Page 87 of Voice of the Ocean

“And I fell in love,” Nasir repeated, eyes drifting toward his husband. The gruff Yenrian was now with Raiden and Bastian, gesturing wildly with his drink as he spoke.

“I didn’t realize this was your first time at sea,” Kiyami said.

“Didn’t tell any of ya,” Nasir said simply.

The conversation continued, but as they talked, guilt settled heavily on Celeste’s chest. Even now, they made an effort to include her in the conversation in spite of her silence. She hadn’t wanted to get close to these humans. But now she couldn’t imagine her life without them.I’ll tell them, she decided,when the time is right. Maybe her accent would betray her as a siren, and maybe it wouldn’t. Either way, she was tired of the charade. Still, what if they never forgave her for deceiving them? What if they found out she was a siren and cast her out?Then they wouldn’t be the people I believe they are.

“Do you think it’ll storm again, Celeste?” Kiyami asked, shaking her from her thoughts.

Celeste shook her head.No, I think the sun’s finally here to stay.

The party began to fade. With the strong drink and such little sleep, one by one each crew member staggered off for bed until it was only Torben, Celeste, and Raiden sitting around a flickering lantern.

“I want to... thank you, Raiden,” Torben said, rocking a little as he gripped his bottle. “After my—erm,incident—no one would offer me a job. Notanyone! Till you came along. After this, I think I’ll finally be back in your dad’s good graces and can sail the seas once more...” He trailed off, tears pooling in his eyes. He hastily wiped them on his sleeve as Raiden reached out and clapped him upon his shoulder.

“You were the right man for the job.”

Celeste tried her best to keep her face neutral. She hadn’t forgotten how Raiden resisted Torben joining the crew. But there was some truth in the captain’s words. Torben, despite all his flaws, was the best man for the job. He had helped rescue her in Port Velluno, after all, even if it did feel like a thinly veiled excuse to use explosives.

“Are you heading to bed soon?” Nasir asked, appearing at the stairs.

“Yeah, comin’.” Torben stood and shook Raiden’s hand vigorously. “You’re a good man, Captain,” he said, before stumbling after his husband below deck, leaving Celeste and Raiden alone for the first time since their kiss.

A moment of quiet passed between them. Celeste tilted her head back to see the four daughters shining, just as they had the first night. The stars glittered above her like jewels in a crown. Memories of Raiden and how coldly he acted toward her played in her mind. She almost didn’t recognize the man before her as the same person.

“Do you have any siblings?” he asked, breaking the silence.

The question was so surprisingly normal that Celeste laughed.

“What? I’m curious.” He grinned.

“I have two siblings,” she said. “Shye, my eldest sister, and Sephone, our middle sister.”

“What’s Shye like?”

“Difficult.” Celeste sighed.

Raiden nodded, listening.

“Sephone is the favorite.” Although it stung to talk of her family, there was relief in it, as if the very act of being known was something she’d been craving for some time. “She’s gifted and kind. When we were young, and Shye and I would fight, Sephone would be the one to calm the waters. After Sephone went away, Shye and I never really stopped fighting.”

“Where did she go?”

“To another kingdom. I guess my parents convinced her she’d be more valuable as a bride to some prince.” Her eyes fell to the floor.

“Are you meant to marry some prince in another kingdom?” Raiden asked, tone serious as he stared at her with that familiar burning gaze.

She swallowed the wine in her mouth and set the glass down with a sigh.

“Probably,” Celeste admitted, “if I ever learn tocontrolmyself.” A second later, she realized what she’d let slip.

“So you’re a princess?” He smirked.

Celeste narrowed her eyes at him, her annoyance with his tone somehow outweighing her fear of where this conversation was leading.

“Yes,” she replied, lifting her chin.

“Somehow this doesn’t surprise me,” he drawled.

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