Page 28 of Siren's Treasure

The loud clanging bells from outside joined the strange discordant symphony from the jerking copper whistler as it skidded across the desk and landed in a heap. The ship’s cook was serving the daily gruel.

“I’m not sure what sort of fare you ate in mermaid land, but I’m sure we can find something edible… of course the sea biscuits will choke a scurvy dog,” and he was babbling, lost in the depths of her eyes. They were dark like storm clouds before rain, mysterious and fathomless as the sea itself. “Okay… uh,” bluntness was the only way to get out of this, “you’d better give me some space before I lose my head completely.”

Those eyes widened, a flush creeping across her cheeks that rivaled the crimson drapes. His hands tightened around her waist with a muttered apology as he tried to move her back. “Sorry.” Savoring her softness, he caught himself again and forced his fingers away. “Sorry!”

What a fool!

He slipped completely from her grasp and hurriedly stood. And while they were at it, if she was venturing out with the crew, she’d better be covered head to toe. Once again, he found those oversized breeches and pushed them at her.

Those rough men out there were animals. Like he had room to talk with his heart racing and his mind filled with memories of that kiss—that cursed kiss! “C’mon, let’s get you out of this stuffy den.” His voice came out rougher than he intended, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

Her fingers brushed over his as she took the clothing, sending another shock of awareness through his veins. Their eyes met for a breathless moment, and he wondered if she felt it too—the power of the tide had nothing on them.

The copper whistler gave one final groan before falling silent.

Chapter fourteen

The world felt different on her skin somehow. Canvas sails billowed overhead, snapping in the wind like great wings straining to take flight as the breeze whipped around her. Fine droplets of sea spray misted her face, tasting like brine and freedom, so different from being trapped in the stale confines of that cabin with Raggon, and yet… there was something about his presence that also put her at ease.

Who was this man? His earlier rejection of her had stung. She’d been looking for comfort and he’d practically shoved her away in his attempt to escape her disgusting mermaid touch. So why was he now stealing glances at her? And why was she melting every time she caught his eyes? She shouldn’t! Her father needed her to be strong.

Now, he went over the chart with his most loyal man, the one he called the Duke. The strength of Raggon’s back broadened out to powerful shoulders, his every move commanding as he mapped a course to Undine Isles.

Clearly, Raggon was only using her. He cared nothing for her. And still, he didn’t stray too far from where he’d placed her on crossbeams of an overturned longboat.

She soon knew why. Noticing the threatening looks the rough crewmen gave her made her insides crawl with misgiving, especially from the one named, August. That horrid whip of his curled around his gun belt, along with a sharp and wicked dagger, but his empty green eyes were the most terrifying of all. They hunted her every move, running over her strange attire. She’d had to tie her borrowed breeches up with a rope, and the cambric chemise kept slipping maddeningly over her shoulder, the strange fabric chafing against her skin in a way that made her long for the weightless freedom of water.

Raggon returned to her, and without a moment’s hesitation, she moved closer to him. Despite the constant sparkle of his eyes, he’d never looked at her that way. No, he watched her with the warmth of the sea’s melody singing over the waves… well, when she wasn’t trampling over his territory.

“Ready to start learning how to walk?” Again? The man was relentless! She sensed the steel of determination under his light words.

No matter Scylla’s reassurances that she wouldn’t bear Undine’s burden of pain like daggers in her every step, Thessa wasn’t so sure. Her feet hurt every time she tried them out, a strange burning sensation traveling up through ankles that still felt foreign to her.

“Walking takes time to figure out,” he said. “If you ask my nursemaids, they’d tell you that it took me a good long year of falling flat on my butt before I became the man you see today.”

Her eyes widened.

He grinned. “I’ll give you a day to figure it out… well, maybe two.” Of course, the isles were looming nearer and time was running out. Without warning, his fingers found hers, twiningthrough them and making her stare in wonder when they fit so perfectly with hers, though the difference was stark—his were dark with sun, and hers pale as the water would allow. The rough calluses on his palms sent an unexpected shiver up her arm, despite how the tropical sun heated the bareness of her skin and left it parched and alien feeling.

He helped her to her feet, guiding her over the deck. She felt so foolish, and so maddeningly dependent on this man who was the sworn enemy of her people. She took another faltering step. “You have it.” He disappeared into a spray of seafoam, materializing a few steps in front of her to give her a target to move towards.

She gasped, always so disconcerted at how he manipulated the air in such a way. Her pulse quickened as he faced her, the morning light gilding his features, turning his eyes into pools of impossible blue—deeper and more changeable than the seas.

The signs of his Sylphorian royal blood should’ve been a dead giveaway that she was dealing with a prince. Just like her aunt thousands of years ago, Thessa was repeating history by sailing the seas with a handsome stranger who stole the breath from her new lungs, though at least this prince had given her the bed, and not the floor. She would see how long that courtesy lasted—certainly not after the Undine Blade was found.

But she had her own plans.

His hands went to hers again. There was no avoiding his touch, at least for now. The contact sent a jolt through her that she tried desperately to ignore, her skin tingling where his fingers grazed hers. All while he’d been desperate to get away from her earlier.Yeah, don’t be fooled—he hates your kind!She should probably feel relieved, but instead she was annoyed.

And I’m a silly sea-sponge.

Desperate to find a reason to resist his manipulation, her eyes drew to the flapping flag above them with the telltale sign of the crimson beast. “When did you start serving the Land Witch?”

“I don’t,” he said bluntly.

Surprise shivered through her and, immediately, she didn’t believe him. “You’re sailing under her flag.”

“And I stole one of her ships, so I guess you can say I’m on Circe’s bad side—I’m sure she’s heartbroken, seeing as I’m engaged to be married to her.”

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