Page 42 of Voice of the Ocean

He eyed her, and she knew he saw through her act easily. “I’m glad it meets your approval.” The captain rested against the railing beside her, but while Celeste gazed upon the crew, he looked out over the water. It was getting so dark that one could hardly see anything save the stars above them. He tipped his head back, running a large hand mindlessly through his hair.

“The three daughters are out tonight,” he said.

Celeste followed his gaze. The sky was clear above them, each star shining brightly upon the inky velvet sky. Something inside her opened wide at the sight of them all. Awestruck. There were so many of them. Her eyes fell to the stars Raiden had pointed to, and she wrinkled her nose. The captain’s arm dropped, and he raised an eyebrow at her. But before he could ask, Celeste held up four fingers.

There were four daughters, she corrected him, pointing from the first daughter, to the second, the third, and the fourth. Together they formed a jagged line. The fourth star wasn’t as bright as the other three, and perhaps for this it had always been Celeste’s favorite.

“Four daughters? Really? And why have I never heard of the fourth?”

Of course your people wouldn’t mention the fourth sister. Not after a human stole her and killed her. But how was she to explain that to him without her voice? Celeste squared her shoulders toward him and rolled her head limply to one side. Her eyes closed dramatically.

“She died?”

Close, but not exactly what she meant. Thinking of a better action, Celeste curled her fingers into a fist, as if it held a knife, and plunged the invisible weapon deep into her heart.

“She killed herself?”

Celeste shook her head, reaching to grab Raiden’s hand.

Before she made contact, her mind caught up with her action. She froze, hand raised and trembling in front of her. She had intended to use his hand as the “killer” but was too afraid to touch him. Too afraid to be touched. So instead she pointed to him and then to herself.

“Oh,” he said, his voice a little gruff. “She was killed.”

She dropped her arms to her sides and nodded.

“I can’t believe I thought there were only three,” he said, still looking at Celeste’s face.

Celeste shrugged and jokingly tapped her fist against her temple twice.You’re too dense, I guess, she informed him with a grin.

Raiden laughed, as if he understood her perfectly. She eyed him, hoping to find some sign as to whether or not he was drunk. He seemed to be in a good enough mood. Perhaps she could attempt to steer the conversation toward the treasure and see what details she could uncover. But he was already pointing to a different cluster of stars in the west that formed what looked like an empty cup that had been tipped over.

“All right, Wayfinder, who’s that?”

That’s the Goddess’s Mouth, she thought as she gently touched her bottom lip with her finger and pointed above her toward the sky.

“Lips of Heaven?” His eyes lingered on her mouth.

It would have been funny, but Celeste couldn’t laugh with him looking at her like that. Her body heated, and her head swam. Her left hand tightened around the wine cup. This wasn’t Raiden’s normal showy bravado. This was something burning. Perhaps hewasdrunk. Her eyes traced his face, noticing how the flickering lamplight threw his sharp features into stark relief. They stood together, staring. The human prince and the siren princess. Their war was as old as time and written in the stars above them.

It would have been so much easier for her if she had stayed away from him.

Raiden’s gaze climbed from her lips to her eyes, and she remembered he had asked her a question. Shaking her head, she pointed again to her lips and then the sky. Then, with every ounce of royal poise she possessed, Celeste held the cup of wine atop her head, lifting her chin as though she were a god.

“The Lips of God?” he asked, taking a step closer.

Celeste swallowed and shook her head. She wanted to take a step back, but she was already pressed against the railing of the ship. Again, she pointed to her mouth, but this time she parted her lips.Mouth, she repeated.The Goddess’s Mouth!

“Is it the Voice—” Raiden stopped speaking, a sudden frostiness coming over his expression.

A shiver ran down Celeste’s spine as she watched the change. What did she do? With a sinking feeling, she remembered how she had screamed in front of him. How he was the only one left standing. The wind suddenly felt sharper.

“Why are you here?” he said, eyes searing.

He only suspected something. If he knew why she was really here, he would have killed her already. But clearly he had not forgotten what had happened the night of the storm. She willed herself to keep her breathing even. Although she had never actually gone on any missions for the Chorus, they trained her. She knew how to remain calm in stressful situations.Theoretically.

Celeste knit her eyebrows together, twisting her face into a perfectly confused pout. Raiden watched her, glaring. It was no use. Whatever small headway she had made with him was gone. She had to get him to trust her to get the information she needed. If she could somehow show him a reason for her being here, perhaps he would stop searching for one. But she couldn’t think of any reason a siren would end up on his ship. Unless... she had followed him there.Perhaps she could convince him she was in love with him. The thought almost made her laugh. Still, it wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility. When Celeste did fall, she fell fast. And it wasn’t as if he was unattractive.

But she had hesitated for too long. Although she had never seen the king, she could see the echo of him now in his son’s expression. Afraid of causing a scene, she looked around, but the decks were bare. Only the night shift was awake, their eyes keeping watch at sea. The rest of the crew must have gone to bed.

---