Page 200 of Gods of the Sea

I put a hand on top of her head to stop her, uncomfortable with her sudden affection. “Still trying to bond with me, eh, dear mother?”

The nickname tasted sour this time. I didn’t want to call her that. I didn’t want her to be part of my family. Not like this.

I thought of her in the light of the bathhouse, the way her skin felt on my fingertips as I teased her about her obvious interest in me. Even if her rose aura hadn’t given it away, the look in her eyes that night did. I couldn’t let her pursue that interest.

I was starting to wonder how much I’d let her pursue, and how long it would take me to eventually respond.

ENDING

I fed a piece of ham to the dog. His tail beat rhythmically against the floor, his toenails scraping the tile in delight as he scarfed down the meat under the table.

“So satisfied with something so simple, huh?” I asked him, finishing my breakfast.

It was a luxury to be simple. If I could have survived, I might have considered being a simple person myself, but my path didn’t leave that opportunity.

At the very least, I had to continue as a Judge. For Samantha’s sake.

I wondered what she would have said if she knew I no longer embodied evil, but now judged it?

The captain’s footsteps came down the steps, and I caught a glimpse of him straightening his coat and heading toward the door. He caught my eye and stopped.

“Jacques,” he greeted. “How long have you been here, son?”

My innards shifted oddly at the nickname. I didn’t hate it, really, but there was something about it that made me uneasy. I stood from the kitchen table to meet him.

“Clara invited me shopping in the square,” I said. “I came a bit early.”

He nodded in satisfaction. “Enjoy the time with your sister, then. I’d like to stay and visit, but I need to attend the Dupont’s this afternoon. I’ll be back by evening.”

I gritted my teeth as he put on his hat to leave. As he opened the front door, the words slipped out of my mouth.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” I asked.

He stopped in the doorway. He then leaned one hand against the frame and slowly tapped his fingers against it.

“You realize that she’s only after your money,” I added.

He chuckled as he turned to face me. “Of course. I’m the one who offered it.”

There was silence between us for a moment, my shock probably quite visible. He half smiled.

“You know,” he started, “when you’re young, you believe that marriage for love is the most successful or meaningful, but in reality, marriage is a partnership. It’s two people who build each other up so they can thrive, even on days when they don’t particularly like one another.”

“So you would marry a woman half your age to entertain you?” I asked.

“No. I’d marry a woman half my age to protect a family that I owe my life to.”

His eyes went straight through mine. It was the most intimidating I had seen the man since meeting him. Regardless, I had not been one to look away when challenged, and so I returned his stare.

He took two steps forward from the doorway toward me.

“I loved your mother, Jacques,” he said. “Truly. When I met her she was wild and free-spirited, something I hadn’t experienced in my youth. But…”

He stopped, nodding to himself before continuing.

“That wild and free spirit was probably what encouraged her to disappear suddenly without telling me about you.”

His aura turned to grief, and I couldn’t think of anything to reply. He put a warm hand on my shoulder. I flinched. I still wasn’t used to his affections.

---