Page 72 of Found at Sea
“When will you turn thirty?”
Kellan looked as if he didn’t want to answer. He brought his clenched fist up to his mouth and just stared at the floor. “In three months’ time.”
It felt like the ground shifted below me, and my first thought was the ship had collided with something. But then I realized I’d just lost my balance and landed on the armchair.
“Three months?” I asked, not having expected it to be so soon. “It will take close to that for us to even reachRan’s road!”
“Aye,” he said, moving his mismatched eyes to me. “Now you see why I worry. If we reach our journey's end and find nothing, I’ll be out of time.”
After closing the distance between us, I straddled his lap and laid my head on his shoulder. Instantly, his arms came around me and he leaned his head against mine. I felt his heartbeat and focused on it, letting it soothe my mind.
I wondered if mine did the same for him.
“You asked what a shade is,” he whispered, lightly trailing his fingertips down my back. “As I said before, it’s a fate worse than death. I will walk among the living, but they will not be able to see, touch, or hear me. I’ll no longer feel the sea or the wind on my skin, no longer be able to feel you in my arms as you are now.” There was both fear and sadness in his voice, and I pressed closer to him, pushing my face against his neck in the way I knew he liked. “I’ll be forever hungry and thirsty with no way to ease either. Forever alone.”
My heart ached.
If the curse wasn’t broken, he wouldn’t be the only one to suffer. Once upon a time, I might’ve felt differently, but Kellan was a part of me now—whether he felt the same for me or not. Although I didn’t understand it, I loved him. And without him?
Tears stung my eyes and I tangled my fingers in his shirt, clutching on to him as tightly as I could.
“Come to bed with me,” Kellan said before nuzzling the side of my head. “Let us put this talk behind us for the night.”
I nodded, and he stood from the chair, picking me up as he did. After carrying me into the sleeping quarters, he laid me on the bed and covered my body with his. We softly kissed as he ran his hand down my side.
And when he made love to me, it was slower than normal, as if neither of us wished the moment to end. Our time together could be limited, and I didn’t want to waste a single second or a single breath not making the most of it.
I noted every kiss and every place he touched me, storing them into memory.
As my orgasm burst from me, Kellan claimed my mouth in a heated kiss. I whimpered around his lips as my whole body came alive and sent me to a place I could only ever reach in his arms. And then he was joining me there, groaning as he chased his own release right before toppling over the edge.
Afterward, he pulled out of me, but instead of just rolling over as he sometimes did, he wound his arms around me and brought me with him, cradling me to his chest. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and it was strange that an act so small could feel so big.
I reallyhadbeen foolish for saying he didn’t care about me.
I felt safe in his arms. Happy.
Please let us find Triton’s heart, I silently prayed to whatever god or goddess might be listening.I cannot lose him.
“Fletcher?” His voice was soft, and the ache in my chest mended some. “Will you play for me?”
I smiled against his neck before kissing him there. Unashamed of my nakedness, I left the warmth of his embrace and walked to the corner where I’d last placed my lute. When he’d first asked me to play my lute for him, I’d been nervous. But as the nights passed, I’d become more comfortable doing it. It calmed his mind and helped him sleep.
Kellan watched me as I crawled back on the large bed and settled in beside him. I sat up and rested my back against the headboard, while he remained laying down.
“Any requests?” I asked, grinning down at him.
“The one about the sea,” he said, turning toward me and resting his head on the pillow. He was too handsome with his chiseled jaw, slight stubble on his cheeks, and luscious lips. “I fancy the imagery of it.”
After positioning the lute on my lap, I strummed the strings for the introduction of the song. Right as the music sounded, Kellan’s eyes closed and he scooted closer to me. It was a vulnerable side he never showed to anyone, and I was touched that he trusted me enough to show it to me.
“You’re my little songbird,” Kellan said after the last chord was played. He looked up at me, and the breath caught in my throat at seeing his long, dark eyelashes and the tenderness showing through his eyes. “Playing the melody of my heart.”
He fell asleep shortly after that, and I stayed awake long afterward. I was certain he hadn’t meant to actually say those words. He’d been moments from the clutches of sleep and hadn’t been of sound mind.
As he slept, I caressed his cheek before brushing a strand of hair off his brow.
He played the melody of my heart too.
