Page 46 of The Kraken Bride

Deep breath in. “Very well.” I pushed through the doors, entering the second antechamber with my most graceful glide.

Gunnar entered after me and handed over the music box. Then he left me alone with the king, who stood behind a table, armored in command. Dark leathers, a metal crown settled on his brow as if it had grown there.

My pulse spiked.

“You’re late,” he said, rolling up a map. Then his gaze lifted and traveled slowly over me. He blinked. For one unguarded beat, something hot and unreadable crossed his expression, incinerating everything else. “You’re forgiven.”

I bloomed with delight and performed an elegant pirouette. “Thank you, kind sir.”

A wry curl of his mouth. “I don’t think anyone has ever called me kind.”

“Probably because they’ve not been on the receiving end of your almost smiles.” He looked so at home here. Maps of his territory covered the walls along with aged sea charts, and the air smelled of saltwater mixed with ink, and him, midnight rain and molten amber.

He did it, almost smiled, then crooked his finger at me. “Today, we will attend the Court of Current. I’ll settle disputes and receive gifts and show the world why you are my consort.”

“Ah.” I arched a brow as I approached. “You’ll flip your switch and smolder at me.”

“Every pressure valve requires release.”

What did that mean exactly? He hadn’t been turning off his smolder but allowing it to go free?

Oh, sweet stars. I didn’t know what to think about that.

He motioned to my most prized possession, held protectively in my clasp. “And what do we have here?”

“My music box.” I ran my fingers over the wooden edge. The piece looked both out of place and perfect at the same time. Delicate silver filigree curled around every side like dragon fire caught in motion. “My mother gave it to me after my first week of ballet class, and I informed the entire dragon court I intended to dance for the rest of my life.”

With a chuckle, he lifted the lid. A tiny ballerina rose onto a pointe, her crystal skirts catching the light as she began a slow, graceful turn. The opening strains of Swan Lake drifted into the air, soft and wistful.

“As a little girl, I would imagine Odette wasn’t a swan at all, but a dragon princess hiding her wings until the moment she chose to fly.”

He listened, fully engaged with me. “That fanciful little girl grew up to do just that.”

She did indeed. “I wondered if, while I’m here, we might display it for others to enjoy. A reminder that kingdoms aren’t built only to wage wars, but to give people something beautiful to come home to.”

His features softened. “I know the perfect spot. May I?” he asked, reaching for the box.

“Please.”

Steps careful, he carried the box to the door and summoned a servant. He murmured instructions before handing the piece off with a coldly stated, “Guard this with your life.”

I winced at the tone, but I also maybe, kinda, sorta applauded his effort to keep my prize safe. But where was the perfect place? Curiosity clawed at me.

He faced me once more and dropped his chin, serious again. “Tonight is the convergence ball.”

Right. “Is it held here? Because I’ve seen no rushed decorating. Heard no frantic whispers.”

“It is here. The ball opens the convergence rites. Three nights of the court gathered above, while below, the tides climb toward alignment. When the third night turns, the rune wakes,” he responded, oh so reasonable. “I have prepared for this convergence for years. Everything is in place.”

“If I accidentally break any of Mr. Thorson’s rules, I expect you to take the heat.” I could be grace under fire when necessary, sometimes literally, but I now navigated the unfamiliar waters of krakenkind.

He held up his hands, palms out. “If you anger Mr. Thorson, you’re on your own.”

I snorted, and we both went still, staring wide-eyed at the other.

A crooked grin lifted the corners of his mouth. He tsked. “So undignified, princess.”

Heat painted my cheeks. “Ja. Well.” I walked around him to the papers he’d been studying when I entered. More maps. “Working on your war, are we?”