Page 42 of Unmoored

My heart skipped a beat, and every head in the room turned as the words left Hazel’s mouth.

“I was subject to all kinds of horrible treatments in that wretched place,” she said. “But I watched. I listened. I saw things and kept my mouth shut. Something odd is happening on that island, I’m sure of it. Staff in white coats wereeverywhere, but only a few interacted with us as patients. Tunnels and doorways filled the grounds and hallways, though plenty were locked and some led nowhere. We were only allowed to roam under supervision of our nurses, but mine was lenient.”

I raised a brow, listening intently as she spoke. Until now, she hadn’t told me many details about her time at Akala, and I was intrigued.

“I spent many nights on the beach, specifically at the end of the jetties that appear during low tide,” she continued. “Sometimes, when the moonlight shone at the right angle, I noticed an opening to a cave at the end of the longest jetty. For years I wanted to swim to it, as it wasn’t accessible by land, but I’d imagine it may lead deeper into the island. To the areas one cannot access from outside the hospital.”

“Emerson’s trade routes show routine stops there,” I offered. “So clearly there’s a port of some kind. It must be on the other side of the cliffs, which would explain why it wasn’t visible from the asylum.”

“He could be using a spell of sorts to disguise the ships, too,” Commander Adri offered.

“Well,” the Queen began, “your task ahead is clear.Make your way back to that dreadful island, and don’t come back without my son.”

We all nodded in acceptance, and the Queen dismissed herself. The rest of our day was spent drawing up maps and plans, and Hazel gave us a surprisingly vast amount of information. Her perceptiveness was almost unsettling, and I wondered how much knowledge she’d gleaned of the Talassi since I brought her to the Capital.

My heart ached at the thought of how I’d left her the day prior, but I couldn’t let those feelings take over. We still weren’t positive that she was not an enemy, and I had no idea what to do with a woman besides fuck her.

I’d slept with other Talassi in the past, and of course I’d enjoyed the experience, but it had always been a quick, emotionless chase for pleasure. Legends painted our kind as sensual beings, and it wasn’t untrue, but I didn’t consider myself to be skilled in that particular set of Talassian skills.

Never in my life had I experienced a pull this intense towards anyone.Let alone a woman who was bornhuman. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and by the time I brought Hazel back to her room, I was looking forward to returning to my little cottage and having a long, uninterrupted sleep.

28

HAZEL

Ididn’t know what it was about the Talassi and their incessant need to interrupt my sleep, but Cordelia showed up at my door early the next day. Or so I assumed it was early, considering how groggy I was when her loud banging woke me up.

The knock was a courtesy, I suppose, as by the time I rubbed the sleep from my eyes she was already inside my room, sitting at the table next to the door and tapping her foot impatiently.

“Congratulations,” Cordelia said dryly, her eyes tracking me as I rose from the bed.

“For what?” I asked.

“You’ve come quite far, Hazel,” she said. “If I’m being honest, I was not sure you’d ever be able to spend long periods of time under the surface, but you’ve proved me wrong. According to Draya and Maki, you used your gills for the duration of your trip.”

“Thank you,” I said, still a bit confused. While I hadn’tneeded their help to breathe, I hadn’t swam on my own, and Cordelia had to be aware of that.

“I think it’s time for us to work on your tail,” she said, answering my question before I could ask. “Or, at the very least, uncovering some fins”

“I’d like that,” I said, and for the first time in what felt like ages, I felt the corners of my mouth tip upwards into a grin.

We moved into the pool in my washroom, and I saw Cordelia shift into her Talassi form for the first time. Unsurprisingly, she was incredibly gorgeous, with midnight blue skin so deep that almost looked purple, and violet eyes that matched the small spikes protruding from her shoulders.

“What are these?” I asked, reaching to touch them. She allowed my fingers to graze the tips, grinning as I pricked the pad of my thumb.

“They’re for defense,” she said. “You should know that Talassi women are far more dangerous than Talassi men, my dear.”

That piqued my interest, and I lost myself in working with Cordelia for the next few days. She helped me produce fins on my hips, elbows, and ankles, which she said would allow for faster swimming and easier floating. With some extra coaxing, and a little bit of her pulling on my magic – which hurt terribly, I might add – we also revealed a small spike on each of my shoulders.

Cordelia said with more practice, I’d likely be able to form some down my spine as well, but that we needed to focus on my tail first.

In truth, I thought the tail was a lost cause, but I didn’t mind it. Shifting was difficult for me, and it used up a lot of energy. The merethoughtof having to put all that effort into a tail was exhausting. And if I’m being honest, a bit scary.

I hadn’t even known Talassi existed for the first twenty-five years of my life, and the idea of fully shifting into one was a bit too much for my brain and my body to handle. Being human wasn’t something I particularly liked or hated, but it was comfortable. My life had changed so drastically in such a short period of time, and I was fine with waiting for the tail to reveal itself when it was ready – if it even showed up at all.

When Cordelia left, I decided I’d rather die than spend another minute staring at the ceiling, so I slipped out of bed and padded into the long hallway, making my way to the wall of blue at the end. The Talassian Capital lay before me, shadows dancing over the volcanic structures. I’d never explored the city on my own before, and while I wasn’t exactly ready for a full expedition, I figured there couldn’t be any harm in a bit of floating around.

I launched myself into the water, pushing through the soreness to shift as much as I could. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea, considering how tired I was from working with Cordelia all day, but I didn’t care.