Page 22 of Bound By Roses

Her hands move in a flurry, creating shapes and symbols before she points out to the waves again and then back to her throat.

All at once, I realize what she’s trying to tell me. “That’s how sirens communicate under the water. They speak with their hands and they’ve been teaching you.”

She nods emphatically.

“Teach me!” I can’t help but share her excitement. I never thought that I’d be able to have an actual conversation with my friend again, but this changes that entirely. Learning a new language—especially one spoken through actions and not words—is going to take some time, but if it means that I get my best friend back, I’m eager to get started. I tap the water with my hand. “What’s this?”

She pauses a moment before her lips turn up in a smirk. Her hands move, forming various symbols that are impossible to keep up with. It can’t take that many movements to form a single word, can it?!

She laughs and then takes my hand in hers, halting my pitiful attempts. She points to the ocean and then moves her hand in a way that looks like waves.

“Ocean. Waves. That makes sense.”

She nods, then points to the sky. She lifts a hand above her and then brings it down slowly, waggling her fingers as she goes.

“Rain?”

Another nod. Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought. That is, until she makes another gesture that throws me. She repeats the gesture and then feigns bringing a cup to her lips and drinking.

I mirror her original gesture as best I can. “Water?”

Her widening grin tells me I’m right. How many water words are there? River, lake, puddle, drop. It becomes glaringly obvious just how many words are out there, and if each of them has a corresponding gesture, I don’t know how anyone could ever master this language. At least practicing with Teagan will give me something to do while I wait for Jade’s fate to be determined. Either he’ll awaken, or he’ll die, and after that, Quinn and I will probably leave this place for good. Teagan will remain, but she’ll have her mate. At least in Marein, she can be free.

Teagan splashes me again, though this time it’s simply to reclaim my attention and lacks its original playful force. Her head tilts to one side and I know she’s asking what’s wrong.

“Nothing. It’s just that we probably won’t be here for very long.”

Another head tilt. She’s asking why.

“Because no one wants us here.”

She puts a hand firmly against her chest of shimmering scales.

I laugh, but it doesn’t mask the emotion. “I know you do. You’ve never seen me as a Daughter of Lunae. You’ve only ever been a friend.”

She takes my hands in hers. She doesn’t need her voice because her eyes convey the message just as well. We’re still friends.

“What’s the gesture for ‘friend’?”

She thinks for a moment and then pulls away from me. For a moment, I think she’s leaving, but then she swims back towards the shore with enough speed to launch herself above the waves and onto the sand beside me. Before I can ask, her arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hug I’ve missed so much. I’m certain this isn’t the actual symbol for friendship, but it works for me.

CHAPTER EIGHT

QUINN

Ican’t exactly say my belly is filled, but I’m more sated than I was. I ate the small plate of fish quickly, but still not fast enough to avoid the bland and somewhat putrid flavour. If I hadn’t already decided to try hunting tomorrow, this would have been enough to cement that decision.

I turn for the exit of the dining hall and knock into something solid. The sudden collision has me stumbling sideways and I have to catch myself on the table. From the heat of the body alone, I can tell it’s a dragon, but very few of them would have reason to bump into me.

When I swing my gaze upwards and lock onto Petra’s narrowed eyes, my guess is proven right. “Did I do something to you or do you just get a kick out of knocking over injured men?” The hit to my pride is worth calling her out on her horseshit.

To my surprise, the hardness of her eyes softens with the heavy sigh she blows out. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not you.”

She’sapologizing?

“I never thought I’d see the day where you apologized to me for anything.”

“Don’t get used to it. I still don’t like you.”

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