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“Lucky last,” said Blade, beckoning me with a little wave of his fingers.
I rolled my eyes. He was definitely too brazen for my liking.
When I stepped forward to collect my clothes, I accidentally tripped on something and fell to my knees. My hands flew out to cushion my fall. But instead of hitting the ground, they found Blade’s thighs.
Damn. Well, this is awkward.
There I was, crouched between his legs, my face in his crotch, looking like a two-bit floozy.
He chuckled and said, “We can get acquainted later tonight if you’d like.”
Mortified, I burned hotter than the sea witch’s cauldron.
Poseidon,I was making myself look like such an idiot today! Gill, Fin, and Nemo must have thought I was such a spoiled fool. Cooped up in the palace, having my hair and nails done, my skin exfoliated with coral, servants waiting on me all day. It wasn’t like that at all. Maybe for my sisters. Not me. I never wanted to be pampered brats like they were.
Nemo rescued me, and he wobbled as he lifted me to my feet.
“Thanks,” I said, flicking hair from my face and snatching the clothes from Blade’s waiting arms, then stalking behind the wagon to put them on.
Shellfish. Trust me to do something embarrassing in front of another handsome male. What was wrong with me? Why did they always turn me to mush?
Blade had selected a plum silk bodice with leather braids, a white chemise with long sleeves, and a mustard-colored skirt. To my surprise, each item fit perfectly. I huffed. Clearly, he wasn’t lying when he said he ate beauties like me. No doubt, he had stripped many a dress off a young woman. Either that, or he’d memorized my measurements while leering at me.
When I returned to the group, their conversation ceased, and they all panned me up and down. Even Gill, who normally ignored me, gaped at me.
Fin smiled. “You look beautiful, Princess.”
Nemo thumped him in the chest.
Fin groaned. Normally, a blow like that probably wouldn’t hurt. But when his skin and scales were tender, it would have hurt like a mother fish.
“As your commanding officer,” Fin said, gritting his teeth, “I order you not to do that again.”
Nemo smiled like a pleased shark.
“Listen,” said Blade. “I’d love to stick around and share a rum with you all. Maybe get the princess drunk. But I’ve got a date.”
Scoundrel! Checking me out and flirting with me, all the while knowing he had plans with another female later.
“Can I get you a few horses to carry you back to the sea?” Blade asked.
I doubted my merfolk would get far in their current state…not without some kind of transportation. I met the assassin’s questioning gaze. He may be a womanizer, but at least he had some manners, and that redeemed him one bar in my eyes. But he still hovered on the same level as grumpy Gill.
“Please,” I replied. “My men need water. They won’t get far without a horse.”
“Let me get you a wagon and horses, Highness,” he said with a wink before he disappeared amid the train of wagons.
“And our weapons,” Gill called after the assassin. “And a little rum, too.”
Blade glanced back, and he and Gill shared a knowing smile. I wondered what it meant. A joke between them, perhaps.
“How far is the ocean?” I asked my mermen.
“A day’s ride at best,” said Fin.
Damn. That was too long. We needed to search out a body of water for them to lift their energy levels to make the journey back to the sea.
Blade soon returned atop a wagon drawn by two horses, stopping it nearby.
