Page 62 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

Triston nodded, and then motioned to the group. “This way. It's a bit of a walk, but I didn't want to get too close to any of the more populated areas of the kingdom. The last thing we need is pandemonium.”

The trek from the edge of the rainforest to the gate of the Tidal Kingdom was off to an awkward start. Julietta and Triston avoided each other, as did Phillippe and Esmeralda. Selenia and Sion were too busy chatting and giving each other meaningful and playful glances to notice the awkwardness, but the quiet tore at Julietta. All she could hear was the pounding of the surf against the sand, and the call of seabirds overhead.

After a few minutes, Esmeralda slowed her pace and hung back with Julietta.

“I heard from Renya...that you are fated to my brother?”

Julietta's cheeks burned, and not from the sun. “Yes. I'm sorry, we should have told you...or, rather, Triston should have.”

“It's okay...I understand how hard it can be to discuss...romantic relationships.” Esmeralda looked ahead, and Julietta could see her stare fixated upon Phillippe's back.

“We both want it undone,” Julietta said, the finality in her tone coming off harsher than she meant.

Julietta expected Esmeralda to agree, but instead, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What do you mean? A fated mating is the greatest gift there is.”

Julietta bit the inside of her cheek. “Your brother...doesn't wish to have a wife. We both agreed that we would do whatever it took to sever the relationship.”

Esmeralda shook her head, appalled. “I can't believe my brother. I know that he puts on an air of aloofness, but I would have thought he'd be happy. If not for himself, for the prosperity of the kingdom.”

“It's me,” Julietta said, slipping off her shoes to shake out the sand. “He...isn't interested in me at all.”

“Really? Because...I'm sorry to admit this...but I saw the two of you together at the Sun Realm. In the parlor. I wasn't spying, but I saw...well, it seems to me that my brother greatly desires you.”

Julietta felt her heart throb for a split second. Could Triston really want her?

“He's told me he doesn't.”

Esmeralda looked ahead again, watching Phillippe trudge through the sand.

“Sometimes these men have no clue what they want until they don't have it anymore.”

By the time they reached the entrance to the Tidal Kingdom, the sun was just starting to set. Julietta's eyes were wide when she took in the rocky walls surrounding the serene bay. In the middle of a wooden bridge were two men, standing guard over several decorated canoes. The group crossed over to the men, and Triston conversed with them in a tongue Julietta didn't recognize, but the men nodded at what he said. Renya suddenly brushed past Julietta; her arms outstretched. She hugged one of the men, who looked a little bewildered.

“York!”

The fae suddenly smiled and began conversing quickly with Renya. Julietta could see Grayden stalking off to the side, his jealousy plain for anyone to see. Julietta wondered briefly if it was perhaps jealousy that she had felt from Triston when Phillippe had helped her off of the dragon, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

It didn't matter.

Triston moved past the men, ushering them in two groups to each of the canoes. He sat inside one, and the man Renya had called York, glided into the other. By the time they all piled in, Julietta was left only with Triston's canoe as an option. She entered the boat, and he held out his hand to her, helping her with her balance. The second their skin made contact, she could feel the heat between them, feeling the longing that resided deep within her.

From the way Triston's pupils dilated and his breathing changed, she knew he felt it too. He quickly dropped her hand and picked up an oar.

There was nowhere else to sit besides next to him. Sion and Selenia, as well as Esmeralda were cramped in the front, so she sighed and sat next to Triston. His jaw clenched noticeably at her presence, but he said nothing, dipping his oar into the still water and setting the boat off into a smooth glide.

Julietta's eyes took in the massive rocky sides of the cavern, awe spread across her face.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?”

Triston's words came quietly, just underneath his breath, as if he wanted no one to hear them but her.

“Yes. It isn't what I expected.”

“No? What did you imagine?”

She laughed. “Honestly, I pictured you living in a giant sandcastle.”

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