Maybe it had been Ryder.
The Fates had prophesied that he would break me. That he would ruin me.
And looking at everything from their point of view, maybe he had. But to me, it felt like I had been fixed.
I was no longer the object of every male’s desire. Females no longer wanted to cut my throat just because they didn’t like the way their men looked at me.
When I said I was free on this island, I meant it. I was free from all of it, all of my old life and the people that filled it.
I just wasn’t convinced that it was a good thing yet.
I walked over to the couple and wrote down their coffee and scone orders. Another table filled in my section and soon enough I was as busy as the other servers.
My shift flew by. Afternoon coffees turned into early dinner specials and then late night wine and spirits. My apron filled with meager tips and my neck ached from carrying trays of food for hours on end. But by the end of the night, I felt a rich kind of satisfaction.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning when all of the patrons had finally cleared out that I’d been able to clean up my section and start closing down. I paused after setting chairs upside down on one of the patio tables and stretched my back.
The moonlight glistened in the sky, cascading milky light over the quiet streets. Most of the population had gone to bed for the night and the tourists had wandered back to their resorts by now, ready for free booze or other evening entertainment. I could hear the lapping of the waves against the nearby shoreline and my heart picked up speed, thumping energetically in my chest.
My fingertips buzzed with anticipation and I felt the telltale skittering along my spine.
The magic of the water called to me. It wound its way into my soul with a quickness that took my breath away. I didn’t understand, but I knew that I was bound to the ocean, to the waves that could pull me under and push me every which way. The vastness of it claimed me. The depth and mystery owned me.
I shared a bond with the salty water that etched into my bones and tattooed me in ways ink could never touch.
I couldn’t deny it anymore. Called by the song that should be familiar to me, but wasn’t, I quickly finished up my duties, waved goodbye to Fleur and hurried back to the beach near my house.
Smith had outfitted me with plenty of cash and a new identity and I used both as if my life depended on them. And it did. I knew Smith had intended to help me and I wouldn’t have made it out of the country if he hadn’t.
I turned eighteen a few days ago and technically had access to my trust. But I doubted I would go back for it. I had enough to set up a life here and if I kept working hard, it would be enough forever.
It was ironic to me that I had waited my whole life for that money… that before Smith had given me support to get out, that money was the only way I had imagined I could escape. Yet, I’d survived without a penny of it.
This island had remade me. I was a different person than I had been at home. I was a person I liked better. I was a person I could tolerate.
And I could almost pretend that this new person… this new girl was really me. That I’d had some kind of mountaintop experience and saw a new light. I could almost pretend that this was the person I was supposed to be.
Almost.
Because as soon as I slid off my flats, rolled up my black pants and stepped into the cool water, the girl I used to be screamed her truths at me. The water wouldn’t let me pretend. Or escape.
The water wrapped around my skin and forced me to remember who I was.
Ivy Pierce. Eighteen. Siren.
Slave.
I inhaled a deep breath, one that felt like it was the first true breath of my life. I had the same reaction every single time I touched this water, every time the ocean met my skin. I closed my eyes and momentarily got lost in the blissful relief from everything else. The cool air mingled with the warm water on my feet. Tropical paradise described this place perfectly.
Which was a good thing since I had been sentenced to live out the remainder of my days here.
A sharp, cold breeze tumbled over my back suddenly. I sucked in a surprised breath and tried to settle my heart after the jarring, frozen pulse of air receded.
I spun around, waves tangling with my abrupt movements, and prepared my body to fight to the death.
My murderous reaction was premature. “Hermes,” I growled. “You nearly scared me to death!”
His eyes flashed with awe, “You felt me arrive.”
