Page 134 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
The decades spent in exile, all alone, before I could sing safely in front of others are tangible in the murky cargo hold. The time spent separated from all the people I loved, away from Aidan, pining over a man who didn’t even remember I existed.
If I mess this up, it’ll be my last performance, so I better make it count. I lay it all out on the line for one more song.
I never knew a love
Quite so rare as yours
Never knew a gaze
Quite so entrancing
You held out your hand
By the river bank
And asked me for a dance
“What are you—” Luther stops abruptly, his eyes glazing over as the tray slips from his hands. The bread and fruit he meant to give his brother tumble to the ground, and Seth mutters a begrudging curse.
Just one night; in lieu of forever
One chance; it was now or never
As luck had it, my star-crossed lover
I was promised to another
But I only wanted you
Aidan lets out a low whimper behind me, and Luther inches closer.
His gaze clears, as though the sun itself has just peeked through the clouds, revealing an endless sky after the storm. His pupils contract into pinholes. “May the tides have mercy. You’re a siren.”
I never knew a name
Quite so forbidden
Never knew a love
Quite as doomed from the start
We were oil and water
Sweet and sour
It was never to be
Never to be
But I only wanted you
Our captor stumbles closer, navigating over a barrage of barrels, now within arm’s reach. The inside pockets of his dark hooded cloak should be just below the holes meant for his arms.
Yours was a crown of gold
Mine only a shard of cold
A piece of coal
