Gin dragged Ria by the wrist, turning away any tiny etiquette he knew to treat a lady.

She's the princess?! Does the captain know? Does Enzo know? Is this why the Acantians are now after her?

Why did Migal agree to leave without her?

The questions came in a muddied mass in his mind, but one thing was for sure: Acante had just turned more dangerous for them--for Ria. They needed to get out.

They proceeded with haste through alleyways, ducking to hide every time they came across someone--anyone, even a little girl carrying a jar of water from a well.

"Gin," Ria kept pulling back and calling his name, tugging at his hold.

But he needed to get her out fast and didn't stop. The little discomfort was a needed sacrifice.

She was in danger. The princess was in danger!

Why would Captain Zalez allow this? Yes, twenty-five thousand pridas was a lot of money, but Ria was worth more. If anyone found out about her, she would be taken and sold like a slave or held for ransom. Was that what Enzo wanted to do?

A bile crawled up his throat as he remembered what Enzo said about the princess being bred to make more of her kind. Apart from being adopted under the care of the late king and as the brother of the Draga Isle's current ruler, she was the only living psychesi from the Marena tribe. That was worth more than all the pridas in the kingdom.

At that thought, chills crawled up his arm. He let Ria's wrist go.

When he turned to her, she rubbed her wrist like he'd hurt her. The guilt made him want to reach out, check her wrist, and apologize, but he pushed it away.

"Have you--" He started. His tongue forced out the words even before his mind could come up with the conclusion. "You--" He thought about those annoying moments he'd looked at her and felt the need to be close. "Do you use psychestringere on me?"

"What?" Ria narrowed her eyes. "I'm tempted to right now."

"So you have!"

"No! Never!"

A seller from a stall a few paces away glanced at them, and Gin pulled Ria behind a corner of an establishment to hide.

He began again. "But then why do I feel--" The realization crept into his thoughts. If Ria was telling the truth, then what he felt for her was real.

He thought about that night in Basiago. Guilt had nagged him for scolding her about leaving the ship, and he'd bought her tsokolate to make up for it. Though he wasn't able to give it to her then, the way his heart fluttered like a tuna's tail made him hold his breath as if the ocean had engulfed him.

He liked her.

He was attracted to her.

That was all true.

They stood so close. This was what he'd always wanted--to be near her. To be with her.

"I've never used psychestringere on you," she repeated. Creases formed between her brows.

Gin stared at her longer as if he didn't believe her, but he already had. He shook his head at himself, cursing inward for having a petty crush on a girl he barely knew.

The noise of a passing automobile on the street pulled him back to their situation. More people were coming out on the street, which meant that the city was waking up.

He pushed all thoughts of attraction away. "Fine," he said. "Who else knows about you?"

Ria's shoulders rose, tensed. "Just the captain and Rodri."

"We have to get you out of here." Gin grabbed her wrist again, with a lighter touch this time, careful not to hurt her. He waited to make sure she wouldn't fight him. And when she drew closer, he proceeded.

When they reached a strip of the boardwalk where a few fishermen were undocking their boats to set sail, Gin slowed their pace, looking for someone. His eyes darted between faces on the dock.

"Why are we here?" Ria asked in a whisper as she strode beside him.

"I'm looking for someone who can help us," he said. "Just keep your head down." He knew plenty of people in Acante, and they knew him too. But the only ones who would help him now would be family.

A familiar boy with suntanned skin was untying a knot at the end of the boardwalk. A dark flock of hair set on his head. As if he sensed them coming, he lifted his head, and his dark eyes found Gin.

A smile crept over Gin's lips. He was hoping to find the boy here where they'd always been every morning since they were younger, preparing the boat to set out and go fishing.

"Gin?" the boy said, staring. "What are ya doin' here?" He glanced around cautiously before his eyes came back to Gin.

"I need your help, cousin," Gin said.

"Cousin?" He heard Ria whisper beside him.

Yes, cousin. That annoying face was almost his doppelganger. They had a resemblance--their brown eyes, strong jaws, and even their slender build and height. People had told them that they were like twins.

"Oh! The sea mother knows you need help, but you're not gettin' it from me." The boy answered Gin as he dropped an unknotted rope on the boardwalk and hopped onto his small boat.

"Remember what I did for your ma," Gin said, stepping to the edge. That was a low blow, using the boy's mother to convince him to help them. But he didn't want their conversation to grow longer. The dock was getting crowded, and Gin was popular in a way that anyone could recognize him at any moment. Perhaps he should be the one wearing the straw hat to hide his face.

His cousin stopped and turned. His jaw clenched, and he swallowed before he spoke. "The whole port's lookin' for you. All Sea Gypsy gangs are searchin'. I don't want to get in trouble."

"What did you hear?" Gin asked. "Cousin, please," he begged.

The boy looked around again, hesitating for a moment until he shook his head at himself. "Ma would kill me if I didn't help you, so get in. Hurry."

Gin grinned and jumped onto the boat. He held out a hand for Ria to follow. When she took it, her hands landed soft on his palm. He let her settle down on the thwart.

"Thank you, cousin," Gin said, turning back to the boy, but he did not receive a welcomed response.

His cousin turned on the small engine at the tail end of the boat and steered away from the boardwalk. It hummed quietly in the peaceful morning over the dark water of the canal. He waited until they passed the river mouth and was out at sea before he spoke. "Enzo 'sgot everyone lookin' for you, cousin."

"What did he say?" Gin growled. Hearing Enzo's name triggered his anger. Heat flashed across his chest.

"'Said you got somethin' good. More valuable than any lost treasure at sea. 'Had somethin' to do with the king. Highest bidders will pay millions o' pridas for it."

"'That all he said? And everyone just believed him?"

"'You been richer every time you come visit. Givin' my ma that kind of money. You got all these high-paying jobs. 'Snot hard to believe what he said. What do you think, cousin?"

They were moving along the coastline against the current, but the waves were low and didn't rock the vessel too hard.

Gin glanced at Ria, who had been quiet since they jumped on the boat. She was staring at the other boy defensively.

"Who's this?" the boy asked, giving a nod toward her.

"Ria," she said, her voice soft against the sound of the engine.

"And what's a lovely thin' like you doin' with my sea-forsaken cousin here?" He glanced at the chest slung across her body.

Ria placed her hand protectively over the chest.

"It's alright," Gin said, and Ria looked at him. "You can trust him. He's got ill thoughts, but he'll never act on it."

"You know nothin' about me, cousin'," the boy spat.

"Tell that to the sea mother." Gin grinned. "Ria was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Got mixed up with all this accidentally." He waved his hand to gesture.

The boy turned back to Ria and nodded. "I'm Andro."