The past three days were a special kind of torture. Every morning when I woke was a new lesson in heartbreak. A large part of me wished I had never left the palace. At least then, I wouldn’t have had to watch Mareena spending every second of every day with my brother. I wouldn’t have to watch as she smiled at something he said, nor would I have to witness her laughing at his jokes. She seemed happy here—happier than she had ever been before.
I only wished I was the one making her smile. Maybe if the circumstances of my birth had been better, I might have been the male for Mareena. Perhaps if my father had chosen to claim me, I might have had a chance. If I hadn’t been a lowly guard in love with the Crown Princess, my story might have been different.
But it wasn’t. I was a bastard, and she was a princess. That was why I left last night. I couldn’t take it. Not after Byron figured out who Mareena was. A male worse than Byron would have probably celebrated because of their stroke of luck. How many princesses looking for husbands fell into people’s laps?
Even after he knew who she was, Byron was just concerned for Mareena. He was a good male. Far too good, considering the horrible male who fathered us both.
I couldn’t deal with it any longer. Instead of staying around and watching Byron woo the female I loved, I left. Going back to Shipwreck Cove, I spent the night wallowing in my pain. When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to go back. I couldn’t just abandon Mareena.
It was my stupid sense of morals that had me packing up my things and returning to my brother’s townhouse. Three days. That was how long Mareena had left. I would stay long enough to see her engaged to Byron, and then I was going to leave. The Rapid Currents were far from here. Maybe after I stayed there for a while, I would go to the Obsidian Coast. I was always curious about the way the fae lived. If I could find a sea witch to spell my tail away, I could go on land.
Thoughts of my future far away from here occupied me as I swam back to Byron’s home. I refused to think of it as running away. Instead, I was simply protecting myself. It was nearing dinnertime, and the streets of Coral City were busy. Dozens of merfolk were out. Many were swimming, but some were riding in shells pulled by sharks and eels. The sounds of life filtered through the water, their noise a good distraction from the sorrow taking root in my heart.
Too soon, Byron’s red door came into view. Hopefully, they would still be out, and I could sneak in and hide until dinner. Steeling myself for another three days of misery, I raised my fist and knocked.
Barely a second passed before the door swung open. Halpert, my brother’s butler, swam in the entryway. His woven tunic moved with the water as he dipped and moved aside. “They’re in the parlor, sir.”
Just like that, my hopes of hiding out were squashed. Pausing in the doorway, I considered turning around and swimming back to Shipwreck Cove. I was just about to close the door when a door closed in the house.
“Calix.”
My name was little more than a whisper on her lips, but it reverberated through my core. I sucked in a breath. Everything stopped. My heart. My lungs. Even the gentle movement of the water seemed to cease for one long, eternal moment.
There was something about the way she said my name that was unlike anything I’d ever heard.
Mareena’s eyes met mine, the hallway between us seeming like nothing, and my tail moved of its own volition. Before I even realized what was happening, I was inside the townhouse. The Crown Princess moved towards me, the space between us shortening with every moment. Something sparked to life within me as the door slammed shut behind me.
She was all I could see. All I could hear. All I could think about.
Mareena’s lips parted, and she reached for me. Her hand slid into mine, and a shock ran through me. She was so much smaller than me, my hand dwarfed hers. I stared at the place where our flesh connected. Had she ever willingly touched me?
There had been soft brushes between our hands in the past, of course. Accidental touches that haunted me for hours after they took place. But this… It was different. Her hand tightened around mine, and she pulled me towards her.
“Come here,” she said. Authority and strength filled her tone, and I was reminded once more that she was the heir to the Seven Seas. She was so far out of my league that I had no business even being in the same room with her, let alone touching her.
But I couldn’t have pulled my hand out of hers even if I tried.
I swam after Mareena, my tail moving me swiftly through the gentle waters of Byron’s townhouse as the princess led me into the small study on the main floor. Once inside, she let go of my hand, shutting the door.
We were alone.
Canting her head to one side, Mareena studied me. Her gaze was analytical, and if it had been anyone else, I would have felt strange. But with her, I was comfortable. She could look at me for as long as she wanted.
“Byron said he knows who I am,” Mareena said softly, breaking the silence between us.
I wasn’t sure how, but he knew. I made him promise he wouldn’t tell a soul. If people knew their crown princess was swimming through the city without much of an escort, they could hurt her—or worse. I couldn’t let that happen.
“Yes,” I grunted.
She swam closer to me, her eyes never leaving mine. “Byron is nice,” she whispered.
All I could do was nod.
This was the moment I had been dreading. I knew this would happen. As soon as I introduced them, I knew she would fall for him. How could she not? Byron was rich, thanks to our father. Not only that, but he was successful, fit, and kind.
He was a catch and, surprisingly, still single.
Until now.
Drawing in a deep breath, I steeled myself for what was coming next. Mareena was going to marry Byron. That was the only way she could maintain her claim to the throne. I was certain they would be happy—after all, how could they not be? She would be queen, and I would leave, only coming back when I could handle seeing my brother married to the female I loved.
Clenching my fists at my side, I drew in a deep breath.
“He’s very nice,” I said.
Mareena swallowed. “And he’s… a good male.”
My heart twisted, and agony ran through me. “He is,” I agreed.
“If I married him, I might be happy.” Her eyes widened, and she looked at me imploringly. “He would be a good husband. Father would probably approve of him.”
I couldn’t respond. I nodded, swimming backward. Everything felt too tight. My skin. My lungs. The water was too hot. I needed to get out of here. Forget waiting until the week was up. I was going to pack a bag and leave tonight.
“I don’t want to marry him,” she whispered. Her words were barely audible, but they reverberated in my very core.
“You don’t?”
She shook her head. “No.”
My brows furrowed. “Then it will be one of those pompous asses your father brought to the palace?”
Why would she pick one of them over Byron?
“What?” She furrowed her brows. “No.”
“I don’t understand.” My fists clenched and unclenched at my side as my heart raced. “Who do you want?”
She had to pick someone. Her father was very clear on that point. She couldn’t give up her throne. The Indigo Ocean needed a queen like her.
Mareena swam towards me, her dark purple tail propelling her swiftly across the room. When she was a foot away from me, she stopped. Her hair swirled in the water around her, and those eyes looked up, meeting mine.
She reached out and ran her hand down my arm before lacing our fingers together. Twice now, she touched me. I could barely breathe, let alone understand what was happening. Mareena pulled me towards her until there was little more than a hairsbreadth of space between us. The water moved softly around us both as she squeezed my hand.
“You,” she murmured, her eyes searching mine. “I want you.”
Then, before I could say anything, she closed the distance between us. Her lips landed on mine, and my mind exploded as we kissed.