Page 86 of When the Wicked Sing
Aurora smiled. “Gladly,” she said, then let go of the wheel. Picking up Kosta’s crossbow she’d discarded off to the side, she took a seat on a barrel across from where Kosta stood brooding. She winked at him, earning a growl. Aurora snickered.
Mariana walked down the short staircase to the second level of the small boat and took a deep breath. There was a single, tiny cabin and a galley with just enough provisions for the journey. With a selection of boats to pick from on the dock, they aimed for a boat namedZena, as it had just finished being loaded with supplies. Then, when it was empty and the path was clear, they slipped aboard. Only when the boat was leaving the dock did the owner notice and begin shouting for help, but it was too late. They were already sailing into the horizon.
“Think they’ll ever get along?” Dax said behind her. She whirled toward him, her heart racing.
Swallowing, she glanced around the tiny space, realizing how close they were.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “They’re practically married.”
A smile broke through, and Dax laughed, the sound making her stomach flutter.
“I just hope they don’t kill each other,” he said.
The way he was looking at her made her whole body warm. Averting her eyes, she shook her head, rubbing her hands together nervously.
“Aurora vowed never to take a life again unless she had no choice. I doubt she’ll believe Kosta’s life is worth the burden she’d bear if she broke the vow.”
“She’s the Scarlet Serpent,” Dax murmured.
Mariana’s eyes speared him. “Don’t call her that.”
Lifting his hands, he said, “My apologies.”
Turning from him, she grabbed a ladle and sipped fresh water from the barrel beside her. It tasted faintly of the wood it was stored in. She hoped Dax would just go back up top, leave her alone with her confusing emotions.
“I really think we should talk,” he murmured.
Hanging the ladle on its hook, she plopped the lid over the water. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
“I think there is.”
“No,” she said and tried to move past him, but he put a gentle hand on her waist, stopping her.
The contact made her body hum, like something inside her was awakening.
Her heart sped up, as did her breath.
“Mari, there’s so much I want to say, please just listen,” he pleaded.
“Stop,” she whispered, suddenly afraid.
“If we’re stuck on this boat together, I think we should at least clear the air—”
Mariana pulled herself roughly away from his touch. “Stop, Dax. There’s nothing that will fix this. I can’t—” She stopped, a heartbeat away from crying. Spearing her hands through her hair, she gripped her head and closed her eyes, willing her body to calm down. Sighing, she whispered, “Nothing we say, nothing we do, is going to change the truth, Dax.”
She finally opened her eyes. If there were ever a moment for Mariana to suddenly go blind, this was it. The pain in Dax’s eyeswas almost unbearable. But she didn’t turn away. Instead, when he stepped in front of her, she craned her neck to meet his gaze.
The air between them was thick, crackling with energy. An invisible hurricane ready to destroy them both. The perfect disaster.
“All I want to do is apologize.” He spoke in a low tone that caressed her skin. She held back a shiver. “I know that anything I say won’t fix what I did, but I had to. If I betrayed Halia and told you your sister was on her way to Sirenia, then my family—”
“Wait,” she murmured, her eyes searching. “You knew my sister was on her way to Sirenia? How?”
Dax rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes with a long sigh. “Because the king asked me to help her escape safely.” His green eyes opened to look at her. “So, I did.”
Mariana wrapped her arms around herself, remembering what her sister had said in her letter …the king has a plan to get me out of here and to Sirenia so I can secure the amulet for you …
It all clicked into place. Dax was the plan. And Halia had ordered him to capture Mari because of it.
