what had happened, her self-esteem crushed. Bubbles made their way up to the ceiling from his backside vent, bathing her with a fowl stench she could taste on her tongue.
He started snoring again and the creatures on the walls mocked her disgracefully again. Then, from out of nowhere, his tail whipped around and wacked her in the backside, nicking her with his poisonous barb. Like a car without breaks, her body careened sideways through the water toward the leviathan on the door. She squealed and held her hands out, bracing for the impact.
As she stopped herself from narrowly missing the monster’s teeth, fire spread down her tail and ignited her fin on the inside. She whimpered, withholding her sobs, and rubbed out the burn. She glared at Azor. He’d slept through everything. Cursing under her breath, she took the hint and pulled at the water with her hands, dragging her dysfunctional tail out the door, never feeling more humiliated in her life.
6
: : :
Priorities
Tatiana rolled over and opened her eyes at the murmurs coming from the first floor. Her ratty dress floated above her like a ghost, minus the gem-covered overlay that was resting on the floor. Pain from her dorsal fin flared once again.
“Holy crawfish.” She reached for her aching appendage and had prompt flashbacks from the night prior. Did Azor even remember what happened?
On her mental checklist of things never to do while trying to seduce Azor, WEAR TULLE was listed on top. What a sack of sea slugs . But he did like Grandma’s shell encrusted bra I wore at the top-secret meeting. Imagining the jangling top activated the synapses of her brain. Maybe a secret dinner for two, in a secluded place where Azor could get his mind off of work—without eyes and ears invading their privacy, was the key. And chocolate covered strawberries. She tapped her lips with her finger. Where would she find those in Natatoria? Maybe Sandy could help or she could pull some strings with her old buddy Dorian.
Then, after Azor’s appetite was sated for both food and other things, she could promise to cook food like that for him all the time and serve him topless—with an air bubble installed, of course. She could read and write, not to mention paint. Sea stars, at the thought of cooking, her untransformed human toes curled. He’d love her forever just for her pancakes.
The creak of the iron door made her heart hiccup. She looked up, hoping Azor had come to apologize, and bit her lip so she wouldn’t spill the crabs about the magnificent dinner she’d planned.
“Princess?” Xirene asked before she entered the room.
At her voice, Tatiana’s hope deflated.
“Yes, come in,” she said with a huge sigh, then remembered she still wore the tulle bow across her chest. She swam up, snagged the dress, and held it over her homemade lingerie.
“Breakfast.” Xirene carried in a plate of food and set it on the bed, the same tray Tatiana had used the night prior. Her stomach soured at the embarrassing memory.
“You didn’t have to. I could have come down.” She turned her back to Xirene and shimmied into the dress, reminding herself to pick up more clothing today.
“The morning has been busy with the planning meetings. I assumed you didn’t want to eat with all the guards wandering about, since you slept late.” Xirene swam over and helped fasten the buttons on her dress.
Slept late? She glared at the dim lighting outside, angered she had no way to tell the day or time.
Xirene continued. “Can I bring you something to do today? Sewing, perhaps?”
Tatiana pouted before she popped a fresh blueberry into her mouth. Cooking, yes, hand sewing, no way. She remembered the disastrous vest she’d made for Azor for the festival—partly because she’d tried to make it ugly—and suppressed a smile.
“What are the big plans?”
“Oh… the guards are reattaching the crystal ball and rebuilding the shark fence,” Xirene said, flitting around the room as if to
He started snoring again and the creatures on the walls mocked her disgracefully again. Then, from out of nowhere, his tail whipped around and wacked her in the backside, nicking her with his poisonous barb. Like a car without breaks, her body careened sideways through the water toward the leviathan on the door. She squealed and held her hands out, bracing for the impact.
As she stopped herself from narrowly missing the monster’s teeth, fire spread down her tail and ignited her fin on the inside. She whimpered, withholding her sobs, and rubbed out the burn. She glared at Azor. He’d slept through everything. Cursing under her breath, she took the hint and pulled at the water with her hands, dragging her dysfunctional tail out the door, never feeling more humiliated in her life.
6
: : :
Priorities
Tatiana rolled over and opened her eyes at the murmurs coming from the first floor. Her ratty dress floated above her like a ghost, minus the gem-covered overlay that was resting on the floor. Pain from her dorsal fin flared once again.
“Holy crawfish.” She reached for her aching appendage and had prompt flashbacks from the night prior. Did Azor even remember what happened?
On her mental checklist of things never to do while trying to seduce Azor, WEAR TULLE was listed on top. What a sack of sea slugs . But he did like Grandma’s shell encrusted bra I wore at the top-secret meeting. Imagining the jangling top activated the synapses of her brain. Maybe a secret dinner for two, in a secluded place where Azor could get his mind off of work—without eyes and ears invading their privacy, was the key. And chocolate covered strawberries. She tapped her lips with her finger. Where would she find those in Natatoria? Maybe Sandy could help or she could pull some strings with her old buddy Dorian.
Then, after Azor’s appetite was sated for both food and other things, she could promise to cook food like that for him all the time and serve him topless—with an air bubble installed, of course. She could read and write, not to mention paint. Sea stars, at the thought of cooking, her untransformed human toes curled. He’d love her forever just for her pancakes.
The creak of the iron door made her heart hiccup. She looked up, hoping Azor had come to apologize, and bit her lip so she wouldn’t spill the crabs about the magnificent dinner she’d planned.
“Princess?” Xirene asked before she entered the room.
At her voice, Tatiana’s hope deflated.
“Yes, come in,” she said with a huge sigh, then remembered she still wore the tulle bow across her chest. She swam up, snagged the dress, and held it over her homemade lingerie.
“Breakfast.” Xirene carried in a plate of food and set it on the bed, the same tray Tatiana had used the night prior. Her stomach soured at the embarrassing memory.
“You didn’t have to. I could have come down.” She turned her back to Xirene and shimmied into the dress, reminding herself to pick up more clothing today.
“The morning has been busy with the planning meetings. I assumed you didn’t want to eat with all the guards wandering about, since you slept late.” Xirene swam over and helped fasten the buttons on her dress.
Slept late? She glared at the dim lighting outside, angered she had no way to tell the day or time.
Xirene continued. “Can I bring you something to do today? Sewing, perhaps?”
Tatiana pouted before she popped a fresh blueberry into her mouth. Cooking, yes, hand sewing, no way. She remembered the disastrous vest she’d made for Azor for the festival—partly because she’d tried to make it ugly—and suppressed a smile.
“What are the big plans?”
“Oh… the guards are reattaching the crystal ball and rebuilding the shark fence,” Xirene said, flitting around the room as if to
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