Page 72 of Cruel Tides

I shook my head.

A lantern next to the door flickered on, revealing the tired expression on Leander’s face. Despite passing out earlier, he didn’t look to be sleeping well these nights, either. “Figured as much. How about any regular combat training? Education on war tactics?”

I scratched at the back of my neck and offered a nervous smile. “Err… Nope.”

“Great.” Leander’s jaw tightened, telling me he didnotthink this was great news. “You like games, right?” he asked finally, stomping off down the stairs.

That got a prickle of interest from me. “I love playing games,” I said, following him.

Without looking back, he threw up his hand. “You lovethrowinggames,” he corrected.

I paused on the very last step. “What?—?”

“Klester gave me his report,” Leander cut back in, whipping around to face me. “You played a series of games with him, sabotaging each move so that he would win.” He turned down to huff out a breath like he thought the notion idiotic.

“And then Claira told me she played you for hours, and you know what? Although you demonstrated you knew the rules, you never beat her. Not once,” he said, accusation sharpening his tone. “Even when she tried to let you win, you lost.”

“I, uh…”Uh-oh. I didn’t know what to say. Nobody had ever noticed when I’d thrown a game before. No one had ever paid enough attention to metonotice that it wasn’t the game I was playing, but my opponent.

Backtracking, Leander stomped back to the bottom of the stairs to grab the front of my shirt. The light from the front door’s lantern glinted off his eyes. “Well, I’ve got a game for you.” His grip tightened, nearly pulling me off the step. “But you’re not going to throw this one. You’re done losing. You’re done throwing games, got it?”

Before I could answer, his eyes narrowed. “Now you’re going to fuckingwin.” He released me with a jerk and spun around, heading for the center of the lawn.

“It’s not always about who wins, you know,” I threw back as soon as he turned. “No one wants to play games with someone who wins all the time.”

Leander reared back over to me, scowling. “That doesn’t mean you have to throw every fucking game.”

I chuckled. I’d only done that because Ireallydidn’t want Claira to stop playing against me. Usually, I let myself win a game or two. Especially when I was playing over a bet I couldn’t afford to lose.

“Fine,” Leander grumbled. “Forget winning. From now on, this is about survival. If you want to be a part of this group, win or lose, you’re going to have to survive.”

That I could agree with.

“Your kingdom might have overlooked you, but don’t think I’ll let you slack off,” he called out, lifting his arms high above his head as if stretching. “Now get moving, Kaius. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

17

Claira

Iwoke up with a start, my heart racing and my mind already jumbled with countless thoughts. Since coming on land, I’d always prided myself on being strong and capable. But lately, I’d been unable to shake this feeling of helplessness.

For a moment, I just lay there in bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to make sense of it all.

“It’s already nine?” I groaned, glaring at my clock like the number might flip upside down if I blinked hard enough. As a seasoned fisher, sleeping in until 9 a.m. was practically unheard of, but last night had been different. I’d lain awake for hours, my mind and body wracked with worry over Leander.

Over and over, he’d said he was fine.

He’d lied.

Leanderwasn’tfine, and the uncertainty of when his next fit would come was almost overwhelming. It had taken all my willpower to fight the temptation to crawl out of bed and join him and Kai out on the living room floor.

Since when had I become so needy?

There was a deep longing in my chest, an ache to have them near me and to know that both of them were okay. I’d experienced something similar before, but the extent of my need for them now was staggering. At one point, I’d stood at my door, my hand on the knob, wondering what they’d have done if I tip-toed out to the living room and settled in between them.

But then there was the problem of Dad and Gram—the only reason I’d ultimately collapsed back onto my mattress. Surely they would have noticed me out there on the living room floor, sandwiched between two grown men.

I swallowed, staring up at the sprinkling of stars Dad had helped me put up along the perimeter of my ceiling. If I had found the courage to go out there, would Leander and Kai have fought over me?

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