Page 21 of The Dark, Dead, Deep

The voices in the next room stopped speaking, and I froze like an animal in the sights of a predator.

“We need to talk about the undine ceasefire,” a male voice drawled.

The curtains were drawn, and I couldn’t see outside, but I was close enough to the sound of the lake rushing the shore to know that I could race to the water if I wanted to.

That notion comforted me as I approached the door and listened to the conversation on the other side.

“The undine have called a ceasefire for the migration every year, and we have allowed it every year,”another voice replied. “I feared we wouldn’t get another chance to meet, but it seems the gods have other plans.”

“And the girl?” yet another voice piped in.

“An unfortunate casualty of the war, I suspect,” yhe first voice drawled.“She was descended on by undine males wearing the armor of the palace guards.”

“You don’t think she’s undine?” someone asked.

“You know, just like I do, that the water fae are near impossible to identify in their land-form,” the first voice snapped.

“She’s not one of ours,” someone said.

“Nor ours,” another agreed.

My hand cupped my throat. The males on the other side of the door were definitely not allies of my uncle, but they also did not seem to be fans of the undine either.

Their conversation drew to a lull, and footsteps approached the door a moment later.

On unfamiliar feet, I staggered forward with my arms outstretched as I made my way to the bed and dove under the covers. Closing my eyes tight to feign sleep.

The door creaked open, and it seemed like the longest time before whoever had chosen to check in on me closed the door again. I exhaled a sigh of relief, ignoring the strange feeling of air rushing past my lips instead of my throat.

When I waited enough time to ensure my visitor had left, I sat up.

My breath stilled in my chest as I met the gaze of a fae male leaning against the wall beside the door. His leg was hitched against the wall as if he didn’t have a care in the world, though his arms were crossed over his chest. His hair was as black as night, with his eyes the same shade. His skin was made of honey, and though he wore a leather tunic with no sleeves, his skin was covered in whorls and patterns that looked as if they had been branded onto his flesh.

Kelpie.

There was no humor in the male’s gaze, only an endless night that was impossible to read. His lips did not twitch in greeting, and his eyes did not crinkle or round as he studied me blankly.

He was going to kill me. I was sure of it.

My uncle had taken one of his kin. He fitted her with a bridle, displaying his prisoner in the palace stables—and that was just one of the many crimes the undine had committed against their creed.

He studied me with a cool detachment, and his eyes appeared to swallow all light as they traveled over my body before returning to my face.

I wasn’t a particularly beautiful fae. Many in the court coveted the title of the fairest, but I had been told I was striking. My hair was the color of the pearls that dotted my nose and cheeks, and I had scales to match.

Though his survey continued, I knew it had nothing to do with my appearance.

Kelpies were fae that fed on emotions, and it was very likely that this male was reading mine.

I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to smother the feeling of vulnerability and fear. I wasn’t sure how successful I was.

I blinked slowly as I tried to match the kelpie’s emotionless stare, but I wasn’t sure how successful I was.

“Who are you?” I said after a moment, wincing when I realized how haughty I sounded.

The kelpie lifted a shoulder and let it drop, not looking away from my face for even a moment.

I tried a different tact. “Where are we?” I cleared my throat. My voice sounded strange above the surface.

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