“Stop pretending.” Teng sighed. “Fuck, it's been rough watching you. I've never seen you like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“What did I just say?” he shot back. “It's me. I know you better than anyone. You're in love with him, aren't you?”
I gaped at Teng. “No. No, I . . .” I trailed off. “Oh, fuck. Is that what's wrong with me?”
“Yup. You've got it bad. So tell me why you're here and not with him.”
“I'm a pirate, Teng. I can't be the consort of a king.”
“He offered to make you his consort?! Shit, Zix! That's a big deal.”
“He was high on sex. He would have come to his senses and changed his mind. No king wants a pirate for a concubine.”
“That's ridiculous. Being a king means you can have anyone. You make the rules. Fuck, Lock mated a Dragon king, and he was an assassin. And a human.”
“Is he not human anymore?”
“Nah. He's still human. Just immortal.”
I shook my head. “That's insane.”
“Yup. Way crazier than a Neraky becoming consort to a Sea Dragon king.”
“I can't,” I whispered. “I need this.” I waved at the open water. “I can't live down there.”
“Yes, you can. You were born down there. It's where you belong,” Teng said gently. “And don't act as if he'd never bring you to the surface. It would be a relationship, not a prison sentence, Zix.”
“If it even lasted,” I muttered.
“So what if it doesn't?” Teng shrugged. “Live it up while you can. Love him while you can. Sometimes, that's all we get, kid. A few moments of love to treasure through eternity.”
“But I'd have to leave you.” I stared at him.
Teng grinned. “I'll always be here. And unlike our Hulfrin enemies, you know how to find me. If you want to come back, I'll welcome you with open arms. That's what family does.”
“Teng,” I whispered. A tear trickled down my cheek.
“Aw, come on. Don't do that. You know you're family.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “But I can't go back to him now. It's so fucked up. I thinkIfucked up.”
“What happened?”
“He asked me to stay. He . . . said similar things to what you just did. He wanted me.”
“Of course he wants you. So, what's the problem?”
“I said 'wanted' as in past tense. I don't think he wants me anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because I told him no.” I bit my lip. “I told him it wouldn't last. I said I needed adventure. I fucking rejected him.”
“Fuck,” Teng muttered. “I suppose he didn't like that.”
“He said he was offering me something most men would kill for. He asked me to give up my old life and embrace a new one with him.”
