For a moment, Maris laid still, tangled in the crisp sheets of her bed, staring at the grain of the wooden ceiling overhead. The ship rocked gently beneath her, slow and steady, like a lullaby that had never quite ended.
She felt sick.
The dream. Gods. It came rushing back to her in waves of heated breath. The teasing hands, that unraveled her from the inside out with gentle caresses.
And it hadn’t been imagined.
It had been him.
Alarik.
He hadn’t spoken, hadn’t broken the spell, but she had known. And worse she let him. Let herself pretend it didn’t count because it was a dream. Because they hadn’t spoken aloud. Because she hadn’t screamed his name.
But she had called him there.
And he had come.
A dull ache bloomed in her chest, half frustration, half shame. Her hand drifted to the ring still wrapped around her finger. Cold. Heavy. Suffocating.
A promise.
Broken.
She rolled onto her side, burying her face into the pillow. The scent of sea salt and lavender oil clung to the fabric, but it only made her stomach turn. Her thoughts wandered to Kael’s silver eyes, the bond that once tethered them like thread and flame. The engagement she hadn’t fully accepted but hadn’t fully refused either.
Now there was only silence between them. She had not even realized it had faded until the quiet was so complete, it echoed.
But Alarik…
Alarik was not quiet. Not even in sleep. His magic lingered like smoke. His presence pressed against her without even entering the room. And now, she felt the shift between them.
She didn’t want to see him.
Didn’t want to look into those eyes and feel the memory crackle beneath her skin. Didn’t want to wonder if he’d bring it up. If he’d smirk. If he’d confront her with the truth of it.
No.
Let it die.
Let it rot like salt on a wound.
Let it be one last indulgent fantasy that meant nothing beyond the veil of sleep.
She sat up slowly, pressing her palms into her eyes. Her body thrummed. Her magic still hummed like a song barely caged. She whispered a curse and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
But she didn’t stand.
Not while she felt him moving above deck like a pull in her blood.
Please,she thought bitterly.Let him pretend it never happened.
Let it simmer. Let it fade.
She prayed to be strong enough to pretend she never wanted him at all.
A knock rattled the wood, soft but persistent.
Maris jolted, her heart a startled drum in her chest.
