Page 99 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

I took her below deck to give the crew some room.

“Thanks for showing me that,” she said, standing on her toes to kiss me. “I liked it a lot.”

“Anytime, flower,” I said, kissing her again. And again. Until we were basically wrapped in each other in the middle of the hall.

A cleared throat had us each jumping back, like we’d been caught making out in primary school.

Anne was standing there, looking just as embarrassed. “Sorry,” she squeaked. “I just… couldn’t get around to the stairs.”

“It’s okay,” I said, slithering aside for her.

She went around us, but shot an excited smile at Sage before going up on deck herself.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “We’re just friends. It’s normal to be happy for your friends when they’re… happy.”

“Are you?” I asked. “Happy, I mean.”

She fell back into my arms. “Very.”

Good, that’s exactly what I wanted for her.

Happiness.

It felt like a new motivation to get this necklace off.

And an all new sort of dread.

I was confident Maralda could get this necklace off, but I wasn’t completely sure. She was the only magic user Tungesten really trusted. Though my stomach churned at the thought she couldn’t.

I shook my head. It would work out.

It had to.

Chapter 34

Adrian

Scorchcross was a fairly big port town, with an equal measure of fae, minotaurs, humans, and shifters. There were no other nagas, but that made sense. Most like me preferred the more arid climate of Yerev, and so did I for a time, until I realized there was a whole world out there to explore, and with a ship, it was all at my fingertips.

The Traveler’s Inn was a cute place, one we stopped in by chance after another visiting a cobbler. Like Pointet Harbor, Scorchcross was a large trade destination, so there were more than enough pubs to choose from.

It seemed we’d stumbled upon a relatively quiet one. Some of these places could be rowdy or crowded, but while this place had a good number of patrons, most of them were at their own tables, eating and keeping to themselves. There was a lute player in the corner, playing soft, tavern music that gave the whole place a comforting feeling.

Sage and I took up one of the tables to the side, neither of us eager to chat with others at the bar.

“I’ll go grab our drinks,” I said, kissing Sage quickly before hurrying off. In this instance, I’d really hoped she’d be too worn out to come out, but as always, she insisted on tagging along.

I told her it was too late in the day to start our journey, and it was true, but I also needed a bit of time to scope out our route. I remembered slithering through town and a few moments in the woods, but the whole path wasn’t clear, and I needed it to be.

So I decided to ask around, but didn’t want to worry Sage. I’d told her I had this handled, and I did. I would.

The bartender was a short but burly man, with red hair and fae ears sticking out on either side of his head. “Can I get ya something?” he asked, his accent thicker than the fae I’d met in central Quvill.

“An ale and…” I looked down at the list, looking for a sweet white. “A glass of the Cherryblooms please.”

“Got it.”