Page 84 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

He nodded, pointing at her chest, landing his finger between her breasts. “Just like you.”

The ship suddenly felt like it was rocking. That or Lincoln’s touch made her head spin. She looked up with slight surprise in her eyes.

“You loved a siren, and yet you push me away and look at me right now as if I’m a monster!”

He shook his head. “I’m not pushing you away, Nola. I’m trying to save you and bein’ on this ship—” Lincoln stopped, running his hand through his hair as his eyes turned weary. “We should have never agreed to help you!” he said.

Unexpectedly, Nola let out a sob, feeling like her chest was being crushed by a heavy blow.

“I’m not her, Lincoln!” she spat out. “I would never hurt you.”

He slammed his palms against the wet wood, causing her to jump. “You already have!” His tone changed. It cut like ice. She cowered to his voice, lowering her head to the ground. “Just show me already. Show me that side of you.” He gripped his hair and shouted, “Stop hidin’ from me!”

Seeing the rage in his eyes, Nola’s fear disappeared and was replaced with her own anger. She turned to see the crew standing behind him, drawn to the sound of his shouting. Her eyes blazed with a fury she did not want to feel.

Nola punched her fist against her own chest. “I can’t, Lincoln!”

The captain moved closer towards her; he felt no fear, regardless of what she was. “Show me! For bloody sake!” he shouted.

“Stop!” She held up her hand. The heat burned at her chest; her skin tightened with each breath.

Nola was scared.

She looked down at her hands, the color changing to a slight maroon.

“Step back.” Her eyes implored him to listen. “Lincoln, you need to step back.”

His expression hardened, not listening to her plea, and he stepped closer to her in one sudden movement. He reached out and tightened a grip around her chin, not caring how easily she could kill him. The captain shifted her jaw so she would be forced to look him in the eyes.

“Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?!” Lincoln asked.

The tension in Nola’s skin eased. Her heart fluttered wildly the more he encroached in her space. Lincoln squeezed her chin a little bit harder as he read her terrified expression for a long, dangerous moment and tilted his head to the side. “Why did you have to lie to me? Why are you hidin’ your true self from me?”

“Because I’m a monster in your eyes. Aren’t I?” She tried to look away, but he held her chin still. As she felt his pressure on her face, she remembered the guard in Brecken, who trapped her between his arms. She blinked slowly, and when her eyes opened again, they felt like fire, as if hot flames were pressed against the back of her eyes. “Maybe I will take back what I said about you being safe,” she continued, “You want to see what happens when you corner a siren?”

Her stomach did a flip as his thumb rubbed gently against the skin of her jaw as if she had not threatened him.

Lincoln’s body burned as he inched towards her—her breasts pressing up against his.

“You need to let go of me,” she begged, trying to hide her growing wrath as he continued to stare into her eyes. The siren looked down at her fingers again. They looked different, coarser, almost scale-like.

“Lincoln, please stop!” Kitten shouted from the other side of the ship, tears filling her eyes.

Why is this happening to me?Nola pleaded in her thoughts.

Her temples pounded heavily with each beat of her heart and it got worse the more he hovered over her. Lincoln was pushing her, testing how far she would change, as if he wanted to see her that way. She felt herself blink faster.

The man she cared for so dearly was not afraid of what she could do to him.

Finally, Lincoln released her and took one step back.

Nola placed both hands against his chest, pushing him even further away. The whites of her eyes turned grey, moving in circles as the anger fueled her. For a moment, Lincoln appeared afraid.

Good,she thought. Be afraid.

They both breathed heavily as the silence continued to loom between them.

“You’re drunk,” she scoffed, “sleep it off.” She wiped a tear falling down her face as Lincoln staggered back, his mouth agape.

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