Page 82 of Voice of the Ocean

“You have to let me go,” he said in her ear, her rope falling from his hands.

The truth came unbidden, the thought appearing in her mind as she clung to him. A thought as delicate as coral, and just as sharp.

I’m falling in love with him.

And suddenly she was undone. Her hands twisted into the fabric of his shirt, and she turned her face to the sky.It cannot end this way. Raiden pulled at her arms, trying to release her into the water beneath them. The moon hung low, golden and growing larger. As if it, too, were caught in her pull. And that’s when she saw it. Something looming above them. Forming in the corner of her eye. A colossal wave. It appeared as if pulled from the sea by an unseen hand, gathering water into itself until it stood as tall as theRed Revenge. Celeste froze, her body bracing for the impact as it rushed toward them. With a crash, the great wave slammed against the side of the ship.

The port side.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

Raiden’s hand found her head, shielding her as theRed Revengeheaved, swinging them wildly. With a dull thud, they hit the deck. Beneath them, the ship groaned, rocking, rolling.Righting itself.

TheRed Revengecareened out from the end of the current with a splash.

For a moment, neither Celeste nor Raiden moved.

They were safe. The ship was sailing.

“Did—did you do that?” Raiden lifted his head and stared at Celeste, eyes wide.

Her look of confusion dissolved into amusement. She shook her head. Clearly, his father had told him little truth about siren abilities.

“Ah,” he said, using his thumb to push a strand of silver hair from her cheek. “Well, I suppose that was lucky.”

A laugh bubbled up through her throat. And then she was crying, pulling Raiden into a fierce hug as her body shook. All the tension within her released at once. And soon Raiden was laughing too.

“That wasterrible!”

Kiyami!The pirate appeared at the stairs, her legs shaking. “I thought we were goners.”

“Unquestionably!” replied Torben, in a suspiciously gleeful tone. “It’s been ages since I really thought I was about to die.”

“Is everyone accounted for?” Bastian called out as he unfastened his rope. Raiden looked on his friend with relief.

The crew took stock of each other, and strangely, everyone was unharmed. Physically, at least. Some were still in the water, but they were quickly found and pulled aboard.

For the first time, Celeste found herself all too ready to be on dry land once more. The crew moved about, checking the ship for harm. There was still quite a bit of water belowdecks; otherwise, nothing was amiss. Even the Admiral, although shaken up, was perfectly fine. Apparently, Kiyami had been with him when they started to capsize and was able to strap them both down in time.

Goddess be praised—the strange little crew had made it out alive.

Celeste joined Torben and some of the other crew to gather water in buckets and throw it overboard. They’d made a dent in the knee-deep water when they heard a call from above.

“The rain! It’s stopped!”

The bucket in Celeste’s hands landed with a splash. She took the stairs two at a time. And sure enough, when she reached the deck, she saw the sky had cleared. Stars glittered. The moon, nearly full and bright, appeared larger than usual over their heads. Strange. But Celeste smiled at the sight all the same. It felt as if they had been stuck inside a cave for the past week, and now they found their way out to freedom. Her shoulders sagged in relief.

Torben whooped with joy and ran to Nasir. They spun around together on the still-glistening deck, shouting joyfully. Beneath their feet, the slick surface reflected the stars above, as though they danced in the heavens. Kiyami struck up a rhythm with a stomp of her foot, and even Bastian let out a whistle and began to clap his hands. Without meaning to, Celeste felt her body begin to sway in time with the unusual music. There were no instruments. No singers. There was nothing controlled or even beautiful about it. It was wild and ugly and—fun. Raiden appeared before her, reaching out his hand.

“I believe I owe you a dance,” he said, his smile wide and unbound.

Celeste’s cheeks heated as she placed her hand upon his. The simple touch of his warm, rough fingers sent shivers down her spine. With a jerk, he twirled her into his chest and slid his free arm around her waist. She let out a laugh, surprise and pleasure blooming within her chest. The warmth of him pressed close, and beneath their wet clothes she could feel every place they touched. Where before the merest brush would have sent her running, Celeste realized she felt safe within his arms. With another twist of his wrist, Celeste was spinning away, whirling across the deck until the tether of their arms pulled taut. When sparring, Raiden was brazen, each strike and thrust executed with strength and determination. There was a ferocity to him. A passion. It was present in everything he did. Everything he was. And she could feel it in the way he moved with her. But while Raiden was a burning sun, consuming and bright, Celeste was an icy moon. Smooth and practiced. Giving. Following each step.

All the while, his gaze never left her face. He watched in delight as she let out a surprised gasp as he dipped her backward.

“Don’t worry, love. I’ve got you,” he whispered against her ear, his arms tightening around her. Suddenly, her stomach felt as though it’d filled with bubbles.

He lifted her slowly, smile widening until he was blazing with it. The joy and relief and victory.They’d done it. They’d made it through. Together. And Celeste found she was beaming back.

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