Page 8 of The Nymph Prince

I took the offered food, not realizing until then how famished I was. My grumbling belly was so loud I was sure the nymph could hear it, too.

“What’s your name?” I asked after biting off a piece of the meat. The salty flavor exploded on my tongue, and I shoved the rest into my mouth.

“Lorcan,” he answered, seeming amused for some reason as he continued staring at me. “And yours?”

“Alek,” I said around a mouthful.

“I detect an accent when you speak, Alek.” His green eyes were so vibrant they almost looked like they were glowing. “But I am unsure of the origin.”

“You do not need to know the origin,” I said in a stern tone. To say I was guarded was an understatement.

I very rarely trusted anyone. It’d taken Kellan years to earn my trust.

I was from a town called Black Hallows. It was the birthplace of Haman, the first dark mage. Even though the war had reached its end way before my birth, my kind were still hunted down and slain. Magic was a crime in the world of man, and the humans had destroyed the homes of mages and turned our villages to ash.

Men had raided Black Hallows when I’d been but a young boy, setting it aflame and killing anyone they’d found. I had hid during the attack and had lived for a while on my own, barely making it by. And then theCrimson Nighthad made port in search of supplies. Kellan had found me and offered me a job on his ship.

He saved my life that day.

Black Hallows was unique in the sense that there’s said to still be powerful magic hidden within the ruins. I was reluctant for people to know I’d been born there, because that knowledge put a target on my back.

Well, an even bigger target.

“Once you finish eating, you should rest,” Lorcan said, shifting his green-eyed gaze to the crackling fire. “Your body needs to heal.”

“I’ve rested for days. I need to walk. Stretch my legs.”

“That’s inadvisable.” The flames reflected in his eyes as he looked back at me. “You’re still weak.”

Weak? I knew he didn’t mean it as an insult, but I detested the word, as well as the feeling that came with it. I’d been many things in my life, but weak wasn’t one of them.

I tried to stand just to spite him, discovering much too quickly that he was right. Plopping back to the ground, I sighed and stretched out my legs. At least that I could do.

“Why have you been following me?” I asked, moving my stare from the fire and to his face. I couldn’t read him. Call it magic or maybe intuition, but I was usually able to get a feel for people when I met them. It was one reason why I very rarely trusted anyone.

But Lorcan was a mystery.

“You wouldn’t understand,” was all he said.

“First you call me weak, and now you insult my intelligence?” I shook my head. “We’re off to a pleasant start, aren’t we?”

“Humorandsarcasm?” Lorcan’s lips lifted in a smile. “How did I become so fortunate?”

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this—the banter. My connection to the nymph had grown over the months of him following theCrimson Night, and although I knew very little about him, that closeness remained.

“Your fortune is your own doing, nymph,” I said. “You saved me from a watery grave, and thus, now you must endure my mouth.”

His eyes flashed just then, something dark and smoldering. The bond between us sizzled.

“There are many ways I can think of to endure said mouth,” Lorcan responded in a husky tone that caused heat to spread to my groin. “None of which would be wise in your current state.”

Oh, how I wanted him. The fact I didn’t know him didn’t matter. If anything, it made me desire him more.

I only slept with strangers. It was safer that way. All of my fucks were found in brothels. Mainly because the men and women I fucked only wanted their coin and wouldn’t become attached to me. Strictly business.

Fatigue weighed heavily on me, and before I registered what I was doing, I lay back and shut my eyes. The crackling of the fire was peaceful, and the way it warmed my skin made me sink further into that state of relaxation.

Sleep found me. I dreamed I was back on theCrimson Night; sailing the high seas with Fletcher at my side and a world of possibility ahead of us. That life was so far out of reach. I missed my friend. My brother.