Page 83 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

“Because his own guilt is clouding his judgment,” Pearl explained.

However, Nola still was not sure what that meant.

“Prince Elijah wants you for something. I promise, we sirens will search for that answer because we look after our own!” she said, then looked at the waves rolling over each other. “You must be completely honest with the crew, though. You ought to ensure their trust, or they will not follow you into battle—and you also need to be honest with yourself—.”

Since she was a child, Nola craved answers to who she really was, but at the same time, those answers were her greatest fear. However, she was more afraid of what Lincoln thought about her.

“How do you know all this?” Nola asked.

A faint smile grew on the siren’s face. “It’s not just the Fae sending spies,” she replied. Then turned abruptly to discover Lincoln had been watching them, who knows for how long.

The captain’s arms folded across his chest.

“Take care of yourself, Nola.” Pearl stepped back, giving Nola an apologetic stare.

Then, the copper-haired siren pulled the robe off her shoulders and dove over the ledge, her tail forming before her hands hit the water.

Lincoln drifted over to Nola. She turned on her heel to face him. The look in his eyes gave a sudden shift in the atmosphere around them.

“What did she say to you?” His voice was ice-cold.

The handsome man smelt of rum and cinnamon, and his near presence, despite his intense stare, made her want to melt into his arms.

She did not respond.

After a long moment of silence, he stepped forward again, placing both hands on each side of her. Nola gasped at how close he was to her.

“What did she tell you, Nola?”

Though Lincoln’s voice was softer than before, almost to a near whisper, it was pitched with irritation.

The siren girl tilted her head up. “Only what I already suspected—the prince is after me, but no one knows why,” Nola said. Her stomach twisted but was somewhat relieved. She then noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by distaste—her deception then unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

“Sounds like you’ve kept a pretty big secret since you came upon my ship,” Lincoln scolded.

She gritted her teeth. “Do you not have secrets, Lincoln?”

One of his eyes twitched.

“Because everyone hides their true self. Even you!” Nola frowned.

The captain shook his head slowly.

“You’re right,” he said, “I have lied to you. But you are on my ship, so I don’t owe you anythin’.”

A flush crept up her face.

“How long have you known I’m a siren?” She instinctively pushed back, but all she felt was the damp rail pressing into her back. “It’s when I fell in the water, isn’t it? You saw my tail?”

Nola was afraid of him at that moment, yes, but the truth was out.

He shook his head. “I saw you sing,” he said. “It didn’t matter how quiet you sang; my eyes never left yours, even while I was bein’ attacked by a herd of gnomes, I saw you sing! And knew then what you were doin’ because I had seen it before.”

Nola gnashed her teeth, confused.

“Sybil,” Lincoln answered the question she asked with her eyes.

“Sybil?” Nola remembered what Mazie had told her in Westin. Her mouth fell open before asking, “Sybil was a siren?”

---