Ren froze in the water, her hands paused mid-splash.
She heard the commotion near the entrance—a sharp, booming voice followed by the frantic rustling of fabric. She whipped her head around just in time to see the broad, velvet-clad back of the Snake King disappearing around the corner.
He had been watching.
Ren sank lower in the water until it bubbled around her chin. A flush that had nothing to do with the thermal heat crept up her neck.
She had hoped he would come over. She had hoped he would yell at her, or drag her out, or... well, do something. Anything was better than this cold, silent avoidance.
"I really messed up this time," Ren sighed, blowing a bubble in the water.
She deserved it. She knew she did. She had played with fire, burned his house down, and stomped on his trust.
Plop.
A small, green swamp frog hopped onto a giant lily pad drifting near her shoulder. It blinked its bulbous yellow eyes at her, its throat expanding and contracting rhythmically.
