Page 86 of Voice of the Ocean

Celeste nodded but remained quiet. She wondered why he hadn’t told anyone this before. Bastian was his closest friend—practically his brother. Why would Raiden hide this? Was it because Bastian had worked for his father? And why did Raiden still wish to win his father’s approval after everything he’d done? But a different question slipped out instead.

“Why tell me?”

Raiden moved their entwined hands to his chest.

“Because it was easy,” he answered.

Celeste stiffened. A secret that was easy to tell wasn’t a good trade. But he continued. “Talking with you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. We could talk for hours, days, years, and I would never tire of it. And now that I’ve heard your voice, I confess it’s my favorite sound.” There was such an earnestness in his face.

Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded in her chest.

“So, do we have a deal?” he asked.

Celeste pulled her hand free from his and offered it back to him, palm up. A human’s agreement. He smiled and took her hand, but before she could shake, he tugged her forward, meeting her lips with his.

She melted into the kiss. It was much better than a handshake.

“So this is why the drinks were taking so long.”

Celeste sprung away from Raiden as though she’d been burned. In the doorway stood Kiyami, grinning.

“Were they swapping spit?” Torben called from above.

“Yep,” Kiyami shouted back.

Cheers and groans erupted from above.

“You owe me five silver, Baz! I told you it’d happen after the festival!” Kiyami said, wiggling her eyebrows at Celeste. The siren wrapped her arms around herself and groaned. She wished she could turn into seafoam and dissolve into the floor.

“Took ’em long enough,” grumbled Torben. “If Valencia hadn’t interrupted, I would’ve won!”

Raiden stood before her grinning from ear to ear. His muscled arms were crossed across his wide chest, the picture of smug confidence. It made Celeste want to smack the expression from his face. Or kiss it away. But instead she took her wineglass from the table, downed it in one swig, then picked up the bottle and marched upstairs.

“If you break her heart, I will help her kill you,” Kiyami said smoothly to Raiden as she gathered up the remaining bottles and followed Celeste up the stairs.

“Two on one? Sounds thrilling!” Raiden called after them.

Thankfully, the appearance of more alcohol provided enough distraction to the crew for Celeste to avoid any awkward questions. After a time, Raiden joined the party too. She worried it would be uncomfortable. Not only between her and Raiden but between him and the rest of the crew. Noticing Celeste’s discomfort, Kiyami looped an arm around Celeste’s shoulders and squeezed. The gesture was so human it made her smile.

“Seeing you two together... it makes sense,” Kiyami said. “And the way he looks at you—I’ve never seen him look at anyone that way.”

The words made her nervous, her stomach feeling like fizzing bubbles. It wasn’t unpleasant. Celeste squeezed her friend back, glad she did not need to respond. When her gaze lifted, she saw Raiden staring at her from across the ship. He stood with Bastian, sharing a drink and a laugh. And suddenly, despite the crowded deck, it felt as though they were the only two. Bastian, noticing Raiden’s attention shifting, followed his friend’s gaze. But when his eyes met Celeste’s, the smile on his face vanished. Suddenly, she felt cold. Was he angry with her? Why?

“You missed it! There was a shower of stars earlier,” Nasir told Celeste, mercifully blocking Bastian from view.

“I think she saw sparks flying,” Kiyami blurted.

Celeste snorted, sending Kiyami into a fit of laughter. As the two descended into a fit of giggles, Nasir chuckled a little, watching them with amusement. The interaction was strangely familial. And suddenly Celeste was smiling for an entirely different reason. Blessedly, once they regained composure, Kiyami chose to change the subject.

“Did you and Torben fall in love at sea?” she asked.

“You know, this is our first voyage together,” Nasir said. “I’ve never sailed before this.”

Celeste and Kiyami exchanged a look of surprise.

“Torben was the pirate. But he ended up at Port Romsey for a time, looking for work, and he came into my pub. He told me stories of his adventures, of his family, of how he ended up marooned by the Pirate King, and more than once he would fight customers who tried to start something with me,” he said with a fond laugh.

“And you fell in love,” Kiyami said.

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