Page 60 of A Sea of Secrets
After seeing Luna, I had waited for Noah to get dressed before we made our way to the auditorium, which they were using to host dance practice. Fuck my life.
“If I get stuck doing the fucking tango with Zane, I may murder someone. Scratch that, I will murder someone. Most likely the merman, so if you want to keep him alive, you’re gonna do this shit with me.”
“Fine,” she grumbled, releasing a heavy sigh. “You’re such an asshole.”
“Now, gentlemen, one hand on your partner’s waist, the other in their hand,” the Overseer announced, striding between the pairs with her long skirts flowing around her. “Very good.”
“Zane’s not even here yet anyway,” Kendra said, stepping up onto her toes to look around the room. “Which is weird. I would have thought he’d get here first just so he could partner up with Fallon.”
I glanced around for the merman. Noah was dancing with Lou, who was pouting over at Kendra and me. Kayden was with the princess, his giant hands much lower than her waist. Lucky bastard. I couldn’t find Zane at all. Odd, but nothing to worry about.
“Probably got caught up playing charades with a bunch of baby octopuses or some shit like that.”
Kendra let out a laugh, the sound echoing around the room and cutting off the Overseer’s directions. “Sorry,” she whispered, dropping her face to hide her amusement.
“This is a traditional ancient Earth dance, and I am determined for you to excel at it. You are all lords and ladies of old, so let the music guide you through the steps. On my count. One, two, three, four and a one, two, three, four…” The Overseer spun in a circle with her arms raised as she danced with her invisible partner.
“Who do you think is going to win?” Kendra asked as we moved to the music.
“You want the honest answer or the wishful fucking thinking?”
“Honest.”
“Someone from Stormcrest or Tritosa will win,” I told her, grimacing at the truth of my words. As much as I, and the others, talked about winning, I was no delusional fool. We didn’t stand afucking chance. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news but there’s no way they are giving the crown to anyone from the DH or Steppes. We are too lowly in their eyes to rule over shit.”
“What about the Verdant Plateau?” she asked as I spun us in a circle.
“Possibly. But Noah doesn’t want the crown.”
“Maybe that’s why he should be king.”
I wasn’t going to argue with that. Noah was a fucking brain and cared about others. “What’s your bet?”
“I think you’re right and probably someone from Tritosa or Stormcrest City will be crowned. I’d love for it to be Fallon or Zane, but with everything they have said about their families, I doubt they’re likely to be put in positions of power. As for Lou, I still have my hopes that she might win it for us.” She sighed. “I know we do the trials and that’s supposed to decide who wears the crown, but the outside world has influence, even if they won't acknowledge it. We don’t live in a utopia. There’s corruption and I can’t turn a blind eye to it. The trials have proved these tests are not immune from the rest of the country. I refuse to shove my head in the sand and ignore everything that’s going on. I just wish I had an actual chance. There’s so much I could have done to help the people back home.”
“I get it.”
Her hand tightened on my shoulder. “The people of the Steppes are good. They deserve better. Kayden or I could have helped them. We could have made a difference to so many.”
I let her words sink in, counting my steps as I thought about all she had to say. Kendra had come to the trials for the right reason. Fuck, Kayden and Fallon had, too. They wanted to make a change that would benefit everyone. There was no ego at the core of it, just a pure need to fix the problems of the people in their cities and Terrulia as a whole.
“What about me?” I asked, my words soft. As soon as I spoke, I instantly regretted letting them slip.Why did I fucking care what she thought?
Kendra studied my face, her gaze running over my features and unnerving the shit out of me. “I think, on the wild chance you get the crown, you could actually do a good job. I think you care about others more than you let on and you’d want to make this country a better place for all. I think you know what it’s like to be at the bottom and wouldn’t want anyone else to experience that. And I think most of all, you have a heart and are terrified of getting hurt so you act like the biggest, meanest asshole.”
“A bit off the fucking track—”
I made to pull away, but the little shit was strong, holding me there with her. “Can’t get hurt if you don’t let anyone close to you.”
“You’ve got the wrong fucking idea.”
“Have I?” Kendra asked, tilting her head. Her gaze darted to the left and I turned my head to see what she was looking at. “He looks…”
“Like shit,” I finished for her, eyeing Zane.
The merman slunk into the room, his face paler than usual, as though someone had told him Pip and Delilah had died. Fuck, why did I know his fucking dolphins’ names? Zane completely ignored Fallon and Kayden, striding past them and taking Dick’s hand. Without a word, he stepped into the dance.
“What do you think happened?” Kendra asked.
