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“I don't have to see it to know the pain you must be feeling right now, Evelyn.” Turning me toward him, his golden eyes blazed through the darkness back into mine. “I understand loss more than you know…”

“What do you mean?” I asked, caught off guard.

Layne gently pressed his eyes shut and shook his head. “It’s nothing…but, you’re right. I sensed what you felt up there, and I’m so sorry.” He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, gently resting his hand on my cheek. “It was for the best…for both of you.”

“So you felt me destroy him then?” I asked, gaze lowering to the floor.

Layne tilted my chin back to him. “I saw you save his life.” His voice was gentle, encouraging. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, and I let myself melt into him as he said, “There’s a big difference between saving the ones we care about and the people we become to save them. While your heart might crack from it…it’s stronger than you think.”

My head rose to meet his gaze, resting my hands against his chest. “Is it? Because it sure as hell doesn’t feel like it right now.”

Tears began to well in my eyes.

Oh no, not now. Fuck.

My throat tightened as the emotions swelled within me, but despite my efforts, a single tear escaped, streaking down my cheek.

Unfortunately, siren tears don’t just blend in like human tears would have, and my grief lit up the water surrounding us, luminous and raw.

Of course…I can't even cry normally, I thought, wondering what the curse hadn’t stolen from me at this point.

Layne raised his hand, his thumb gently brushing away the bioluminescent tear clinging to my cheek. It shimmered like a turquoise diamond, glowing in the darkness.

Crying in front of anyone, let alone a man, was not something I took lightly. I expected shame to flood over me, but as his finger wiped away the remnants of my heartbreak, I gave in and let it be laid bare for him to witness. I was tired of trying to hold it together. So fucking tired.

Layne held my gaze, and for a moment, it was like I didn’t feel so alone. “Even your grief shines with beauty, just as you do, my queen.”

Pressing my head against his chest, I let the unnatural rhythm of his heartbeat lull me into a sense of comfort, and finally let myself break.

Tears poured down my cheeks, the luminescent drops eddying around us in slow rotations. Layne pulled me tighter, his face strained.

God, how selfish could I be? Grieving for Ethan, a man I cared for so deeply that it nearly killed him, all while clinging to Layne, another man I was falling for. Crying over one man while in the arms of another, terrified of losing them both, and yet that was the situation I was in, and there was no denying it.

All I do is lose people, I thought.

I shook the thought away. “I’ll have to see Ethan again on the yacht,” I said, my voice coming out muffled against his chest. “I don’t know if I can do it, Layne…”

His eyes blazed golden fire. He bent his head down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Evelyn Graymore, you are the strongest woman I’ve ever known. There is nothing you can’t do, and I will always be there to help you face it.” He paused and looked away. “I promise…”

I lifted my head to meet his gaze. This soft side of him still wasn't something I was used to, but I allowed myself to bask in the moment, however fleeting it may be.

“Being able to walk away from someone…to save them? That takes more strength than any magic I can give you, darling.”

I let myself believe him, for now at least. Taking a shaky breath, I inhaled the brackish waters and pressed my eyes shut. The daunting task of how we were actually going to pull this off had my nerves tied in knots.

“Alright,” I said, wiping away any remnants of tears, “time to focus on what's next then. The party is in two days, and as of now, I have no idea how the fuck I’m supposed to pull this off.” I gnawed at my cheek. “I’ve been able to control my glamour, but not in the way we’re planning to use it.” I looked down at the black scales that covered my body, imagining them shifting into something else entirely.

Layne pulled away, drifting back as he studied me. “Your glamour is already quite good, if I do say so myself,” he said, bowing with a flourish. “Thanks to yours truly, of course.” He smiled devilishly, returning to my side, hands cradling my waist. “However, you’ve not been using it to its full potential.”

Even if that were true, the fact that my hold on it fractured with Ethan earlier was enough to send a wave of doubt through me.

“It broke tonight. When Ethan touched me, it all fell apart, and he saw something.” I clenched my fists. “That’s never happened before, not like that.”

Layne’s brow furrowed, his expression serious. “Yes, well…you were overwhelmed. It’s nothing we can’t manage.” His golden eyes held mine. “Don't forget how strong you are, Evelyn. I can help teach you to contain your glamour better, even when the world is burning down around you.”

A wan smile tugged at my lips. I’d grown to love that about Layne. After everything that’s happened to me, I forgot a little about who I was. I was a bad bitch, and always have been. His reminders, especially right now, were exactly what I needed as the self-doubt crept in.

I grabbed his chin, forcing his gaze. “Show me then.”