Page 154 of Shadows of the Deep

“Meridan, what is the harm?” Dahlia chuckled.

She stopped for a moment, opening her mouth to answer, but when she realized she had no argument, she almost seemed surprised.

“I suppose there’s no harm,” she shrugged.

“Perfect!” Mullins exclaimed, marching out of the room. “I need some good ale.”

Meridan followed him, arms folded as if she was about to school him on something. Once we were alone, Dahlia and I locked eyes and sighed like we’d just finished wrangling toddlers.

“There’s news, by the way,” I grumbled, relaxing back into a chair.

“News?”

“From Atoll. Someone has been sighted in a very unlikely place.”

A slow realization parted her lips a tad.

“Lyla,” she muttered. “Who’s seen her? How do we know?”

“Cathal, of all people, sent word with David. He swears that he saw her, dressed in civies, disguised as a human.”

She sat down in the chair across from me, lightly drumming her fingers on the wooden tabletop.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I continued, crossing one ankle over my knee and slouching further into my seat. “You’re thinking that now we have to postpone our plans, go to Atoll, and find her. But there’s been no unusual news of killings in that part of the world. No attacks. No mysterious disappearances. Not enough to warrant suspicion, that is. Atoll is so disconnected from all this, they’ve likely never even thought twice about a siren being in their waters or on their shores.”

“Exactly. They wouldn’t know how to handle it if they discovered her. And if Cathal is the one to have seen her, the chances are high that it wasn’t just a coincidence. Vengeance is hard to let go of.”

I smirked, leaning forward and reaching across the table to take her hand.

“For one, Cathal chose to go to Atoll to take care of personal business. Two, he is quite capable of taking care of himself. And three…” I raised a brow. “Actually, I’m not sure I had a third point, but what I’m saying is that he didn’t send word with David that he needed help. If he truly was in peril, he’d have returned with him. Maybe, what’s happening on that side of the world is not our business.”

“Then why’d you bring it up?”

I shrugged, stroking my thumb over her knuckles. “Perhaps I know you too well. I know you’ve dreamt of her more than once, which means you’ve been thinking about her.”

“Because she could slaughter an entire town if she desired it.”

“Which she hasn’t done.”

She narrowed her eyes with suspicion. “You’re trying not to worry me because you’re so eager to hunt this treasure.”

Excitement spread across my lips. “We’ve never hunted treasure before. Nazario swears it’s quite exciting. And I’m sure there will be plenty of violent encounters on the way. You brought the map back. What did you expect?”

She stood, trying to remain stern and unmoved, but I could tell she was becoming just as enthused the more I talked about it.

“I’ve already expressed my willingness to sail for that damn smudge,” she groaned, biting back a grin. “But, to be honest, I thought it might be a map that was easier to follow.”

“A difficult map is just a longer adventure. And Lyla?”

Taking a deep breath, she said, “She wanted to live a life. I assume that’s what she’s doing. Ihopethat’s what she is doing.”

“Aye, let’s leave it at that, then.” I stood, catching her waist in my hands and tugging her body flush with mine. “I’ve been tethered to land too long, love. The Weaver is ready to go. Repairs have been made. We’ve done more than our part in hunting monsters for little to no pay. So, I say we search for trouble elsewhere.”

She gripped the front of my leather great coat and rose up on her toes to meet my lips.

“I am inspired by your enthusiasm. As long as I am allowed a healthy diet of crooks and degenerates on the way.”

“I’ll fill the hold with them if you wish.”

Shaking her head, she whispered, “I rather enjoy a good hunt.”

A low growl shuddered hungrily from my throat as I leaned in to press my mouth to hers again. My teeth grazed her bottom lip and she moaned at the threat.

“Three days,” she whispered. “Three days I’ve missed your body against mine. I need your ferocity. Then, perhaps, we can talk about the smudge a little more.”

I reached a hand around the back of her head, gripping a hefty handful of her hair.

“Anything, Dahlia. You can have anything you like from me. Always.”

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