Her lungs compressed, making every inhale more difficult. And no matter how deep a breath she took, it felt like she hadn’t gotten anything in her lungs. She was suffocating. She knew there was air around her, but she couldn’t suck it into her lungs. Was she drowning without any water nearby?
“River?” Archer asked, his voice low and quiet. “Are you all right?”
“I can’t be here anymore,” she whispered. “I’m about to be the puppet again and I just... I can’t, Archer. I can’t do it.”
He held out his arm like a gentleman from a fairytale. “Then let me take you away, River.”
She shouldn’t. Her father would look for her, and he’d be so mad she left him. But maybe he wouldn’t. He’d seemed to like Archer.
And when was the last time she’d done anything for herself?
“Okay,” she said and placed her hand on his arm. The instant she touched him, all her anxiety and fear melted away. It was like she had forgotten how to breathe until he told her to inhale. “Take me away, faerie.”
9
Her father would pop a blood vessel if he knew she was running off with a strange man he’d only just met. But Archer had a way about him that made her want to do wild and adventurous things.
He tucked her into his car, a vehicle that looked sporty and fast, with a wicked grin on his face. “Are you ready?”
She giggled. Giggled. River hadn’t ever made that sound in her life, but he somehow got one out of her.
“I guess so,” she replied, nervous and excited all at the same time. “Where are we going?”
He reached out and touched a finger to her chin. “It’s a surprise, River. Or do you want me to ruin it?”
When he closed the door behind him, she realized she didn’t know the answer. Did she want him to ruin it? Yes, maybe. Her anxiety was sky high, and she didn’t know this man. Trusting him was difficult when all she knew was his name, that he was a faerie, and that he liked to live his life wild and free.
But then she didn’t want him to ruin the surprise. Because she wanted to live wild and free, too.
He revved the engine and then they were off. Flying away from the stupid mansion and the ridiculous benefit for a governor who wanted for nothing. She could let her worries fall away with the cloud of dust they left behind.
Tilting her head back against the seat, a laugh tore from her throat. “Do you always live like this?”
He put his hand on the back of her seat and asked, “Like what?”
“Not worrying about what other people think? Just doing what you want and taking life by the horns?”
He chuckled. “Well, I don’t think life has horns. But yes, I guess I do what I want.”
“It must be wonderful to live like that. Without a care in the world.” She watched the road flash by her. “I wish I knew how to be someone like you.”
“You can be. You’ve got the same magic running through your veins. If you want something out of life, you should just take it.”
Spoken like a man, she supposed. River had too many responsibilities and far too much guilt to just do whatever she wanted. She leaned her head away from him and watched the world race by them like a thousand and one stars.
It took a while before they finally got to wherever he had decided they should go. She couldn’t make out where they were, she’d never been here before. And she thought she’d been everywhere in this small town.
Archer turned toward her and the excitement in his voice made her heart race even more. “Are you ready for your surprise?”
“Yes,” she answered a little too quickly.
His eyes darkened into hard chips of sapphire. “You said you wanted to be free.”
She wanted more than that. River wanted to feel as though the world weren’t looking at her in disgust and disappointment. She wanted to be someone. Maybe more than just a girl with strange hands, but someone important. Not to the world, maybe, but to one person.
River nodded. “I do. I don’t want to worry about Dad or school or myself. I just want to not think for a while.”
He grinned, and it was like the sun came out over the horizon. Outlined by stars, he leaned over the center console so he could get closer. “If you could have anything in the world, right now, what would it be?”
His lips on hers.
Her mother back.
Her father understanding he couldn’t lean on her forever, and that he would be so much happier with a wife.
To understand what her history was and where she came from.
All the words pressed against her clenched teeth and threatened to rattle off her tongue in a great list that wouldn’t stop once she started. They were too heavy, too much for a man like this who only wanted to have fun. He wouldn’t understand her needs.
Maybe she didn’t understand her own desires, however. Because when she finally opened her mouth, River said something that shocked her.
“I want to touch the sea.”
Forbidden words. Dangerous words she had hoped to never let out of her.
The desire to swim in the waves was her greatest secret. Her father had tried so hard to make her afraid of the ocean when she was little. He’d scared her away from saltwater and all the creatures of the sea for so many years, it had become part of her.
But she didn’t hate the sea. She didn’t fear it either.
River wanted to dip her toes into the waves, just once. She wanted to feel it flowing through her hair and lifting her, buoyant and light. Everyone said swimming in the ocean was easier.
Well, she wanted to see for herself.
She tugged her hands away from his to press them against her mouth, like she could shove the words back where they came from.
Archer’s eyes glinted in the moonlight. “I think that’s a fine wish.”
“I can’t,” she replied, shaking her head. “It’s dangerous. Dad always told me it was too dangerous for me.”
“What’s so dangerous about the sea?”
That he could ask that question made her laugh. There were a hundred and one things dangerous about the sea, or perhaps even more. She could drown. Sharks. Storms out on the horizon that could capsize a boat with little effort. So many things could happen to someone if they weren’t careful.
She let out a long, ragged sigh. “You know there are far more dangers in the sea than either of us cares to admit.”
Something passed over his face, a shadow like an emotion but not quite. Perhaps regret, or an understanding that she didn’t know what was down in the depths.
And River didn’t. Now, she knew there were faeries. Creatures who might be capable of intense magic she couldn’t even hazard a guess at. And what did that mean? Could there be krakens in the ocean? Mermaids? Terrifying creatures who would wrap her in their many arms and drag her down into the deep?
Maybe she shouldn’t go with him. Her father had been right. The sea was dangerous, even for someone like her.
“No, don’t do that,” he said, sliding his hands up her arms and gripping her shoulders. “The sea might be dangerous for humans, but you are not human.”
“Am I not?” River didn’t know what she was. He might know, but that didn’t make her feel any more confident.
“You aren’t, River. You are something far more than they could ever dream of. Listen to me.” He shifted even closer until she could feel the puff of his breath brushing the top of her bowed head. “When we first met, you said you could hold your breath for a very long time. How long?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried to drown myself.”
“Have you ever been in a situation where you felt as though you needed air?”
She hadn’t. But she also had never tested her abilities. All she wanted was to sit at the bottom of the pool until people started getting nervous, then, she’d come back to the surface so she didn’t frighten people.
River shook her head in denial of what he might be suggesting. “You aren’t going to say
what I think you’re going to say.”
“River, you’re like me. The water doesn’t bother you. It doesn’t want to hurt you, and therefore, it gives you air when you need it.”
“That’s not how lungs work!” She blurted out the angry words a little too loud and a little too sharp. “You say things like that as if they’re true. But they aren’t scientifically supported, and for god’s sake, you can’t expect me to believe the ocean doesn’t want to drown me!”
“It doesn’t,” he snapped back. “And that is how it works. Maybe not for humans, and I understand you’ve been living with them for far too long. Faeries live by different rules.”
“I’m not a faerie!” She wrestled herself out of his arms and pushed her back against the door.
Eyes wide, she stared back at him with her heart on her sleeve. He was the one who had told her about her mother, so he had to understand.
River had given it a lot of thought. Her father was definitely her father. She had stared at herself in a mirror for hours, looking at every feature that was so clearly his. If she was any bit faerie, then she wasn’t entirely faerie.
“My mother came from the sea,” she whispered. “But my father didn’t.”
Archer’s jaw ticked. He leaned back too, resting his elbow on the steering wheel and glaring at her with frustration. “I can’t deny you’re the spitting image of your father.”
“Then I’m not a faerie. At least not entirely.”
Silence stretched between them. Terrifying silence that said she was right. She wasn’t a faerie. All these dreams of being like him, finding freedom, being something powerful and wild and “other” were just dreams.
Archer cleared his throat. “Look, River. Faeries come in many bloodlines.”
“Please don’t hide the truth from me. Not right now. You know what I am.” And it was breaking her apart at the seams that he wouldn’t just be honest with her.
His eyes turned sad, and he closed his hands into fists. That’s how she knew whatever he had to say, it wouldn’t be good.
In fact, it might break her in two.
“Some faeries would claim you are a half-breed. It’s a rude term and if anyone ever calls you that, you’ll come to me. Is that understood?”
She understood he was protective of her, though she didn’t understand why. But she wouldn’t always have him to watch over her. River wanted to learn about her people, yes, but she didn’t want to be hated. If she wanted that, then she would just stay here.
“A half-breed,” she repeated. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly as it sounds. Half faerie, half human.”
“And the limitations that brings with it?” She couldn’t imagine she would have all the powers of a regular faerie. If there were even powers.
River found herself distracted for a second by her own thoughts. Powers? What in the world was she thinking? For god’s sake, she wasn’t some kind of superhero in a movie.
It was hard to believe any of this. He said he was a mythical creature, and he’d shown her magic cupped in her own hands, but maybe that was all just some elaborate trick. Or worse, maybe he thought she was just a stupid little girl and was having some fun.
Archer waved a hand before her face. “River. Listen to me.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m listening.”
“Half-breeds aren’t very common. Faeries don’t usually mingle with mortals, and if they do, it’s fleeting.”
“Why?” The answer felt more important than any question she’d ever asked before. It was the reason her mother had left her father, hanging in the air before her. Just waiting for her to grasp it.
“No one wants to suffer through losing someone they love,” he replied, his voice soft and gentle. “Mortal lives are so very short compared to ours.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. “And mine? How long will mine be?”
Archer didn’t reply. Instead, he leaned forward once more and took her hands.
She let him.
He squeezed her fingers between his warm ones and said, “Let me show you something you’ve never experienced before, River. Let me take you to a place you’ll feel at home. I promise.”
How could she say no? Not when he was here, real and warm right in front of her. And he was promising her the world.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. We can do this but just... if something goes wrong-”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her cheek. The heat of his velvet kiss melted through her. “Do you think I’d let anything happen to you?”
No, she didn’t think he would let anything touch her. And it frightened her.
Archer released her hands and got out of the car. He came around the other side, opened her door, and held out his hand. Unlike the first time this had happened today, she took his hand without hesitation.
He drew her out of the car and into his arms. Encircling her waist with heat and strength, he asked, “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Good. Then no more hesitating.”
She couldn’t imagine why she couldn’t hesitate, but if that’s what he required, then she would leap when he said jump.
Archer released her from his arms and walked away. In the dark, she followed him blindly down a path until she hit his outstretched arm. Only then did she realize they were standing on the edge of a cliff.
The sea air blasted up toward her, bringing with it the scent of salt and brine. Her hair stirred around her face. She could hear the waves crashing below them, but the sound was so far away.
Vertigo made her woozy. Curling her toes in her shoes, she stared blindly straight ahead. “What are we doing here?”
“You said no hesitating. Right?”
“I guess, but...”
She didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence. Archer leapt from the cliff and down into the depths below. She heard the splash of him hitting the water, but it sounded like it took a while to get there.
He had just jumped off a cliff into the ocean. The man was mad.
She didn’t know where the rocks were. Nor did she have any idea how deep the water was. If she should tuck her legs in or dive. If it was too high, she couldn’t dive, or she’d break her neck.
This was dangerous. More dangerous than just the ocean but actually adrenaline rushing dangerous.
Of course, this was also her chance to leave. She didn’t have to leap into the unknown with a man she’d only met twice.
The wind whipped through her skirts. Waves hushed below her, whispering and calling out.
“River,” they seemed to say, every time a swell rose and crested. “River come to us.”
She’d heard the siren call her entire life. She’d avoided it like the plague but now... now was her chance to see what the ocean wanted.
All she had to do was be brave. To let go of all her fears and leap into the darkness beyond, confident the sea would never hurt her. Archer had said it didn’t want to harm, only to hold.
And if that was the truth, then she wouldn’t be making a silly decision. She would just be living, like she’d said she wanted to.
River wrapped her arms around her waist and stared down into the darkness. She could do this.
She took a step forward and leapt off the cliff.
10
Archer floated underneath the waves, scanning the foaming surface for the moment she broke through it. He’d taken a calculated risk in even trying to get her into the water.
There were a lot of ways to jump into the waves. He could have taken her to a beach and eased her into the saltwater. He could have dipped her toes into a tide pool as well, but that wasn’t River.
She wanted to feel as though she were on an adventure. She longed for the wildness of the sea, just as he had when he was a young boy. Archer understood that better than anyone else.
Meeting her father and seeing how she was with the humans, that helped paint a picture of her life. He could se
e why she was so nervous all the time. They stared at her, yes. But that wasn’t the reason why she didn’t like it. They had put chains around her neck in the form of a pretty dress and minced words about how lovely she was.
River wanted to be free. She yearned to be a wild creature who called men to their deaths on rocks and that warred with the human inside her.
Someday, she would have to choose a side. Her soul couldn’t take much more of the tugging and pulling.
One day, she would realize the untamed side of her was the one she needed to follow. That siren call wouldn’t hurt her. It would lead her down a path that gave her strength and virtues unnumbered.
At least, that was his opinion. When the time came, he intended to ensure she chose the faerie life over the human one.
A body sliced through the waves, plunging into the deep water and buffeted by the waves. Archer grinned, the expression feeling feral even for him.
His brave little half-breed. She had no idea how proud he was in this moment.
Releasing a bit of water magic, he allowed it to propel him toward her. He reached her side while gliding through the waves as though he weren’t even swimming at all.
Her eyes were wide and panicked. She pinwheeled her arms and kicked her legs, struggling against the ocean instead of swimming with it. He’d have to teach her to trust the welcoming arms of the sea.
She’d get the hang of it. He intended on bringing her back many, many times.
Archer reached out and caught her in his arms, tugging her against his chest. He could feel the waves caressing her body. They were so excited to see her. More than they were excited to see him, which was a rarity.
As the King of the Sea, he was the favorite child. Spoiled by the ocean and always allowed to do whatever he wished underneath the waves. Why was it so obsessed with this human girl? He couldn’t figure it out.
Half-breeds weren’t notoriously liked among the fae. They were feared almost, viewed as disgusting abominations and a show of faerie weakness.
He supposed the fae were purists at heart.
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