Page 59 of Blade of the Nightking

Water.

Gods. Water.

Beyond the bay where the castle perched atop sheer cliffs, it stretched farther than I could comprehend, deep blue water rolling beneath the morning light in long, endless swells. Sunlight caught along their crests like shattered silver, the lingering colors of dawn painting their peaks in soft streaks of rose and gold. Far in the distance, sea and sky dissolved into one another in a pale haze, the endless expanse uninterrupted.

Nothing had prepared me for this—for the way it made me feel suddenly, impossibly small.

I fumbled with the latch and shoved the window wide.

Wind rushed into the room at once. Cold and salt-heavy, it struck my skin hard enough to steal my breath, whipping loose strands of hair across my face and slipping beneath the thin fabric of my nightdress. Goosebumps rose instantly along my arms as the chill curled around me, fresh in a way that felt wholly foreign after the staleness of Dheren. I could taste the brine on my tongue, could feel the sting of the sea air needling my skin.

I leaned into it, welcoming the bite of the wind, filling my eyes and ears with the openness of the world before me.

Far out in the distance, something suddenly erupted from the water. A towering plume of white mist burst skyward.

I jumped, heart thundering. “What in the gods⁠—?”

“Whales.”

Aedric’s voice came groggily from somewhere behind me. I turned to find him sitting up against the headboard, hair tousled from sleep. His gaze moved slowly over me—the bare length of my legs beneath the hem of my nightdress, the loose fall of my hair tangled by the wind, the goosebumps pebbling my skin. Something hungry gleamed briefly in his expression before the corner of his mouth tipped upward.

“Whales,” I breathed, and turned back to the window.

Sure enough, shadows slipped between the swells, difficult to distinguish from the shifting patterns of light across the water. One surfaced properly, dark and immense against the sea before vanishing again beneath the waves.

“They’re enormous!”

“Yes,” Aedric drawled. “That is generally considered one of their defining characteristics.”

I turned just long enough to stick my tongue out at him before facing the view again.

“I take it you’ve never seen an ocean before?”

“No. Never.” I bent farther over the open window, trying to steal a better look. “What a view.”

“Indeed.” Something in his tone told me he wasn’t admiring the sea beyond the window.

I flapped a hand at him. “What’s it called?”

“The Virellan Sea,” he murmured. I heard the rustle of sheets as he climbed from the bed. “This is Half Moon Bay.”

True to its name, the coastline curved in a vast crescent, sweeping away in either direction. We were perched atop white cliffs that plunged sharply into the restless depths below. In the distance, at the mouth of the bay, jagged reefs lurked beneath the surface like the spine of some great beast sleeping beneath the waves.

“The bay itself is very dangerous.” His hands settled on either side of my hips as he stepped behind me, his mouth brushing the curve of my neck in featherlight kisses. A shiver chased down my spine for reasons that had nothing to do with the wind. “The reefs are difficult to navigate. Treacherous to anyone unfamiliar with these waters. During the Firstborn Wars, Noctharis was nearly impregnable because of them.”

His lips skimmed higher, warm against my skin.

“Ships would wreck before they ever reached the cliffs,” he continued softly. “And those unlucky enough to survive often found themselves stranded on the reefs—only to be dragged back out by the currents when the tide turned.”

“That’s… terrible.” It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on his words.

His teeth grazed the sensitive skin beneath my ear in answer, and my breath hitched as I tipped my head back.

“You look so beautiful in the morning,” he rumbled.

He turned me to face him and, gentle but unyielding, guided me down onto the cushioned ledge of the window, soft pillows sinking beneath my back. Bracing his hands on either side of me, he bent over and took my mouth, the kiss deep enough to send heat gathering low in my belly.

I melted against him, and when his tongue brushed my lips, I opened for him without thought. The touch of him sent my mind scattering. I fumbled clumsily with the knot at the waist of his loose pants, but before I could do much, he pulled away. A protest rose to my lips—only to die there as he sank to his knees before me.