To Steal a Prince (24 page)

“The crown is safe because of you.” As if to prove his point, Damon sets it behind the steel door, spinning the combination knob. “What’s there to be sorry for? Except that we’re missing the ball…”

“But I also broke into your safe, even if it was for a stupid reason. I want to apologize for that, too. And I promise never to steal from you again.” I hang my head, too ashamed to meet his eyes. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

He holds out a hand. “Dance with me.”

We descend the spiral staircase arm in arm. By the time we reach the last landing, a crowd has formed. They must have wandered from the dance floor, curious to find out where the prince had gone. Some whisper behind their hands, while others openly point. I feel their eyes on me, but I forget them when I turn to look into Damon’s. His smile gives me a sense of calm.

“Are you ready?” he asks. “Now’s as good a time as any to introduce you.”

“All right,” I whisper.

We pause before the final set of stairs. Damon raises a hand, and the crowd quiets instantly.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to introduce Lady Grace Sparrow of California.”

Miraculously, I remember the correct curtsey to use. I sink down, holding one side of my skirt. Feeling brave, I tear my eyes away from the steps. What I see stuns me.

Below, the crowd is quiet. All the men are bowing, and all the women curtsey deeply to me. It feels like they’re welcoming me, accepting me into their ranks as one of their own. It’s most likely an ordinary gesture to them, but it fills me with warmth. Tears prick at my eyes, threatening to spill over.

I rise, and we descend the last of the stairs as the crowd applauds. With Damon’s arm to hold, I don’t stumble once. At the bottom, the crowd converges on us. Men want to kiss my hand, and women kiss my cheeks. It’s overwhelming, but in a good way. I’m not terrified of them anymore. I greet as many as I can, trying to put names to the multitude of faces.

“Please excuse us,” Damon says. “Grace owes me a dance.”

The crowd follows us into the ballroom. The dance floor is sparse, but a few couples are soldiering on. Among them is Gabe, along with the man in the purple mask.

He bows when he sees me, his purple tie fluttering. “Thank you for introducing me to Gabe, Lady Sparrow.”

I stare at him, openmouthed. “Rashad?”

He grins. “Who else, my lady? Your roommate is … very fiery.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Don’t pay any attention to her.” Gabe spins Rashad around him. “Let’s dance.”

He doesn’t need to suggest it twice. The couple leaps away, dancing to a song that no one else can hear.

The musicians begin a slow, sweet waltz. Couples form from the crowd, surging onto the dance floor. Damon takes my hand, leading me to the quiet center. Dancers give us a wide berth, letting us have our private patch of floor.

Moonlight shines through the windows, making the vines reflect silver. I look deep into Damon’s eyes as we leisurely revolve around each other. How could I have ever considered leaving this place? I’ve come to realize that the best place in the world is right here in his arms. I’ll never find anywhere better. There’s music and laughter and light all around, and pretty women in beautiful dresses, but he only has eyes for me. I could dance with him forever.

I stand on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “How’s this moment?”

He pulls me close for the sweetest kiss of my life.

15

I cling to Damon’s waist as the wind whips back my hair. He turns the wheel, and his sleek boat responds instantly. Sea spray flies up from the bow, reaching us as a light mist. I grin, reveling in the salty air. It feels like we’re flying.

“You don’t have to stay down here if you don’t want to,” Damon says. “There’s a saltwater pool on the top deck if you’d prefer.”

“Let me get this straight. You have a saltwater pool on your yacht?”

“Yes?”

“The yacht currently at sea, where you could jump over the side to swim in saltwater?”

“But the pool can turn into a hot tub.”

I shake my head. “I should have known.” Wrapping my arms more tightly around him, I let him know that I’m not leaving. After days of entertaining countless nobles, we finally have some time to ourselves. Damon even convinced Nic to stay behind for this venture, though I’m not sure how.

The prince shades his eyes against the sun’s glare. “We’re almost there. I’m glad the water’s calm today.”

We set out at sunrise, churning the glassy green water white in our wake. A pod of porpoises followed us for a while, hoping for a handout. They veered away when it became clear that we weren’t going to fish.

I’ve been pestering Damon all morning, but he won’t tell me where we’re going. Maybe he doesn’t realize that not everyone loves surprises as much as he does. It’s not like I’m expecting any grand romantic gestures, I just want to be mentally prepared in the event that he’s planning to pop over to Greece or something.

“Do you want to steer?” Damon asks.

I look at the wheel nervously. The prince has been going on and on about how great it is that his boat only requires one person to operate it, and that he can sail alone without any crew, but that means that there’s no one to rescue us if I crash into a sandbar.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re going in a straight line. Just keep this heading.” He puts my hands on the wheel, helping me guide the ship. Together we cut through the waves. We’re soaring, with nothing to stop us.

A knot forms in my stomach. As beautiful as the ball was, there’s still a lot that could stop us. Damon’s father still doesn’t approve of me, even though I saved the crown. Marc is still perfectly capable of causing trouble. Natalia disappeared before the last dance, but she hasn’t given up on snaring Damon. She’s just biding her time.

I twitch, jerking the wheel harder than I meant to.

“Whoa!” Damon lurches to one side. “Are you okay?”

I grip the wheel until my knuckles turn white, forcing myself to keep calm. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Relax, Grace. I’ll take the wheel.”

Damon puts his arms around me, but I feel like a failure. I can’t even keep the boat straight.

The prince rests his chin on my shoulder. “I was going to give you this later, but now’s as good a time as any.”

I whirl around as he holds up the alexandrite pendant.

“No loan this time. I want you to have it.”

How can he be this nice? I blush as he fastens it around my neck. “Thank you,” I whisper.

He kisses my cheek.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Damon nods, though he keeps his eyes on the horizon.

“What are we? I mean, I’m more than a friend to you, but what exactly does that make us?”

He stares into me with those warm hazel eyes, but seems reluctant to respond. Damon takes a breath as if to answer, then closes his mouth again. My heart sinks. Is the surprise that this is our final outing together? It looks like he’s calculating how best to soften the blow.

When he finally speaks, he asks something completely unexpected. “Can I tell you a story?”

I nod, though I have no idea where he’s going with this.

“It was the Age of Discovery. King Leo and Queen Arya were on the throne. The city was struggling then, its coffers drained from drawn-out wars with our neighbors. To refill the treasury, the monarchs sent a fleet to the New World for gold.”

“They were thieves then,” I interrupt.

“After a fashion.” Damon switches to steering one-handed so he can curl his free arm around me. “They believed they had God on their side.”

“How convenient.”

Ignoring me, Damon continues his story. “Their only son, Alexander, insisted on leading the fleet. They made it halfway across the ocean when they were blown off course. They didn’t know when they’d make landfall. Weeks passed without anything but waves in sight. Supplies dwindled. They were forced to hunt the ship’s rats. Eventually, some were desperate enough to drink saltwater, Alexander among them.

“The crew was a sorry sight by the time they washed ashore. They would have all perished if they hadn’t been found by a local tribe. Alexander was raving, mad with thirst. A native girl called Zuri nursed him back to health, refusing to let anyone else look after him.

“He fell in love with her, and that was that. As his men recovered, they found that the village was rich. The headman’s tent was filled with furs and golden figures. They wanted to sack the village and sail home.

“Alexander refused to let his men plunder. They tried to mutiny, and held a musket to the headman’s head. Alexander stepped in front of the weapon, telling them that they could never return home if they killed him. The men stood down. As a show of his thanks, the headman gave Alexander his daughter Zuri, and a large dowry. She took with her jewels, silver, precious stones. It was said that the ship groaned as they loaded the gold.

“They planned to marry when they returned to the city. Alexander tarried, stopping at every port on the way back. He wanted to show her his side of the world, and he loved watching her eyes light up at each new sight. He traded some of his own coins for items he thought she’d like.

“In Monaco, Alexander fell ill. The crew rushed him home, but he didn’t make it. Leo and Arya ordered the city painted black, so deep was the mourning for the loss of their only child.

“But all was not lost. Zuri was with child, and before long she bore them an heir, Alexander II. As for her lover, Zuri decided to lay him to rest in the way of her people. She made the ship his final place of rest, setting him out to sea with all the wealth she had to give him. It sunk off the coast, sooner than expected. It was said that he couldn’t bear to be too far from her, even in death. No one’s touched the treasure he’s buried with. Many claim that it’s cursed to anyone without Lion blood.”

I gaze out over the calm water. “So there’s a shipwreck full of treasure out here somewhere?”

Damon slows the ship. “Right below us, in fact.”

“You’re joking.”

“Would you like to see it?”

I stare at him. “That was rhetorical, right?”

He grins.

“Seriously, has anyone ever passed up the chance to see it?”

“I don’t know the last time it’s been visited. I haven’t been out here since I was a boy.” He deploys the anchor, and it splashes into the depths.

I peer over the side of the boat. “How far down is it?”

“Only about 15 meters, or 50 feet.”

“How are we going to get there? Can we just dive in?”

“The water’s colder down there.” Damon helps me wrestle into a wetsuit. “And you might need to hold your breath for a while. I’d recommend this mask.” He hands me a shield that fits over my mouth and nose.

“I prefer my sparrow feather mask.”

“This one has two hours of air, and you can talk to me over the com line.”

Pulling it snug to my face, I take a few breaths. “Yeah, this might be better for diving.”

“If you get into trouble, pull the ripcord on your wetsuit. A balloon will inflate and get you back to the surface.”

I watch as he zips up his wetsuit. “Do you think we’ll run into trouble?”

“You never know what can happen down there.”

As Damon goes over the last of the safety procedures, I realize that he neatly dodged my question to define our relationship. Apparently, all it took to distract me was the promise of shiny treasure. I’ll let him stall this time, but he’s going to have to answer eventually.

Damon drops over the side of the boat, and I follow. It’s so quiet down here in the calm green water. My hair rises in a cloud as I look around. I can see the bottom easily. It’s a little darker there, but the hulking ship’s skeleton is clearly visible. It lays on its side, looking like it’s napping. I feel a chill despite the warm water. Is the original Alexander still down there? I suppose he must be. I hope he found his peace.

The com crackles in my ear, startling me.

“They laid Zuri to rest beside him,” Damon says. “They’re in the captain’s quarters. When I went with Father, he said we weren’t to disturb them.”

In this case, I’m happy to obey the king’s wishes.

We swim toward the ship. It’s easy with the diving fins. Below, I see a sea turtle glide through the tattered remains of a sail. It pays us no mind, winging away to deeper waters. Damon stays right beside me as we descend. I can tell that the water has grown colder, but I’m snug inside the wetsuit.

“She’s a galleon,” Damon says, “the biggest we ever built. She was going to be the jewel of our navy.”

“She could use a bit of polishing.” The ship’s ribs valiantly hold together, though they can only do so much to protect the cavernous belly. A crab pops out of a hole in a plank, then scuttles back as our shadows pass. The wood that remains is mottled green, covered in all manner of barnacles.

Damon swims around the ship with me. At the bow, a figurehead still stands guard. The lion bares its teeth, slashing its scaled tail through the water. Circling, we come to the stern, where I can still make out ‘Wave Eater’ in gilded letters.

At last, we settle on the sand. A chunk of the ship’s steering wheel juts out of the seafloor, making it look like you could steer the sea. A shaft of light pierces the water, marking silver coins and cups. I nudge a chalice with my fin. It’s turned green after centuries of salt.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Damon asks.

Looking carefully, I almost see it his way. Stripped to its essence, the ship has a certain elegance. And there is beauty in its architecture, though little remains but bare beams. It is amazing that Damon can link himself to a ship that’s been sitting at the bottom of the sea for five hundred years. I think about Zuri, and the love she must have felt for Alexander to give him this monument, and all her material possessions. I move closer to Damon, and twine my fingers in his.

“She is beautiful,” I say softly.

“I’m glad you like it. I dream about this place sometimes. I’ve had a vision in my mind of what I wanted to do here, ever since I was young.”

“What’s that?”

Damon kneels on the sand to retrieve something small and silver. “I saw this the last time I was here. I want you to have it, if you’ll accept it.” He holds it up, still kneeling.