“I’m not,” I said. “This is everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Everything?”
“I’m serious.”
“You are a very unusual woman,” he said.
“Still too proud for the Ship of Spells?”
“Hah.”
But he grinned again, and I was glad to have caused it.
Another flash. Another cannon. Another pointless discharge of valuable powder.
“Well, I hope you do not die in this endeavor,” he said. “You have an indomitable spirit.”
“I’m just stubborn,” I said.
“That is a good thing,” he said. “You fight for what you want.”
“I will and I do,” I said. “But sometimes I run.”
“Also wise.”
Be wary. Be wise.
The cannons flashed again.
TheTouchstonecalled himBeloved.
The pup pitched, and I bumped into his arm as I steadied my feet. He didn’t move away. In fact, I almost thought he moved in. The sea did that to people. Physical contact was an anchor, a mate’s touch the kedge that we sometimes needed.
But he was not one of us. He wasRhi’Ahr.Did they want the same things we Overlanders did? Did they need a hand to tide them through the storms or a willing body to prove that they weren’t alone? Suns knew I did. In fact, I was surprised I hadn’t made an offer already. Then again, maybe theTouchstonewould try to kill me. I told Fahr she wouldn’t, but I didn’t know that for sure.
A storm is wind and starlight changing places with the sea
My skin was burning because of his nearness, the chimeric scars lighting up the stormy skies. After a moment, I noticed he had been studying me from the corner of his eye this whole time, and I swallowed my heart. I looked up at him.
“What doyouwant?”
“Me?” He was clearly surprised to have been asked.
“Yes.You.” I smiled at him. A half smile, really, tugging into one cheek. Just in case. “What does the captain of the Ship of Spells want?”
He looked away.
“I am not allowed to want,” he said. “Not when I have a duty to fulfill.”
“But if you could…”
He glanced back, his eyes weighing me in their fathomless depths. They really were a remarkable color, the ocean blue and the deep-sea green, the flecks of violet and the rivers of gold. I could almost see the history in them, the battles and the loss, the power and the strife. Yes, I could fall into those depths easily. I would tumble him for days and maybe not run.
But my heart thudded as those eyes flicked to my lips, lingered as if memorizing the contours of my mouth…
Be wary. Be wise.
Sometimes I fight.
