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Princess Odele squirmed beneath me, and the thrill of winning shot through the core of my bones. A thrill that was only heightened by the look of pure hatred in the depths of her brown-gold eyes.
“Let go of me, scum. I am the princess,” she commanded, her voice the perfect tone of entitlement and indignity. She pushed her body up against mine, her pathetic attempt to throw me off.
I smiled down at her, hands gripping her wrists above her head. “Careful with how you move, Princess. Do not forget that I am a male made of flesh and blood, and my moods are as sporadic as the ocean we inhabit.”
She tensed at the lie, which was precisely what I’d wanted her to do.
I took her in in this moment of stillness, noting the differences and similarities between her and my little fish. Not that I needed to memorize them. With just a glance, I could tell who was who. And the moment I’d caught the glimpse of her in the tavern, I knew I was about to be greeted by the true Princess of Thalassar.
Her eyes were the burning tones of copper, dark and light, dancing together. While Maisie’s were twin orbs of obsidian and violet, as dark and vast and secretive as an abyss. They tempted me.
Odele’s did not.
“I will order you only once more to get off of me,” she hissed between gritted teeth.
I raised an amused brow. I could make out the spot on her forehead where the hilt of her blade had rammed into her skin. It was red, though it would not leave a bruise. “I find it amusing that you think you can order me about. Like you said, I am a criminal, I am scum, so what should your orders be to me but empty words falling through the water? You are not, after all, my princess.”
My princess was at the palace, pretending to be Odele. Suffering because of her. Looking for her.
And here she was.
“Your princess is in the palace right now,” Odele breathed. “And she wishes to see you.”
I smirked. “Does she now?”
“Yes, now get off of me so I can take you to her!”
My heart thumped in my chest, so rapidly I was sure she could feel it against her own. That pounding was likely the only hint that I felt anything at all. My face remained impassive, one eyebrow arched, the rest of my features calm.
“How do I know you speak the truth?” She could be pulling me into a trap for all I knew. While I trusted Maisie to follow her to whatever ends, I did not trust Odele, nor would I ever.
“You don’t,” she hissed, baring her teeth in such an un-princess-like manner that I smiled. It seemed even she could be ruffled. “But my cousin needs you right now, and you’ll go to her.”
Cousin.
A jolt swept through my body. Maisie, she was still talking about Maisie, but she said the word ‘cousin’ so surely, with so much confidence, that I smelled the truth on her breath, in her expression.
Slowly, I eased away from her, keeping my eyes trained warily on her as she rubbed her wrists, as if my touch had pained her. She was looking at me with narrowed eyes, perhaps wishing me dead on the spot. Even if she was a royal, there were just some things even they weren’t capable of.
“You are a brute,” she snapped unkindly. “I’d have your head for this.” She gestured at her wrists, jerking them in my direction.
I waved off her foolishness and got up, picking up my blade and sheathing it. She stared up at me from the silt with expectant eyes.
I sneered. “If you’re expecting me to help you up, you’ll be waiting for an eternity.”
I could make out the flush of her face and anger pulled tightly at her features. Obviously embarrassed, she got up, muttering nonsense that sounded like curses and dusted off the back of her dress.
“You’re despicable.”
I smiled and gave her a mocking bow. “I never claimed otherwise.”
She scoffed and retrieved her own sword. “So?” she demanded impatiently. “Shall we go? I don’t have time to hang around in a disgusting alley all day. My cousin needs us.”
And I needed her like a dull ache in my chest that wouldn’t cease. Since the moment I’d left her side, I missed her terribly. Like a part of me was missing. But I’d gone away for her, to find out the truth. And now I was being called back to her side. Perhaps I was a fool, at her beck and call, doing her bidding, doing everything she asked of me. But where my pride was concerned, it didn’t matter.
For Maisie, I would shatter the world and rebuild it anew if she so wished.
So I smiled at Princess Odele and waved a hand with a flourish. “Lead the way.”