Page 46 of Siren Problems
Likely.
And gods, it shouldn’thurtlike this.
But it does.
Because this time, it’s not the sea stealing something from me.
It’s me.
My silence.
My absence.
Myfear.
I wanted to protect her. To keep her safe from the storm I carry inside me. But all I did was convince her I’d never choose her back.
And now?
Now I’m the reason she’s packing up the pieces and preparing to walk away.
The idea slices through me deeper than any curse flare ever could.
Because Luna didn’t just crawl into my bed.
She opened a place I didn’t think could be touched anymore.
She made mewantagain.
And I let that want drown under guilt.
I turn toward the door.
The tide’s coming in fast now.
And if I don’t move soon...
I might lose the only person who’s ever looked at the monster andreached for the maninstead.
CHAPTER 16
CALDER
The bar doesn’t have a name.
It’s carved into the side of the cliff, half-submerged at high tide and illegal in three magical jurisdictions. Most don’t know it’s here unless they’re invited or unlucky. Tonight, I’m both.
The kelpies call itThe Sinkhole.
It’s exactly what I need.
The glowroot cocktails burn like sea acid and regret. The music vibrates through the floor in low, rhythmic pulses, like some ancient thing breathing just below the surface. The smell is salt and moss and sweet rot.
Perfect.
I’ve downed four drinks before the bartender—Osha, all gills and no patience—cuts me off. She replaces my glass with a chunk of driftwood carved with binding runes.
“You need water.”
