Page 88 of Voice of the Ocean

“And why is that?” she snapped.

Raiden’s eyes lit with mischief. “Well—for one, you’re clearly used to getting your way.” He leaned back against the ship’s railing.

Celeste let out a bitter laugh. “Hardly. My life was decided for me.”

Raiden’s snarky manner softened at this. He let his leg fall and press against hers, a steadying presence.

“What would you want to do if you could decide?” he asked.

Celeste paused, considering. “I—I’ve never thought about it.”

An anxious feeling rose in her stomach. She pushed to her feet, moving away, giving herself some space. They were wandering too close to the great unsaid thing. The truth she would never be able to take back. She’d already failed her people so many times. If she told him and anyone found out, she wouldn’t be the one who suffered. In some ways, the treaty between kingdoms had been broken the day she walked into the Broken Compass. Still, it was one thing for Raiden to guess who she was. It was quite another for her to admit it. To speak it aloud. But she trusted him. As foolish as that might be. She knew that if she told him, it would stay between them. Because Raiden knew already and hadn’t told a soul. And she knew she could never go back to her family, her people, after failing to kill him.

Worst of all, she loved him. She loved him so much it stole her breath and left her reeling. Loved him so much she hated him for it. And more than anything, she hoped he loved her back. But how could he possibly love her back if he didn’t know her? All of her?

Breathing in the warm night air, Celeste leaned against the railing of the ship and looked out over the water. A leap of faith stood before her.

And she jumped.

“It wasn’t until I”—she took a breath, steeling her nerves—“until I saw you dancing on your ship that I even dreamed of anything more than what I knew.” She thought she had finished speaking, until the next words slipped out, so quiet she wasn’t sure if he could hear it. “Sirens don’t dance like that.”

She did not turn. Did not dare to look at him. But behind her, she heard him stand. Felt his eyes on her back, as if his gaze could burn through her and see her beating heart. Her throat was dry. The secret was out. The moment she had feared had come at last. And she had chosen to do it.

Silence fell between them. A breeze brushed across her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. She felt naked, despite her layers.

And then?—

“I never thanked you. For saving Baz and I.”

“No,” she said softly, “you didn’t.”

She turned, unable to bear it a moment longer. And Raiden was there. Striding the few steps toward her. Slowly. Deliberately. The same warm expression he always wore on his face. Nothing had changed. And everything had. It was almost anticlimactic.Had she been worrying over nothing?Probably. It sounded very much like something she’d do. And yet the knots in her stomach loosened as she looked into his face and saw they had weathered this storm too.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile, stepping so close she could reach out and touch him. “May I ask—why you did?”

“Because—because you jumped overboard to save your friend. Because you weren’t the villain I was told you were.”

A pained look crossed his face.

“What if I am?” he asked, voice low. “What if I’mworse?”

Celeste’s hand found his cheek, and he turned his face into her touch. In his eyes, she saw regret and sorrow, drowning him from the inside. How many of his drowned crew had families like Kiyami or Bastian? Or dreams like Torben? Things left unsaid or undone. She could see how it haunted him. How he tortured himself. Could see it in how protective he was of his crew. Such horrible things he’d done in the king’s name.

“You’re not your father,” she said.

Raiden took a step back, irritation flickering in his eyes. “You don’t know him.”

And suddenly Raiden was slipping away from her, replaced by Captain Raiden Sharp, son of the Pirate King. She let her hand fall limply to her side. Had she somehow misread his feelings?

“I didn’t think?—”

“No,” he said, “you didn’t.”

Frustration flared, cold and bright in her stomach. “You know, Raiden, I’m trying to see things from your point of view, but I can’t get my head that far up my arse!” she snapped.

He froze.

“Say that again.”

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