I’d never been scared to lose anyone before. Ainwir had seemed larger than life, the father I’d looked up to. Not once had I feared for him; in his shadow, I’d felt safe.
In the years following his disappearance, I’d opened my heart to no one. I had been utterly alone.
But now? Gods, I didn’t want to lose anyone on this ship—Seth, least of all.
Seth ran a hand across my cheek. “Don’t worry so much. Chthonics clot quickly. It’ll take more than a scrape to kill me.”
Taking his hand, I closed my eyes and leaned against it.
“Good job, by the way,” Seth said. “Rescuing us damsels in distress.”
Chuckling, I looked up at him. He wore an expression so starkly different than his usual countenance, I almost didn’t recognize him. Soft, warm, genuine.
The wind tousled his waves, and moonlight brightened his face. He looked more than handsome. He looked. . .
Divine.
A dark shadow covered the moon, drenching us in darkness. Seth looked up sharply. The wind picked up, and lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the sea.
“It’s upon us,” Seraphim shouted. “Percy.Now.”
Eleos raced for the steering wheel while Seth scrambled for the rope Percy had pulled above deck.
Pushing the bard toward Seraphim, Seth tried to cheer him up. “Think of the positives. Didn’t you like being tied up?”
“Normally,” Percy said, grimacing as Seth wrapped a rope around them. “But as I understand it, this rope iskeepingme from the fun.”
Chuckling, Seth yanked the rope, tying a potent knot.
Unsure what to do, I hovered nearby, watching the bow. Towering cliffs rose to the north and south, funneling us into a narrow strait. Wind whipped through my hair, churning the waves and pounding against the sails. Our ship lurched, and Eleos strained to keep it under control.
Music echoed in the distance—a faint itch at the back of my ears. Rubbing my neck, I turned back to Seraphim. “Are you sure I’ll be okay?”
“So long as you aren’t secretly attracted to women,” Seraphim promised, closing her eyes.
The music grew louder, rising above the thunder and crashing waves.
“Shit.” Seth winced. Stalking toward me, he took my arm.
“Seth,” I said, “I don’t have anything to prevent you from lusting after a bunch of fish.”
“Yes, you do.” He said. “You.”
A distinct voice carried on the wind, haunting and inhuman. Staring down the bow, I saw the storm Seraphim had warned us about: swirling waters gathered into a whirlpool the size of a small outpost, pulling everything into the depths. Only one thin length of the sea was free from the deadly vortex—but the music intensified as we approached it.
A dazed fog clouded Seth’s gaze. Ripping the cut on his bicep, he let blood flow down his arm. Wisps of scarlet drifted away from him and blanketed the hull, like a protective tarp cast over a wagon.
“Aethra!” Eleos shouted.
Twisting my neck, I looked up at him. His knuckles whitened from gripping the wheel, fighting against the maelstrom’s pull.
“Distract Seth!” He called. “Quickly.”
Grabbing my waist, Seth pulled me to the center of the deck. “Not even the goddess herself could tempt me if I have you.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he crashed his lips against mine. Something feral twisted inside me. Pressing my mouth to his, I twined my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer, feeling the heat of his body against mine. His fingers dug into my back, trailing up my spine and grabbing my curls.
The ship lurched, tearing us apart. I could see the whirling storm out of the corner of my eye, the terrifying way we drifted towards it, pulled and bucked beneath the furious waves. The singing grew louder and louder, female voices resonating over one another, their words impossible to understand.
