by A. K. Koonce
The smooth brick sidewalk is cold against my thighs. My hair hangs in clumps of icy strands around my numb face.
“What—what are we doing here?” The air burns my throat as my shaking breaths heave into my lungs.
“Calling on your witch.”
“What?”
“I met a witch once. Just one. She told me to never come back here unless I had something of value to say to her.”
“Sounds kind of dangerous to call on her again, Ledian.”
He shrugs his shoulders as he kneels at the side of the glittering ocean.
“We better hope you have something of value to say, huh?”
His features reflect against the clear water, stern brows lowered in concentration. His fingers shake as he runs them along the surface. Rippling waves arch around his fingers as he traces shapes into the sea.
With a jerking motion he lurches forward, his hand disappearing for moment, his face just inches away from the water.
Glistening crimson hair rises from the ocean, beautiful blue eyes gleam into Ledian’s wide gaze. The sharp angles of her face are emphasized from the shadows and the light reflecting off the water. She looks both beautiful and deadly all at once.
“You again?” the gorgeous woman purrs. One hand holds his palm in hers, while her other hand rises from the sea, her fingertips skimming against his jaw. “I do miss your handsome face, boy.”
She calls him boy the way an elder would but she can’t be a day older than eighteen. Her smooth features curve with sharp lines. The arch of her upper lips demands attention as she smiles prettily. She isn’t at all the menacing witch I thought she might be.
“Oh, and you brought a friend.” She glides through the water, forgetting Ledian entirely. She folds her arms against the land, leaning up to study me. Bright eyes take in my every detail. A mischievousness clings to her, a sense of wonder and yet overbearing intelligence gleams within her features.
A delicate wafting movement wrinkles the smooth water. Her tail skims along the surface like a hint of enchantment kissing reality. Everything in my logical mind tells me she shouldn’t exist. I should be terrified.
All I manage to do is shiver, the cold biting into my body, seeping into my core.
“Where I’m from, on the other side of the surface, there is a legend of a cursed princess.” Her voice is all whispers and even tones.
I hold her gaze, my eyes boring into her. Interest sparks within me.
“So?”
“So … you look like her. Beautiful and tragic, bold but uncertain.”
“What happens to this princess?” My heart thunders against my ribs, fear trickles through my veins but my features remain impassive.
Her hair catches the wind like fire burning through the midnight sky as she shakes her head at me with a mischievous smile.
The sea witch’s porcelain skin dips low, disappearing into the water at her waist. The tangles of her red hair covers her breasts. The moon reflects into her sea-like eyes, the ocean glitters against her gaze.
“My name’s Marisabel.” The corners of her lips tip up. She doesn’t ask for my name and for a moment we just stare at one another.
“What is this?”
My fingers shake against the smooth worn stone. Deep lines etch the surface of the rock but the writing has been washed away, eroded by years of salt water and wind and life in general. It’s astounding the thing is still in one piece.
“It’s my grave.”
My attention darts to her serious face.
“My mother had four children. When I went missing, they searched for a few days but they knew how much I loved the sea. They knew the sea took my life, they just thought it was death, not … this.” Her brows shade her eyes as she looks down at her body, her beautiful tale sweeping through the clear ocean water. “She couldn’t keep looking for me. She had too many responsibilities. My—” She pauses, uncertainty filling her pretty face. “My lover had this built in my honor. The only thing left to remember me by.”
She’s so young. Younger than any of the Ryken’s. I can’t imagine her life being ripped from her. Her family torn away.
“I’m so sorry, Marisabel.”
The syllables of her name fall from my tongue. It reminds me a little of the term miserable and I wonder if she is. She appears happy. Intrigued. Full of life.
My heart sinks, slipping into my stomach as I realize everyone she knows is dead. They’ve all lived and died and she’s still here.
Just like Cohen, Cason, and Cormac.
“You still have time, you know.” Her deep gaze finds mine again. “Don’t marry someone who doesn't love you. Your history isn’t carved in stone yet, Princess. Don’t let them bury you before you’re dead like they did me.”
My lips part, a tingling feeling scurrying down my spine that has absolutely nothing to do with the cold.
“How did you know about that?”
Ledian stands, taking a protective step closer to me.
“The sea knows all things, Princess Wrenley. Their time is running out.”
My heart quivers in my chest, terror following her words.
“You know what you must do.”
I shake my head at her. I have no idea what I must do.
A sneering smile pulls across her lips as her head dips below the surface. An elegant, glittering tail whips through the air as she dives deep into the ocean.
The water stills without her presence. Smooth waves and confusion is all that she’s left me with.
Free them …
Her whisper races through the wind, chilling my bones with her words.
My own face reflects in the cold water. My own face is shown within the cursed sea.
Chapter Seven
A Princess and a Thief
Wren
The door creaks open as Ledian steps into the dark room grabbing a match. He lights a small candle then steps around the room lighting others of varying sizes, shapes, and colors until the room is flooded with a golden hue.
I stand in the doorway soaking in the bare room. Only a small mattress on the floor and a few bags of what looks to be food and clothing occupy the space.
Ledian gestures to the room, “Welcome to my humble abode.”
“This is where you live?” Shock vibrates through me at the poverty he lives in.
His lips part in an uneven, yet perfect smile. “Yeah, used to be a storage unit for the hotel but I talked them into letting me rent it and I take care of any… unruly guests.”
Picking up my skirt, I usher myself into the room. My hands come up at their own accord and rest on his chest as I meet him where he stands.
“Ledian, let me help you.”
With a heavy sigh, he reaches up and grabs my hands, his fingers rough and calloused. His beautiful green eyes close as he shakes his head.
“Wren. No. I’m not a charity case. I’ve taken care of myself up until now, I’ll be fine!”
Each beat of my heart, a dull ache pulses and forms into an uncomfortable knot in my stomach. How? How did he survive all this time by himself?
“I could get you a real bed … Some new clothes, shoes … you really need new boots. Oh, a dresser maybe. A warm meal, of course. Perhaps I could even get away with enough that you wouldn’t have to steal to eat.—“
“Wren!” His voice is strained, red seeping into his cheeks, “You aren’t listening to me. This … this is nothing. This fight for your life, steal to live, scrounge to eat. This is me.”
“I just want to help you,” I whisper. Pulling away, I drop my hands and step around him to look further into the room. Maybe, maybe he is right. Maybe it’s not so bad.
The cringe that fills my features can’t be stopped. Dirt dusts his floors and the noise of scurrying feet from the rodents that share the room is all I can focus on. I nod at the worn floorboards.
“Not everyone needs your help. I don’t need to be saved.”
Ledian’s grasp meets my waist, his stro
ng confident movements spin me around to face him. His fingers lift up my chin leaving a streak of dirt behind.
I hate how handsome he is. I hate how easy it is for him to get under my skin. I hate how much I think about him when he isn’t around.
“Why are you so stubborn?” The annoyance I feel begins to creep into my voice. “If you could stop acting like an arrogant basta—“
His rough lips meet mine with a force that’s hungry and needy. Gasping in surprise, my lips part and his tongue rolls against mine.
Warm hands roam and settle back along my waist. The taste of his lips stirs a warmth that begins to settle between my legs. Slowly I pull away and shrug off my heavy cloak, letting the dark fabric flutter to the dirt on the floor. My palms get clammy, nerves building knowing where this is heading. Knowing where I want this to head.
He studies me for a moment, his gaze serious for once. Slowly he reaches up and pulls away the clip holding my hair.
As pieces of dark waves fall over my shoulders, Ledian pushes himself against me. The hard planes of his body skim my soft curves. He takes a few hurried steps, pushing me against the thin wall.
Tugging against the laces, he undoes the corset of my dress. His quick movements remove the thing in record time. Eagerly he follows suit with my underclothes as if he’s unwrapping the gift he’s been waiting for since the day he laid eyes on me in that grimy bar. My layers of clothing now laying at my feet, while he’s completely clothed.
With a fake confidence, I kick off my boots. My eyes hold the glint of the dagger on the floor at our feet. My heart skips a beat at the sight of it but Ledian’s gaze doesn’t stray from my body.
My hands skim under his shirt, meeting his smooth skin, pushing at the fabric until he pulls it off. Energy soars through me from the feel of his skin against mine. My fingertips roam, tracing each hard, defined muscle. Thin scar lines meet my touch; smooth imperfections against a perfect body.
Exposed to him, adrenaline pumps through me with every frantic heartbeat.
His hard body meets my soft curves. His warmth seeping into me. His tongue dances along with mine. I savor his taste. Savor his breath on mine.
The fullness of his lips work down my neck and I gasp as his hot breath hits my cold skin. His rough hands cup my breast, gently tugging on my nipples.
Moaning into him, heat pools between my legs. I let my hands wander until my grasp finds his length.
A groan escapes his lips and he quickly shimmies out of his pants, his legs kicking them behind him. The smoothness of his length presses against my stomach, swirling an energy through my core from the feel of it.
My hands settle back onto his lean hips, praying he’ll take the lead.
I’ve held power all my life. In this moment I’m controlling Ledian’s wants with just a flick of my tongue against his.
A sharp breath parts his lips and he stares at me. Into me. His eyes searching mine for something I don’t understand. He smiles, the sweet look filling his features. His hands skim down my stomach, across my hips and settle firmly under my thighs. I gasp as he picks me up, his hips meeting mine perfectly. Ledian makes his way the few steps to his small bed. Gently he sets me down among his worn sheets.
He licks his lips.
“God, I never thought I’d say this.”
“What?” My breath is coming in heaps.
“This all kind of got away from me. We … don’t have to do anything, Wren.” He holds my gaze, gaging my reaction.
Pushing off from the mattress, I lean up until my fingers grip the back of his neck. My lips seal against his and he smiles against my mouth as his tongue meets mine.
His weight settles between my legs. A coiling feeling tightens within me at the feel of him poised against me.
He wastes no time pushing into me. Biting my lip I contain my discomfort as I lose my last piece of innocence. The warmth of his palm tightens on my thigh as he slides into me once more. Our hips begin to roll together, a glorious grinding that leaves me gasping.
He wraps me in his arms. His solid muscles frame my delicate shoulders. In this moment, I am what he needs, all he needs.
Pulling my hair into his fist he tugs, until my head is tilted enough that my neck’s exposed. Ledian runs his tongue along my jaw, kissing down to my collarbone. The rough way he slams into me mixed with the sweet way his tongue flicks across my skin, makes the feeling within me combust.
A tremor shakes through me.
Ledian’s rough. Ungentle and unapologizing. Our frustrating banter has led us here. He groans above me and I seal my lips perfectly against his, my tongue rolling against his as he stills.
It’s then that I realize I knew this was coming. I just didn’t realize I wanted it so bad.
Chapter Eight
A Friend
Cohen
Cason’s voice. His deep magical voice is perhaps the only gift from the sea that seems to actually assist us. Without it, we would have had to rely on Cormac’s charm. What a joke that would be.
The three of us gather in the small room Cason got us. It’s the fifth one we’ve stayed in since leaving the castle. Cason didn’t have the heart to get us a suite knowing we weren’t going to pay for it. I guess he was right for that. Now he sits on the edge of a small cot, worry in his eyes. His frame too large for the bed, too large for the room it seems. I feel crammed into the small space with the two of them. We haven’t seen Wren in so long. We’re right back to square one.
Cormac’s body is extended, his feet up on the table leaning himself back in an old wooden chair that looks as if it’ll break in two under his weight. He is humming a song I’m not familiar with but it still manages to get on my nerves.
He’s too calm. I hate it. His calmness is making me crazy.
“So where is Wren?” Cason speaks up, his hair loose around his shoulders.
This conversation is one we have almost nightly. We’re stuck in this rut, searching for her. It’s like we’re cursed all over again.
“That fucknut probably has her locked away in his personal torture chambers.” Cormac grimaces.
“We are lucky. Lucky the king didn’t have us made into a kabob on one of the guard’s swords the second Nash flipped his lid.” I stop my pacing to look over at my brothers. Cormac's face still holds harsh hues of blue. His lip’s split down the center.
“Okay, you’re the one who threw the punch,” Cormac says to me in an accusing voice.
“Yeah, Cormac? Just be happy you haven’t been on the receiving end of my fist recently.” This bickering makes it hard for me to think. “I'm leaving.”
With alert eyes, Cason looks up at me, scanning my face before slowly nodding.
“So where are you going?” Cormac is almost sneering.
“Fuck off, Cormac.”
Swiftly I turn. I pick up the jacket and the clothes, also thanks to Cason. It’s not hard to leave my brothers in this dank room when I’m so full of aggression. I just need a break.
No one looks my way as I leisurely exit the building; just another man on the street.
Kicking at a few small stones along the old cobbled roads, I attempt to clear my mind. The rock of the road still remains, the original path laid by their ancestors, people who have lived and died ...
I’m walking right in the heart of the city. Small cottage like shops have their doors open inviting the townspeople to venture in. Lining the road, business signs hang, swinging in the cool breeze from the ocean. The familiar smell of salt tinges the air, clinging to my skin.
With my hands in my pockets, I can’t help but examine each person passing by. People roam the roads, much as I do. Most probably having plans to shop or stock their homes with food.
My whole body stills, while a restlessness begins to beat within my chest the moment I see her. Her lips pull tight, thinning with worry. She is a portrait of beauty, somehow mistakenly hung within the streets of the poor; Wrenley.
I was used to how she was always radiant,
full of life. Now she looks almost sad. No smile flickers across her gorgeous face. Her hands tightening and releasing in the fabric of her gown, as if fighting an imaginary battle.
While she walks, her expression is unflinching but her head is still held high. As people meander by her she nods and smiles out of habit before ducking her head down to hide. The mischief that normally danced in her eyes lays dormant.
She’s trapped. Trapped like I was in the sea except she’s trapped in her normal, lonely royal life.
Each step I take is thought out and careful. Just an ordinary man running into an old friend on the street. The road’s clear of any carriages as I shove my eagerness down within me, leisurely strolling to the Princess's side.
My nerves tingle through my body as I casually bump my shoulder into hers.
She smiles up at me, not taking the time to recognize me. Wren drops her eyes to her feet, then back up in a jerking movement until those beautiful eyes light up as they settle on mine.
“Cohen?” she whispers, a grin teasing her lips.
I take no time as I whisk her into my arms, hugging her against me. The warmth of her small frame as she curls around me spreads pleasantly over my skin.
“Wren.” Is all I can manage as my voice is swallowed within her soft hair. With hesitance, she pulls away from me, her hand still lingering along my arm. A humming feeling sifts through me from her simple touch. Wren looks around me, my brothers nowhere in her sight.
“I … I didn’t know what happened to you. To Cason and Cormac. Everyone’s alright, right?” The weight of her body shifts from heel to heel, an uneasy movement.
“We’re fine. Don’t worry about us.” I bite at my lips that seem to tingle with the memory of hers. “You? You’re good? Safe? Where are you staying? Why are you out alone?”
Her head tilts at me, her bright eyes scanning over every inch of my body.
“Walk with me. I‘ll show you.”
