Timeline: Same night as Kieran's wedding night
Location: The Tidelands (Underwater)
KAELIS DRAYDEN POV :
I am not asleep.
Nyx thinks I'm asleep, which is exactly what I want him to think, because I'm not some helpless damsel who just passes out and trusts a creepy stalker god who's been watching me since birth..
Fuck that.
I'm a prince.
Well, technically I was a prince. Now I'm... what? A time-traveling refugee? A prophecy child who said "fuck you" to destiny? A twenty-two-year-old disaster lying in an underwater cave pretending to be unconscious while plotting murder?
Yeah. That last one.
The bed is stupidly comfortable. Like sleeping on a cloud made of water and lies. The pillow is soft. The blanket feels like liquid silk. The bioluminescent plants cast this gentle blue glow that should be soothing.
It's not soothing.
It's suspicious.
Everything about this place is too perfect.. Too "oh don't worry little prince, you can trust me, I've only been stalking you for two decades."
Red flags everywhere.
So I did what any intelligent person would do when trapped in an underwater realm with a possessive sea god who keeps saying I'm "his."
I found a weapon.
Okay, "weapon" is generous.
It's a piece of coral I snapped off from one of the decorative formations near the bathing pool. Could probably do some damage if I stabbed someone in the eye..
Or at least make them very annoyed.
It's currently hidden under my pillow, and my hand is wrapped around it while I lie here with my eyes closed, trying to look peaceful and helpless.
I am neither.
Plan A: Wait until Nyx gets close. Stab him. & Run...
Problem with Plan A: We're underwater. Where exactly am I running to? I can't breathe underwater without his magic bubble thing. I'd drown in approximately thirty seconds.
Plan B: Stab him anyway. Out of principle.
Problem with Plan B: He's a literal god. The coral would probably just bounce off him like I'm trying to murder him with a particularly aggressive stick.
Plan C: Keep pretending to sleep. Gather information. Find actual escape route. Then stab him and run.
Plan C is the current plan.
I'm a genius.
I hear him before I see him.
The sound of water moving—not dripping or flowing, just... moving, Like the ocean itself is walking across the room.
Which, technically, it is.
Because Nyx is apparently made of 90% water and 10% audacity.
I keep my breathing even. Slow & Deep.
Look unconscious, Kaelis. Look helpless. Look like you're not planning homicide.
"I know you're awake," Nyx says.
FUCK.
I don't move. Don't react.
Maybe he's bluffing.
"Your heartbeat gave you away." His voice is closer now. Right beside the bed. "It's racing. You're breathing too carefully. And you've been gripping that coral so hard for the past ten minutes that I'm surprised it hasn't shattered."
Double fuck.
I open one eye.
Nyx is leaning against the wall—or floating near it, it's hard to tell with him—arms crossed, looking at me with this amused expression that makes me want to throw my stupid coral weapon at his stupidly handsome face.
"I wasn't—"
"You were." He's trying not to smile. "You snapped off a piece of my coral formation, hid it under your pillow, and have been lying there for the past twenty minutes pretending to sleep while clearly planning my murder."
"I wasn't planning your murder."
"No?"
"Just maiming. There's a difference."
Now he does smile.
"I appreciate the distinction."
I sit up, still clutching my coral weapon because I'm committed to this now. "How did you know?"
"I'm the Sea God, Kaelis. Water is everywhere. Including in your body. I can hear your heartbeat. Feel your breath. Sense your intentions through every drop of moisture in the air." He tilts his head. "You're not exactly subtle."
"I was being very subtle!"
"You snapped off coral loudly, hid it under your pillow while sighing dramatically, and then spent twenty minutes lying there radiating murderous intent." His smile widens. "If that's your idea of subtle, I'm amazed you survived this long."
I throw the coral at him.
He catches it without even looking.
Show-off.
"Are you done?" he asks pleasantly.
"No. I'm just getting started. I have a list."
"A list."
"Of grievances. Would you like to hear them?"
"Absolutely."
I hold up one finger. "One. You've been stalking me since I was born. That's creepy. That's not romantic destiny bullshit, that's just creepy."
"Fair," Nyx concedes.
Second finger. "Two. You keep saying I'm 'yours' like I'm a possession. I'm not a fucking chair, Nyx. I'm a person."
"Also fair."
Third finger. "Three. You brought me to an underwater cave I can't escape from without your help, which makes me a prisoner no matter how pretty you make the cage."
"Technically—"
"Three-point-five," I interrupt. "You're doing that thing where you're so calm about my very valid complaints, which makes me want to stab you more."
He's fully grinning now. "Are you done?"
"Four. You're too fucking attractive. It's distracting. Put on a shirt."
That makes him laugh—head thrown back, the sound echoing off the crystal walls.
"I'm serious!" I'm blushing now, which pisses me off. "How am I supposed to maintain my righteous fury when you keep walking around looking like... like... that!" I gesture vaguely at his stupid perfect body with its stupid glowing runes and stupid abs that probably have abs.
"Would you like me to put on a shirt?"
"YES!"
"No."
"EXCUSE ME?"
"This is my realm." He pushes off the wall, moving closer with that liquid grace that should be illegal. "In the Tidelands, I don't wear shirts. It's a rule."
"That's the dumbest rule I've ever heard!"
"You're welcome to leave if it bothers you."
"I CAN'T LEAVE! That's the PROBLEM!"
We're standing now—well, I'm standing, he's sort of floating-standing—inches apart, both breathing hard, the tension between us sharp enough to cut.
"You're impossible," I hiss.
"You're infuriating," he counters.
"I hate you."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's TRUE!"
"Is it?" He leans closer, blue eyes glowing in the dim light. "Or are you just trying to convince yourself?"
My heart is hammering. "Don't—don't do that thing where you get all close and intense. It's not going to work."
"What thing?"
"That thing! The smoldering eye contact thing! The 'I'm-a-mysterious-god-who's-been-waiting-for-you' thing! I'm immune!"
"Are you?"
"YES!"
His hand comes up, cups my face—cool skin against my flushed cheek.
I should pull away.
Should slap him.
Should grab my stupid coral weapon and—
"Your pulse is racing," he murmurs.
"Because I'm angry."
"Are you?"
"YES!"
But my voice comes out breathless, and we both know it.
"Liar," Nyx says softly.
And then—the bastard—he steps back. Puts distance between us. Smiles like he's won something.
"Sleep, Kaelis. For real this time. We'll continue your list of grievances in the morning."
"I have seventeen more items!"
"I'm sure you do." He's already moving toward the entrance. "But right now, you need rest. Not 'pretend to sleep while plotting murder' rest."
"I wasn't—"
"You were." He glances back, that infuriating smile still in place. "And for what it's worth? The coral wouldn't have worked anyway. I'm made of water. You'd just stab through me and feel very silly."
"I hate you so much."
"Good night, Kaelis."
And he's gone.
Just dissolves into water and flows out like he's not even solid.
Show-off.
I stand there, alone, breathing hard, face still warm from where he touched me.
"Fuck," I mutter.
I climb back into bed. Without the coral weapon this time because apparently I'm an idiot who brought a stick to a god fight.
But as I'm finally drifting off—for real this time, because I actually am exhausted—I hear his voice.
Coming from the water basin across the room.
"For the record, you were adorable with your little weapon. Five out of ten for stealth. Ten out of ten for commitment."
I grab my pillow and throw it at the basin.
The water just laughs...