Page 73 of A Court of Fire and Frost

“Any time,” I say and speed up my swimming to join her at her side. “This feels peculiarly similar to flying. I feel… well, I don’t feel bored.”

She raises an eyebrow, her eyes dancing with affectionate amusement. “Really? Not bored? This is one of the best-kept secrets of our world. If they opened tourism here, I don’t doubt there would be those who never return on land.”

I scrunch up my forehead. “Yes, but don’t the Ice Mer kill anyone who gets too close to their city?”

“I never said there wasn’t a price to such secrecy.” She fixes her mouth into a grim line.

I want to continue talking to her, but the beauty of the surrounding buildings sweeps me away. All of them are vibrant hues of jewel-toned coral. I could have never imagined how the pearlescent coating they painted on each surface made them look like precious stones. It’s like walking through a treasure chest from a children’s tale about pirates.

The Ice Mer are dressed in sealskins, which makes me shudder. Their skin and hair colors match the surrounding tones. They come in many shapes and sizes. The only unifying factor between them is the scaly tales that flip from side to side as they move.

The castle is in the city's epicenter. It appears to be made of abalone, but I am sure that is impossible. I just don’t know how they made it look like that.

Instead of heading for what appears to be the main gate, Elva takes me to the side, and we wind our way through a series of side paths that lead to one of the castle’s estates. After she leads me through a kelp forest, I spot the dark-green house.

I use the word ‘house’ lightly. It appears to be a mansion.

I hesitate at the gate, and Elva turns back to me. Her hair floats around her head in the water like a halo. It is nothing short of mesmerizing. I’m sure she can see the worry in my eyes, but before she opens her mouth, I claim her lips with my own.

Something beautiful and dangerous stirs inside of me. With each touch and night spent together, emotion grows within me. I am utterly defenseless against it.

She laughs, and the melodic sound is muffled through the wonky sound waves of the sea. She trails a series of kisses up my jaw and to my ear. “This is where my best friend lives. Helena.”

I look into her eyes. “Your best friend lives so far from you?”

A shadow crosses her face. “We’re both princesses and…”I was engaged to her brother.

She doesn’t need to say the words. I know what she means.

For a brief second, I get a view into a life growing up that differed greatly from mine. As complicated as my relationship with my family may be, it has nothing on her solitary life, holed up in a castle and being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

I can relate to the last bit. I open my mouth to tell her–to show herthat I understand through a shared experience. Before I can speak, she puts a webbed hand on my chest, silencing me. Reaching down, she forms a thick ice disc and hurls it through the water toward an open window.

The disc speeds through the water before slowing down after passing the window.

“Impressive, but how can we be sure she’ll see it before it melts?” I ask.

“Look up.” She points towards the mansion's second story, where a small window is illuminated in a glowing yellow light. “You see that light? She leaves that on for me, just in case.”

My eyebrows go up, and I am delighted to be included in her world. A few seconds pass before a head pops out of the window. A cloud of silky strands that shift colors from purple to blue float around Helena’s face. Her skin is the color of grey ice, but her eyes are the most unnerving part. They are bright pink.

She smiles, her full lips pulling back to reveal pointed teeth. I suppress a shiver.

“I was wondering when you would show up on my doorstep.” When she speaks, Helena scrunches up her nose as if she smells something disgusting. Her under-lids blink, and then she pulls herself out of the window. Her long tail follows her movements in elegant motions as she emerges completely. She’s wearing a long, translucent light green top that billows in the water, revealing a pearl-studded band around her breasts. Matching pearls are braided into her long hair, while a diadem of seashells circles her head.

She is positively bewitching. I swallow hard, thinking of how the Mer people would drag unsuspecting humans down to their deaths on a whim. I turn my attention back to Elva, who is watching me.

I take her hand and squeeze it.

“Helena, this is Nathan.” Elva’s voice is light, and Helena casts her a knowing look.

“So, you are real,” the Mer says.

Elva raises an eyebrow at her friend.

“There was a picture that the media here tried to leak of you two kissing in the woods a few weeks ago. It caused quite an uproar because it looked like you had just stolen from a nearby store. Your mother paid a hefty fee to delete it from all databases permanently.” Helena gives me a long, appraising look. “Can’t have an engaged princess taking on a lover before the wedding is finalized.”

Her tone is light, but even I can catch the warning in her words. Elva’s skin is different shades of crimson red. For the first time, I see her as she must’ve been before we met. A wild, cold creature, enraged at being caged in.

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