The Kiss That Saved Me (The Tidal Kiss Trilogy Book 2) by Kristy Nicolle Read Free Book Online Page B

bruise on the side of his face. I cringe.
    “That looks painful,” I say reaching up to touch, trying to take on the caring maternal role everyone expects of me. He brushes my hand sideways like it’s dangerous with a curious look in the grassy pastures that lay in green behind the surface of his eyes.
    “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he mutters, looking angrier that I’ve mentioned it.
    “Did Orion find you? I told him to apologise.” Saturnus shakes his head in response and I curse internally.  
    Dammit Orion, do I have to take responsibility for everything around here!  
    “I’m sorry. I know he is too. He’s just busy I guess.” I make the excuse but I hear how unconvinced I sound.
    “I don’t need you to apologise. You didn’t do anything wrong and you are a woman. You do not speak for Orion.” I watch his expression and I can see that he’s deadly serious. Since when did being a woman become such a damn ball and chain around here? He didn’t mind me being a woman when he asked me to die to save his sorry ass. I become irritated and he just looks bored.
    “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he asks me and I am instantly transported back to a duck egg blue kitchen. My step-father asking me the very same question, a similar feeling of absurd offence taking over me. I swallow hard and feel my mind clear with a certain and sudden tranquillity.
    “Yes. I’ll be going to meet the mermaids for the pre-coronation preparations now,” I say to him and he nods. I’m glad he won’t be there tonight. I’m glad he has to stay in this stupid palace. Rat bastard. I cuss at his back as he moves away from me with a slight, and now I’m sure entirely fake, smile. I descend further through the palace and see Azure skulking in the hall again.
    “There are mermaids outside looking for you,” she says wistfully. Her eyes are diluted again and I brush past her, not wanting to deal with any more insanity.
    “Thanks, I’ll see you later,” I mutter and she skulks away with a distracted nod. I knock on the jade crystal of the doors lightly and they swing open. I’m greeted by something like a scene out of a Greek Musical, plus of course the tailfins, as the doors swing open and mermaids move forward in a flurry of dreamy pastels.  
    I move outward, sighing internally.  
    Great… more people.
    I’m not an introvert by any standard but I feel momentarily claustrophobic by the amount of sparkling gemstone eyes staring at me.
    “Hey guys,” I mumble and they all come forward at once. A babbling, rambling, overly-excitable mess of mermaids headed right for me like a gossip seeking missile. It’s hardly surprising they’re so excited, the coronation is the kind of event that’s only ever happened once before, and they didn’t even have curling irons back then. I can’t understand what they’re saying so I put up a hand and they silence instantly. Putty in my hands.
    “Whoa! One at a time!” I exclaim and a girl named Alannah starts back up with her babble. She has ink black hair and pale green eyes. Her tail is mint green with splashes of coral and baby pink on the tips of her fins.  
    “Orion left you a gift.” She is moving up and down in tiny hop like movements. I remember her from before but I don’t ever think I’ve really talked to her in depth. I think she kept asking me about Orion’s courting skills.  
    The mermaids move back, there’s around thirty of them in total and they disperse haphazardly around me, rounding on me, so they’re at my back in force pushing me forward. Standing, puffing, and padding from hoof to hoof at the end of the palace garden’s path stands Philippe. I sigh inwardly at the magnificence of the Equinox, standing with leathery-scaled wings and eye scale blinkers in royal blue. I knew this was Orion’s way of keeping me safe, being here when he could not physically be. I smile to myself, giddy.
    “Philippe,” I whisper the animals name like a magic spell and I