The Sea-Ogre's Eager Bride

Ranan grabs my chin, our eyes meeting. “I swear it by Lord Vor and all the gods in the heavens.”

“That might not be many of them, given that there’s an Anticipation going on,” I tease, pulling free from his grip.

“You know what I mean,” he all but growls at me.

“I do.” I reach up and tap a finger on his nose, because when I’m comfortable, I like to be playful with my partner, and I want to see how he responds. He recoils in shock, rubbing the tip of his nose. “Very well then, I shall believe you. I will tell you no if I don’t feel like kissing you or touching you. And you should tell me no if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, like me touching your nose.”

He continues to rub the end of his nose, his face drawn in lines of disapproval. “I am not uncomfortable.”

I want to laugh because his words say one thing and his expression another. I am going to have to go by his words, then, and assume that Ranan’s scowls are just normal for him and not to be taken that he is in a poor mood. I reach for him again. “So I can tap your nose as much as I want?”

He snags my hand before I can do so. “I did not say that.”

There’s a teasing note in his voice that I like. It makes me a little bolder. “I know right now, I’m not at my best, but I would like to kiss you at some point. Just so we can see what it is like between us. It will be a strange marriage if we have no spark, after all.”

“And do you think that will happen? That there will be no spark?”

I give him a sly smile. “No. I’m good at making sparks.”

His ears go back against his head again, and I wonder if that’s the Ranan version of a blush. “I would like to kiss.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. I lean in close, full of curiosity and anticipation.

His gaze drops to my mouth again…and then he jumps to his feet. “Perhaps tomorrow we will try it,” he says, tone brusque. “After you have had a chance to rest and feel better. Explore the grotto. I will get some fish and make sure Akara is situated.”

Before I can say anything else, he dives into the pool and disappears, and I’m left surrounded by riches. I cross my arms over my chest and frown at the ripple he left. By all the gods, are all sea-ogres skittish or is it just this one? I wait for him to come back, to tell me that he changed his mind and he wants to kiss me now after all.

I wait for a long time.