Ezra growled in the bond. :Fuck no. I ain’t swimming into the fucking gulf.:
Sekh laughed. “Put the winged Blood up in the air and fly them out. The rest of us can ride a boat alongside the kraken. Get the attention on you, and then ride off into the waves. That’ll definitely cause a stir.”
“Ninety-eight percent on making the news.” Carys laughed, shaking her head. “Especially if the humans think you’re cosplaying or filming a movie.”
“And if we get to Undina, what’s the probability the other two Skolos queens will agree to come to the table?” I asked.
Carys’ head tipped to the side. “Sixty-six percent.”
“Two against one again.” I blew out a sigh. “And one of those queens wants me dead. Any other ideas we can run by Carys?”
“I hate this plan,” Rik said, his voice rumbling with the weight of an avalanche. “But I agree it’s better than sitting around waiting.”
“I’d feel better if Xin could also reach us in time.” I checked his bond, but he was still hours away from the other queens. “Is there a pool at the Galveston house?”
Typing rapidly on the tablet, Gina raised her head. “Yes.”
“Can you show me a picture of what it looks like?”
“Of course. Let’s see…” She flipped through several albums on the tablet and then loaded a picture onto the larger screen. “It’s not a large pool by any means.”
The picture showed a round pool with crystalline blue waters set inside a curved wooden deck. A ring of dark red tiles lined the pool, with an arc of steps in the same tile swirling across one third of the pool. Almost like a yin-yang symbol—only in blue water and red tile.
I touched Xin’s bond. :Head to the coast. When I pass through the portal to Galveston, I’m going to try and pull you through to me.:
He immediately turned toward the coast, his muzzle tipped up in a howl of pure joy of being reunited with me quicker. No questions. No doubt in my ability to accomplish such a feat.
“Nevarre, how long do you need to get me ready for presentation to Skolos?”
“An hour should be plenty of time, my queen.”
Given all this hair, an hour didn’t seem like much time but I didn’t question him. “Anyone who wants to come to Galveston with House Isador—and doesn’t mind going for a swim to get there—meet me at the pool house in an hour.”
“Anyone?” Magnum asked.
“Yes. You’re welcome to come with us.”
She curtsied and rushed to the door. “By your leave, I need to make some arrangements first, but yes. I’d love to accompany you, Your Majesty, so I can personally ensure the Galveston staff is up to your expectations.”
“We’re going to need a boat,” I said.
Gina flipped another picture up to the screen of a gleaming white and red yacht. “Already ordered, my queen.”
“Ours? Or a rental?”
She rolled her eyes and zoomed in on the picture to show the name of the boat emblazoned on the stern. Bloodsport in a silver raised cursive script, with House Isador underneath in a simple black font.
“Do I even want to know how many boats we have?”
Her lips quirked. “That depends on how many major coastal cities you can name, my queen.”
42
SHARA
I stared at myself in the full-length mirror and blushed beet red. “Are you sure about this?”
While technically the most pertinent parts of my body were covered, the gown left very little to the imagination since it was made in a light see-through white lace. The halter neckline left my back completely bare except for a tiny bikini string. Not that anyone would be able to tell with my unbound hair flowing around me like a full-length cape. It honestly looked more like a swimsuit coverup than a formal court gown, though it did a horrible job of covering anything.