Page 81 of Cruel Tides

Oh no.

Without thinking, I popped up and practically crawled over Barren’s lap. My hand perched on his chest for balance as I peeked back at Leander and Kai.

Kai’s hair was the first thing I spotted, two rows back in the middle section. He had a grip on Leander’s shoulder, massaging it as he whispered what I assumed was a mix ofyou’re okayanddude, calm downinto his ear.

Leander clenched his armrest with a clawed grip, his whole body drawn and tense. Through gritted teeth, he grumbled something that looked an awful lot like, “I’m trying.”

Trying, and not succeeding—obviously.

“He needs to learn how to control his emotions.” Barren’s warm breath tickled my arm, jolting my attention back to our row of the plane. “The sooner he learns, the less of a strain it will be on his body.”

I turned down at him in disbelief. “You did this on purpose?” I whispered, my fingers tightening over the thick brace running across his chest as my eyes searched his.

Wait—what was I doing? My legs tensed to confirm that—yep—I was definitely straddling his leg. His very solid, very warm leg.

“Maybe,” Barren rumbled, his deep voice vibrating my palms on his chest. His dark eyes betrayed nothing—not a single emotion. “Or maybe I wanted to sit next to my wife.”

“Your… wife.” The words seemed to float off my tongue like a leaf trembling along a breeze. I wasn’t like him. I wasn’t a stone titan whose aura seemed to exude rigid control. Heat rushed right to my face, and if it weren’t for Barren’s arm coming up behind my back, my spine would have smacked into the row of seats in front of ours.

Nervous laughter was the next noise to spill from my throat as I retreated, sliding off his leg and back into my seat.

Hiswife. Barren teasing me with that stony face of his was more impactful than I’d expected. “Well, you won’t be sitting next to me for long if a thunderstorm cancels our flight,” I said, hiding my embarrassment by looking out the window.

I should have traded places with Kai. At least then I wouldn’t be sitting here worried about Leander, nor would I have ended up on Barren’s lap. “Should I go back and check on him? Try to calm him down before the trident hurts him?”

“You won’t always be there to calm him down.” Barren seemed strangely unaffected by me jumping up on his lap. Which was good, right? Maybe when you were as huge as a tree, you were used to having squirrels accidentally scamper up your trunk.

“That’s true,” I said, buckling my seatbelt to make sure I didn’t accidentally throw myself onto him again.

Sure, I wouldn’t always be there for Leander, but I couldn’t help my pang of longing, wishing that the four of us had been seated together. Although my brain understood the very rational reason we weren’t, my heart disagreed.Madness, it told me with every new prodding beat.

My eyes scanned the window for flashes of lightning—any sign that Leander was still calling on the trident’s power—until I couldn’t take it anymore. With a decisive nod, I yanked my seatbelt back off and stood straight up.

“Ma’am, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened while the light is illuminated,” a flight attendant called to me almost immediately.

“Sorry,” I squeaked, but before I sat back down, I stretched up on my toes, leaning this way and that to catch a glimpse of Leander.

There he was. His back was flat against his seat, head thrown back and eyes shut tightly as he drew in long, deep breaths. Kai was right there, his face calm, saying something into Leander’s ear. As soon as Kai finished whatever he was saying, Leander gave a nod, his eyes still screwed shut. Then he took in another deep breath, looking a fraction more relieved.

“Ma’am,” the flight attendant repeated. She was shuffling down the aisle toward me.

“Yes—sorry.” My heart warmed as I slid back down to my seat, and I reached for my lap belt before the attendant made it over.

“Those two are getting kind of close, aren’t they?” I said with a shake of my head. It was utterly baffling. When had this happened? “They have nothing in common.” Well, okay, they were both princes and mermen, but other than that, they were complete opposites.

“They have you in common,” Barren offered.

I snorted. “Me? Yeah, like that’s enough.”

“Seems to be.” Barren shrugged, then stretched out his neck and shoulders. The way his neck hit between the two seats looked painful.

“Here,” I said, throwing back my armrest. “You can lean over on my side if it’s more comfortable. So your head isn’t stuck between the seats.” I pulled his arm in closer, until it fell next to my lap. “Really, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you,” was all he said. I went back to scrolling through my screen, my eyes boring into a map I cared nothing about as I tried to ignore the heat coming from his arm and shoulder. At this angle, at least his head could rest. And honestly, he smelled really nice.

Notes of leather and cedarwood, maybe. Was it from the brace that he wore, or was it him? My curiosity tempted me to lean in and investigate, but I resisted the urge. “Are you going to sleep?” I asked casually, halfheartedly scrolling.

The intercom tinged back on. “Good news, ladies and gentlemen! This is your captain speaking. The storm that caused our delay seems to have been a blip in our radar system that our technicians have resolved, and we have confirmed a smooth path to our destination. Our flight crew is ready to get us in the air, so please ensure that your seatbelt is securely fastened as we prepare for takeoff.”

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