Page 35 of Unmoored

I leapt out of the water, turning around to face the creature still perched on the ledge of the pool. He smirked at me, his cruel face covered in amusement, but he held up a clawed hand before I could lunge at him.

“Easy,” he said, and I just glared at him.

My lungs once again filled with air, but it did nothing to quell the utter rage seeping under my skin.

“You bastard!” I shouted. “What thehellwas that?! You almost killed me!”

“Almost,” he echoed. “But I didn’t kill you, and now you know that your gills work just fine.”

“I could havedied, Draya!”I retorted, my voice still raised. Unfortunately, my body decided that now was the perfect time to release my tears, so I stood in the middle of the pool, a sopping wet mess, and tried with no luck to force down the choked sob that escaped my throat.

“Hazel,” Draya’s face shifted ever so slightly, and I saw a bit of concern fall over his gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. But sometimes hardship is necessary to find what we’re truly capable of.”

“You’re unbelievable,” I breathed, turning my back to him and sinking down into the water before speaking again. “I’d like to go back to the Capital, now.”

“As you wish,” he replied.

I didn’t say another word to him, not while he swam us back to the city, nor when he dropped me off in my chambers and fetched me a meal and some dry clothes.

22

DRAYA

In retrospect, Hazel had every right to be infuriated with me. But I felt no remorse for my actions in the hot springs. She wasn’t as helpless as she thought she was, and her lack of confidence was bothersome.

I understood that she’d had a difficult life, and that she likely would never be able to use her magic the way I could, but she wasn’t completely useless. With some more time spent under Cordelia’s care, as well as some more determination on her part, she would learn to become much stronger.

For the time being, however, I did owe her an apology. Or rather, I thought she might appreciate an apology, despite the fact that she should really be thanking me. She’d still be rotting away in that prison of a bedroom had I not paid her a visit and gotten her some fresh air.

At any rate, I gave her a day of peace before trudging to her room following her session with Cordelia.

Hazel was alone when I entered, and although she looked better than the last time I found her there, she hadclearly experienced a strenuous few hours with the doctor. Sweat glistened on her forehead, her cheeks were flushed, and pale wisps escaped from her messy braid.

Standing in the doorway to her washroom with a towel in hand, she rolled her eyes at me before turning around and walking towards the pool.

I was frozen in place for a moment, the air thickening as tension pulled between us, and my eyes locked on her soft skin. I longed to move closer, to touch her once again, but I pushed the thoughts from my head as abruptly as they’d appeared. Why did the sight of her like this make me ravenous?

“Let me heat the water for you,” I blurted out, trying to fill the silence as I realized I had forgotten to tell Cordelia to fix that.

“It’s the least you could do,” she muttered. “But then you have to leave. I’m not going anywherenearwater with you.”

“Such a shame that you’re currently existing in an underwater volcano, miles under the surface of theAtlantic Ocean,Hazel,” I retorted.

“How do you speak English, anyway?” She whipped around, her braid smacking against her shoulder as she huffed an angry breath.

The question caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help the smile growing at the corner of my lips. After all she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours, and she was concerned with my language?

“We speak many languages, including that of our people,” I answered, though her scowl persisted. “But whenyour kindinfestedthe seas, it was in our best interest to learn your language fluently.”

“I’d like to hear your language sometime,” she said, finally relaxing in her stance.

“You already have,” I said, letting out a chuckle. “Our language is our song, and I’ve sung to you plenty of times. It typically puts you to sleep.”

Her frown returned, though my answer seemed to satisfy her. She cocked her head towards the pool in the middle of the washroom, and I grinned as I knelt beside it, her small frame remaining a few strides away. Shoving my hands into the water, it only took about thirty seconds for steam to rise from the top, and I shook my hands dry as I stood.

“Before I go,” I said, drawing her attention back to me. “I’d like to apologize.”

“How kind of you,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and still refusing to move closer.