Page 93 of Waves
It had probably been one of Mayi's favorite places.
Now, it belonged to me.
And I liked the intimidating nature of it.
Is that because I'm naturally attracted to darkness? Or is it because Raj has my heart?
My thoughts sputtered and split like they were being spit-roasted over a flame.
I don't know!I shouted internally.
Though I did.
I knew.
But what would the others say?
Mateo immediately rang for a servant and had them go search for my other two mates. Meanwhile, I paced, stopping during one of my rounds to pour myself a glass of bubble. I didn't want to turn this into an order. I didn't want to beg. Particularly when this connection tugging at me might be making me foolish.
I stared down at the black band on my finger and my vision seemed to narrow, blurring at the edges.
We were bound together by magic.
Bound physically.
Bound by emotion.
And if everything he'd just said was true...he wanted to stay that way.
My eyes closed and I gnashed my teeth.
Could I really cut him off now? Or would that be like trying to carve out part of myself? Did I even want to cut him off?
Keelan's loud footsteps practically trumpeted his approach, and I grew even more tense. I was a stone wall built on sand and slipping. Leaning. About to tumble.
There was a sense of doom in my head that made me frantic, almost defensive, like a criminal on trial. My hand shook and I downed my goblet. "I went to see Raj," I blurted out the moment they entered, Felipe swimming in right behind the siren in his loose pajama pants and bare feet.
The room went deathly quiet.
As the silence around me built, I wondered if the former king of Cheryn sensed my anxiety. Based on tonight's exchange, he did.
I wondered if he knew that he was the cause of that anxiety.
"Why?" Keelan finally slit open the dead quiet with a question.
"I could...feel him." The admission sent a blush hurtling across my cheeks, hot and embarrassed. I didn't elaborate further for a moment, but they looked confused. So, finally, I did add, "He has my heart in his body. Lizza performed an enchantment that transferred my heart to my worst enemy. It was supposed to give me access to my magic as a sea sprite, and it did. But there are...unintended consequences. Apparently, each of us can feel the other's emotions."
Felipe's scarred brow lowered and Keelan's jaw dropped.
The siren's hand gestured in a wide circle as he tried to grasp what I was saying. "Wait. Everything?"
I nodded. "Everything."
His eyes widened and he leaned forward, mock whispering, "Earlier?"
The memory of all three men's hands on me at once flared in the back of my head as I nodded again, trepidation filling me. Were they going to be angry? Resentful? One glance at Felipe's stony expression told me he was less than thrilled with this development.
I wasn’t either.
