Page 25 of Siren Problems

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Instead, I let myself wonder.

What would it be like if he weren’t so haunted?

If he smiled more than once a lunar cycle? If he kissed like he meant it instead of looking like the act itself might unravel the world?

I trace the edge of the bandage with my thumb.

There’s something under all his armor. Something kind. Fierce. Tender.

It scares me a little.

Because I want to reach for it.

I wanthim.

Not the prince. Not the storm. Not the curse.

Just…Calder.

But I say nothing.

Because we’re not there yet.

Because I’m not sure we’ll ever be.

CHAPTER 10

CALDER

Ishouldn’t have come here.

The Sip & Spell is loud. Lit. Magical residue clings to the air like perfume and electricity. The ley hum pulses beneath the floorboards, drunk on spell-shots and potion-infused happy hour specials. People are laughing. Dancing. Touching.

I don’t belong in places like this.

Especially not tonight.

But Rin cornered me after the council briefing—“Show your face, remind the town you’re not just a shadow on the cliffs,”she said—and I didn’t have the energy to argue.

So here I am. Grumpy, damp, and perched at the end of the bar like a warning sign nobody reads.

“Someone looks like they regret every decision that led them here,” Kai drawls, dropping a neon-blue drink in front of me.

“I didn’t order anything.”

She smirks. “It’s water. You’re welcome. Although, if you want tofeelthings, I’ve got a cinnamon potion that unblocks repressed emotions. Like Draino, but for the soul.”

“Hard pass.”

“Coward,” she sing-songs, already moving on.

I sip the water. It tastes vaguely of starlight and judgment.

The door opens again.

I know it’s her before I look.

Luna.

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