Page 72 of The Last Heir of Elsewhere

I felt my cheeks redden. It wasn’t really my fault, of course, but he had seemed…engrossed in our conversation.

“What is that thing?” I demanded before he could run away again.

“It’s a Charybdis,” he said as if it were obvious. “Every time one of the tentacles is severed it will grow two more in its place.”

I gaped at him in horror. “Then how do you kill it?”

“Cut all of them off at once before any others can grow,” he replied.

“Oh, is that all?”

Without any warning, Ambrose barreled forward and collided into me. My breath was knocked out of my lungs, and we tumbled onto the hard surface of the deck. I let out a gasp and saw stars explode in my vision from the impact. And then I felt his weight come crashing down on top of me.

I lay flat on my back, disoriented, while Ambrose leaned over me. Our chests rose and fell in unison as we caught our breath, and I gazed into his intense, black eyes. In an instant, my entire world was consumed by his magnetic presence. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, his sheer attractiveness captivating me and igniting an unexpected surge of desire within me.

I must have hit my head too hard.

“Get off me,” I demanded, pushing at his chest.

He shifted back and, disgusted with myself, I looked past his head instead, and noticed two more tentacles above us. They were smaller than the first one, but still just as menacing, and they were moving in the exact spot we had been standing moments ago.

“Again, love, that’s a terrible way to say ‘thank you.’” Ambrose grinned, almost as if he were enjoying himself, and jumped to his feet. “Go back to the cabin. If I don’t join you within the hour, you can assume I’ve been eaten.”

I blanched, staring after him, as he darted away. To my surprise, I felt...nervous. Worried for his safety, and whether he might return or not…and I didn’t like that. Not one bit.

29

LONNIE

ABOARD THE FORESIGHT

As it turned out, I needn’t have worried.

Ambrose returned to the cabin within mere minutes of my closing the door.

I sat on the bed we’d silently shared for the last few nights, and blinked at him across the room. Suddenly, the room felt too small, and I felt heat rise inexplicably in my face.

“Did you kill that thing?” I asked briskly. The boat was no longer rocking, but still, I felt the need to be sure the monster was well and truly gone.

“Yes,” he said, as he closed the door behind him, locking out the whistling of the sea breeze.

I let out a sigh of relief, even as the rebel king leaned against the door, looking as close to exhaustion as I’d ever seen one of the Fae. His face and clothing were smattered with blood, and the side of his hair that was not shaved up to the scalp had fallen loose from its braid. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I immediately turned away.

“That was quicker than I’d expected.”

“Did you expect me to return at all?” he asked, pushing off the door. “Or were you hoping the Charybdis would take care of all your problems for you.”

I scowled. That was a little too close to what I’d been thinking for my comfort, and I still didn’t have a good answer for him. “Let us say, I’m glad I don’t need to sail this ship on my own. I don’t even know where we’re going.”

He laughed quietly under his breath, and stalked across the room to the trunk at the foot of the bed. Throwing it open, he pulled out a clean shirt, and again raised his eyes to meet mine from beneath his lashes. “Is that your way of asking where I’m taking you?”

I bit my lip. “I don’t suppose you’d answer, anyway. We’re not eating.”

He smirked, then straightened back to standing. “I’ll tell you, but only if you answer a question for me.”

I blinked. The way his questions had gone so far—my favorite color, my favorite pastime, and other such nonsense—I’d be a fool not to agree. “Fine.”

His grin took on a wicked gleam. “We’re on our way to Underneath.”

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