Page 84 of Voice of the Ocean

“All right! More for me,” he grunted, taking the bottle back and pouring the remainder into his own tankard. Seeing this as an opportunity to seek out her own libations, Celeste grabbed the empty bottle from his hands, wiggled it, and pointed toward the stairs.

“Ah! That’s a girl! Get the ale next!” Torben said, clapping her on the back.

Celeste nodded and slipped away below deck to the galley. Behind her, she left the door ajar so she could still hear the festivities above. The ebb and flow of sound soothed her. Around her, the room was dark, but she knew it well.

Her hands found the matches left on the table, and soon the oil lamps were burning bright. She had learned how to light a candle from watching the others. More and more, she noticed little human things that she’d accidentally picked up. A gesture hello. The way she used utensils. Celeste placed the empty bottle on the table. Although she had developed a taste for alcohol, whatever Torben had given them was, in a word, terrible. She hadn’t the faintest idea why anyone would willingly consume more of it.

Picking up the lamp, she ducked into the back room where Nasir stored the food and drink. The light shone upon bottle after bottle, and Celeste marveled over how many words she recognized on the labels. They were still too few to read them in entirety, but a trill of excitement ran through her all the same.Her hand found the familiar bottle of honeyed wine and plucked it from the shelf, before looking for the bottle Torben wanted. He drank ale plenty of times at dinner, so she knew what it looked like. Eventually, she discovered it on the floor in the back right corner. She passed the lamp from one hand to another, considering how to carry it all.

“Need a hand?” The voice startled her. Sirens were used to feeling a presence before it was seen.

Celeste straightened and turned to see Raiden leaning with his hand atop the doorframe, watching her with an amused expression. Putting his stealth aside, Celeste passed Raiden the lamp.

“Good choice,” he said, pointing to the wine in her hand. “I saw you weren’t a fan of Torben’s Yenrian drink.”

A look of surprise crossed her face. She’d been certain no one noticed her discarding it. She shrugged and nodded, earning a chuckle from the captain. He set the lamp on the table, then reached to help her with the bottles. But Celeste held up a hand to stop him.

“I know you can handle yourself,” he scoffed. “I was attempting to be chivalrous.”

She huffed but handed him the bottle of wine. Then she pulled two mismatched glasses and a corkscrew from a cabinet and set them down on the counter.

“Why don’t we open this now,” Raiden said with a grin. He removed the cork with a satisfying pop and poured them each a glass. “To you,” he said, lifting his wine, “the best Wayfinder I’ve ever met.”

Celeste beamed with pride.

Raiden amended, “And the only Wayfinder I’ve ever met.”

This earned a light laugh from her as she touched her glass to his. The title felt good, even if they both knew it wasn’t true. Celeste sipped, and the liquid tasted as lovely and sweet as she remembered. In an instant, she was back at the festival, enjoying her orange.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Celeste shrugged and pointed at the wine.

“Wine?”

She shook her head.

“Port Velluno?” he tried again.

Close enough. She smiled and nodded.

“You know—you never fail to surprise me. Trying topull a knife on a guard,” he teased.

Her free hand flew to his shoulder, giving it a playful push. But in one swift movement, he caught her, pressing her palm gently into his chest. Her lips parted in a soft gasp. He pulled her close. So close. The lamp on the table cast a golden glow upon Raiden’s face. His mole was only a breath away. And before she knew what was happening, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. The touch was tentative, questioning, as if waiting for her to pull away. But she felt it everywhere. Every part of her body lit on fire. Burning. And she wanted more.

When she didn’t draw back, he stepped forward, pressing his lips more firmly against hers. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Her mind went blank. The kiss was a question. An answer. A call-and-response. It was the single greatest kiss she’d ever had. A kiss that felt, in a way, like magic. All too soon, he pulled away, and suddenly there was entirely too much space between them.

“That’s how I wanted our first kiss to?—”

“You kiss me,” she breathed, accent thick.

Raiden blinked. “What?”

“Youkissedme,” she corrected herself, still dizzy.

“You cantalk!”

Oh. Shit.

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