Page 98 of The Sea Witch's Son

The selfish demand of a villain, waiting to hear my song.

The hopeful demand of a man, trying to put me back together again.

Both a lie and a truth mixed together until neither is false and neither is true.

I close my eyes, feeling something shift inside me. An insignificant sliver of recognition that shouldn’t be allowed so much power.

And yet, within that fragment, a tiny seed of hope slips out.

Something close to a hum starts to flow from my mouth. The weight in my lungs is heavier than I remember, the harmony in my blood a little denser. Melancholic and bittersweet, it sounds an awful lot like the voice I had to leave behind.

Marlin’s eyes start to crinkle and it’s his smile that turns the sound into something more.

A melody flows out of me, soft and sweet. I’m a living, breathing music box, filling the room with a song that’s bound to run out.

But for right now, I hold on.

I sing about a girl lost at sea, a girl who doesn’t know what she wants. I sing about the waves of the ocean, the push and pull of a passion that was never meant to be.

I sing about the sailors who never make it home and the sailors who keep their compasses close. I sing about the loved ones waiting back home, holding their breath until there’s nothing but air to hold on to.

I sing for a long time.

Marlin’s eyes are closed by the time my song runs out. His heavy breathing fills the room, his giant frame taking up most of my bed.

Reaching up, I brush the white strands back from his forehead. He doesn’t move when I touch his face, tracing the sharp angles that shouldn’t be so easy to touch.

My hand falls from his face to his chest, feeling the hard muscles rise and fall with each breath. The steady beat of his heart pushes through his skin, thrumming its own song against my hand.

“Thank you.”

His breathing stays deep and even as I curl into the warm cavity of his chest. Burying myself in his arms, I close my eyes and remind myself it’s just one night.

For one night, I’ll let myself have this.

I’ll let myself have him.

Chapter 35

MARLIN

Calista is waiting for me the next morning.

For a woman who got no sleep, she looks deceivingly put together with lipstick that matches the red soles of her stiletto boots.

“I trust the other affair went according to plan?” Her eyes roam over me, hunting for a wrinkle in my clothing, “It’s not like you to have sleepovers.”

“Who said anything about a sleepover?”

“Nice try. I saw you sneaking out of Melody’s house this morning.” She grins, “Did you tell her about our encounter last night? I thought it wentswimminglywell.”

A smirk hits my lips, “Did you manage to leave him alive?”

“Of course.” She clucks her tongue, “Men have much lower breaking points than women.”

“So you keep telling me.”

Despite the success of last night’s encounter with Finley, I find myself feeling rather restless. My dark grey dress pants are in perfect order, as is the lavender dress shirt paired with them, and yet I feel unsettled this morning.

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