Page 128 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“It’s not a tale to be shouted across a distance, but enjoyed with food and drink! Come aboard, friends!” She waves us on and that’s when I notice a head pop out of the water beside her.
It’s hairless, scaled in glittering light blue, and undeniably beautiful with large dark eyes. The face is slightly elongated, ending in a slitted nose. Its lips pull back in what feels like a smile, revealing fangs like Jasper sometimes gets.
“Meia!” Jasper cries, his voice breaking as he runs. My heart swells and aches, knowing he’s finally found his mother.
He doesn’t let go of my hand, dragging me along. I drop the book on the dock before leaping into the sea with him. Opal light shimmers through the water and Jasper holds me tighter against his side as his selkie tail emerges. It’s pale and shimmers like his magic, so powerful and soft.
His mother surges forward, her upper body transforming before my eyes. It’s as if she’s turning inside out from her nose. The transformation ripples along her cheeks, and beneath the scales is tanned skin like Jasper’s. She has short, black hair, pale blue eyes, and the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.
They crash together and I’m pinned to Jasper’s side as his mother’s arm comes around me, too. Water leaks from her dark pink lips and she takes a gurgling breath of air before speaking in their native language.
Jasper’s body wracks in a sob as he speaks back in broken syllables. I embrace them both, feeling not like an invader in this private moment, but like part of the family. My heart has been yearning for this feeling for so long, and suddenly, so suddenly, it’s filling me up.
She doesn’t even know me, but I think she loves me.
The ship bumps against the stone dock with a crack. I glance up at the noise to see Alejandra’s crew looping onto the anchor points, pulling them to a stop. But I also see Alejandra standing with an older Illyan woman at the bow.
The woman has thick black braids threaded with silver, wrangled back from her face by a colorfully patterned cloth. She wears a simple white dress festooned with a sash of more colorful patterns. They’re looking down at us with fond smiles, speaking softly to one another. I have a feeling this woman has something to do with our very timely rescue.
Jasper and his mother finally break the hug. She cups his face lovingly, and then looks at me. She says something in Illyan, and Jasper replies in their native language before looking at me.
His eyes are red and his lashes wet with tears, but he smiles. “She says thank you for taking care of me.”
I look at his mother. “Please tell her I’m so happy you’re together now.”
He translates and she beams even brighter, cupping my cheek with her other hand. She says something in their native language and I catch a very specific word I know.Ohksana.
I look at Jasper and his face droops a little before he replies. Whatever he says has his mother giving him a sharp stare thatonly mothers can give when they’re disappointed. She huffs a sigh and tells him something else.
“What?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath. “She’s upset I haven’t mated you yet and finalized our bond.”
“Bond?” I ask and his mother draws back, giving us more space.
Jasper looks up at me, his eyes pleading. “This isn’t really the time to discuss it.”
“Ohksano’amai,” I say in a warning tone as my frustration rises. “You promised to tell me.”
“Please, my love, when we’re alone. I want to explain it in detail and give you time to ask your questions.”
The Voice trudges across the palace, destroying everything his feet touch. He bends down and opens his mouth, spilling water and injured selkies beside the boat. Several other faces appear from below and embrace the injured.
Jasper is right. This reunion is not the time for me to needle him for answers. I’ve waited this long—what’s a few more hours until we’re washed and fed, alone together with plenty of time.
I push my face closer to his, keeping my expression firm. “You are quite possibly the king of procrastination.”
He grins like a guilty rascal. “At least I’m your king.”
“You are,” I say, softening into his embrace.
He kisses me tenderly, all the cheeky scoundrel drained out of him. “Time to go home.”
Chapter thirty-nine
Jasper
Dusk falls, turning the thinning mist purple as we sail away from the wretched bastard’s island. We can hear Al’shan’hai’goi laying waste to what’s left of Vansen’s kingdom.
