Chapter Four

 

Voices carried from somewhere in the distance, the muffled noises still managing to sound like foghorns to my ears. Grimacing, I pulled my eyes open. The blur of a window was in front of me, my view of it sideways. A dull throbbing beat on the back of my skull, but beneath my cheek, I could feel a pillow.

An arm was wrapped around my side.

I blinked, fighting the rest of my way to consciousness, and rolled over.

Tiago smiled up at me. “Good morning.”

I glanced around. A room of dark brown stone met my gaze. Overhead, the opaque glass bowl of the light fixture held no flames, though past the leaves blocking the window, a faint glow slipped into the room from street lamps outside. A door, the fejeria leaves on it tightly sealed, stood about a dozen feet from the end of the bed, and the occasional sound of someone speaking carried from beyond it.

We had to be at his place. I’d never been there before, but this certainly wasn’t my apartment.

Memory started to creep back. I’d found Tiago and the others at the Olician embassy about three blocks from the palace. Whether raucous by our normal definition or not, the party still had music and dancing and imported gels all the way from his hometown in Olicia – the multicolored substances being the closest thing we had down here to the alcohol humans drank.

That was the source of my headache. I should’ve recognized it.

Everything went fuzzy about halfway through the night. I’d welcomed it. I hadn’t wanted to think. And when Tiago suggested we go back to his room, I’d welcomed that too.

I hoped I hadn’t said anything about my concerns for Niall and Zeke, though. I was usually pretty good about keeping quiet on important stuff – a lifetime of practice was useful that way – but I hated not being sure.

“Hey,” I managed.

“You alright?”

I nodded, and then winced, regretting the motion.

“Here,” he said. He rolled over and grabbed something from a shelf near his bed.

I accepted the sieranchine gratefully. Drawing out a tiny amount, I rubbed it onto my temples and then handed the jar back to him.

The headache receded to the background.

“Thanks.”

His hand slipped around my side, and I let him pull me back down. His arm pillowed my head and his free hand reached up to brush a drifting strand of hair from my face.

“So,” I tried, my gaze on the speckled stone of the ceiling, “I didn’t say anything, um, newsworthy last night, did I?”

He chuckled. “You weren’t much interested in talking, princess.”

I relaxed slightly.

His fingers strayed down to trace the curve of my breast. “Have anywhere you need to be today?” he asked idly.

I hesitated. “I probably should get back to the palace. Ren asked me not to go out last night, and…”

I gave a small shrug.

Tiago made a considering sound. His hand moved lower.

“We could relocate?” he offered. “After all, you told me last night that you wanted a distraction from–”

“Wait, what did I say?” I asked, pulling away as I shifted around to see him better.

He paused, seeming a bit taken back. “Nothing. Just that you wanted some fun so you didn’t have to think about anything for a while.”

I didn’t move.

“I swear, princess,” he insisted. “That’s it. You wanted a distraction.” He shrugged. “I’m happy to oblige.”

I remembered to breathe.

His brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” I replied, working to make my voice casual. “It was just a really hard day and, you know, I wouldn’t want people to misconstrue that or something.”

“Okay, well… I doubt they will. After everything you’ve been through, I don’t think anyone would find the need for a break surprising.”

I nodded and lay back down beside him.

A heartbeat passed before his hand returned to my side.

“So do you want to head back now?” he asked carefully.

I didn’t answer. Truth be told, I wasn’t in any rush to return to the palace. Yes, Ren would be upset about how I’d disobeyed his orders, but even he might understand, given everything that’d happened.

And I liked this. It was normal. Ordinary. Waking up next to someone; having nothing ahead except however much time we still felt like spending together.

I’d missed days like this.

Rolling to my side, I put my arm around him. “Not really.”

He paused, as if still weighing my reactions. “Okay.” His hand slid down to the curve of my hip. “Then what would you like?”

I shifted around, pulling myself on top of him, and looked into his blue eyes. “Guess.”

He smiled. Aveluria magic left his hands, building in intensity with every heartbeat and feeling almost as good as sex itself. My breath caught.

I kissed him. His fingers moved up through my hair, holding me to him as his tongue slid into my mouth and his free hand ran down my back. He sent more magic into me, the sensation almost aggressive with its strength. My nails dug into his skin with the feeling of it, and I retaliated with aveluria of my own.

His lips left mine to take to my neck and, breathing heavily, I let him continue till the desire to have his mouth on mine drove me to draw him back hungrily. My teeth pulled at his lower lip and then I kissed him again, pressing my body to his while he grasped the tense muscles of my back.

Someone knocked on the door to his room.

Gasping, I broke away from him to glare back at the fejeria.

Tiago muttered a curse. “What is it?” he called, his voice a touch breathless.

“Guards from the palace, sir,” came a woman’s voice. “They wish to know if Princess Inasaria is here.”

I groaned, rolling away and flopping my head back on the pillow.

“Why?” Tiago asked.

“The king sent for her. Prince Nialloran is home. They wish to see her.”

I sat up quickly. “Be there in a minute,” I called.

The woman was silent for a moment. “Yes, highness,” she responded, her tone tighter than before.

I ignored it, looking back at Tiago. “I’m sorry, I–”

“It’s alright. To be continued?”

I smiled. “Absolutely.”

He pulled me to him again, kissing me briefly. “Then I’ll see you later.”

I nodded. Rising from the bed, I paused only long enough to rake my fingers through my hair, trying to return it to something resembling order, and let my scales take the place of skin over my chest before I swam for the door.

The guards were waiting in the main room of the embassy. Their gazes were fastened on some middle distance point between here and infinity, and without a word, they surrounded me and then moved to escort me home.

“Is Niall alright?” I asked one of them as we left the embassy behind.

“He did not appear injured, highness. Other than that, I have no information.”

“Was Zeke with him?”

The guard paused. “No, princess.”

I tried not to grimace. And just like that, the happy buzz of time with Tiago faded back into stupid, tense reality.

We continued toward the palace and it wasn’t till we reached the upper floor that the guards finally pulled away, leaving me to go on alone.

The fejeria rustled around me as I pushed past it into the royal study. By a table on the far side of the room, Niall and Ren were deep in conversation, but they cut off at the sound from the leaves.

I could see Ren’s irritation with me the moment he looked my way.

“I asked you to stay home,” he said flatly.

I winced. “I-I know. I’m sorry, I…”

Shrugging, I looked away. I couldn’t come up with more of a response. It’d been silly to leave, I supposed, given how dangerous everything was.

But I’d been going mad trapped in my apartment.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, giving up on any attempt at an explanation. I glanced to Niall, who seemed more serious than I’d ever seen him, and a shiver ran through me at the sight. “Have you talked about… you know?”

“We were just discussing that,” Ren replied.

I didn’t look away from Niall. I couldn’t imagine it. Even as somber as he appeared, he still just looked like himself. Not a monster. Not some deranged member of a cult that didn’t even exist. I couldn’t picture him hurting Dad or endangering any of us in a million years. He seemed worried more than anything. Like something bad had happened and he needed our help to see it fixed.

Zeke had to be wrong. He just had to be.

“Is everything okay?” I tried.

Ren glanced to him.

“What exactly did Zeke tell you?” Niall asked.

I floundered for a response.

“Or, should I say, what did that girl tell him that he repeated to you?”

The edge in his voice was biting.

“Nothing that I believe,” I said, making the words sound as confident as I could.

Niall paused, his anger faltering. Surprise flickered across his face, swiftly replaced by a gratitude that was almost painful to see, and he nodded. Burying the expression quickly, he looked back to Ren.

“We think they’ve left the water. The direction they were last headed puts them landwise somewhere near the Washington coast.” Niall hesitated. “I’m worried he’ll try to take her inland, though. Maybe push it if she keeps him thinking people are after her.”

My stomach twisted. Zeke wouldn’t. They couldn’t. Dehaians could only make it a few weeks out of the water at most before it started to kill us, and that was if distance from the ocean didn’t get us first.

But Chloe claimed to be from somewhere in the middle of the United States. Somewhere no dehaian could possibly reach.

Zeke was smarter than that, though. Surely he’d never risk traveling that far, no matter what she said.

My stomach clearly doubted it, and twisted into a tighter knot at the idea.

Ren grimaced. “And there’s no telling what could happen if she has allies in the area.”

“That too,” Niall agreed grudgingly, as if hating to think of it.

Ren sighed. “Alright. Then I want you in charge of the search. You saw them last and you know him best, so…”

Niall nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

Ren echoed the motion. “Take any soldiers you want to bring with you. Anything you need. Ina, you spent some time with the girl too from what I’ve heard. I want you to give Niall every detail you can remember. Names, places she might have mentioned, anything. And as for…” He glanced around with an annoyed expression before returning his attention to me. “Dammit, have you seen Jirral? I sent for him too.”

I hesitated. Ren wouldn’t like to hear what Granddad planned. “Not since yesterday.”

Still looking irritated, Ren swam past me to the door. “Why isn’t Lord Jirral here yet?” he asked the guards outside.

Their answer was too quiet to hear. I shifted nervously in the water.

“What? Find him.” Ren turned back to us, letting the leaves close up behind him. “They say he’s not at the house he rented, and no one’s seen him in the palace since he left last evening. Did he say anything to you about leaving?”

He directed the last to me. It was all I could do not to wince.

“Granddad went out because he wanted to see if any of his contacts had more information on what happened between, you know,” I glanced to Niall, “you guys. He didn’t know you’d be home so soon. He just wanted to help.”

“How does that help?” Ren demanded. He made a furious noise. “We need to stick together, not all race off to–”

Shaking his head, he let the rest of the comment die as he swam back to the table. “So fine, now we have two family members to worry about. Niall, you’ll probably come across him while you’re looking for Zeke, so just convince the stubborn old bastard to return here when you find him, okay?” Ren waited. “Niall?”

Blinking, Niall pulled his gaze from the ground. “Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

Niall nodded.

“Alright,” Ren continued. “Well, get what rest you need before heading back out, but please go soon. I want this resolved as soon as possible. And Ina,” he grimaced, “stay home this time?”

Embarrassed, I nodded my agreement and then glanced to Niall, waiting for him to accompany me.

He hesitated. “Could I talk to you for another moment?” he asked Ren. “I just have a few logistical questions.”

“Sure.”

Niall looked back to me. “I’ll come find you soon, okay?”

I nodded.

“And Ina?” Niall called as I started for the door again.

I glanced back.

He gave me a lopsided smile, almost looking like his old self. “Thanks for… you know.”

I smiled too, and then turned, leaving them both as I headed for the hall.