Page 57 of Break Out the Girl

We slice through the choppy coastal waters, the yacht and searching zodiacs far behind us. But also that magnificent sea snake—the image of crimson-stained water is burned into my brain.

Lil’ Hare is still fast asleep on my lap, curled into a cold, damp, protective bundle. Her skin is icy through the silk shift she wears.

Virgin white, trimmed with lace at the collar. A sacrifice. It turns my stomach.

“Tally, give me your shirt.”

He complies, quickly stripping and passing it back. I wrap it around Lil’ Hare and hope she gets as much comfort as I do for the warmth and scent of Taliesin that’s soaked into the fabric.

Beside me, London has his long arms around Pepper and Sheena. The two little girls are wrapped in London’s embroidered cardigan, silent and staring with glassy, hollow eyes that have seen far too much.

Basil is fucking amazing. He dressed little Ricky in my yellow raincoat, and now has him in a protective one-arm hug—the other hand is still clamped tightly around the handle of the harpoon gun.

I don’t think he’ll be giving his weapon up anytime soon.

“Tally,” I call out, trying to keep my voice confident and calm, but not doing a very good job of it. “Where are we headed?”

We can’t just cruise around the channel forever. We need to be off the water and get these kids somewhere warm and safe. Taliesin doesn't answer immediately, so balancing Lil’ Hare, I get to my feet and slide us both into the front beside him. His eyes are fixed forward, brow pinched tight in an anxious scowl. He taps his knuckles against the fuel gauge on the dash.

My heart skips.

Wump-ppp.

The needle is sitting firmly in the red, hovering just above an absolute zero.

“I’m heading straight to the shore, Princess,” Tally murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear him over the engines. “I’m really fucking hoping we’re not going to crap out before we reach it.”

Yep, that’s the only thing to do. “What do you think will be waiting for us?”

He glances my way. “I’ll try and find somewhere that looks unpopulated, but we might not have a choice.” Spinning the wheel slightly, he guides us to the dark outline of the coastal cliffs that are rising out of the mist. “I’m trying to track the scents, taking us away from fuel and industry smells.” He looks bleak, worried.

“That’s a good idea.” I put my free hand on his arm. “You’re doing your best, Tally. That’s all you can do.”

His jaw tightens. “And what if it’s not fucking enough?”

“It will be. I know you.” I say, wrapping my arms tighter around my charge.

I tell him I know him, and I think that’s the truth, but honestly, I’m not sure.

Growing up a Drakeward Princess meant living in a constant state of second-guessing, desperately trying to decode what people wanted from me. The only person who was an easy read—was my father. And that was only because his demands were so punishingly strict, so utterly absolute.

Everyone else was a riddle I couldn't solve.

Like when I was still stupid enough to think I could work my way into my mother’s frozen heart. It was Mother’s Day. I’d picked a massive bunch of flowers from the lower gardens.

When I’d presented them to her, all she saw was a small muddy footstep I’d left on the floor of her white bedroom carpet.

She’d screeched.

Father appeared.

Not allowing me to eat was one of the regular ways to keep me in check. I had forty-eight hours of hunger pains and humiliation to realize Mother would never love me. Approve of me.

Even like me.

Not that I really knew what love was. It wasn’t something I’d experienced.

Still haven’t. I think.