Page 55 of Of Song and Darkness

A blush tinged my cheeks. “I didn’t do anything, Kai.”

“Didn’t you, my little sea demon?” His voice turned sensual as he pulled me closer. “You believed in me and made me accept who I am. I couldn’t have defeated the Dark Hydra without you.”

Warmth blossomed in my chest, seeping through my body as I marveled at the glow of his sun-kissed skin.

Kai reached up, gripping my hand in his. “Let’s get out of here.”

He bent, placing one arm around my back and the other around my tail as he scooped me in his arms.

“Hold on tight,” he whispered in my ear.

Adrenaline and excitement coursed through me. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t a damsel in need of carrying, but something in the glow on his face made me swallow my words.

Kai shot up with such speed and intensity that I instinctively tightened my grip around his neck to prevent myself from being torn from his arms. Kai smiled down at me. “I’m not going to drop you, sea demon. You’re too precious.”

I was not the fainting type, but if this hard-core pirate, this killer and commander of the seas continued to say things like that to me, I might just swoon.

Rays of sunlight brushed my skin, heating my frigid blood as we emerged from the trench. As we neared the surface, the shadow of the ship danced above us. Kai shot out of the water like a dolphin, and we landed with ease on the deck of the Wraith. His grip on me tightened as the crew rushed toward us.

“Cap’n! What happened?”

“Where’s the Hydra?”

My head spun, and whiplash threatened my neck muscles as the men all asked questions at once.

“Quiet!” Cael bellowed, and the voices instantly died down. He pushed through the crowd until he was face-to-face with Kai. A grin pulled on his upper lip. “Welcome back, Cap’n.”

Kai nodded his head once in gratitude.

My gaze lifted from the crew and swept out across the ocean. Tears pricked my eyes at the scene. The death and darkness that haunted and tainted the waters before we went below were completely gone. Beautiful, vibrant oranges and yellows danced across the crystal-blue water as the sun hunkered down for the night. The cawing of seagulls was music to my ears and something I hadn’t realized I’d missed until it was gone.

I glanced at the coral reef where I had been stranded when the creatures attacked me. It was still blackened and charred from the poisonous Dark Water that had stripped it of life, but maybe one day it would be vivacious again.

Kai approached the railing as the trench creatures from below eased above the surface. “Stand down,” Kai warned his men as they went for their weapons.

“What will happen to them now that Dark Water is gone?”

Kai’s glare never wavered. “They are creatures of the trench. They will be fine as long as they return to the darkness.” Kai outstretched a hand toward the creatures, ripples of power washing over them.

I could not hide the smile that brushed across my lips. “Are you thanking them?”

“Shh… I wouldn’t want to ruin my sea-monster-hunter persona all in one day.”

My smile intensified at his response. “I think King of the Seven Seas has a mightier ring.”

Something flashed across Kai’s eyes, something I would have missed if I wasn’t already staring longingly into them. Dread sank like a boulder in my stomach when I realized I had overstepped my bounds. Kai was still warring with who he was. I didn’t understand why, but I could tell he wasn’t ready to discuss it, so I dropped the subject.

“Are you going to hold me all day, or will you do your thing and return my legs?” A pleasurable shiver coursed down my spine when the sly gleam in Kai’s eyes returned.

Kai’s arms tightened around my waist, his fingers putting agonizingly sweet pressure on my skin. “Ask me that again, sea demon.”

Heat flooded my body like I had swum through a thermal vent in the ocean. I bit my lower lip, trying to control my raging emotions. “Not in front of the crew.”

“Then you better stop torturing me by biting that lip,” he growled.

I was sure my cheeks turned every shade of crimson imaginable. Kai smiled, seemingly pleased with the effect he had on me. “Cael, hand the sea demon your shirt, will you? I’d hate for her to bare her backside to everyone.”

Cael turned toward us, stripping his shirt from his torso and handing it to me. “Yes, I have a feeling that would be deadly for us all.” Cael glanced at Kai, and a knowing look passed between the two.

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