Page 92 of When the Wicked Sing
“Listen, I …” she sighed, unable to believe what she was about to say. Dax seemed like a decent fae who clearly had some shit to sort out. But he had also protected Mari when Aurora couldn’t. She owed him this. “I see how you look at her, and how she looks at you. Be careful.” Dax opened his mouth, brows drawn together in a tight line, but she continued before he could speak. “They say never fall in love with a siren for a reason, Dax. Her love can either save you or destroy you. Just … remember that.”
Aurora averted her gaze and pulled her hand back, suddenly uncomfortable.
He stood in place for a moment, seemingly absorbing what she’d said before giving her a wordless nod and walking slowly up the stairs.
Aurora released a deep, bottomless sigh and trudged up the stairs after him.
Dax handed a bowl to Kosta, who thanked him from where he stood at the wheel.
Kosta sniffed the food, frowning. “Are we sure this is even meat?”
Dax shrugged, sitting next to Mari at a sun-bleached wooden table with a rickety leg. “You get used to it.” He turned to Mari, who was idly braiding her hair. “Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
Mari shook her head and gave him a grateful smile. She looked tired, Aurora noted, the dark circles forming beneath her eyes a clear indication she needed rest.
“You should try this,” Kosta said, holding out his bowl. “It’s got just the rightoverly saltytaste. Basically it tastes like it came straight out of the ocean. You’ll love it.”
“We don’t eat meat, idiot,” Aurora sneered, chewing her potatoes.
Kosta retracted his hand. “How was I supposed to know that?”
“Not sure. If you had a brain, I suspect you’d have figured it out from day one on this damn boat when I said we would not be eating any of that vile, salty-ass meat.”
“I thought you were being picky,” he muttered, and Aurora squinted at him.
“Excuse me?” she asked in a deadly tone.
“Have you ever tasted meat, Rora?” Mari asked curiously.
Aurora shrugged. “Once.” She eyed the suspicious meat Dax was picking at from his own bowl.
“What was it like?” Mari stared at the meat too, her lips pulled together and her nose slightly wrinkled, as though the scent of it was making her nauseous.
“Exactly how you’d imagine. I was sick for days. The fae bastard that gave it to me claimed it was the best roasted duck he’d ever cooked and Iwastedit.” She shook her head, lips tugged up slightly at the drunken memory.
Mari grimaced. “It looks disgusting.”
Dax chuckled. “It tastes like it looks.”
“It’s not that bad,” Kosta said, chewing. “I’ve had worse.”
“Like what?” Dax asked, an amused grin on his face.
Aurora groaned. “Why would you ask him that?”
Kosta’s thick lips opened and closed as if he was considering what snarky comment he’d say back, but Aurora held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t make me throw you overboard.”
He scoffed. “I’d like to see you try!”
In a flash, Aurora had unsheathed her dagger and was holding it against his jugular, the vein pulsing in fear. Kosta stilled, thesilver depths of his eyes staring into her own, and despite the urge to look away, she kept her gaze firm and unflinching.
“You know,” she breathed against his lips, “it really is such a shame that such beauty was given to a complete idiot.”
Something shifted in his eyes, a heat that made her step back immediately and turn away from him.
At least it got him to shut up.
Needing to be as far from him as possible, Aurora walked over to the railing close to where Mari still sat, Kosta’s eyes trailing her. Little snorts came from her sister as she tried holding back her laughter, making Aurora fight the urge to smile.
