Page 58 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

He looked contemplative. “Right, sorry love. Old habits…”

I reeled back, surprised by his casual tone. This male had ordered someone to kill me in the forest, knocked me out and dragged me onto his ship, no doubt bound for my death, but he’d also saved my life from the sea monster, and talked as if we were…not friends, perhaps, but at least as if we knew each other.

My mind spun with questions, and I forgot for a moment what I was doing here in the first place, but Dullahan reminded me. “Are you willing to eat yet?”

I ground my teeth, and as if on cue my stomach rumbled loudly. “Yes.”

“Good.” He looked at me for the first time, his face impassive, as if he were staring through me. “I’ll have something appropriate for you to wear brought to the cabin.”

I frowned. In truth, my stomach was almost weeping with hunger, and I didn’t want to spend another second waiting, now that I’d given in. Dressing up for him was the last thing I wanted to do, especially if it prolonged my meal. “I don’t remember that being part of the agreement.”

Ambrose cast me a condescending look. “If you’d prefer to keep wearing my clothes, be my guest, but you should know you’re becoming quite the source of gossip among the crew.”

I snapped my mouth shut, my cheeks heating. I longed to point out that there would be nothing to gossip about if he’d just let me sleep in another room, but didn’t feel like wasting my breath on pointless arguments. “Fine. I’ll wear whatever you want, just bring it quickly.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

* * *

I’d barely crossedthe deck of the ship again, arriving in the cabin where I’d been sleeping, before there was a knock at the door. I rushed to open it, and came face to face with a young, chestnut-haired man. He was covered in freckles from the top of his forehead down to his hands, which shook slightly as he held out a tangled ball of burgundy silk.

“For me?” I asked, glancing down at the fabric.

The man nodded, and shoved the bundle at me. Holding it up, I realized it was a gown that looked at once too formal and too delicate to wear on a ship such as this.

“Wait!” I called, as the man had already turned to leave. “Do you have anything else? Trousers perhaps?”

The man looked over his shoulder at me, and finally spoke in a clipped, rasping tone. “This is what the captain sent, miss.”

I took that to mean that even if he could’ve found other clothing, he wouldn’t. I groaned. “You can tell your captain that he is only confirming my opinion of him.”

The man paused. “Which is what, miss?”

“That he’s a controlling fucking bastard.”

“Yes, miss.”

Slamming the door, I made my way across the room and laid the dress out across the bed. Something heavy fell from between the folds of fabric, and I jumped in shock, as whatever it was landed beside my foot and rolled across the floor and under the desk.

My heartbeat increasing inexplicably, I got down on my hands and knees and poked my head under the heavy wooden desk. I blinked in surprise, and stretched my hand out to reach the black, glittering object. Pulling it out, I straightened and held my breath as I stared down at the dangerous looking obsidian crown.What the fuck?

The crown sparkled without anything to reflect off of, and I glimpsed my own distorted reflection in its smooth, black face. It seemed to pulse with a strange sort of energy, like it was alive and not a chunk of carved stone.

I shivered, and tossed the crown unceremoniously on the bed. I didn’t care about the crown in the same way Bael and Scion did, but I didn’t want to wear it either. Something about it sent cold shivers up my spine, and turned my stomach.

Ignoring the crown, I instead looked down at the dress it had come wrapped in. The gown reminded me simultaneously of all the intricately decorated clothing Scion bought me in Inbetwixt, and of the iron and purple gown Iola had made for me back at the palace on the occasion that I’d attended the ball with the prince’s raven.

At that thought, I looked over at the window, half expecting Quill to be hovering outside, as if summoned by my thoughts. Nothing but the sky and the ocean stretched before me and I sighed heavily.

I’d done my best not to think of Bael or Scion in the last days, and for the most part, I managed.

That was one reason I despised Ambrose Dullahan’s similarities to his brother and cousin. They too, liked to drag me around, and seemed to enjoy buying me clothing I never would have otherwise worn. I hadn’t lied when I said Dullahan reminded me of his family, but they had better qualities which outweighed the rest.

Ambrose Dullahan might have some of the same mannerisms and proclivities, but only those which I disliked. Everything he’d done was closer to the cruel, smirking princes who had once tormented me. He was nothing like the males I’d left in the inn, who looked at me as if they couldn’t turn away, and who’d saved my life more times than I could count.

I hated to allow myself to think of them, as it left a gaping wound where my chest should be. A large part of me felt guilty for leaving, and another part hoped they’d soon arrive to rescue me.

It was a selfish thought, and one I refused to voice, less I somehow wish it into existence.

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