Her First

They searched for Innai in every place they dared to go to, but they didn't even find a body.

Serenica realized his last words to her had been ominously final in nature, so she wasn't all that worried. Whatever Innai had done, he had intended to do. He was a grown man. He could take care of himself.

The pirates ate sadly and drank merrily, as there was no one telling them not to.

Serenica didn't feel like participating. It would take a night and maybe even the next day to repair the ship. She wasn't needed for that. She could sleep.

She missed the Dreamer. When she thought of him, her heart bounced in a joyful flutter. Her belly was full of fireflies as she took out the obsidian from under her pillow.

She could hardly wait to fall asleep.

Those feelings didn't make for a fertile ground to sleep on, but the geberal exhaustion from negotiating and overeating took over and she gladly surrendered.

"Oh, good, you're here again," the prince said to her.

They were inside Serenica's old workspace in Neul. The walls were still painted with calm and light colors, but the furniture was gone.

"I can't stop thinking about you, my beloved enemy," the Dreamer said, gazing into her eyes intensely, his wild expression hungering to drill his mind into her head.

Serenica felt her entire body yield to his charm. She fully intended to do everything the old man had warned her about.

"You know what they say about you, don't you?" Serenica asked. "You're dangerous...unpredictable..."

"That's precisely why you like me," the prince shot back at her.

He was wearing Neulian fashion, again in purple and dark blue, and it suited him a lot better than it suited the fat merchants who usually dominated the style.

Serenica loved to see his skinny hands digging for a roll of tobacco, erupting from the flowing, loose sleeves in a magnificent display of slender fingers.

"Oh. I guess you want one as well."

He took more of the delicate rolling paper and pressed some tobacco onto it.

Serenica had never seen anyone roll a cigarette like that before.

The Dreamer put the paper close to his mouth and licked it in order to make it stick to itself. Then he made a motion with his fingers that forced the paper into a tight roll.

He handed the amazed healer a finished product, almost as neatly packed as Spade's cigars.

They shared a match. When it was put out, Serenica heard a hissing sound.

"What is that?" she asked.

"I wish I knew. This is your dream," the prince said.

Serenica remembered something important. The information about the king - the Dreamer might have heard of it, being a Lean despite his status as the black sheep. "What do you know about Guyl the Slack?"

The prince shook his head. "Really? You want me to give you everything?"

Serenica was disappointed. She tried her best to avoid showing it. Instead, she looked around to find the source of the strange noise.

A snake was coiled up in a corner, raising its ugly, horned head in a warning.

Serenica didn't budge. This was a dream. She could not be hurt by a dream snake.

"Are you absolutely insane?" the Dreamer asked, glaring at her. "That thing must be killed. It could be Kinley in disguise for all we know."

"Oh, now she knows how to enter my dreams?" Serenica shook her head.

"Granted, a snake can't comprehend much of what we have spoken, but she is powerful." The prince raised his other foot. He was wearing boots thick enough to provide a suitable match for any fangs. "She could have figured out my secret."

"If she is that powerful indeed, you must help me destroy her for good," Serenica said. "You want to chase me and meet me, don't you? Don't you want me, my prince?"

The Dreamer looked at her, expressionless, stripping the flesh off her face with his piercing gaze.

Serenica was overpowered.

She had never been this bold with her feelings. She didn't even know why his company felt so validating. Perhaps he was like a trophy to her, a luxury that she alone could enjoy, something that Kinley lacked access to. It was incredibly satisfying that the prince was giving Serenica so much attention.

The Dreamer jumped onto the snake, crushing it into a mashed mess of blood and muscle.

He turned back towards her.

"I do want you," he said. "There is a lot to be done before we meet, but consider this a promise. I will chase you. I will make you my prey. Are you sure you are prepared for that?"

"Are you sure you are prepared for me?" Serenica asked, tilting her head.

The prince looked deeper into hereyes than ever before. His lips curled up to form the slightest of smiles.

Serenica felt seen. She felt protected.

The Dreamer let his hand wander onto her neck.

She felt energy flowing between them, a wordless agreement forming, and she felt his heartbeat under his skin. It was just as uneven and frantic as her own.

He cupped her face with his hands and licked his lips.

"I could make you my trophy," he said.

The choice of words scared Serenica. She had no way of telling which of her thoughts were still private. She tried to repeat harmless words inside her mind, but all that she could manage was one image, one syllable over and over again.

Kiss, kiss, kiss.

"You want me to kiss you?" the prince asked.

Serenica was so close to asking him to do just that. She only had one thing preventing her from doing that.

She had never been kissed by someone she considered attractive. She had never kissed a man on the lips for the sake of love. Sure, Roinar had smothered her cheeks with his sleazy smooches that she had tolerated for the promise of a bottle or two, and she had saved Gadfly with the kiss of life, but an actual kiss was something she had never experienced.

She arched her back instinctively, pressing her breasts onto the slender body of her suitor.

Their lips were less than an inch apart from each other.

She closed her eyes, preparing for her first real kiss.