I snorted, tearing my gaze away from Luce. "Gremlins?"
He shrugged, a suspicious glint in his hazel eyes. "Stranger things have happened. I mean, we're on a yacht with a goddess, a couple of daemons, a shapeshifter, and creepiest of all…” He shuddered and looked at Cathy. “Ahuman.”
I burst out laughing as Cathy smacked him gently.
“Who's to say gremlins aren't real too?" he concluded as he dodged his lady love’s hands.
"It doesn't matter now," I said, turning to look out the window at the inky black sea. "We'll be there by morning. We're close, soclose I can almost taste it. If it wasn't so dark, we could probably get there in a couple of hours."
Luce frowned. "Is it safe to sail at night? I thought you said?—"
"It's not," I interrupted, my fingers tightening on the windowsill.
I could feel it now, the pull of my abandoned power calling to me from the depths of the ocean. It was like a siren song, a constant hum in the back of my mind that grew louder with every passing mile. A portion of me wanted nothing more than to dive into the water and reclaim what was rightfully mine, to feel the rush of energy coursing through my veins once more.
And part of me didn’t.
It really wasn’t safe to sail near where I’d put it at night. Still, the call was almost overwhelming, and I had to physically grip the windowsill to center myself again.
"Rissa?" Luce's voice was soft, concerned. "Are you okay?"
I blinked, realizing that I had been staring out at the water for longer than I thought. "I'm fine," I said. "Just... just tired, that's all."
It was a lie, and from the look on Luce's face, he knew it too. But he didn't press the issue and moved away, giving me some space.
It was kind of him. I didn't think I could handle any more questions, not when I was barely holding myself together as it was.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Tomorrow, I would have my powers back, and everything would be different. I just had to make it through the night first.
And then we could fix the problem for good.
Out of nowhere, Jeanette's delicate fingers wrapped around my wrist like a vice, pulling me aside. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into my skin, and I had to resist the urge to punch her until she let go.
"Listen,Rissa," she hissed, her pretty face contorted into a scowl. "You're not good enough for my brother. You never will be."
I raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Is that so?"
"He can't help but be attracted to you because of your power," Jeanette continued, ignoring my jibe. "But that's all it is. Power. He doesn't really care about you."
I laughed then, a sharp, bitter sound that made me wince when I heard it.
"You think I don't know that?" I murmured, my words laced with venom. "You think I'm stupid enough to believe that a daemon could actually love me for anything else?"
Jeanette's grip tightened, her fingers leaving angry red marks on my skin. "You're lazy," she spat. "Entitled. A spoiled brat. Remarkably like a cat, actually."
I shrugged, trying to ignore the way her words cut, even though they shouldn't have. "You're right. Luckily for him and me, we’re just messing around. I don't get attached."
The words tasted like ashes in my mouth, and for a moment, I wondered if Jeanette could see right through me. Could she tell I was lying, even to myself?
I’d caught feelings for Luce, despite my best efforts not to.
But if she did, she didn't show it. Instead, she released my wrist with a final, disdainful sniff. "Just stay away from him," she warned. "He doesn't need somethinglike you in his life."
I rubbed my wrist, keeping my tone light and dry even as my heart twisted painfully. "I don't give a rat's flying behind what you think about me."
Turning on my heel, I walked away, leaving Jeanette standing there with her mouth hanging open. Her glare bored into my back, but I didn't look back. If I did, I was afraid that she would see the truth written all over my face. That despite everything, despite all the reasons why it was a terrible idea, I’d fallen for Luce. And I had no idea what to do about it.
19
