Page 96 of Waves
"Did you hear me?" Felipe punched my side to get my attention.
Pain crackled up my bones and I'd finally had enough. I shoved at his arm, pushing him back and gulping to refill my lungs. "She's awake."
His brow furrowed and he turned his head toward the door of the castle, but I shook my head. "No. I mean she just woke up."
"You couldn't know that," he scoffed.
In response, I simply tapped my chest. "I can and do."
Jealous resentment turned his expression fierce.
"You don't have to like me or trust me. That's fine. In fact, that's preferable," I stated, swimming forward so that we were within punching distance once again. "If I step out of line, I give you permission to thrash me."
He snorted derisively, crossing his arms across his chest. "I don't need your permission."
"I suppose not. But you have it. In fact, I'll do one better. I'll let you in on a little-known secret. One no djinn has spoken about in seven hundred years. One I've wiped from the history books and the collective conscience."
His scarred eyebrow rose, skeptical but curious enough to hear me out.
"You can trap a djinn in an oil lantern. You simply have to get their ring and toss it inside. Then it becomes their prison."
Despite his scoff, I could see the violent hunger flaring in his eyes and knew he ached to test the theory.
I continued, "If I betray her, you can lock me away."
"Liar."
I shrugged. "You don't have to believe me because I'm never going to give you cause to lock me up. And you won’t do it if I don’t truly deserve it because you’re too honorable for your own good."
His left hook came flying at me and I ducked, avoiding the impact, letting his momentum spin him slightly so that he realized just how foolish he looked.
"You're trying to protect her, which is why I'm not going to kill you," I murmured as he straightened so that we were facing. "But she needs me just as much as she does you. There's a glorious darkness inside our queen. She needs someone who can handle that."
"I can handle?—"
"Let me rephrase. She needs someone who understands that darkness. Who knows that a clear conscience is the gift a ruler can give to their people but must forego themselves."
His head dipped and his jaw worked side to side as he ground his teeth, but the guard stopped arguing...because he knew I was right.
"You protect her from others. I'll protect her from herself. I won't let her become what I became," I vowed, and the words resonated through my chest with the sort of profundity of a vow echoing in a stone chapel; with the same commitment as the religious vagrants who wandered the deserts, trusting their faith to lead them to water; with the same fealty of a soldier charging into battle.
Our eyes met in a clash of wills, my truth versus his doubt.
Breaking our stare off, Mr. Whelk came paddling into view. The turtle cocked his head as Mateo and Keelan made their way over, the former looking concerned, the latter casually with his hands in his pockets as he took in the face off.
“Get that out of your system, Felipe?” Keelan queried, raising a brow at Felipe.
The soldier just clenched his jaw for a moment but then gave an unwilling shrug.
“Excellent! Glad we got that worked out!” Keelan pulled his hands from his pockets and then slapped us both on the back.
Mateo raised his hands to pacify us both as we turned to glare at the siren. “Hey, now. She wants to keep all of us. So, dismemberment is off the table.”
Felipe rolled his shoulders, almost as if he was trying to decide if he was going to ready himself for another punch. I tensed in anticipation, but then the most beautiful voice in the world interrupted the four of us.
"Is everything okay?" Avia swam forward, brows raised as her eyes bounced between the two of us.
Felipe took a deep breath before his body settled into a more relaxed position. “Yes, we’re good.” His eyes darted to her and then to me, and I knew his answer was meant for both of us.
