Page 89 of When the Wicked Sing
“We found the stick you use to jam up your ass, and we thought you might like it back,” Aurora sneered with a saccharine smile. “You’re welcome.”
After Kosta walked back down below, grumbling about jumping off the ship, Aurora winked at Mariana. She always knew what to say to distract him, and Mariana began to wonder if her sister enjoyed getting under his skin.
She saw a glimpse of pride in Dax’s face and felt a bittersweet pang.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and he gave her a small smile.
~
Two days later, Mariana stepped onto the upper deck and breathed in the salty scent. After sleeping nearly ten hours, she’d awoken. Using her power took immeasurable concentration and energy she wasn’t used to. Her siren power to control water had essentially come from within her siren soul, which had been far easier to wield than this newfound power from the sky.
For a while, it felt like she was grasping the clouds and getting nothing but rain. Once she understood how to listen to the call of her power and act as a conduit to channel it, everything changed.
“I want to do something bigger,” Mariana told Dax as he steered the ship. “No moreblowing down bottles.”
Aurora had just gone below to get some sleep, despite grumbling about Kosta snoring like a pig, leaving Mariana and Dax to watch the sunny horizon. They were getting closer to Sirenia; she could feel it in her bones.
The sunshine warmed her face as she watched the white sails undulate in the calm wind.
“Like?” The way he looked at her made her bite her cheek to keep from smiling. She’d missed this, this feeling of happiness and warmth when they looked at each other. She cleared her throat and walked over to him before glancing up.
“Think I can fill those sails on my own?”
Dax followed her gaze for a moment before meeting her eyes. “I know you can.”
Everything seemed to slow as he stared at her.
“Show me how,” she murmured.
He held out his hand, and she took his warm grip. As he pulled her close, he turned her so her back was against his chest, his arms trapping her as he steered the boat.
“Feel the wind. Though it may be soft, it’s still there, present, waiting for your control,” Dax whispered into her ear.
She tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
“Feel it brush over your skin, through your hair.” His lips brushed the shell of her ear in a gentle kiss, then he rested his prickly chin beside it. “Imagine it rippling the ocean’s surface, moving the clouds …”
Listening to his words, she began to concentrate. She had realized that anytime she tried using her sky power, it was like a door she needed to open, releasing the energy trapped within.
She heard the sails billow and whip around.
“Concentrate,” Dax urged gently.
Taking a deep breath, she told the wind to do as she commanded and felt it brush against her face in answer. The boat surged.
“You’re doing it,” Dax said into her ear, and she opened her eyes to see the sails billowing out in full, the wind pushing them forward.
Mariana smiled. Turning her face to look at Dax, she found his eyes already on her.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered like he couldn’t help himself.
Her body melted into his as her tongue licked her parched lips. Dax watched the movement.
“I want to kiss you,” he admitted, and her body beggedyes.
“That’s the second time you’ve said that to me.”
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, light rippling off the waves brightening his eyes. “Keeping track, are you?”
