Page 120

“Gods, Mira.” Sander’s voice was rough. He squeezed me in his arms and lifted my feet off the dock for a moment. When he released me, one hand remained on my cheek. “Bloodsinger…he sensed death on the crew, then found out you’d set sail, and we knew something had happened. I didn’t know…we couldn’t find you. I thought for a moment I’d lost another…I’d lost you.”

Sander was not the twin who revealed a great deal of his broken pieces. Jonas laughed to hide his disquiet; Sander retreated to solitude or his books. But his black eyes were wet, and a pained groove dug into his forehead when he closed his eyes.

I understood. Once, we thought we’d lost Livia. No mistake, not knowing where our ship had gone left the Ever and earth fae realms convinced another royal had been claimed by the Ever Seas.

I hugged him again. “We’re safe. We’re back.”

Sander blew out a long breath, his brow dropped against my shoulder. After a drawn pause, he cleared his throat and chuckled nervously. “Well, I imagine you have a bit of a tale to tell.”

“Sandy”—I patted his arm—“you are going to be fascinated, bleeding fascinated, by what we’ve seen. Prepare to spend a great deal of time searching for answers we may not have.”

Some of the black faded from his eyes, leaving the green underneath like an ashy storm. “Truly?”

I laughed. Dangle uninterrupted time spent reading and researching in front of my friend, and Sander would bend to anyone’s will.

“Heartwalker.” Another voice, low and hoarse, rolled down the dock.

Gavyn Bonerotter to most, but Gavyn Seeker to those of us who knew his true sea voice, shoved through the crowd.

The man was unfairly handsome, and the way he often flashed a sly smirk only added to his charm. But now his sharp jaw was set, and the rich brown of his skin darkened with frustration, possibly a bit of relief he did not want to reveal.

“I’ve been sailing with the Bone Lord,” Sander whispered. “We took this half of the seas, merely stopped here for supplies.”

“This half?”

Sander tipped his head. “Mira, did you think we wouldn’t be searching every damn corner for you? Every sea is being scoured as we speak.”

Gavyn paused only long enough to give me a brisk dip of his chin before making a beeline for Tait. Gavyn shoved Tait—hard—in the shoulder. Tait’s eyes narrowed. I now knew it wasn’t from annoyance, likely more from his instinct to lash out whenever he was struck.

Soon enough his body eased, knowing it was Gavyn, a friend (whether Tait would admit it or not) who’d likely been run as haggard as Sander with the search.

“You sodding pretentious ass.” Gavyn paced in front of him. “What the hells happened? Where the hells have you been? And how in the hells did you manage to bleeding sink a ship from the royal fleet?”

Tait calmly brushed his palm down his chest. “I’m confused, My Lord. Were your questions asked in order of importance, or is there one in particular you’d like me to address first?”

“I’m going to murder you,” Gavyn whispered. “Best not to have a drop of water nearby, Heartwalker. You’ll be dead.”

With the changes Erik and Livia brought to the Ever, Gavyn no longer had to hide that Celine Tidecaller was his sister and Sewell was his father, once believed a traitor for not slaughtering Gavyn’s mother. But the truth of his voice—turning into nothing but mist and appearing through the smallest drop of water—was still horridly feared by many in the Ever Seas.

He spoke low and rough, and it was not difficult to peel back the truth that Gavyn was merely glad to see Tait alive.

“All right.” I nudged between the two men. “Perhaps we can save the threats of death for after we’ve had time to wash, drink something, and rest a bit.”

Gavyn’s jaw pulsed, but at long last, he peeled his snarl from Tait, transforming to the roguish lord when he grinned at me. “Princess. More than this fool, I am beyond pleased to see you again.”

I returned his grin. “I can say the same. And you must be kinder to my dear Hearttalker, for I would not be alive without him.”

Gavyn’s dark eyes locked back on Tait. “Well, then, I suppose he’s forgiven.”

“Please. You are overflowing with delight to see him and simply won’t admit it.” I patted Gavyn’s chest, snickering. “One day, you sour men will learn how to do as I did with Sander. Embrace through admissions of genuine fears and worries and accept that you are the fiercest of friends. Honestly, all these vows of blood for inconveniencing each other must end someday.”

“Not today, Vicious.” Tait hooked an arm around my waist, tugging me tighter into his side.

A move that had Gavyn and Sander arching their brows.

“Give them some room to bleeding breathe, boy.” Blister Poppy returned to the edge of the dock, nudging Gavyn aside.

The woman was efficient, and I had few doubts in the time it took us to bicker, Poppy already had Seableeder tucked onto a cot with herbs for his fever and the other men in a washroom to clean the blood and piss from their skin.