Page 158 of Forest of Dreams and Whispers

Juliana’s scowl did not abate. “You’d tell me if I had reason to be worried?”

“Your reputation is intact, Jules, I promise you.”

“Right,” she said, eyebrow finally dropping. “I’ll… go back to my room, then and… get dressed for the day.”

“You can guard me in that,” he said, grinning with the thought, “I have no problems with that.”

“You might not,” Juliana responded, walking away from him, “but I imagine your fiancée would.”

“She isn’t my fiancée!” Hawthorn yelled after her, but she was already gone.

Unsurprisingly, Hawthorn was assigned the task of spending the entire day with Princess Serena, forcibly enjoying endless walks through the town and gardens. Most of the buildings were carved from rock or shell, with endless waterfalls and streams cascading down to the shore. The citizens used the rivers like roads, darting through the currents, waving to their friends as they passed. Several storefronts opened directly onto the water, and a strange aroma filled the air—sweet salt and baking rosemary.

It was truly a delight to experience, and yet he had found more pleasure in it yesterday evening down on the beach.

“You seem once more distracted, Your Highness,” Serena remarked.

“The beach,” he declared, in lieu of saying anything that might be considered offensive—an admission that he found her company less desirable than someone else’s. “I was wondering if we might go down to it?”

Serena’s eyes brightened. “You are fond of the sea?”

Not as much as others,he thought, eyes searching for Jules, who’d been traipsing behind them all morning, painfully silent. “I like it,” he responded.

Serena glowed. She clapped her hands together and started to run, her flurry of blue-white skirts trailing behind her like a cape of cloud. Hawthorn followed, picking up the pace. They seemed to reach the shores in seconds, whereupon Serena dropped her dress entirely and dived into the water like a mermaid.

It occurred to him she probablywaspart mermaid. Most of the Summer Court seemed to be.

He yanked off his boots, unbuckled his belt, and stopped when he was down to his underwear. Faeries were notoriously bold with their bodies—especially in this part of the country—but he knew Juliana was slightly less comfortable and she was the one guarding them. He kept on his breeches as he dived into the foam, even when Serena reappeared and gave them a curious glance.

Juliana stopped by the waves. “How far are you going to go in?”

Serena twirled in the water. “As far as we can!”

“I think my mortal guard is slightly concerned about accidentally straying beyond the borders of Faerie,” Hawthorn explained.

Serena shook her head, kicking up seafoam with a small, dainty foot. “The border is far beyond our shores—not until way past the Under Sea Court.”

Hawthorn shivered. He’d heard tales of the Under Sea Court, one of the handful of unofficial courts within Faerie, a mix of Seelie and Unseelie, and the dark creatures that lived there.

“Scared, Prince?” Serena asked, with unusual coyness. He quite liked it.

“I fear my guard might be,” he said instead.

Juliana huffed, removing her outer layers and stripping to her short, thin petticoat. She restrapped two daggers directly onto her legs. Half naked and covered in weapons was a decidedly good look for her.

“Sea monsters, wrecks, the great unknown?” she said boldly, strolling into the waters. “Sign me up.”

“I stand corrected,” Hawthorn said, trying not to smile. “Although I’m not sure we’ll be going quite far enough for sea monsters…”

“I don’t know,” said Serena. “We’ll see.”

She disappeared beneath the waves.

Hawthorn and Juliana stared at one another, searching her words for meaning and coming up short. “After you,” Juliana insisted.

“Try not to stare at my rear as we descend,” said Hawthorn, taking a deep breath, and diving down before she could form her displeasure into words.

A deep, murky world rose to greet him, a land of sand and rock. Serena drifted in a current ahead of them, smiling as they approached, summoning two giant bubbles and fixing them over their heads to allow them to breathe. She, apparently, needed no such measures, and when she moved again, Hawthorn noticed something iridescent shining between her fingers and around her toes.

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