Chapter 21

I dropped Naial back at the beach a few hours later—once she'd had her fill of Gingersnaps and gossiping about the not-so-secret secret relationships within the castle.

Naial had kept pestering me about Conall, but all I gave her was that Conall was a human and someone really special to me. She must have sensed how serious I was since she did eventually drop it.

"We all miss you, even Core. You know she loves you," Naial said, wrapping her arms around my middle. I rested my chin on the top of her head and returned the tight hug.

"I think she just misses bossing me around," I muttered, and Naial giggled. "Back at you, sis. Don't let Core get to you. She's probably taking her stress out on you, which totally isn't fair to you, but all I'm saying is try not to hold a grudge for too long, for both your sakes."

Corelyn had texted Naial no less than twenty times while we were at the bakery, asking her where she was, if she was safe, and to come home. It wasn't an apology, but it was the closest to one our future leader would give.

Naial took a step back and sighed. "I just worry about her, you know? I don't think she's doing well."

"Are negotiations not going smoothly?"

There had been talks of an arranged marriage between Corelyn and one of the humpback whale shifter princes. Our kingdom's population had been low to begin with, and with fewer whales finding their fated mates, leading to lower birth rates in recent years, Mom and Corelyn feared for our kingdom's future and safety.

While the humpback whale shifters had a smaller population than ours, their long migration distances meant they had pockets of influence all over the world, and Corelyn thought that influence would be very useful for our people.

Naial shrugged. "They were talking about having the wedding at the end of the year, but Corelyn isn't happy at all. She pretends to be, but I know her. I dunno. I just hate that she has to sacrifice herself for us. I hope she gets the chance to find love. I told her that too and she just won't listen to me." She sighed again before admitting, "It's the reason we got into a fight, actually."

Naial was still single, but she was a huge romantic. I used to not understand her obsession with love, but it finally became clear after I met Conall.

Love was a beautiful thing. It was addicting, like the feeling of drifting through the dark ocean and wanting to get closer to the beautiful sparkles the sun cast into the water, and the contentment that washed over you once the sun's heat hit your skin. It was beautiful, and it saddened me that Corelyn would never have the chance to experience it if this marriage went through.

Sure, there was the possibility of her falling in love with this prince, but I heard he was a sleazy playboy with a worse track record than mine. They were the exact traits she disliked, but she would still marry him.

Dyna married her childhood sweetheart a few years back. They didn't have any children yet, but they hoped to have good news soon. And I knew Corelyn was doing this for her nieces and nephews and all the future children in our kingdom. She might have cast aside romantic love, but she chose her love for our people. It was another reason I could never hate her.

For all her prickliness toward us, everything she did was because of love, and she wasn't afraid of sacrificing her own happiness for those she loved.

I kept a lookout while Naial transferred her items into her storage ring and dived into the water. She popped out of the water and waved goodbye before disappearing into the ocean.

As soon as she was out of sight, I went running back to my car. The urge to see Conall was too strong to resist now. Thinking about how Corelyn was heading into a marriage with a man she might hate, I felt so grateful that I had a chance to be with Conall.

We were still new and there were sure to be countless obstacles for us to overcome—hell, I knew Mom and Corelyn would have an aneurysm to find that I was dating a land-dweller—but I was so fucking fortunate to have the opportunity to overcome them with him.

If he was willing.

I hoped to goddess he was willing, and I would do everything to show him that I was worth fighting for too.

My body moved on autopilot, driving toward the circus before I could even process what was happening. There were still thirty minutes before we'd planned to meet up, but I would wait outside his RV if he wasn't back yet. I needed to feel him around.

The guest parking lot was empty when I arrived, which was a given, considering the circus was closed to visitors, but I hoped I was given entry. When I retraced my steps back to where Conall's RV was parked, I came across Farren. He was probably doing his rounds as the security for the circus.

My first thought was shock that he was actually walking. His movements were stiff, sure, but he really was moving and not a statue. My second thought was that he was going to kick me out for trespassing.

To my surprise, the man's stony eyes fell on me for half a beat before moving on and continuing his rounds. I wondered if Conall told him I was one of his guests, and that had me rushing again.

I knocked on his door, not really expecting him to be back yet, but just in case he was. Luckily for me, the door opened and Conall was right there in front of me.

"Tidun?"

He was confused and surprised when he first saw me, but that quickly turned to happiness. I pulled him into my arms and crashed our mouths together. The desire was there—it would always be there with him—but this was more about feeling the comfort of him.

"Now that's what I call a warm welcome," he said with a laugh when we finally broke apart. "Miss me?"

I knew he was teasing, but I really had. It had only been a morning, but I'd already missed him. "I did," I said honestly. He wore a blue turtleneck that complemented his eyes. Heat traveled south as I imagined the kiss marks I'd left on his neck that were currently covered up by the fabric.

Conall's eyes softened as he jumped into my arms. "I missed you too."

I held him firmly, as his arms and legs wrapped around me. "I feel like this is turning into a habit."

Ha laughed and eyed me. "Is that a problem?"

I also broke out into a grin. "Having an armful of Conall? That's what I call the opposite of a problem. How was hanging out with Aisha?"

"It was fun! We got breakfast—well, more like I had breakfast while she watched—then hung out at the park for a while. I drew for a bit while Aisha finished crocheting the crop top she's been working on."

He looked so happy talking about his day with his friend. It was obvious how important Aisha was to him. And I hated the worry that washed over his face as he said, "Don't worry! I made sure to talk you up to her. She'll be on our side before you know it!"

He was smiling, trying to hide how much this was affecting him, but it couldn't have been easy being in between your lover and your best friend.

I pressed a soft kiss to his eyebrow. "I'll prove to her that we're good together, that we make sense. And I won't stop until she understands."

This might be one of our first obstacles, but if I got to see the gentle look he gave me many more times in the future? It was completely worth it.

"I was thinking it's because Ai doesn't know you yet, so she's weary of you. I'm sure she'll love you if you two spend some more time together, so what do you think about having lunch with her in the mess tent?"

I didn't know what this ‘mess tent' was, but if it was a place Conall wanted to go to, it was a no-brainer, so I nodded.

Conall was a bit hesitant before saying, "My parents are out on an errand this afternoon, but the others will be there. And once they see us together, word is going to get around that I'm dating you. Everyone's gonna know."

Everyone knowing Conall was mine? I didn't know why he was worried I'd object, because nothing in the world sounded better than that.

I stole another kiss and whispered, "We'd better hurry then."