Page 88 of Liar Witch

No one has ever broken a fae bargain before. I don’t say it aloud, but she must sense what I’m thinking because she visibly deflates.

“You’ll have me by your side no matter what,” I promise, letting one hand fall down to stroke the length of her hair. “But before we face her, we have to survive the groom price you promised my mother.”

I hate the idea of a groom price, but I also know how much taking out Ignira will do for my people. If—when—Nilsa succeeds, it will give the sirens a tiny reprieve from living in constant fear of the Queen’s nets.

“No one knows much about the facility, beyond that it’s governed by a mage; but I’ll help with your plans, if you’ll let me.”

Nilsa nods against me. “I wouldn’t stop you. It’s your people they’re holding there. You deserve some kind of revenge. But they’re expecting a siren attack. They’ll be prepared.”

“My mother’s not sent any legions to the island in years.” I grimace. “The mage there, he’s powerful. Powerful enough that he somehow has dominion over the volcano itself. Whenever our forces got too close, they were pelted in ash and fire. No. The days of all-out attacks on the facility are long over. The guards there will be lazy. They won’t expect us.”

“Good.”

Her savage tone is interrupted by a yawn, and it doesn’t take long before my witch is fast asleep. Her body still half covers mine like my own sexy witch blanket.

I lie awake like that for hours. Just enjoying the feel of her.

For so many years, I waited for the woman Cassie promised me was coming. I fought for her every day.

“You are everything I hoped for and more,” I whisper into her hair, smiling as she gives a sleepy little sigh and turns a little further into me in response.

It’s true. She’s more than worth it. Everything I’ve done, every battle won and lost, I’d do it all again. As long as I get to live in this moment.

I drift off beside her, feeling like the luckiest male in the universe. I manage to wake the instant she does, watching her take in the late afternoon sun as it glints across the ocean with a grimace.

“I want to teach you to swim.”

I don’t mean for those to be the first words I say, and the moment they’re out there, I wish I could take them back.

Nilsa closes up like a clam. Eyes shuttering with a careful blankness that can’t disguise the way her fists have clenched and her shoulders have stiffened.

“I don’t want you to live in fear of something so vital to your mates. You should never have to worry about drowning again, and nothing in the sea would dare harm the mate of a siren and two leviathans. There are so many—”

Her finger presses against my lips, soft yet firm.

“I…” she hesitates, clears her throat, then tries again. “I will try.” The last word is slow. “But I’m not… I’m not sure what I can do. I don’t think this will work out like you hope it will.”

“Give us a chance to show you how wonderful the sea can be,” I say. “The reefs between Marisang and Fior are beautiful, especially at night.”

My gentle cajoling doesn’t seem to be working. Nilsa is stiff against me, almost a statue in the sunlight.

I’m not surprised when she pushes away from the bed and crosses to the wardrobe, still nude.

Beautiful.

I’m so distracted by the slow, graceful movements of her limbs as she slips on her underwear, followed by a tight black skirt and loose, billowing shirt that I almost miss her whisper.

“Moonrise. We will try then.”

She leaves the room before I can say anything in response.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nilsa

The remainder of the day goes too quickly. Every second passes in a gut-deep panic that seems to blur them together. All I can think about in the back of my mind is that I agreed to go into the sea. Even when my mates have my full attention, the fear nags at my hindbrain, reminding me of what’s beyond the wooden walls of the ship.

It’s okay,I repeat to myself, Klaus and Cas won't let anything happen to me. It will be under the Moon’s watch. I can go as fast or as slow as I want.