The next morning, we boarded the ferry heading for Queens Isle. Coated in thick layers of sweat from the sudden onset of humidity, we baked in the sun on the deck ofArrow’s Wind. The slow-moving ferry churned water through its red wheel and cut through the ocean. Even the sea breeze died with the disappearance of the storm, and we fanned ourselves with our hands as we waited.
Sitting in a slatted white chair underneath a green awning, Kost stared over the open waters. Felicks sat in his lap, orb clouding and unclouding every few minutes. Like his master, he studied his surroundings. Ozias clung to the metal railing of the boat next to the woman he’d met at the bar, who pointed to dolphins traveling in the wake of the ferry to his obvious—if shy—delight. Leena sat next to Calem, straddling the posts and dangling her feet off the edge. Ocean spray coated her thighs, and she rubbed the water into her skin before wiping her hands on her cutoff canvas breeches.
“You’re staring.”
I ignored Kost’s quiet reprimand. Staring at her was all I had. With her hair braided to the side, her neck called to me. I wanted to taste it. To run my tongue along the curve and kiss the shell of her ear. I wanted her lilac and vanilla flavor, tinged gritty and real with salt.
I never should have kissed her. Now she was all my mouth craved.
I formed my hand into a fist and punched the wooden wall at my back. The panel cracked, and Kost raised a brow without meeting my gaze. Slow fingers worked their way through Felicks’s fur. “Control yourself. We need time to sort this out.”
Gods, she was water in a drought. “Yeah, yeah.”
Calem ripped off his work shirt and fell back against the deck, folding the clothing over his eyes. Leena continued to look to the sea. There’d been little chance for the two of us to talk—Kost had seen to that. Jaw set and eyes hard, she studied the island in the distance. Was she mad? Or was it something else? Tension gathered between her shoulders, and she drummed her fingers against her kneecaps. Ozias hollered at Calem and he jumped up, joining the couple at the railing and leaving Leena unattended.
“I’d tell you to stay away, but Felicks tells me you won’t listen.” He pointedly glanced down at the swirling orb of his beast. Felicks let out a soft bark and nudged his master’s hand.
“Well, since you alreadyknow.” I tossed the words over my shoulder as I walked toward her. There wasn’t enough time. Before we knew it, the days would be over and Leena would disappear from my life all over again. At least she would be safe. At least she could have a future.
I sank to the deck beside her. “Hello.”
Loose strands of hair swept across her face as wary eyes locked with mine. “Hey. How’s Kost?” She tossed a quick glance behind me before turning back to the waves.
Considering his foreboding gaze was embedding a knife into my back, not great. “He’s fine. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
A massive wave crested against the side of the ferry, spraying us with a sheet of white water. Leena’s face cracked, its stern facade faltering as she giggled and wiped droplets from her eyes. A fist wrenched tight around my heart, and I looked away.
“You’re soaked.” With an easy smile on her face, she nodded to the sprinkling of damp spots across my typical Cruor ensemble of black on black.
“So are you.”
Her smile eased…warmed. She was so gods-damnedwarm. “Guess so.” Longing burned within me, and I inched my fingers closer to hers. I was playing with fire. With light. Shadows waited in corners of the ship, eager to do my bidding, but I didn’t want to hide. I could at least enjoy my limited time. She pressed herself against the railing and looped her arms around the nearest post, her gaze already focused back on the island.
My heart threatened to shatter when her fingers moved that insurmountable distance from mine. “You seem preoccupied.”
“There are a lot of beasts in locations like this.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Less involvement with people. Jungles, dense forests, caves—we’re bound to run into something here that’s beyond the norm. Have you thought any more about what kind of beast you want?”
My mind rewound to the night we’d spent in the beast realm. There were so many creatures there, so many possibilities. And yet the only thing I wanted was her. She was strong and brave and cunning and everything I could ever desire in a partner. And yet, she was entirely beyond my reach. And I was dangerously close to letting those emotions take hold and condemning her to a fate she didn’t deserve.
I know what you want.A female voice purred through my mind, and Leena’s Gyss, Fable, rattled my thoughts. She was such a tiny thing. Could a beast like that truly fix the impossible?
If she couldn’t, then what? I couldn’t love Leena. I’d felt a spark when we kissed. One I was trying to douse with ice water in order to keep her safe. No, no matter how good she was, no matter how good she could be for everyone—the guild, Ozias, Calem, even Kost—her happiness and her life ranked higher than my selfish need.
The weight of the curse had never felt more unbearable. Love, true friendship, trust, understanding—everything I wanted in an ally, and all the things I could never obtain.
Leena studied me, eyebrows furrowing with concern. “Are you okay?” She dropped one hand from the railing, fingers twitching against the deck just inches from my leg.
“I still want the Gyss.” My life at Cruor was satisfying enough. I’d worked hard to form the ranks, to build tenuous relationships. I was able to keep them safe from me. Close in proximity, if in no other way. It was a precarious balance, but I’d keep walking the line to hold on to what I had.
Another wave smashed against the boat, and a fine spray of mist drifted above us. Her frown sharpened. “Noc, we’ve been over this.” Queens Isle loomed before us, and the ferry dropped its speed as we neared shallow waters. Leena stood slowly, shaking her head and avoiding my eyes. “Speaking from experience, nothing is worth the risk. Plus, it doesn’t meet the terms of our agreement.”
But there was a possibility. A life without shackles. “Those can be modified.”
