Page 17 of A Warrior's Heart

“Like me?” Alek asked. “He takes after you, sweet prince. Spoiled and always eating.”

Lorcan chuckled and wrapped his arms around Alek, resting his head on Alek’s shoulder.

I tore my gaze from their private moment and left the kitchen.

Nereus sat on the floor, watching Theron as he ran around the living room, hyped up on sugar. Reif stood against the wall, staring out the window, and Malik stood near the front door, fiddling with his dagger. I approached him.

“Did you and Kellan have any luck in town?” I asked, planting myself beside him.

Earlier, they had gone to find more men to crew the ship. The Crimson Night wasn’t an overly large vessel, but it would need more than just the seven of us to sail it. We needed at least ten. Preferably more.

“No.” Malik holstered his dagger and faced me. No matter how many times I’d looked at him, the full force of his orange gaze never failed to make my stomach flutter a bit. “Due to the importance of the mission, I don’t trust outsiders. I especially don’t trust pirates, who would sell us out for a pocket of coin without a second thought.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I’ve sent word to Avalontis and requested for more warriors,” Malik said. “Reif knows men from the assassin unit who have experience sailing. He trusts them, therefore so do I.”

“Assassins will be joining us?”

Malik’s lips twitched. “Does that make you nervous?”

“No,” I lied. When his brow lifted, I snarled. “Okay, maybe a little. They’re so quiet and always have their faces covered.”

“They have to,” Reif said from beside me. I hadn’t heard him approach. “As an assassin, you’re trained to be a shadow in the night. A faceless man. You toss aside your individuality and embrace solidarity. You move as one unit. You think as one. Nothing matters but the mission.”

“That must be a hard life,” I responded.

“Perhaps.” Reif’s eyes shone with what I could only describe as pride. “Yet, it is an honor to be amongst their ranks.”

“So why did you leave?”

A hard expression downturned the corners of his mouth. “Because I was foolish.”

He opened the front door and stepped outside. I watched him through the window a moment before turning back to Malik.

“Is it true that he fell in love with one of his targets?” I asked. “Is that why he left the unit?”

“That story is not mine to tell,” Malik said. He took a step toward me and lifted a hand to my face. My heart jolted as warmth spread through me. His thumb swiped along my lip, and when he withdrew his hand, I saw blueberry jam. “Such a messy eater, you are.”

“Was that on my face this whole time?” I asked as my cheeks heated. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Malik shrugged.

“You’re an ass.”

With his gaze locked on mine, he lifted his hand to his mouth and licked the jam off his thumb. My whole body blazed then, and I had to look away. My reaction confused me. It also frightened me a little.

Sex was celebrated among merfolk. It was a huge part of our way of life. Orgies frequently broke out during celebrations, and polyamory was the norm. Husbands loved watching their wives bed other men and vice versa. Not everyone chose this way of life though. Some preferred monogamy.

However, I didn’t share in this love of sex and intimacy. All because of an incident when I was younger. An incident I had barely confided in anyone about. They all knew. Lorcan had been the one to find me and help. But I struggled speaking of it.

I turned from Malik and went over to Lorcan, snaking my arms around his waist and resting my face against his neck. I couldn’t stand for people to touch me. Only Eva, Lorcan, and Malik were the exceptions. I could even be a bit too clingy with them.

“I’m sorry for quarrelling with you,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry too.” Lorcan returned my embrace. “You’re still just as affectionate as always. Does the journey ahead worry you?”

I nodded and clung on tighter.