Page 24 of A Warrior's Heart

“You will drink a tonic to help with the nausea, and then you’ll lie down and rest.” Eva dragged him away and went toward the physician’s quarter on the other side of the ship.

“This is going to be a long journey,” I said with another sigh.

Chapter Six

Troy

Stars danced in the endless night sky. I stared up at them as I lay on the deck, my arms tucked behind my head. I complained about the surface world, but certain aspects of it were breathtaking.

When the sun set, everything came alive. The stars. The moon.

Earlier, Eva and I had settled down for bed, yet my mind wouldn’t allow me to sleep. So, I’d left our cabin for some fresh air. The slight rocking of the ship no longer bothered me. I had vomited my guts out all day long, and the worst of it had passed. The tonic Eva had given me helped.

I admired the sight above me. Eva had told me stories before about a man who lived in the moon. As I stared up at it, I wondered if it was true. Was he there now, watching over us on our journey?

Suddenly, a light dashed across the sky. I sat up and craned my neck, wondering where it went.

“It’s called a shooting star,” a familiar deep voice said from behind me. “I heard humans make wishes on them.”

I turned to see Malik. He had removed his leather armor, though a dagger remained secured to his hip. He more than likely had one hidden in his boot as well. His shirt hung open up top, showing his muscled chest.

My mouth went dry, and I swallowed hard.

“What kind of wish?” I asked, returning my gaze to the sea of glimmering stars.

“That is between you and the star.” Malik came to sit beside me, bringing his knees up to rest his arms on them as he, too, looked upward. “Some ask for good fortune, others for strength.”

“What would you wish for?” I glanced over at him. An unwise decision.

Malik was too stunning for words. Many mermen grew their hair long, as was our custom, but he kept his cropped short. It paired nicely with his strong bone structure and hard set of his brow. However, the hardness of his features faded slightly with the soft curve of his lips. Lips I forced myself not to stare at for too long.

“I do not believe in wishes,” Malik answered, his orange eyes glowing in the darkness. “We get nothing in this life by wishing for it.”

“Humor me,” I said, bumping against his side. “What’s one thing you would wish for if possible?”

Malik stared at me with an unreadable expression. “Nothing comes to mind.”

“Know what I’d wish for?” I breathed deep, filling my lungs with the warm night air. “Peace. That humans and merfolk could all live together without war or violence. I’ve lived in fear for so long. I can only dream of what it’d be like to feel truly safe.”

“You’re safe with me,” Malik said in a voice I rarely heard him use. It was gentle. Soft. And when I looked at him, his eyes reflected that softness. “As long as there’s breath in my lungs, I will keep you safe. I swear it.”

A lump wedged in my throat. Unsure what to do with the emotions coursing through me, I turned to playfulness. “Don’t go getting soft on me, Mal. Pretty words don’t suit you.”

“Pretty words or not, I speak the truth. I’ve watched over you ever since you were a boy. And I will continue to do so until the day I die. I will always be by your side.”

But not in the way I want you to be,I wanted to say.

Malik still saw me as a child. I wanted him to see me as a man. To touch me like one. I had never wanted anyone else to touch me in that way. Only him.

“I’m no longer a boy,” I said, pushing to my feet and approaching the railing. Frustration rang in my tone, but I couldn’t contain it. “I’m a man now. It’s time you stopped treating me like I’m that same child you used to protect.”

I spun on my heels, shocked to find him standing right behind me. I hadn’t heard him stand.

“How do you wish for me to treat you then?” Malik walked closer to me, his steps heavy on the deck. The rail pressed to my back as I shuffled back a step. He lifted a hand and grabbed my chin. “Tell me and I shall obey.”

My heart thumped heavily against my ribs. His hand slid from my chin and to the side of my neck.

Did he feel my pulse race against his palm? Gods, his eyes bore into me, the orange irises like burning embers. A shiver of excitement shot down my spine as my cock started to fill. He was so close, not pressing against me but almost. Heat came off his large body, and I wanted to burrow into that heat.