Page 63 of Pearls of Salt and Sacrifice

Felix strode after him, muttering under his breath. Reva smothered a smile with her hand as the pirates dragged him unceremoniously into the boat.

Still in the water, Rency lifted a hand in farewell, but his shout of goodbye transformed into an inhuman shriek. He released the boat, thrashing both hands down into the water. A moment later, his fingers reappeared holding a pink blob with eight tentacles.

“Oy, Jareth!” he bawled. “One of your krakens just bit my—”

He yelped again and splashed through the water to pull another baby from the waves. Reva burst into loud laughter as Jareth dove forward. He caught the kraken babies that Rency tossed, none too gently, toward him. With a black look in their direction, Rency hastily boarded his dinghy, one hand pressed against his backside.

Jareth splashed back to the beach, holding Calix and another baby in his hands. “I didn’t know they’d escaped,” he mumbled, grinning at Reva.

“Poor hungry babies,” Reva said as leaned down to pat them both on their pink heads, “and nothing to eat but dirty pirate, too. I’ll get you something decent to eat…how does some nice slimy seaweed sound? Or do you prefer fish?”

“They aren’t picky at this age.” Jareth’s smile widened as she straightened to look him in the eye. An awkward silence fell between them now that they were suddenly alone.

At last, Jareth cleared his throat and took a step closer. “About what Rency said earlier…about me proposing…am I allowed to do so now? You are the only woman, above the sea or under, in this kingdom or any other, with whom I wish to share my life. I’ve never seen your like for bravery, for kindness.”

As he spoke, the words flew faster and faster from his mouth, as if he were trying to get them all out before he lost his nerve.

Reva smiled and reached up to stroke the elf’s cheek.

“Of course you may propose,” she said with a mischievous smile. “And I will probably accept. After I’ve bathed and put on clean clothes. I smell like kraken. No offense.”

“None taken.”

A bit of the anxiety eased from Jareth’s face at her words, replaced instead with something bright and hopeful.

“We also need to discuss how to move your people from Argos,” Reva said, the humor draining from her voice. “I believe you’ll agree that this should be done as soon as possible. Although, until I receive funds from Felix…we’re going to be eating a lot of seafood.”

“We can help with that,” Jareth answered without hesitation.

“I’m hoping our people can learn to get along like we have. Peaceably.”

Her thoughts strayed back to Cassandra, and the battle at sea that had cost the lives of her parents and probably a large number of other souls on both sides.

“Peaceably?” Jareth took another step closer, leaning down to smile into her upturned face. “I would prefer happily.”

“Happily ever after?” Reva leaned up on her toes, her gaze shifting to his mouth.

“I do like the sound of that.” He pursed his lips briefly. “Reva, may I-I mean—would it be alright if-if—”

“Please, just kiss me,” she whispered back.

With the baby krakens cradled between them, Jareth closed the distance and pressed his mouth over hers. Reva’s heart skittered wildly, but, forcing herself to remember her manners, she kept her hands to herself.

There were babies watching after all.

And to think, she had found both love and salvation for her people all because of Cassandra’s obsession with power and her evil death pearl. Reva gave into temptation and lifted her hand to stroke her fingers through Jareth’s long, dark hair…

Reva’s eyes popped open, and she cried out against Jareth’s mouth.

“The pearl!” she gasped.

His darkened eyes seemed to struggle focusing on her as he pulled back. “What?”

Her hand moved to the pocket in her trousers, a pocket that felt suspiciously…empty.

“Oh, no,” she rasped as her fingers dug through an empty pocket. “No, no, no.”

“Let me look,” Jareth offered.

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