Page 21 of The Pirate and His Siren

“Aye.” As much I want to hear her song—I covet wanting everything from her—I’m not inclined to share her.

“Do you dance, lass?”

“Oh no, it’s bad enough I had to learn how to walk on these spindly limbs. There’s no way I can do that.”

“Well, then, maybe it’s about time you learn.”

“No, no,” she protests, tugging on my arm with enough strength to dislocate it from its socket. “You can make me do most things, but don’t make me dance.”

I’m loathed to admit that I’m beholden to cave into her. Give her what she wants and also keep my arm intact.

“Fine.” I sit back down next to her. “What else will you have us do?”

Her smile returns and lights up her face, making my heart do that strange thing again. Luarna leans back against me, and my arms automatically wrap around her torso. “Let’s just sit back and enjoy the crew’s entertainment.”She tilts her head back to look at me. “You know, they’re not half bad.”

“Aye, it’s because the ones who can actually sing are doing it. The others will be shunned if they tried.”

“You truly care for them, don’t you?”

“Aye.” I rub the backs of my fingers over the exposed skin of her arm.

“Roberts and Flinders are like brothers to me. We met when I was fourteen. Roberts was the same age, and Flinders was a year younger. A trio of ragamuffin teens. The crew is my extended family.”

“How old are you then?”

“I’ll be reaching my thirtieth birthday next quarter.”

“Same age as me.”

“What about you? Your family?”

“Not much to tell. I have a mother and my friend, Ikina.”

“You don’t miss them?”

“Ikina, I do. Not so much my mother. She’s not the loving sort. Mostly cold and distant. She never hugged me.”

“Aye, I never got hugs as a child either. Hard to get when you’re an orphan of the streets.”

She places her arms over mine, tightening my hold around her. I can sense she wants to console me, but doing so would open a gate my siren is unwilling to enter.

The territory of love.

But it is in this moment, holding her in my arms, my heart swells, and with the moon overhead basking us in its silvery glow, I know I’ve fallen.

CHAPTER TWELVE

KYNAN

The crew is becoming restless, and I can’t blame them.

After weeks at sea without a bounty to loot, morale is running low.

Tempers are running high.

Even Flinders had to flog a few who started fights.

There is also another matter. Without a ship to plunder, there is no treasure to share.

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