Depths: A Tale of the Little Mermaid (HighTower Little Mermaid Book 1) by Jacque Stevens

Author:Jacque Stevens [Stevens, Jacque]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: sjacquebooks
Published: 2020-04-22T16:00:00+00:00

Erys excused himself from the feast early. I didn’t know if he expected me to follow, but I didn’t want to stay in that room without him. I only hesitated when we reached the outer balcony and his shadowing guardsman turned to stare at me. But Erys smiled and waved me over at once.

“You found me. Well, come on.” He moved so I could stand beside him over the crashing waves. I searched the water, seeing a flash of color I thought might belong to a finned tail.

My heart soared then fell again, as steady as the waves on the sand. Thoughts of my sisters, my home, and my mission put me at rest and on guard again all at once.

I turned away, so I could only hear the water. Soak in the good and forget the rest.

Erys leaned against the banister with me, a more relaxed smile on his face. “I thought you would like it. It’s my favorite spot. I like the water and the quiet.”

I squinted back. I thought I loved the prince, but there were more layers to him than I had discovered in our previous meetings. He liked the quiet? Or maybe he just preferred it to the awful banquet. My eyes went back toward the continued but distant sounds of revelry.

“That was terrible, wasn’t it?” He sighed, like I had given him a full lecture on proper banquet behavior. “There’s just so much pressure. Helene and I have to find some way to get along, or the war between our people will never end. Promise me when you marry, you’ll do it for love.”

I intended to. Erys had to love me.

More war was coming. Nothing could stop that. Mother would kill as she always did. Erys and the rest of the providences had always been a target, but that wasn’t my fault. I had come here to save him, to shield us both from the coming storm by ingratiating myself to Mother and Valadern. I had done everything for Erys, and he was sure to see that. I could even try to save someone else for him if he wanted—not Helene and not the emperor since I knew how Mother would feel about that, but someone else. Just enough for him to see I loved him.

He gave me a wry smile. “We’ll find you a man like the ones in your book, some gentle giant who never yells. I could help you find one . . . you do want to get married, don’t you? Or are you really trying to be a sister? It’s fine if you are, but if you would like to stay here . . . or do something different . . .” He kept starting and stopping—waiting for me to speak, then filling in the silence himself, never giving me a clear question I could answer with a movement of my head.

I even tried to open my mouth myself a few times, but it didn’t help.

This would never work. I couldn’t talk to him.

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