Page 77 of A Warrior's Heart

I dove in after Troy, my body shifting as soon as I hit the water.

Elation coursed through my body and tingled in my veins, bringing a rare smile to my face. I’d had the nightmare about Aeon countless times over the years. But tonight was the first time I’d ever had someone to pull me back from that dark place. Someone to share my pain with.

“You ass!” Troy flung his arms around my neck from behind, his tail caressing mine. “How dare you throw me overboard. What if a sea monster had been waiting to gobble me up?”

“The only monster you have to worry about gobbling you up is me.” I turned my head to nuzzle him as he rode on my back.

He swam around to my front and captured my lips. As we kissed, I placed my hands on his waist, touching where smooth skin met the scales of his fin.

“Race you!” Troy pushed against my chest and propelled forward.

The ship had passed over us, but we would be able to catch up to it later. For now? I shot after Troy, smiling at how his tail quickly moved in his attempt to outswim me.

I snagged hold of his fin and pulled him back into my arms. Being near the surface, the moon found us and shone on the gold dusting on his chest.

Troy was admiring me too. He sucked in a small breath as he touched the area around my eyes.

“I love you like this, in your true form,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. When we…” He shook his head and dropped his gaze. “Never mind.”

Gently, I took hold of his chin and forced his eyes back up. “Tell me.”

“The first time we come together, I want us to be like this.” Troy traced the edge of my brow, then slid his finger to my lips. “You, me, and the sea.”

I captured his mouth as words failed me, and as we kissed, I carried us through the water, our bodies slowly turning and twisting beneath the starry sky. I never thought I would feel so strongly for someone again. The depth of my feelings for Troy scared me, but it was too late to turn back now.

I didn’t want to.

“I vowed to never give my heart to another,” I murmured against his lips, holding him as close as our bodies allowed. “And here you are making me break that vow.”

“I’ll protect your heart.” Troy held my face in his hands. “I swear it.”

“And I’ll protect yours.”

When we finally caught up with the ship and climbed aboard, I carried Troy back to our cabin and tucked him into bed. The hour was late, much later than he was used to being awake, and he fell asleep in minutes.

I watched him for a while, not yet ready to sleep.

“Forgive me, Aeon,” I whispered, brushing my fingers through Troy’s soft hair. “For I love another. I never intended to fall for him. Gods know I shouldn’t. But I do love him. He makes me feel alive again.”

My gaze moved to the window where I saw a peek of the moon. An unexpected calm washed over me then, sinking into my chest and wrapping around my heart. My eyes prickled with unshed tears. Somehow, I knew Aeon had heard me. And he had soothed my spirit just like he always used to do.

Thank you, I silently told him as the guilt I’d been carrying dissolved.

I closed my eyes and let the gentle rocking of the ship lull me to sleep. When I dreamed, it wasn’t of battle or bloodshed. It was of the sea, of Troy nestled in my arms beneath the moonlight, his eyes brighter than any star.

Chapter Sixteen

Troy

“Take this to your cabin,” Eva told Lorcan, handing him a vial with red liquid. “Instead of two drops before bed, take three. I’ve upped the potency for it as well.”

Lorcan clutched the vial to his chest and nodded. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, and he looked more tired than I’d ever seen him.

“Nightmares again?” I asked, wrapping my arms around him from behind. Silly question, of course. The whole ship had woken in the middle of the night for the past week to him screaming.

Lorcan nodded. “They’re getting worse the closer we get to the trident.”

“Still the same dream of Avalontis?”