Page 19 of Cursed By a Siren's Kiss

My sadness reflected back at me from his eyes, and I felt a twang of guilt within my heart. I looked away, listening as Marcus shifted closer to me in the carriage.

“Listen,” Marcus said quietly, as if he were reluctant. “I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but I received news from one of my ships earlier today.”

“The one you spoke to shortly after our noon meal?” I asked, remembering how he’d been pulled away from our table at the beachside diner. They’d walked out of earshot so I hadn’t been able to catch any of their private conversation. Now, I watched him with wide eyes as his fingers gripped mine tightly.

“Yes. We believe we located your ship.”

His words left me shocked, and it took me several seconds longer than it should have to perk up, hope flashing within my gaze as I leaned forward, eager to hear more. I knew how this would play out, of course. After all, I’d had a day to waste before the moon lifted and gave me my legs. A day I’d used to plan for this exact moment.

“You found my ship?” I asked, my voice holding hope and excitement.

His shoulders lowered, and his chin dipped with sorrow as he said his next words. “I’m afraid we found it in pieces, most of it below the sea and only parts of it floating on the waters. I’m afraid there were no other survivors other than you.”

I pulled my hands from his hold and twisted, hiding my face within my cupped hands as I turned toward the corner of thecarriage. Sniffling, I replied, “I feared this would happen. How do you know it is my ship?”

“The debris we found included a chunk of the ship siding that included part of the name. The Harrow. That is the name you gave me when you first arrived, correct?”

I nodded, still not looking to him. I let my hair hide my face from him as I bowed in on myself. I’d led that ship to the basilisk, letting it feast on that ship and its people without any guilt. I’d only saved a single soul, taking her to Siren Island, a place no human would ever find without the guidance of a siren.

“My men investigated your ship records at the registrar’s office. Not all the news I have is bad, Talia,” Marcus continued.

That girl really had been the merchant’s daughter on that ship, an identity I stole for my purposes. I had spent the day interrogating her on the ways of her people, learning how to be like her. If Marcus continued digging in those records though, he could find that I wasn’t who I claimed to be. While her father hadn’t kept thorough records of those on the ship due to the nefarious business he dealt, I looked nothing like her.

“There is an inheritance owed to you. One that you will be able to live comfortably with if you so choose.”

I looked at him, pushing thoughts of the girl who lived on Siren Island from my mind. Perhaps, someday, I would return and help her… or finish what I’d started. For now, I glanced across the carriage to Marcus, feeling my lashes still damp with the tears I’d spilled.

“If I choose? What other option is there? My life, it will never be the same,” I said, my voice cracking on my words.

Marcus pulled out a glistening black box from his pocket, snapping it open to reveal a beautiful ruby ring cushioned on a white cloth. “You could choose to marry me.

A genuine smile stretched across my lips as I dashed the wetness from my cheeks. “Marcus, I am honored, but I can’t takeadvantage of your good nature. You are a good man who I have imposed myself on for far too long. I cannot simply marry you because you pity me.”

He looked as though I had struck him as he shifted forward, the box still held within his hand. “It isn’t pity, Talia,” he stressed. “I have spent so much time with you these past weeks, and I have found that I thoroughly enjoy your company. I have come to care about you…” his words trailed off as his gaze hardened. “No, I am lying. It is more than that.”

This was it. The moment that I had been waiting for. My lips pulled into a savage grin as I watched him, my claws itching beneath my fingertips. He was about to tell me how he truly felt, and then I would know without a doubt that the time was ripe for plucking out his heart.

The carriage lurched to a stop, and we both glanced toward the door. The ring still held within his fingers and his feelings held in the air between us unsaid. The door swung open and his footman stood on the driveway next to Marcus’ manor.

“My apologies for the interruption, my lord,” the footman said, his gaze flicking from Marcus to the ring to me and then back to Marcus again. “Captain Martin seems to have arrived early. He is waiting to meet with you.”

Marcus closed the box and tucked it back into his pocket before he helped me to my feet and then from the carriage. As my feet hit the pavement out front of his manor, he paused, bringing my hands to his lips and giving them a gentle kiss, the softness of his lips sending warmth through me. “Later,” he said, looking at me with lust-filled eyes that sent a thrill through my heart. “We will continue this conversation.”

We both entered the manor, and he guided me to the bottom of the stairs toward our rooms. I walked up a few of the steps as he disappeared down the hall toward his own study. I waitedseveral seconds before removing my heeled shoes and following him.

I was ready to hear what secrets he held from me.

Chapter 13

The Flickering Candlelight

The Siren

Pressing my ear against the wooden door of Marcus’ private study, the previously muffled voices became more prominent as I used my heightened sense of hearing. I’d never stepped foot inside this office. Marcus preferred to keep his business separate from me.

“The cargo was less than last time. This is a problem,” a voice spoke deeply, one I’d never heard before.

“Then go talk to the chiefs and see if you can get more of them,” Marcus responded, his footsteps sounding around the room as he paced the wooden floor.

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