Page 122 of A Trial of Fate

“The crisscrossing winds will be the first sign we are nearing the veil.” Fjorda looked out onto the sea with his piercing seafoam eyes. I had no idea what the veil looked like or even where it waslocated in the vast, endless sea. The elders told us that it surrounded the Inner Kingdom on all sides, locking all the fae kind in and keeping all others out. “Prince Daxton is the reason we can safely pass through,” Fjorda added, pulling me from my train of thought.

“Why him?” I knew my cheeks were blushing at the thought of Daxton, and I shifted off the railing to try and catch the morning sea breeze.

“He or any of the other royals with enough power can manage to pass through. Each century, we have ferried passengers aboard my ship to find a shifter to unlock the Heart, and each time, the Silver Shadow is always on board. It is practically tradition now.”

“Again … why Daxton?”

“Because it strains the magic of my kin,” a voice bellowed. Out of nowhere. “I’m strong enough, they are not. It’s simple, so don’t tax yourself trying to read between any invisible lines.” Dax muttered as he came beside me. “Also, I don’t like the idea of causing anyone pain or suffering if I can help it.”

I jerked and playfully smacked his arm. “Quit doing that! You startled me so badly that I nearly fell overboard. How did you know I was up here anyway?”

He leaned over the side of the railing, lightly brushing up against my arm and sending goosebumps across my bare skin.When would I stop reacting to him like this?

“When will you realize, Spitfire… I will always find you.”

I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh. “We will always find each other?” I asked with a heavy dose of sarcasm in my voice. He winked at me with a wide, unencumbered smile, and my insides began smoldering once again.

“I knew Spitfire was a perfect name for you.”

The gods be damned, I needed to stop looking at him like that. But when he smiled like that, it made the world around us disappear. It was like nothing else mattered, and that was the most terrifying thought of all. Because therewereimportant, world-altering twists of fate that mattered. There were responsibilities that Daxton and I both needed to prioritize. However, these moments of quiet bliss I shared with him were getting harder and harder to turn away from.

I noticed Fjorda looking at us, glancing first at me and then toward Daxton, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me since the moment he materialized at my side. “I’ll give you two the stern. I need to check on the ship and man the wheel,” Fjorda said, giving both Daxton andme bows of respect as he tended to the morning duties of the ship.

And then it was just us.

I didn’t know what to say, and I doubted he did either. Should we just move on and ignore everything that happened last night? Should I just casually ask him about our next training sessions or where we could find some breakfast? What was the right thing to do in this situation? It was times like this that I wished Rhea had come with me. She would know what to do and how to navigate this mess.

My chest tightened as I dared to turn my head toward him. “So…” His thick hair was loose, flowing effortlessly in the winds that circled around the ship. I fought back every instinct I had to reach my hand out and run my fingers through it, pulling him closer to me like I imagined last night.

Yup, I was just asking for trouble now.

Daxton raised his brows and tilted his head, leaning toward me. “Yes?” Curse that debonair smile of his. Anyone would guess that, right now, he didn’t have a single care in the world.

“Last night, I, umm…”

Dax silently reached for my hand, gently turning it over in his rough, calloused palms. He watched how our fingers seemed to dance together in a silent song that only we could hear. “What do you want, Skylar Cathal?”

“Going full name on me, huh?”

His eyes softened as his toothless grin grew wider. “Because I am asking you a serious question. How do you feel about this? What do you want?” His other hand reached up to cup my cheek, his touch clouding my head even more than it had before.

“I-I…” I was speechless. Unable to string together a single coherent thought, but Daxton still didn’t pressure me to answer. He patiently waited as I fumbled to articulate what I was feeling. Shit. What did I want? I had no fucking idea… or maybe I did? Maybe I was just afraid to admit it. Afraid to be vulnerable and possibly get hurt.

“I will always respect your choice, Spitfire. I know my focus should be on preparing you for the trials, but…” Dax pursed his lips, leaving his thoughts unfinished. I could see he was struggling with a decision, and I desperately wanted to know what it was.

“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “This is—”

“It’s all right.” He gently released my cheek and gave me a reassuring smile as he took a step away. Why did the distance between us seem farther than it actually was? “Are you ready for another roundof training this morning?”

His sudden change of subject caught me off guard. “Wait… before breakfast?”

“It won’t be as long this morning, I promise. I want to run through the basic set of exercises we will use for hand-to-hand combat, and then we will find you some food.”

“I don’t like this plan.” I scowled, two lines forming between my brows.

“I’m aware.” Dax straightened and placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me toward the back of the ship where we trained yesterday. “Come on.”

I grunted and groaned the whole way there. I was happy to train, but I was hungry—no, correction, I was starving. I wasn’t sure I would have complied for anyone but him at that point.

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