Of Song and Scepter: A Dark Little Mermaid Retelling (Sirens of Adria) by Liesl West

Author:Liesl West [West, Liesl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Darkling Press LLC
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter thirty

Soren

I storm down the hallway toward my bedchamber, the soft slap of my bare feet echoing through the empty space. My hands flex and close inadvertently at my sides, moving of their own volition.

I did my duty. I fed the princess, talked with her, and delivered her to her chamber. Mentally, I check the task off my list. But emotionally? My heart squeezes painfully, brimming with a feeling I’m terrified to name.

Why was I letting the handmaid get under my scales? Why couldn’t I just leave her alone? I could have easily escorted Aris into the surrounding waters, bonded with her over the awkwardness of the tavern’s bathroom arrangement. Instead, I had deliberately chosen to leave her to discover that bit of reef district culture for herself, knowing it would buy me time with her handmaid.

In my mind’s eye, Enna’s purple eyes flash once more, holding my gaze with unwavering intensity.

I round the corner, and at the end of the hallway, Captain Nara leans against the wall next to my chamber door, sharpening the tines of her trident. She eyes me with a smirk, as if she knows she’s the last person I want to see right now.

“Greetings,” she says. “Looks like I’m on guard duty tonight.”

I cross my arms, slowly resuming my walk.

“The captain doing the work of a lesser soldier? I’m honored.”

She rolls her eyes. “Count yourself lucky, I wanted a change of scenery tonight.” She gestures broadly to the white-washed walls and endless stretches of marble. With her red stripes, she’s the most colorful thing in the room, and that’s not saying much.

I stop across from her, leaning against the wall in a mirrored position. “You discharged him, didn’t you?”

She smiles. “Guilty.”

“What for?”

“He was sleeping on the job.”

The familiar throb of my headache pricks at the side of my temple. “Why do they always fall asleep, Nara?”

She tests the sharpness of each tine of her trident with a gloved finger, then inspects the soft white leather for punctures. “It’s entirely your fault your sex life is uninteresting, you know.”

“Yet here I am, arriving at high tide after spending the evening at the tavern with my betrothed.”

“And you delivered her to her rooms just now, I assume?” She glances down the hallway, empty of any pursuing females. “Pity. You could use a good fuck.”

I grunt and nod toward my door. “Just unlock it, Nara. Please.”

She smirks, fishing for the right key. “That princess is a fine royal specimen. Are you trying?”

“I took her to the bar tonight. She got drunk.”

“Very romantic.”

I run my hand over the back of my neck, massaging the knot that’s forming. I roll my shoulder to ease the tension. “She came onto me, at the beginning of all this, but I turned her down.”

Nara pauses with the key in hand. “I assume you’re telling me because you want to know what I think. So here it is.” She looks over her shoulder to glare at me. “This is your future wife, no?”

“Yes. Yes, she is.

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