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I lean down and whisper, “One of the Cwn Annwn is here, hunting for a thief.” She starts to sit up, but I press her back down. “Here, Jules. In this building. Downstairs.”
She narrows her eyes. It’s a clear order to remove my hand, but I only do so reluctantly. Juliette sits up slowly. “You’re serious.”
“Yes.” At least she’s matching my tone, keeping her voice soft. “He’s not an old geezer. He’s a big guy, and he moves like he murders for a living. I’m not entirely sure I can take him.” I could if he’s human and doesn’t have magic—most human bodies are comprised of enough water that I can use my powers to slow them. But I can’t guarantee either of those things.
Juliette eyes the door in a truly worrisome way, but she sighs and looks at me before I can do something like grab her arm. “I don’t suppose I can just give it back?”
“I think that ship has sailed.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
At this point, I don’t even know if leaving Atlantis and going back to our realm would solve things. All I know of the Cwn Annwn is rumors and myths and a few drunken sailors’ ghost tales. How much is real? I can’t bargain Juliette’s safety on hoping the stories were at all fictional.
Even going back to the ship isn’t a good solution. The Kelpie may be faster than any ship in our realm, but when you open up that category into all realms that ever existed… Who knows what kind of magic this hunter has? Not to mention we still don’t have a spell to ensure our safe exit from Atlantis.
No. We’ll have to take this in steps.
“First, we need to get out of here without him seeing us.”
I expect Juliette to argue with me, but for once she doesn’t. She nods, her skin taking on a waxy tone. When she speaks, there’s a tremor in her voice. “The hunter in my father’s court really wanted to impress some of the courtiers. I wasn’t supposed to overhear, but he went into great detail about what they did to someone who was trespassing between realms and refused to join his crew.” She swallows visibly. “I don’t think I’m up for deadly torture.”
“No one is going to torture you.” I take her hand and squeeze. “I will kill them all myself before I let them touch you.”
She gives a wobbly smile. “Always sailing to my rescue, huh?”
Now probably isn’t the time to say it, but with danger knocking at our door, I refuse to let anything else go unsaid between us. I lift her hand to my mouth and press a kiss to her knuckles. “I will always save you, Jules. I will always come for you, And I will always keep you safe. I know I’ve done a shitty job of proving that in the past couple of days, but it’s the truth.”
“Maura, nothing has really changed about our circumstances. “
Nothing has changed…except everything has changed. “I’ll explain everything once I get us both to safety. But I’m going to need you to trust me in the meantime and do as I say. Can you do that?”
Juliette looks like she wants to argue but seems to catch herself before any words leave her lips. Finally, she nods. “This only applies to us escaping certain death and torture right now, today. Don’t expect unquestioning obedience from me as a general rule.”
Despite everything, I chuckle. “Arguing with you is one of my favorite hobbies, Jules. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.” I tug her gently to her feet. “Now get dressed, and do it quickly.”
For once, she obeys. She’s just gotten her dress pulled over her head when someone knocks on the door. Juliette yanks her clothing into place and gives me a scared look. I motion for her to move to the corner, out of sight. Once she’s in place, I crack open the door.
Nadia stands a few feet back, a tray with a metal-covered plate perched on one generous hip. She arches a brow at me. “Expecting someone else?”
She knows. Which means Eloise knows as well. I suspected as much, but getting confirmation leaves me cold. We are on a tiny island where we don’t know the rules and have no safe way to leave. An island opposed to the very definition of what Cwn Annwn are. Atlantis would be smart to serve us up on a platter to them.
It’s what I would do in their place.
14
JULIETTE
It’s only when Maura looks over at me, her green eyes a little too wide, that I realize she’s scared. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Maura afraid before.
She takes a deep breath and shuts it all down. It’s honestly impressive and a little scary. One moment she’s obviously fighting to figure out what to do, and the next she appears cool and calm.
