Page 49 of Untamed

“Minerva does things like that.” He continued to pluck a tune, even though the others sang without him. A few other sailors wandered over.

“You know her?” I held my breath.

He shifted his hand down the fingerboard, playing more of the melody. “She’s under my sister’s protection and service. But Minerva doesn’t really need us.” He slowed his tune.

I leaned closer. “Who is she?”

“She’s the reason Giddel didn’t get overrun a few months ago.” His words struck an off-key chord within me. How could this random girl have helped Giddel, and why would she?

Laude hip-bumped me and shifted side to side in what had to be a colloquial dance. Where did she learn the steps and when?Zichri plucked the rest of the cheerful song. His dark lashes hung over his soulful eyes, inspiring warmth to spread in my chest that such a handsome, kindhearted fellow looked at me with admiration. I couldn’t be mad at him for not sharing every detail of his life in his letters. And I had to admit, Cosme would be proven correct if I remained angry the entire duration of Zichri’s and my time together.

Tonight, I’d get the answers I sought at the Dotados meeting. I felt a smile creep to the corners of my mouth of its own accord.

Chapter 21

Laude

The reddish light fromthe sunset painted Jaime’s face with a warm color, making him absolutely adorable. I passed him a note under the dinner table.

He covered my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, assuring me of his love. Then his hazel eyes drank me in, observing the top of my curly head and each curve of my face. To any onlooker, it would look as if we were simply infatuated. Little did they know that we had come up with a code. If I looked away, he needed to read the note that instant. A wink would inform him that he should also burn the note.

This placid expression I tried to keep steady on my lips meant there was no need to rip open my words or burn them.

A smile tilted his lips and turned my insides into melted butter. I giggled, which drew Beatriz’s and Cosme’s attentionfrom across the table. I scooped a hefty helping of stew into my mouth to diffuse the laughter.

Jaime leaned close to my ear. “Don’t tell me, did I misread our code?”

I whispered back. “No, I just can’t do the serious face. Why couldn’t I stick out my tongue or flare my nostrils instead?”

He tipped his chin toward his chest and both eyebrows rose in question. “That’s definitely a better idea. I’m sure that wouldn’t draw any attention.” He unfolded the paper under the table with a chuckle under his breath.

I swallowed another salty-but-scrumptious mouthful, taking in the low conversations murmured around the long table. A stream of light glistened off Beatriz’s dark brown braid and highlighted the scrunched slope of her nose. The stew burned in my belly as I considered everything I had kept from her for months and what I was still concealing from her.

Jaime grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles, drawing my attention back to him. He winked and pressed his warm lips against my knuckles again as he slipped a paper into my palm.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked around the table for any stray eyes or ears. The conversations continued, so I peeked beneath the table and opened the paper. In light pencil strokes, it read:I think Lucas is a spy.

I crumpled the paper and lit my finger. The paper burned in my hand, letting out a tiny puff of smoke. Ash tumbled from my grip onto the cerulean flowers of my dress.

My eyes immediately drifted to the blue-eyed fellow who sat beside Cosme. His strong jaw shifted while listening to Cosme and Fermín speak to him from either side. He nodded, but his gaze drifted toward Beatriz with something that looked a little like longing. If he was a spy, then my plans with Queen Cottia were ruined.

“Why don’t we,” Beatriz dropped her voice, “nap before the you-know-what?”

From the dining room doorway, I leaned my head into the hallway, watching as Lucas walked away with Jaime. They laughed at a joke I hadn’t heard. Jaime turned his head over his shoulder and blinked a message. He would investigate his assumption.

“Laude, are you listening?” Beatriz crossed her arms with bulging eyes. “You’ve been quite distant these days.”

A nervous chuckle escaped my throat while the slimy snake of betrayal slithered in my gut. “Sorry, Jaime was in the passage, and you know, he’s here and—”

“You need not explain further.” She peeked behind her at Princes Zichri and Cosme still seated at the table.

“And he’s adorable and you know that we might not have another trip like this—”

“Laude, you don’t need to explain.”

“And there’s a lot going on in the ship, and I’m not sure how to handle everything—”

“Stop. I understand.”

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