I know we can never be… but then why did it feel like it could? Why did I dream of a world where we could be together? The fire blurs as tears fill my eyes, and it feels like years before Kai speaks.
“Tell her, I will be there, ready to welcome her into Varindor as my queen.”
It feels as if someone just put a trident through me. I press my hand to my chest. This excruciating pain… Why…?
“I will be sure to- Sir Keiran, are you alright?”
“Yes, just- it’s nothing. I will contact you when I have an update.”
“I look forward to it.”
Then silence.
But there is no silence in my mind. The pain in my chest is crushing me, and the urge to let it all out, to sing everything to doom, is enticing. He has a queen… a fiancée… So I am just what? His plaything?
I mistook those gentle words and those unspoken touches as more.
So foolish.
What did I think anyway? That a sky siren and sea siren could ever be? We were enemies before we were even born.
I hear footsteps and close my eyes, turning my face ever so slightly so there’s no chance for him to see the tears. It cuts deep, far too deep. He’s watching me. I can feel his intense gaze burning into me.
Then he sighs, and I feel him settle back behind me.
Just a bed warmer…
That’s all I am to him.
The way he held me earlier… the way I felt so safe.
His arm drapes around my waist, and I feel the warmth of his body behind me. My lips quiver, but I simply remain still, feeling cold and empty.
This journey had somehow become peaceful and fulfilling. Being with him, despite knowing who he is,thatwas my mistake! Falling for a monster, a man I don’t really know. A man who hates my kind.
If he knew what I was… he would kill me anyway. He has a sky siren bride waiting for him, and I’m just the cursed daughter of a tyrant.
We are worlds apart and are not meant to be.
I was just stupid to even imagine it.
“Sira.”
I open my eyes and look into Kai’s golden eyes. The ache in my chest is still there.
“Is it time to move?” I ask, looking away as I sit up.
He nods. “Yeah, I caught some game and made breakfast. Eat, it’s going to be a long day. We should be able to be at the border of the Water Court by nightfall.”
“Ok,” I say, moving towards the fire, which he has going again. I force myself to eat, my heart heavy. I look over at him, but he’s the same as ever, as if nothing had happened.
“Here, have the last of the water. We should manage to find a river around midday.”
It just feels like he’s talking too much today. He only wants to keep me alive because he needs me. I look at him, refusing to let him see my anger.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say with a small, practised smile before I eat my food.
Once we’ve eaten, I change into a pink blouse and skirt that Dorene had given me. It had been her daughter’s who had passed away. I fiddle with the flowing chiffon sleeves as Kai gathers up our belongings.
