Page 93 of Cruel Tides

“Our mother loved our father,” I said, unaffected. I’d grown used to my sister’s lies, and never once had I caught a single glimpse of cruelty in my mother’s actions or mind.

“Is that so?” Javalynn’s eyes narrowed, blazing with enough confident humor to cause a flicker of uncertainty to spark within me.

I’d never glimpsed the cruelty hidden inside my sister until she let it show readily on her face, as she did now.

“You would be wise to beware the wrath of a mermaid scorned,” she said with a barking laugh, like she thought perhaps her point had been made. “So, tell me, Barren. Which of us did our kingdom permit to pull the trident from his sorry corpse?” she seethed. “Me, or you?”

I let my lips form into perhaps the first smile she had seen from me since our childhood. This wasn’t about authority or control. This was about protecting the one thing that mattered to me.

I bent forward, leaning over her desk. “If any harm comes to the mermaid,” I said plainly, smooth marble cooling my hand as I braced it in front of her, “our kingdom will have another corpse on its throne to pick through.” She knew me well enough to know I refused to entertain empty threats. “That is a promise.”

My sister’s eyes bore into me as I waited for her response. It must have caught her off guard because she immediately changed tactics. “Harm her?” She canted her chair, inspecting her nails as if she thought me hardly a threat. “Well, of course we need her alive and well if we wish touseher.”

As much as I wished to believe those words, I couldn’t. Although it made little sense to harm her, I’d had a feeling that the uncursed mermaid was in danger even before I ventured to the Atlantic.

“Naturally, she will be safe here. Underyourprotection,” she continued. Her eyes flicked up to mine. “Unless, of course, you happen to be the one to harm her.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Mmm.” Her circlet glinted as she smirked. Rising from her seat, she turned her back to me, one hand rising to the sand feature.

“Since we’ve settled that,” she said with a hum. “Your order was to bring her to me.” With a gentle twist of her wrist, she reversed the heavy glass circle, and the sand sculpture began anew. “Now,fetch.”

24

Claira

Despite it being almost bedtime back home, the sun was about to rise in this place. So, when Barren left to meet with his queen, I had taken time to freshen up for the day.

I almost moaned with appreciation when I first found a bathroom connected to his room. Although the narrow shower stall had me questioning if Barren could even fit in it, it was fully stocked with soap, shampoo, and fresh towels neatly folded on shelves within reach.

After my shower, I refolded my clothes in my suitcase, arranging them into neat stacks before choosing my outfit for the day. The bathing suit Barren had gotten for me sat at the very top, calling to me. I bit my lip, wondering if the hot tub I’d spotted out on the patio had anything to do with his request for me to bring it.

Idly separating my damp hair into sections, I made my way to the double doors leading to the patio situated outside his bedroom. A whole patio connected to his bedroom; I could hardly believe it. While I braided, I looked through the inset windows, admiring the different plants outside. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected Barren’s place to be like, but it wasn’t this. Was gardening one of his hobbies, too?

Now that the sun was rising, I could tell that the plants were potted—which made infinitely more sense, considering Barren’s home was built over water. Greenery sat in clusters of differing heights, their long fronds and delicate flowers caught up in the breeze. A covered hot tub sat in the patio’s corner—at least, I was pretty sure it was a hot tub.

“Watch it be a water softener or something,” I mumbled with a shake of my head. Now that would be a letdown. Not that I expected to have enough downtime to use a hot tub, but just knowing it was there felt like a possibility of its own.

When I got to the end of my braid, I secured it and walked over to the dresser mirror to take stock of my handiwork.

Yeah—not great.

Maybe Kai can fix it for me?The thought of him playing with my hair caused my stomach to flutter.

My hair was becoming increasingly unmanageable every time we went in and out of the water. So much so that I was beginning to dread looking at my reflection at the end of the day.

But would a braid even survive the water? Good question. I added a third hair tie, just in case Barren’s queen expected us to head right into the ocean in search of her trident when my gaze landed on the necklace atop Barren’s dresser. The single pink pearl, trapped in a cage.

“It was given to me,”he’d said. Had that truly only been a tease?

I tossed my damp braid over my shoulder and came out of Barren’s bedroom with a sigh. “I really hope he doesn’t mind us using up all the hot water.”

Leander glanced back at me from where he sat in front of the back windows. “Done already?” he asked, his head flopping back on the couch. Although he’d been the first to shower, his hair was still wet, and it spilled over his forehead in loose waves.

“Oh, damn,” I said, my breath catching as my eyes drew past him. Outside, pastel pinks and oranges spread across the horizon, highlighting where the endless expanse of the Indian Ocean met the sky.

I’d initially wondered why Barren’s couch was facing the window. Now that the sun was rising, I was sure there wasn’t anything worth seeing more.

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