Page 109 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

That is, until I find myself suddenly drenched in water.

I immediately clench my eyes shut, jerking away from her so fast we both nearly fall on our asses. One of our hands begins desperately wiping at my face and neck while the other rips one of Rayne’s daggers from its sheath. Before I’m able to truly panic, however, the water begins to lift away from my skin on its own.

Squinting one eye open, I see Mariane with a hand held out toward me, her own eyes faintly glowing blue as she glares daggers at Stephan. There’s also a small vortex of water swirling between us.

Realizing her friend must’ve thrown a bucket of water on us as a way to get us to stop kissing, I force my muscles to relax and mutter, “Apologies for my reaction. I’m not a fan of water.”

Tucking the now empty bucket behind his back, Stephan offers me a sheepish grin. “Sorry ‘bout that, Your Highness.”

“On that note…” The water that had been swirling in midair splashes to the deck as Mariane lowers her hand. “Now that the initial excitement of Betty’s arrival is over, I’m going back to sleep.” She turns to me, the glow in her eyes slowly fading. “Care to join me, My Love?”

I let out an exaggerated yawn. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

As we begin walking toward the hatch that leads back to the sleeping quarters below deck, Kali calls out, “If you’re going to fuck, make sure to lock the hatch behind you! There are innocent eyes on board that don’t need to see that shit!”

Not bothering to turn around, Mariane and I merely laugh, waving a hand over our shoulders in a gesture of goodbye.

We also don’t bother locking the hatch, truly intending to sleep for as long as we’re able while we have the opportunity to do so safely. After kicking off our boots and depositing our weapons back onto the floor next to the bed, Mariane and I slip back beneath the soft blankets, holding each other close as the gentle swaying of the ship lulls us back to sleep.

Chapter Forty-Six

Mariane

True to my word, Vannaria and I have slept through the majority of the last two days. And True to Bolabar’s word, that’s how long it took us to sail to Cyrel with Betty’s help. And that’s even with all the times we’d slowed long enough for Trick to shovel cratefuls of fish into her mouth. Her terrifyingly massive, razor-sharp tooth filled mouth. Every time she opened her jaws, I found myself eternally grateful that she’s on our side.

Apparently Trick was hiding even more surprises, because after we’d awoken from our nap that first day, we were informed the ship also had an enchantment that prevented it from being visible. Which meant that not only could no one board the ship, but they wouldn’t even know there was a ship to board.

At the time I’d joked about simply staying on board forever, until I was also informed that the enchantment had to be renewed daily, and it was incredibly draining for Bolabar to do so while still maintaining his other barrier as well. Considering I can make out the numerous ships surrounding the nearby port without the need of a spyglass, now would be a really bad time for either barrier to fail.

Familiar arms wrap around my waist, pulling me from my thoughts as Vannaria steps up behind me. “Are you ready for this, Mariane?”

I nod, leaning my back against her leather-clad chest. “I am. Are you?”

“Of course.” She places a feather-light kiss on the side of my neck. “The sooner we eliminate your father, the sooner we can sail to Skyden Ridge.” She kisses me again, this one lingering a moment. “And then the real fun will begin.”

Biting back a moan, I shift my gaze from the docks to the large estate towering over the rest of the city. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I intend to have fun here as well.”

“Ship approaching port!” Nox, the male goblin twin, yells, peeking his head up over the edge of the crow’s nest. “Looks like one o’ the king’s personal vessels!”

At the warning, Trick pulls out his spyglass while he and his partners all rush up the stairs leading to the quarterdeck. After sharing a brief glance, Vannaria and I follow. As well as Stephan and Kali, who’d been sitting on nearby crates enjoying their brief respite from having to watch the children.

Just as we reach the trio of pirates, the captain sneers, “That slimy prick. Must’ve convinced his daddy to–”

Vannaria snatches the spyglass out of his hands and raises it to her own eye. I vaguely register that Trick is grumbling something about her being rude, but all of my attention is now on my lover. And the murderous expression on her beautiful face as she snarls, “Well, now I know why the old woman was so insistent we sailed here.” Lowering the spyglass, the elf turns to me, fire dancing in her violet eyes. “Prince Garin is on the docks, likely waiting to board that ship.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, cursing the way my voice and lips have both started trembling. “Do you recognize him?”

She hesitates a moment, then holds out the spyglass. “Would you like to verify for yourself? You’d know better than any of us.”

Swallowing down my rising anxiety, I wrap my fingers around the smooth metal device in her hand and slowly pull it from her grasp. Exhaling a shaky breath, I force myself to lift it to my own eye. A spike of sheer terror jolts down my spine as soon as I manage to make out the same thing both her and the captain had seen. Same short dirty blonde hair. Same poor attempt at a goatee. Same smug smirk twisting his lips.

There on the docks, flanked by at least twenty armed guards, is indeed the man from my nightmares. Prince Garin.

I stumble back a step, my heart hammering in my chest so violently I feel as though it may burst free at any moment. I’m barely able to hear the spyglass clattering to the deck over the sound of blood pounding in my ears.

He wasn’t supposed to still be here. He was supposed to be back in Skyden Ridge. I was supposed to have more time before…

“Mariane!” Vannaria calls out, the concern evident in her tone as she grasps my shoulders. “Are you alright? You’re safe, I promise.”