Page 36 of Cursed By a Siren's Kiss

“Now, that’s a sight I could get used to waking up to,” Kipp said, moaning as he shifted in the bed. His eyes dropped to the new wounds in my flesh, mirror images to the ones he’d suffered in the battle. “The binding,” he said, regret heaving in his tone. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t stronger.”

I laughed. “I’ve had worse. I’m just pissed it hadn’t been my claws ripping through your skin,” I said as I sat in the chair across from him. “And that they ruined the only shirt you’ve managed to provide me.”

He flushed at my words, pushing himself up onto his elbows as he adjusted himself until his back leaned against the wall. The effort had caused his brow to dot with sweat, but he’d hardened his jaw against voicing any complaint at the obvious pain that flashed behind his dark eyes. That smirk slipped into place as he became comfortable. “Now isn’t that a pleasant thought?”

“My lack of shirt?”

“That and…”

My brow quirked. “Are you seriously implying that the thought of my claws in your flesh is…pleasing to you?”

He chuckled, a deep sound that sent heat through me. “How long have I been sleeping?” he asked instead, changing the topic.

I gave my head a shake. “A few hours.”

“Shit. Okay. Well, we should be getting close then,” he answered, standing with a grunt. “Here.” Pulling a shirt from his drawers, he tossed it to me. “We need to go speak with my crew, and we can’t have you distracting them.”

The new shirt fit just as loosely as the previous ones did, and like them, it held the scent of sea and spice, a scent I smelled from Kipp every night we shared that little bed of his. I ignored it, pulling it over my head and flipping my hair from under it. “Getting close to where, exactly?”

“The sea where I first found that witch,” he said simply. “From there, you should be able to lead us the rest of the way. Let’s go.”

I didn’t move as he swung the door open and stepped through it.

“Come on,” he said, realizing I hadn’t followed him.

I just laughed. “Why did you even bother binding me to you if you weren’t even going to ask for my help?”

“What do you mean? I brought you close enough to the shrouded island, now you’re going to bring me the rest of the way.”

“The island moves! Do you think Circe lasted as long as she has by sitting on a single island her entire existence? No! The shrouded island you are looking for is shrouded in a magic that allows it to move.”

“Wait, what?” he said, coming forward. Then he laughed. “You know what, that actually makes a lot of sense. That’s why I have never been able to find it again.”

His hands rested on my shoulders, his fingers grazing my cheek as he brought his narrowed gaze toward mine. “And what do you suggest we do?”

I swiped his hand away and took a step back. “I think it’s time you start trusting me. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we break this binding. I don’t need any help collecting scars. Take me to your navigational quarters.”

The navigational quarters turned out to be the first door below deck, a room I had passed several times unknowingly. Kipp shoved the door open and entered, and I trailed in slowly behind him, my gaze searching the quarters and the people within the room.

Maps covered nearly every surface. They hung along the walls, they covered the large surface of the table, they filled the three barrels pushed along the wall in so many rolls I couldn’t count them all. A wide window stretched along the wall, overlooking the salty sea and the clear sky above. Several silver instruments sat strewn about the table’s surface, worn out from years of charting paths through the seas.

Two pirates stood bent over the table, straightening as we entered. Both of them eyed me with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. It was clear that they didn’t entirely trust me, but that my actions this morning wouldn’t be forgotten. The woman had a fierce look about her, her dark curls hanging like wild twists around her face. A jagged scar ran along her jaw, marring the beautiful dark tone of her skin and speaking of battles won. The man had a calculating glint in his eye, his gaze sharp and penetrating as he assessed me. He stood shorter than Kipp but just as broad. He didn’t have the darkness behind his gaze like Kipp did, but there was anger held there, as if this man was used to getting what he wanted, as if he didn’t mind doing terrible things if he had to. He smiled, revealing rows of black and gold teeth.

Kipp’s hand rested on my shoulder possessively, and both of the pirates in front of me flinched, looking away from me and back to the maps. “We need to determine our next destination,” Kipp said, stepping up to the table’s edge and guiding me alongside him. “It seems the island is unlikely to be in the same location it was when I’d originally found it. This little siren claims she knows where we should go next though. Isn’t that right, Lia?”

I squared my shoulders, meeting their gazes head-on. They still distrusted me, but I’d proven myself twice now and didn’t appreciate the looks they sent my way. “I do know where we should go,” I replied coolly, letting a hint of mystery color my tone. “Trust me, it’s a place that will give us the answers we need.”

The female smirked, her red painted lips stretching across her sharp face. “And how do we know you’re not leading us into a trap, siren?”

“You don’t.” I shrugged. “I guess you should have thought about that before capturing me for answers, huh?”

Kipp stepped forward, his hand splayed against my chest as if to hold me back. “She knows what’s at stake, Nelle, and she’s right. She’s what we’ve been waiting for, so we might as well see where she leads us.”

The male stepped forward, moving the tools aside to clear the map. “Fine. Lead the way, but know this: if you betray us, there will be consequences.”

I didn’t drop his gaze as I let my fingers slip beneath the hem of my shirt, lifting slightly to show the new scar developing along my abdomen, where most of Kipp’s crew knew him to have suffered an injury earlier this morning. “I think it’s safe to say that I am already suffering those consequences.”

Kipp’s hand covered mine as he dropped my shirt back over the wound. “Brady,” he said, staring at the man. “Stand down.We need her, and she needs us. None of us truly trust each other, we all know that. Let us move on from this pointless stating of the obvious.”

---