Page 30 of Voice of the Ocean

“What’s the Guild of Wayfinders?” Kiyami asked.

“It’s an Ethorian association that oversees the craft of mapmaking and the practice of navigating,” Bastian explained. “Only the best navigators on the waters may join the esteemed members of the guild. They’re?—”

“Legendary,” Raiden finished, staring at her. Whatever assumptions he had made about Celeste had been thoroughly shaken. He looked as though he was seeing her for the first time.

Celeste stuck out her chin and grinned. She didn’t care that she had no idea what the Guild of Wayfinders was; nothing could take away the smug joy she felt finally getting the upper hand against the prince. She reached her hand out, flicking her eyes from his face to the coat.Now give it back. With a grunt, he returned the coat. Celeste made a show of dusting nonexistent sand from its sleeves, before reverently draping it back across her shoulders. When she looked up, she found Raiden’s eyes still on her, dark and cold. She met his gaze steadily.

A moment passed between their heated looks.

“Well, we are in need of a navigator,” Bastian said, breaking the tension between the two with an uncomfortable smile.

Raiden ran a hand through his dark hair and at last looked away. Celeste sneaked a look at Kiyami, who was grinning proudly at her. And to her surprise, Celeste found herself grinning back.

“Would you like to join our crew?” Bastian asked. “You’ll have an equal share of the treasure we find, and there will be room for you to sleep with the other?—”

She couldn’t stop herself from grimacing at the mention of sharing a room with humans. It sounded horrifying, especially with memories of last night still on her mind. Plus, it would be much more challenging to sneak around the ship if she were constantly surrounded by humans.

“Don’t like the sound of that, do you?” Raiden laughed.

Celeste ignored him.

“Quite thenegotiator,” he said. “But we should be able to find you a room of your ownifyou are as good as your guild’s reputation suggests.”

Bastian rubbed his temples again, less than pleased at this promise.

“So, are we agreed, Celeste?” The prince extended a large hand toward her.

Celeste flinched away, memories of the constable echoing in her head. But she swallowed the feeling and reached to clasp wrists as sirens did when greeting another siren or forming an agreement. When he grabbed her hand instead, a spark of electricity ran up her arm. Celeste’s breath hitched. Sirens only held hands when they were intimate; it was a touch reserved for lovers. Raiden’s hand was calloused and warm as it firmly gripped hers. She tightened her own grip in response, trying to match his actions as best she could. Maintaining eye contact, the prince lifted their clasped hands up and brought them back down. Once, then again. On the second shake, the white fabric of her sleeve fell open, revealing the dark black crescent on her wrist. Of the three deals she had made in the past three days, she wondered which she’d regret the most.

Raiden smiled.

Celeste considered returning his smile, attempting to play along, when he leaned into her, bringing his lips a breath away from her ear. Her heart hammered in her chest.

“I know what you are,siren,” he said. His voice dropped so low that only she could hear. Celeste froze. “And I will find out why you’ve returned to me.” His breath was warm against her cheek. “You may be mysavior, but if you put any of this crew in danger, I will kill you.”

Not if you’re already dead. Celeste seethed.

A voice rang out from the front of the jail.

“I thought we took care of them.” Raiden dropped Celeste’s hand as he turned to Bastian.

“We might have missed one.” His friend shrugged.

“Missed one?”

Several sets of voices shouted. They sounded angry.

“Or several,” Bastian amended.

Raiden sighed, rubbing his temples before unsheathing his sword. Footsteps reverberated around the stone walls.

“Maybe there’s a back way?” Bastian suggested.

“Good idea.” The two left the cell, Bastian running away from the noise, with the Admiral barking at his heels, while Raiden held the cell door open.

“After you,” he purred.

Kiyami rolled her eyes but grabbed her skirts in her hands and ran after Bastian. “What about my things? They have my favorite sword!”

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