Page 68 of Hateful Prince

“Dahlia’s missing. C’mon. No time to sit around on your arse.”

“She was with me all afternoon and into the evening.”

I stopped in my tracks and rounded on him. “And you lost her?”

“She must’ve gone while I was sleeping.”

“If she gets hurt because of your negligence?—”

Kai placed a hand on my shoulder. “It could’ve happened to any of us. She has her own mind, and you know that. Now we have to find her and make sure she’s all right.”

A furious growl was my only response.

Asshole’s insistent bark drew my attention back to him. He’d come to a stop a few yards away from the edge of the lake.

“There she is,” Cain said, pointing to our woman as she stood at the shore.

“What’s she doing?” Kai asked.

As we watched, Dahlia fell to her knees, hands pressed into the loamy earth, head bowed, blonde hair luminous in the moonlight.

“What the devil is in the water?” Hook asked, voice low and filled with tension.

I spared him half a glance, only to find him pointing at the horizon. Mist floated along the top of the lake’s surface, but just there in the direction Hook indicated, it was shifting. Almost like it was parting to allow something or someone passage.

And it was headed right for my Kærasta.

“Dahlia!”

Chapter

Twenty-Two

DAHLIA

Twenty minutes earlier

“You could be snuggled up with a sexy pirate right now, maybe having round three of epic sex. But nooooo, you had to be an overachiever and do your assignment,” I scolded myself as I approached the cold, dark lake, the heavy mist hanging over the still water adding to the eerie visage. “Next time Masterson gives you homework, you wait until the sun is up or you have adult supervision. You are a bad adult, Dahlia. The worst adulter who ever adulted. Wait, I think that means something else.”

I stared at the gravestone the mermaids had placed at the lake’s edge, taking in the beautiful statue of Nautica that had been carved into the marble. As was fitting, she was tits out for the lake. Nautica and the rest of them were always tits out. Maybe it was a mermaid thing. They spared no detail in honoring her, ensuring down to the starfish and pearl headdress that it was a perfect replica of the fallen lady fish.

“I’d pour one out for you, but alas, we were not homies. You will have to settle for a bit of spirit summoning and some light interrogation.”

Fuck, how did I even do this? In theory, it should be easy for me. Close your eyes, visualize the spirit you need to talk to, and summon a bitch. But there were so many spirits here, and the buzzing of their energy, especially at night, was distracting. Was there a special incantation? A code word? Did I need a password to gain access to her, like in a speakeasy?

I was spiraling, I knew I was. This sort of unknown shit always set me off. I’d survived for years because I controlled every aspect of my life. It made me feel safe. This was pure chaos. Nothing was in my control anymore. Even when it was supposed to be. Case in point, the ghost in the doll currently imprisoned in my hope chest.

“Pull yourself to-fucking-gether, Dahlia.” I shook out my shoulders and kicked off my shoes, letting my toes sink into the chilly soil. Scotland in December was not what one would call balmy. I was taking my toes’ lives into my hands here, risking frostbite and possible amputation for this stupid assignment. Best to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Closing my eyes, I let the bone-deep cold radiate through me, and I pictured Nautica. Perfect. Beautiful. Horny for my man. The words came to me on instinct. I didn’t know if they were right, but it felt like they were.

“Nautica, I call you back from your eternal slumber. Come to me and answer my questions.”

I stayed there with my eyes closed for one heartbeat. Two. Three. When not even a ripple of water greeted my summons, I risked opening one eye, casting it from side to side. But nope. Nothing.

My shoulders slumped. Well, shit. I really thought I was onto something.

“Next time, Lizzie, you better write this shit down for me. I want a numbered list. Step one: locate spirit. Step two: incantation. Step three: put it back where it belongs. Side note: that does not include children’s toys.”

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