Page 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Raiden’s hand found her head, shielding her as the Red Revenge heaved, swinging them wildly. With a dull thud, they hit the deck. Beneath them, the ship groaned, rocking, rolling. Righting itself .

The Red Revenge careened out from the end of the current with a splash.

For a moment, neither Celeste nor Raiden moved.

They were safe. The ship was sailing.

“Did—did you do that?” Raiden lifted his head and stared at Celeste, eyes wide.

Her look of confusion dissolved into amusement. She shook her head. Clearly, his father had told him little truth about siren abilities.

“Ah,” he said, using his thumb to push a strand of silver hair from her cheek. “Well, I suppose that was lucky.”

A laugh bubbled up through her throat. And then she was crying, pulling Raiden into a fierce hug as her body shook. All the tension within her released at once. And soon Raiden was laughing too.

“That was terrible !”

Kiyami! The pirate appeared at the stairs, her legs shaking. “I thought we were goners.”

“Unquestionably!” replied Torben, in a suspiciously gleeful tone. “It’s been ages since I really thought I was about to die.”

“Is everyone accounted for?” Bastian called out as he unfastened his rope. Raiden looked on his friend with relief.

The crew took stock of each other, and strangely, everyone was unharmed. Physically, at least. Some were still in the water, but they were quickly found and pulled aboard.

For the first time, Celeste found herself all too ready to be on dry land once more. The crew moved about, checking the ship for harm. There was still quite a bit of water belowdecks; otherwise, nothing was amiss. Even the Admiral, although shaken up, was perfectly fine. Apparently, Kiyami had been with him when they started to capsize and was able to strap them both down in time.

Goddess be praised—the strange little crew had made it out alive.

Celeste joined Torben and some of the other crew to gather water in buckets and throw it overboard. They’d made a dent in the knee-deep water when they heard a call from above.

“The rain! It’s stopped!”

The bucket in Celeste’s hands landed with a splash. She took the stairs two at a time. And sure enough, when she reached the deck, she saw the sky had cleared. Stars glittered. The moon, nearly full and bright, appeared larger than usual over their heads. Strange. But Celeste smiled at the sight all the same. It felt as if they had been stuck inside a cave for the past week, and now they found their way out to freedom. Her shoulders sagged in relief.

Torben whooped with joy and ran to Nasir. They spun around together on the still-glistening deck, shouting joyfully. Beneath their feet, the slick surface reflected the stars above, as though they danced in the heavens. Kiyami struck up a rhythm with a stomp of her foot, and even Bastian let out a whistle and began to clap his hands. Without meaning to, Celeste felt her body begin to sway in time with the unusual music. There were no instruments. No singers. There was nothing controlled or even beautiful about it. It was wild and ugly and—fun. Raiden appeared before her, reaching out his hand.

“I believe I owe you a dance,” he said, his smile wide and unbound.

Celeste’s cheeks heated as she placed her hand upon his. The simple touch of his warm, rough fingers sent shivers down her spine. With a jerk, he twirled her into his chest and slid his free arm around her waist. She let out a laugh, surprise and pleasure blooming within her chest. The warmth of him pressed close, and beneath their wet clothes she could feel every place they touched. Where before the merest brush would have sent her running, Celeste realized she felt safe within his arms. With another twist of his wrist, Celeste was spinning away, whirling across the deck until the tether of their arms pulled taut. When sparring, Raiden was brazen, each strike and thrust executed with strength and determination. There was a ferocity to him. A passion. It was present in everything he did. Everything he was. And she could feel it in the way he moved with her. But while Raiden was a burning sun, consuming and bright, Celeste was an icy moon. Smooth and practiced. Giving. Following each step.

All the while, his gaze never left her face. He watched in delight as she let out a surprised gasp as he dipped her backward.

“Don’t worry, love. I’ve got you,” he whispered against her ear, his arms tightening around her. Suddenly, her stomach felt as though it’d filled with bubbles.

He lifted her slowly, smile widening until he was blazing with it. The joy and relief and victory. They’d done it. They’d made it through. Together . And Celeste found she was beaming back.

“ Oh, have you ever met such a fearless crew? Who fight the good fight on the ocean blue? ” Nasir began to sing, a song Celeste had heard once before. And yet she felt as though she’d heard it a hundred times in her head. It was the song Raiden had sung on his birthday, the first time she’d seen him. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. After a verse, the captain joined:

Drink, drink ’fore we run dry!

We’ll dance till the sun falls from the sky.

Take what you can and never say die,

until our final bell tolls.

Next came Bastian and Kiyami, until the entire crew sang together. Their song was—not good —but wonderfully imperfect. One voice would miss a note, and another, blending in a way that wasn’t necessarily dulcet. But it was loud and shouting and full. And Celeste wished so dearly she could join. With few exceptions, music was a weapon for sirens. But this was self-expression. It was community and passion, two things that Celeste was learning she held dearly.

Soon enough our tides will turn!

Treasure, glory, and fame we’ll earn.

We’ll tell our tale, and they will learn,

When we all return.

Celeste soaked it all in. Every sharp note and each pounding beat of their feet. The sound of the crew singing together off-key. The feeling of Raiden’s rough hand gripping hers. His other hand pressing against her back. How her captain’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he gazed at her. The fluttering feeling in her chest. And then that thought again.

I’m falling in love with him.

A thought that perhaps didn’t seem so dangerous anymore. It whispered itself to her as if it blew in on the light breeze. Although she had no experience with love, she knew it was true. The feeling felt inevitable. Like night yielding to the day.

Raiden leaned in close, bowing his head so his mouth was beside her ear. “Your smile outshines the stars tonight.”

Her heart stammered.

Drink, drink ’fore we run dry!

We’ll dance till the sun falls from the sky.

Take what you can and never say die,

until our final bell tolls.

The song ended with a rather long and shouty crescendo. Raiden spun Celeste away from him and gave her a little bow, a smirk on his lips. Celeste repeated the gesture back to him, and the action made Raiden burst into laughter. Although Celeste did not know the reason for it, she was pleased knowing she made him laugh.

Torben appeared beside them, pushing cups overflowing with strong-smelling liquid into everyone’s hands. He waved off questions as to what exactly was in the cups and instead thrust his tankard into the air.

“To the toughest bunch of idiots on the sea!”

“And to the gods who keep us,” Nasir added, thrusting his own cup into the air as well.

The crew gathered into a circle and one by one raised their cups, crashed them together, then drank heavily. The mystery drink was one of Torben’s own making.

“It’s not jus’ alcohol!” he insisted, but the taste was bitter and burned all the way down. After one sip, Celeste dumped it overboard when she believed no one was looking.

But with the rest of the crew, the drink went quickly. They passed around more bottles and raised glasses to all sorts of things. “To clear skies and fair seas.”

“To treasures untold.”

“To bonds that can never be broken.”

“To one hell of a story to tell.”

Celeste declined as Torben offered her more “libations.”

“All right! More for me,” he grunted, taking the bottle back and pouring the remainder into his own tankard. Seeing this as an opportunity to seek out her own libations, Celeste grabbed the empty bottle from his hands, wiggled it, and pointed toward the stairs.

“Ah! That’s a girl! Get the ale next!” Torben said, clapping her on the back.

Celeste nodded and slipped away below deck to the galley. Behind her, she left the door ajar so she could still hear the festivities above. The ebb and flow of sound soothed her. Around her, the room was dark, but she knew it well.

Her hands found the matches left on the table, and soon the oil lamps were burning bright. She had learned how to light a candle from watching the others. More and more, she noticed little human things that she’d accidentally picked up. A gesture hello. The way she used utensils. Celeste placed the empty bottle on the table. Although she had developed a taste for alcohol, whatever Torben had given them was, in a word, terrible. She hadn’t the faintest idea why anyone would willingly consume more of it.

Picking up the lamp, she ducked into the back room where Nasir stored the food and drink. The light shone upon bottle after bottle, and Celeste marveled over how many words she recognized on the labels. They were still too few to read them in entirety, but a trill of excitement ran through her all the same. Her hand found the familiar bottle of honeyed wine and plucked it from the shelf, before looking for the bottle Torben wanted. He drank ale plenty of times at dinner, so she knew what it looked like. Eventually, she discovered it on the floor in the back right corner. She passed the lamp from one hand to another, considering how to carry it all.

“Need a hand?” The voice startled her. Sirens were used to feeling a presence before it was seen.

Celeste straightened and turned to see Raiden leaning with his hand atop the doorframe, watching her with an amused expression. Putting his stealth aside, Celeste passed Raiden the lamp.

“Good choice,” he said, pointing to the wine in her hand. “I saw you weren’t a fan of Torben’s Yenrian drink.”

A look of surprise crossed her face. She’d been certain no one noticed her discarding it. She shrugged and nodded, earning a chuckle from the captain. He set the lamp on the table, then reached to help her with the bottles. But Celeste held up a hand to stop him.

“I know you can handle yourself,” he scoffed. “I was attempting to be chivalrous.”

She huffed but handed him the bottle of wine. Then she pulled two mismatched glasses and a corkscrew from a cabinet and set them down on the counter.

“Why don’t we open this now,” Raiden said with a grin. He removed the cork with a satisfying pop and poured them each a glass. “To you,” he said, lifting his wine, “the best Wayfinder I’ve ever met.”

Celeste beamed with pride.

Raiden amended, “And the only Wayfinder I’ve ever met.”

This earned a light laugh from her as she touched her glass to his. The title felt good, even if they both knew it wasn’t true. Celeste sipped, and the liquid tasted as lovely and sweet as she remembered. In an instant, she was back at the festival, enjoying her orange.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Celeste shrugged and pointed at the wine.

“Wine?”

She shook her head.

“Port Velluno?” he tried again.

Close enough . She smiled and nodded.

“You know—you never fail to surprise me. Trying to pull a knife on a guard ,” he teased.

Her free hand flew to his shoulder, giving it a playful push. But in one swift movement, he caught her, pressing her palm gently into his chest. Her lips parted in a soft gasp. He pulled her close. So close. The lamp on the table cast a golden glow upon Raiden’s face. His mole was only a breath away. And before she knew what was happening, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. The touch was tentative, questioning, as if waiting for her to pull away. But she felt it everywhere. Every part of her body lit on fire. Burning. And she wanted more.

When she didn’t draw back, he stepped forward, pressing his lips more firmly against hers. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Her mind went blank. The kiss was a question. An answer. A call-and-response. It was the single greatest kiss she’d ever had. A kiss that felt, in a way, like magic. All too soon, he pulled away, and suddenly there was entirely too much space between them.

“That’s how I wanted our first kiss to?—”

“You kiss me,” she breathed, accent thick.

Raiden blinked. “What?”

“You kissed me,” she corrected herself, still dizzy.

“You can talk !”

Oh. Shit.

Celeste froze. Her heart dropped. What had she done? Blind panic seized her. The game was up, and all it took was one foolish kiss. Celeste’s hands rubbed against her hips, and her breathing hitched. And why did she speak in the human language? But she knew why. Even her dreams lately were in the human language. And if she were to be honest, half of her thoughts were too. These humans were infecting her with their humanity . Was there anything siren left within her?

“Would you mind explaining why you can suddenly speak ?”

Celeste considered her words carefully. “I did not want you to”—Celeste searched for the word, avoiding eye contact—“hear my accent.”

Raiden stared at her.

“You didn’t... you didn’t ...” He ran a hand through his dark hair, incredulous. “I’m sorry, love, but that’s just about the worst explanation I’ve ever heard.”

“Don’t call me love ,” she snapped.

“She finds her voice and somehow becomes a larger pain in my ass.”

Celeste glared at him.

“You kissed me,” she repeated, words dripping in venom.

“I did,” he said, eyes flaring. “And I’d do it again, if you weren’t so infuriatingly?—”

The words stopped short as Celeste grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged his lips to hers. He smirked against her mouth, sliding his hands around her lower back to pull her closer. And Celeste was lost.

Her hands loosened on his shirt, and she slid them beneath the fabric, enjoying the feel of him beneath her fingers. The heat of him. He was always so much warmer than she was.

Raiden pulled away for just a moment to murmur, “I just want to point out, for the record, that you kissed me first. Days ago.”

Before she could reply, his mouth was trailing down her jaw, drawing a gasp from her lips. She tilted her head, giving him more of the column of her neck. His kisses were hungry. His hands daring.

A shout sounded from above.

Celeste stiffened. What if Raiden tells them I can speak? Would they ever trust me again?

Sensing a shift, Raiden pulled away, shirt delightfully rumpled and hair mussed. Celeste had to stop herself from kissing him again.

“Please don’t tell others I speak,” she said, voice husky. “I promise I?—”

“It’s not my secret to share,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

But somehow his words didn’t calm her nerves. The captain appeared surprisingly unbothered by her deception, but Celeste doubted Kiyami would feel the same. What if they never forgive me?

Raiden took her chin in his hand and lifted her worried gaze to his. “Would it make you feel better if I shared something with you? A secret for a secret?”

“Yes.”

He released her and took a long sip of his wine.

“I blame my father for my mother’s death.”