Page 34 of Another Damned Storm

He nodded quickly.

“That’s… odd.” His involvement would explain the storms and possibly some of the other upheaval, but what possible reason could he have for watching Never? “Did you speak with him?”

“Hell, no.” He cast me an incredulous look. “That dude has anger issues.”

“How so?” Thrain and I hadn’t crossed paths many times, but back when I’d been welcome amongst the gods, he’d been congenial enough.

Criton’s fingers gripped the small sack of pixie dust so tightly it was a miracle it hadn’t burst. “Most of the old gods don’t give two shits about humans, but I heard Thrain’s power is anchored in belief, and he’s been getting weaker.”

Ah. “The humans have forgotten about him.”

He tapped the side of his nose with his index finger, then pointed at me. “Two points for the damned pirate god.”

“What makes you think he’s watching Never?” The thought made my blood warm in a purely violent way.

“Call it a hunch.” He glanced up again, quickly, as though Thrain might lash out and strike him down where he stood. “But if you’re looking for evidence, you’re shit out of luck.”

“Did he communicate with anyone else? Or was he, perhaps, acting…” What would Never call it? “Shifty?”

“Still struggling with the modern lingo, huh?”

“I would have used the term ‘surreptitious’ if I thought you were bright enough to understand it.” See, Never really was wearing off on me. I straightened. “Please just answer the question, Criton.”

“Not that I saw. He kept his distance from everyone else.”

It was infuriating having my hands tied as they were when Never’s life and future were being manipulated. They had to be, and yet no one took notice. As quickly as the fury rose, it was buried beneath a mountain of guilt.

Had I not behaved in exactly the same way when I’d been part of their world? Careless and dismissive.

I cringed to think of the monster I might have become had I not been cursed to the Nassa. I’d been livid at first, naturally, but over time I’d learned to look inward and see my follies. Not always, perhaps, and certainly not quickly, but enough so that I was still humbled by what I saw some days.

“Is that all you can recall?” I asked.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and the muted jingle of coins carried on the breeze. “Pretty much.”

“Very well.” It wasn’t as much as I was hoping for, but it was more information than I’d started with. “Remain here a moment.”

I fetched two more satchels of pixie dust from my quarters. The space still smelled of Never, a scent I cherished even though it tore my heart open every time I inhaled it.

When I returned and handed it over, Criton tossed the bag gently in his hand as if weighing it. “What are you planning on doing with the rest?”

That was a good question. It was worth saving, if only as a future bargaining chip.

“What would you suggest, aside from ingesting it?”

A sly smile hid some of the shadows beneath his eyes. “If you’re so interested in the girl, why not use it to find her?”

I motioned to the sea. “You do recall I am bound to this realm, don’t you?”

He held up the small leather pouch. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

13

NEVER

“No way,” Angie breathed. Her honey brown eyes snapped between me and Matty. “Never? Like,theNever?”

Matty pressed his index finger to his lips, then pointed to the door. Her expression turned from excited to guarded in a blink, and she closed it quietly behind her.