Page 61 of Of Storm and Emerald
Raw and natural.
And he had the sneaking suspicion that she hadn’t even tapped into the full weight of her abilities yet.
Reaching back into his pocket, Daemon grasped the letter firmly in his hand as he hollered a few commands to the sailors on the deck before he turned and headed below to his cabin.
The cabins below deck were simple. A bed, a desk, an armoire, and a toilet; all of which were bolted to the floor to keep them from sliding about. Even as a crown prince, he kept the unnecessary frills from the ship. The sea was his comfort. He didn’t need down pillows and the finest bedding. He needed the sea, the stars to guide him, and his crew behind him.
With the thought of the stars,hisstar flooded his mind.
Daemon sat on his bed, Auraelia’s letter firmly grasped in his hand as he ran his thumb over the sea-green wax seal that kept it closed. He had been doing that for what seemed like hours now. Wanting to know its contents, but afraid to read them all the same.
Breathing in through his nose, Daemon steeled his spine and slid his finger beneath the seal. Unfolding the letter, he closed his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding, then opened them to finally face whatever it was that Auraelia had written.
Daemon read and re-read her letter until he had her words memorized.
She wants this.
A real smile graced his face for the first time since leaving Lyndaria.
Refolding the letter, he pulled the sprig of lavender that had been trapped beneath the seal and brought it to his face. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scent, letting images of Auraelia flood his mind. His cock stiffened behind the laces of his trousers.
With his mind full of thoughts of her, he’d intended to alleviate some of the building pressure of his erection when a quick knock on the door pulled him from his reverie.
You’ve got to be fucking joking.
Groaning, he reached down to adjust himself, and pocketed the letter before standing to answer the door.
Standing on the other side was none other than Aiden. He leaned against the wall, his hair unusually disheveled, and a cocky smirk on his face as he took in Daemon’s appearance.
“Damn, D. You still hung up on the princess?”
“Are you still hung up on her lady in waiting?” Daemon asked, matching Aiden’s snide grin.
When his grin faded into a scowl, Daemon rolled his eyes. “Is there something that I can do for you,LordAiden?”
Matching Aiden’s posture, Daemon crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow in his friend's direction.
“Nope,” he responded, popping thepfor emphasis. “But we’re almost to port. So, you might want to get your ass out of that stuffy box of a room and up on deck.” Aiden pushed off the wall and stalked away and up the stairs that led to the main deck of the vessel.
At the mention of home, Daemon’s mood immediately lifted. He had planned on replying to Auraelia, but that would have to wait.
Kalmeera had one of the most stunning ports in all of the Sapphire Isles, and the place where ships docked was not a typical port. Instead, boats were met by narrow tunnels of waterways that had been formed into the cliff face surrounding the city. Inside the tunnels, were arches made of black sea rock that the ocean had polished into a shine. Each archway had been inlaid with mother of pearl and depicted beautiful mosaic scenes of the ocean and the world beneath its waves. Traveling under those arches and into the heart of Kalmeera was like sailing into the world of their goddess.
The tunnels themselves were dark as night, but bioluminescence beneath the water's surface transformed the paths into glowing rivers of light. That light was then picked up by the rocks that formed the tunnels, and the mother of pearl in the arches, turning the ceiling and walls into a sparkling night sky.
Every ship that came to the island docked there. Crews would then disembark their own ships with goods, and board the smaller flat boats that would carry them into the city.
Every ship that ported in Kalmeera had to follow these requirements.
Every ship, except the Nevermore.
With her small and sleek design, Daemon’s crew was able to navigate her through the narrow passages, bringing her right into the city. Kalmeera was full of bridges and thorough ways that linked different areas of the city, making it easier for citizens to travel throughout the island.
The Nevermore was well known by the citizens, and when her storm cloud sails would crest the line of buildings at the far edge of the city just outside of the tunnels, bells would ring out to welcome their prince home.
Daemon followed Aiden to the upper deck where the captain of the ship was at the helm. The Nevermore may have been his ship, and he may have spent most of his life on the sea, but Daemon knew his strengths–and he knew when to let someone more knowledgeable take over. The captain was Raneese Garreth, the first–and currently the only–female captain in the royal fleet.
Raneese was a beautiful woman, with strong features and a stronger attitude. Her hair was the color of warm coffee that coiled into tight ringlets and bounced around her face. Her bronzed skin glowed beneath the warm rays of the sun, and she had chocolate-colored eyes that sparkled when she laughed and ignited when she was angry. She even had a dimple in her right cheek that would show itself on the rare occasions when she would laugh.
