Remiel (I refused to call him Remy) was forced to wait for a second boat to be ferried to the hidden ship. Our little dinghy barely looked as if it could support five people. A sixth was out of the question.

He settled on the sand next to the guides and chatted with them as we rowed out to sea, but there was no doubt he paid the men speaking only half a mind, his eyes tracking us as we bobbed on top of the water. Because of limited space, I sat wedged between Tievel's thighs, and while I would never use the word soft to describe any part of him, the tension in his body became a physical presence, turning his flesh to stone as he glared at Remiel.

"I don't like him," he said once we cleared the waves.

I leaned over the boat, transfixed by the clear water that would be smooth as glass if not for the wake of our boat. The black sand was nearly gone, replaced by icy white crystals twinkling in golden shafts of sunlight. It was a welcome distraction from what waited on the beach.

Yoko laughed. "That's because he's prettier than you."

"Oh, no," Astreia chimed in. "He's not pretty at all. That's what makes him so delicious. He's ruggedly handsome, and you look like a pretty little boy standing next to him."

"It's because he's a complication." His arms tightened around my waist and hauled me upright seconds before my fingertips dipped into the sea. "Morana, be careful. There are creatures below who will pull you overboard and feast on your flesh. Maiden is their favorite."

Wide eyed, I curled my fingers over my lap as Astreia bit back a girlish giggle. "Maiden is also a favorite of yours, so I've heard."

Ignoring her, I shoved an elbow into his stomach to loosen his hold—just enough that I could look over the side once more, my limbs remaining safely inside the boat. "But where would anything hide?"

Yoko tapped my knee and pointed to an area two feet away. "Watch."

I stared until my eyes burned, and when I was about to give up, a form took shape over the crystals. It reminded me of the way Tievel appeared whenever he was invisible—only the slight disturbance in the air was a clue he was lying in wait.

And now that I could see it, I couldn't unsee it, though it was likely the creature felt no need to hide itself. Limpid green eyes blinked up at us from a narrow, wan face as we passed. Its long, sinuous tail—the same milky shade as the crystals—flicked back and forth in irritation.

"Atargat," Yoko explained while baring her teeth at the atargat. Pale pink lips parted and peeled back, exposing dark fangs. Bubbles rose as it hissed, and after one more twitch of its fin, it settled back onto the seafloor and disappeared. "They actually do quite enjoy snacking on virgins."

"Of course they do," I said, sinking back into Tievel's embrace.

Dark thoughts chased one another, reminding me of how close I'd come to being relieved of that status. Not that I put much stock into the concept of purity. Though now I wondered if there was some physical change, if the atargats preferred someone with an intact maidenhead. Still, virgin or not, my body was mine to share with whomever I chose, not a commodity to be taken because it pleased a man to do so. I repeated that idea until it beat away some of the shame staining my heart.

Tievel swept the hair off my neck and purred against my ear. "I'd be happy to make the sea crossing safer for you."

The blatant meaning of his offer sent a blast of heat through me and pushed the worst of the grim thoughts to the corners of my mind. Again, I was relieved my body responded like this to his suggestion. It was even more pleasing that my earlier fears surrounding his perception of me as being too delicate for such advances were unfounded.

I laughed. Just days ago, I had admonished him for such forward behavior and now I was relieved by it.

"Is the thought amusing?" Tievel asked, nipping my ear and sliding his hand along my throat, forcing my chin up with his thumb and pointer finger so that I could look nowhere but directly into his sultry blue eyes. "Have you forgotten how you rode my hand in the tent?"

I had not but hearing him say it out loud was enough to make me squirm. Enough to make me forget we had an audience as his fingers bit into the tender flesh of my hips to quiet my movements while pinning me against him. Tension was not the only thing making his flesh hard.

"If laughter is what you want, I will deliver," he continued, lifting the hand on my waist and slipping his fingers into the band of my trousers. He did not wander further, but the light strokes below my belly button were enough to curl my toes. "But more importantly, I promise to never make you cry."

The sudden shift from seduction to serious had me twisting in my seat. Hooking one arm around his neck, I stroked his cheek with my free hand. He leaned into the touch and my heart swelled. Long ago, I'd worried I would not want another man the way I wanted the prince. He was beautiful and perfect and unmatched by any other.

Remiel's arrival proved this to be untrue, but it also revealed something far more important. Something I'd never questioned in my limited experiences. My bond with the prince went beyond the physical. It stretched across years of friendship and adventures together and would not fade even if he became deformed. It was his soul I loved.

"Do not make promises you can't keep," I replied. I could lay blame at his feet for most of my tears, and he would cause many more. Especially if Remiel had returned because he found the proof he needed to convince me to Sing.

"But..."

"Just promise to try to not make me cry," I teased. "I can appreciate the intention behind it, and I will promise to forgive you."

"Fair enough," he said, hunger returning to his expression as he kissed my palm.

"If the two of you are quite finished," Yoko interjected, drawing my attention back to our surroundings. "We are entering the cave."

The looming shadow cast by a cliff fell over us as our guide turned the boat toward a wall of vines and bright pink flowers. The muscles in his arms bunched as he rowed against the current, each oar dipping down and rising again in perfect harmony with the other. It was easy to see how those sailing by might miss the cavern's entrance, covered as it was by nature or design, but even knowing did not stop me from flinching as the boat's bow pressed through the curtain of plants.

Flickers of firelight broke up the consuming darkness in the cave. Tar torches attached to the wall stunk up the humid space, but they were effective. The boat turned, going around a bend, and then between one blink and the next, a massive ship appeared before us, her white sails blinding against the black.

I said nothing as we came alongside the ship, and someone tossed down a ladder. Tievel went up first and offered me help, his grip firm as he pulled me onto the deck. Once more, I was thankful for Yoko's insistence that I abandoned my skirts. The other two followed quickly, climbing as though they used rope ladders daily for fun.

Tievel asked me if I would be fine for a moment, and at my nod, he planted a searing kiss on my lips before striding across the deck in search of the captain. Yoko and Astreia hovered on either side, the shadows cast by the torchlight not enough to hide their disapproval and concern.

"What came over him?" Astreia asked. "That little display... while not unpleasant, seemed to come out of nowhere."

Yoko looked over her shoulder, and I followed her gaze. She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Did it though?"

Remiel boarded the ship, all traces of amusement and teasing gone from his striking face. Seeing him uncovered made me wonder how I had ever thought he possessed any boyishness, and I bristled beneath the intensity of his stare.

"Did you ladies enjoy your ride?" he asked the group, but just as he had when he introduced himself, he looked only at me.

"Some of us more than others," Astreia replied with a cheeky grin.

The tone of his reply was flat. "So I gathered."

"I did not realize you were following so close behind." The last I'd seen him, he'd been on the beach, but that had been before Yoko pointed out the atargat. And before the prince distracted me with carnal promises.

Astreia cleared her throat. "Come Yoko, let's go claim a cabin."

The soldier didn't argue. I turned to follow them, but Remiel caught my elbow and held me in place. Tievel, thankfully, remained occupied by the captain.

Snatching my arm free, I hissed at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I've never been on a ship." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He scanned the deck, focusing on the men busying themselves cleaning and preparing for sail, and I saw it. The sparkle that had been present during our first meeting. The adolescent inquisitiveness that made me believe he was younger.

Shaking off my wandering thoughts, I folded my arms over my chest. His attention snapped back to me. "You could have scheduled a pleasure cruise. I thought you were occupied with a certain task."

"Yes, we'll need to talk about that later. Alone," he said, his gaze gliding down my body and stopping on my legs. A crease formed between his brow, and when he dragged his eyes upward, the flecks in his irises gleamed like burnished gold. "This is a new look."

"It makes... travel easier."

I paused too long, and it was obvious Remiel connected the dots in the silence. "Did something happen while I was away?"

"The prince handled it. Don't worry yourself."

"You," he seethed, stepping into my personal space and raising his hands like he wanted to put them on my shoulders and shake me. "You are so fucking exasperating."

"Oh, you have no room to talk. In fact, the only thing I want to hear out of your mouth is what you found out. Other than that, we have nothing to say to one another. Tell me and then tell them you made a mistake. You won't need to travel with us after all."

"Bossy, too," Remiel growled. "But I'm afraid that you're going to be stuck with me for now."

A knot formed in my stomach, but before I could demand he explain what he meant by that, the ship shifted. Losing my balance, I pitched forward.

"Morana," Tievel called out from across the ship.

Hands flailing about, I latched onto the closest thing to stop my fall–Remiel. Ignoring the feel of his muscular arms under my hands, I used him to steady myself, only letting go when I was certain I could stand without assistance.

"I see pants haven't made you anymore graceful," he said, before Tievel reached me. He winked and walked away.

"I'm fine," I insisted, pushing Tievel away as he searched for injuries. Not that I didn't want him touching me. I felt foolish. Morana. Deathsinger. And damsel in distress. It didn't sit well with me. I couldn't even manage standing on a ship without help, and I made a mental note to find Yoko and resume our training as soon as possible.

"Did he push you?"

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

Tievel grimaced. "You were standing very close to one another when you fell. Do...do you know him?"

He ushered me below deck and down a dim hallway. The scent of seawater was not as pleasant down here as it was on the hilltop—more mildew and must than salt and sunshine. The walls had a damp sheen, and the boards creaked and groaned beneath our feet. Several lanterns hung from the walls, their single flames weak in the moist air. One extinguished in the slight breeze we created when we walked by, and a chill went down my spine.

I told myself it would be better once we were out of the cave and in the open seas, but in the darkness, I could taste the lie. This place was a floating tomb.

"Morana?"

I jumped. "What?"

We stopped in front of a door. Tievel's hand flattened against its surface, but he didn't open it. Instead, he pushed me against it and stared, penetrating me with his gaze as if the secrets I was keeping would be visible if only he could look deeply enough.

"I've never met him," I lied. "He's just friendly."

Remiel was exactly the complication Tievel thought he was, but I couldn't admit it to him. Not if I wanted to avoid an attempted murder.

"I think he wants to be more than friendly."

"Are you jealous?" I joked. I said it to shift the conversation away from the truth, but after the teasing game we played on the boat ride over, it was a match to a fuse. The prince exploded.

He shoved the door open, and this time it was he who caught me before I fell to the floor. Hands around my waist, he backed me into the room until my knees struck the bed. We remained upright, my legs angled between his as he lowered his mouth to mine. It was a gentle press, and a teasing of his tongue along the seam of my lips until they parted for him. Then, just a taste before he retreated, only to return and deepen the kiss. He devoured me, barely giving me space to breathe. It was as if he was trying to pour himself into me, binding his essence so tightly with mine that I would be marked as his.

He widened his legs and lowered me to the mattress, following close behind and placing a knee beside each of my thighs. His hands went on either side of my face, and I drew in a shaky breath, glancing between our bodies and finding evidence of just how much he wanted me.

"Morana," he whispered, his lips dancing down my neck, pausing over my fluttering pulse. He nipped and sucked, chuckling when I gasped and bucked beneath him, pressing my hot, soft center against his hardness.

"Tievel."

His name was a plea. I just didn't know what for. To stop. To continue. I was a whirl of conflicting emotions, and I knew whatever my choice was going to be, I had to make it quickly. Because we were poised over a precipice, and it would take nothing more than a nudge to push us over.

"Part of me wants to leave these ridiculous trousers on you. Rip a hole in the middle and watch you get off on my hand again." He cupped the space between my legs, and I tensed, expecting him to do just that. "But I also want to peel them down your perfect legs and kiss everywhere the fabric touched. And I do mean everywhere."

"Everywhere?" I bit back a moan as he ground the heel of his palm against my core.

"Everywhere," he repeated. "And then I'm going to replace my fingers with–"

The door crashed open, and Tievel fell over me with a curse, covering me from view although we were both fully clothed. I peeked over Tievel's head and groaned.

"Am I interrupting something?" Remiel asked, propping his elbow against the doorframe. The light from the lantern in our room was only strong enough to highlight the lower half of his face, revealing a tense grin. His eyes remained cloaked in shadows, though when he shifted from one foot to the other, I caught a flash of amber.

"If you don't get out of here, I am going to murder you," Tievel hissed through gritted teeth.

Remiel ignored the threat and entered the room. He tossed his bag on the floor beside the bed, and the mattress dipped beneath his weight as he hopped up beside me. I grabbed Tievel's arms to restrain him and pushed him to the opposite end. The only thing keeping the two men from tearing into one another was my fragile body.

"Did you get lost on the way to your cabin?" I demanded, wishing the heat of embarrassment would leave my face and praying he couldn't see the blush in the darkness.

"Nope."

Jamming my elbow into Tievel's throat when he tried to reach across, I tried again. "Perhaps you're confused. If you go speak to one of the crew, I'm sure he can direct you to your room."

Remiel laughed and patted the bedspread. "Looks like they overbooked. We'll be sharing a room."

"Like hell we will!" Tievel roared.

I could do nothing but splutter in shock and dismay. Tievel jumped to his feet and stormed toward the door, halting and spinning around with a crazed look in his eye.

"Do not lay a finger on her."

Wood splintered as the doorknob slammed into the wall. I scrambled off the bed and arranged my clothes and hair, attempting to regain some composure before I lit into the man behind me. Only every angry word fled when I whirled on him and found him lounging across the bed, his hands folded beneath his head as his lips peeled back in a wicked grin.

"One bed for the three of us. This is about to be very cozy indeed."