Maisie

Odele burst through the room, startling both Elias and I. We looked sharply at her and I got up, worry weighing in my stomach as I saw her heaving and gagging over her palm.

“What’s the matter?” I asked quickly. “Were you poisoned?” Gods, no. Not poison again. If she’d been poisoned, I had no idea how I’d handle that. I wasn’t a doctor. I wouldn’t be able to heal her.

“No—” She heaved, gagged. “Not... poison...”

I went over to her, placing my hand on the small of her back. Where she’d seemed like such an extravagant impossibility before, it was strange how touching her now was as easy and as comfortable as breathing. “Deep breaths,” I suggested calmly. “Breathe through the nose.”

Of course, she didn’t take my advice. She gagged, shook me off, and turned to glare at me. “How many are you involved with?” she accused.

“What are you talking about?”

She started forward, her body moving jerkily as if she really had been poisoned. She went over to the foodstuffs and trays she’d left that morning. She picked up the pitcher of frothy tea, and poured it into her mouth. I watched with astonishment as she gargled her mouth and spat it back into the pitcher.

“Gods, that was disgusting...” She shivered. “Just thinking about it makes me—” Odele broke off, gagging. “Oh gods, I need to brush my teeth.” She started to turn around.

“What is going on?” I asked.

A suffering sigh escaped her. “We’re busted, cousin. Your Lizard Prince discovered me and—” She gagged. “Oh, gods, I can’t even say it out loud, it’s so vile.” She disappeared into the bathing room. The next few moments were filled with the sounds of Odele vigorously brushing her teeth.

I shared an exasperated look with Elias, both of us clearly unsure as to what exactly was happening. She emerged a moment later, swiping at her mouth. If she scrubbed it hard enough, there was a possibility it would fall off.

I opened my mouth to comment on her odd behavior when the door to the room suddenly burst open and Kai swam through, closing it behind him.

There was a look of absolute panic on his face, a panic that surely I was now mirroring. The prince froze, looking back and forth between Odele and I with obvious astonishment, while all I wanted to do was screech at Odele for foolishly leaving the door unlocked.

“Maisie...” he breathed, looking towards me.

Odele scoffed. “Oh, now you can tell us apart, Lizard Prince? You should have used your beastly instincts to figure that out earlier before you kissed me!” She slapped a hand over her mouth, whether it was because she wanted to take the words back, or because she wanted to gag I wasn’t sure.

Not when shock rippled through me entirely.

“You—you kissed her?” My heart thumped and cracked against my ribs. My chest lurched painfully, and my stomach roiled. Kai and Odele had kissed. I suddenly felt like I was far away, and everything that had suddenly been so close and in my grasp was unattainable once more.

“I thought she was you!” Kai explained, eyes pleading mine.

“You can’t tell them apart?” asked Elias. I could hear the smile in his voice, and it wasn’t helping the situation. It felt like a blow to the stomach.

“I’m sorry, my gem!” Kai swam over and took my stiff fingers in his hands. “It was a momentary lapse in judgment. I was desperate to speak with you, and she was there and I thought...”

“Do you like her? Did you enjoy the kiss?” Elias asked mischievously.

Kai glared at the Black Blade, a threat swiping over his features. Elias laughed in reply.

“My gem...” Kai’s fingers swept over my cheeks.

“Helloooo, is anyone listening to me?” Odele’s voice broke through my haze of pain. We all turned to look at her, to find her glaring, and rather formidably. “I don’t know what kind of sick, weird and twisted relationships you have, cousin, but please note that the kiss? It was the most disgusting thing I’ve had to go through in my life. It was worse than sleeping on mossy floors.” She shuddered.

Kai’s eyes narrowed on her, clearly offended. A moment later, they widened, and he turned to look at me inquiringly. “Cousin?” he echoed.

We all went suddenly still. I felt like ice had suddenly dribbled down the length of my back in slow, torturous movements. Kai obviously tried to process this information. I was trying to process it.

This secret knowledge was difficult to fathom myself, and now Kai knew. Could I bear to recount the events? No, I didn’t think I could get through the story. My heart felt like it would suddenly burst into thousands of irreplaceable pieces despite Elias’ earlier words of encouragement.

Silence stretched to impossible lengths as Kai stared between the three of us, obviously waiting for an explanation, for the truth. I couldn’t look him in the eye, even as I felt his gaze fall heavily on me. I was too afraid I’d find an accusation in his eyes and I couldn’t deal with that, atop everything else.

Thankfully, Odele spared me the hardship of explaining. She let out a dreadfully weary sigh. “Okay, look,” she began. “Aunty Odessa had a baby with King Dorian of Kappur who was stolen from them, and that baby is her.” I looked up to find Odele gesturing vigorously in my general direction. “So meet Odalaea Malabella Knoll, Princess of Thalassar, rightful heir to the throne of this kingdom and Kappur. If you have any questions, keep them to yourself, because she doesn’t want to answer them, and frankly neither do I.”

“Oh, gods.” I dropped my face into my palms and tried taking deep, calming breaths. Her explanation had been short, terse if anything. Of course Kai would have questions. He’d be crazy not to have them. After a moment, I finally felt brave enough to look up at the prince.

He looked to be grappling with the information Odele had just given him.

“Don’t hurt yourself trying to process it,” she commented unkindly.

Kai ignored her and looked up at me. Our gazes held, my own was fearful, waiting for judgment, accusation, for something.

“You are the daughter of King Dorian and Princess Odessa?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Daughter was a title I could not yet accept wholly as a part of myself. And yet when Kai asked, I found myself nodding, forcing down a swallow. “Yes,” I replied, equally quiet.

“How long have you known?” His eyes flickered away from me and onto Elias for a brief second.

Odele let out an exasperated sound. “She’s known for less than twenty-four hours, and the Black Blade has known for an hour. Are you done? Because I’m bored. This whoooole conversation is boring.”

I opened my mouth to comment on what she thought would make the day more interesting? Explosives?

I never got the chance, though.

Because a few quick knocks sounded on the door, and we all turned to glance at it with horror as it opened, and a moment later, Captain Saber swam through.

“I sent the guards away,” he commented, almost distractedly, and froze.

My heart would surely cease beating now, I thought. There was no way I could continue living. Not when Captain Saber’s gaze settled slowly, ever so slowly, like the workings of a recording, over each one of us. Me. Elias. Kai.

And finally, Odele.

His mouth dropped open, rendering him speechless momentarily, before a strangled word tore from his throat like a gasp of pain.

“Odele.”