” I gestured toward Morgana. “I think Morgana would like to meet Bella. I hope she’s well.”
He took Morgana’s arm and helped her onto the ship. “Come aboard. Winter’s told us so much about you.”
I waited for them to leave, then turned on my heel to face Blaise. “Okay, so give.”
He brushed down the front of his tunic, a knowing smile curving on his face. “What?”
“Why were you being nice?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“It’s you. So yes.”
He chuckled. “I’m simply trying to lessen the number of enemies I have.”
I stroked my chin. “Mmhmm.”
“Really.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. The gentle act made my heart race. “Like I said, love, he saved your life.”
He was being nice… for me.
“I love you.” He leaned down and kissed me softly at first, then our kiss turned animalistic. A part of me worried about who was watching, but the other half didn’t care. I held onto him, running my hands up his back and to the nape of his neck. He pushed his hand against my lower back, pulling me against him with a ferocity he usually reserved for when we were alone. He pulled away, breathing fast, torture in his eyes. A low growl escaped his lips as he gripped my arms, looking me deep in the eyes. “I love you so much.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I’ll see you tonight.” He paused for a moment, just staring at me, then pulled away and walked to his own ship.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The ship rocked against the caress of the waves, spraying the deck with washes of white foam. The sun rose higher in the pastel-blue sky, telling me it was going on noon. Bella emerged above deck, her rose-red hair tied back into a tight ponytail, which ran the length of her back. A sword hung from her belt, and a red necklace swung from her neck, used to channel her elemental magic. Curiosity burned as she approached.
“Bella!” I exclaimed.
“Winter.” She kissed both cheeks, then pulled me at arm’s length to get a better look at me. “You look so much older than we last saw you. It’s not been a year yet.”
My lips pulled into a tight smile. “The pressures of being queen.”
She gave me a sympathetic nod. “I can only imagine.”
“Where have you been?” I arched an eyebrow. “We didn’t see you yesterday.”
She placed her hand over her stomach. “I was sick, that’s why I stayed down in our cabin, but I’m feeling better today.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. I was wondering when I’d get to see you.” I smiled. “Where’s Aquarius?”
“Taking a nap. He spent most of the night awake, worried about the mer attacking.”
“That will stop soon.” I didn’t elaborate. “I should let you know, I already told Aquarius when we boarded so I’m not sure if he mentioned it, but Kiros is coming to Niferum for peace talks with my kingdom.”
