My brow twitches, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean he was just gone?”
Jay shakes his head. “I mean he was with us at the pub, then he wasn’t. And then the town went up in flames. No one knew where he was. We all knew how important he was to Mira, so we kept searchin’. Couldn’t find him. Couldn’t find you either, so we headed back to protect the ship.”
His voice is genuine. Jay has never lied to me. But neither did Smith, until he did. That betrayal creeps under my skin, making me question everything. I never thought twice about Smith. Never thought he’d turn. Not after how fiercely loyal he’s been to the Bleu family name.
“I don’t think any of you realize how important she is to me,” I say, voice low as I stare down at the map sprawled across the large oak table.
“I understand, Cap,” Jay says.
I look up, meeting his icy blue eyes dead-on. “I don’t think you ever will.” The words come out colder than intended.
I start pacing. “But I need your loyalty now more than ever. She needs it. If I fall, you follow her. You protect her. Until the end. Understood?”
Jay leans against the doorway, arms crossed, his face hard. “You have it,” he says with a nod, steady as stone.
I believe him, for now. I give him a nod, gesturing for him to come closer and take a seat. Then we turn our attention to the map, plotting where the hell Sirens Cove might be and how we are going to take down the most powerful witch in the world.
“You want to just hand her over? You think she’s that easy to catch? She’s the most powerful, lethal witch for a reason,” Mira snaps, standing her ground. She lets out a sharp sigh. “I can’t let you take her, Kai. She and I have a deal. She has ties to my family. You’re underestimating her. You don’t just pick her up. She will kill you.”
I watch her as she paces across our room, hands moving wildly as she talks. The morning sun catches the curve of her hips, the softness of her thighs. Her hair is a mess and her face flushes with anger. Gods, she is beautiful.
“I made a deal too, Mira,” I say, voice low. “One that will help you. One that will save us. What better way to find the cursed cove than by the ones who reside in it? I thought you trusted the sirens?”
“I absolutely trust them,” she fires back. “But I will never risk your life for anything. There will be another way into the cove.” Her words strike me straight through the chest. She is a dream come to life, fierce and soft and impossible to let go.
I stand up from the bed and walk over to her, cupping the side of her face, gently forcing her to look up at me. My other hand slides around her lower back, pulling her closer. Her big, beautiful green eyes gaze up at me, shimmering like the sirens’ sea, deep and endless.
I kiss her softly. “I won’t risk you either. You’re the most important thing in this entire sea. We’ve both made our deals, but we need to prioritize. What did you promise Taika?” My voice is firm.
“A wish,” she says quietly. “I promised her a wish.” I search her face, trying to read her. She gives nothing away.
“What does she want to wish for?”
Mira looks down, then back up at me. “I don’t know. She was vague. She said it wasn’t for my ears to hear yet, just that her wish was dark.”
A chill sweeps through me. “Dark? You promised her a dark wish? Mira, she’ll wish for something twisted, something with black magic. You can’t give her that. The fountain is pure, so no dark magic can be near it.”
She pulls away from me. “You don’t know that. Remember, she gave me the map that led me to you. Why it turned red, I don’t know, but it brought me to you.”
I stroke the stubble on my jaw, watching her, studying her every move. “We need to find her,” I say, leaving no room for argument.
She doesn’t say anything at first, just pulls away from me slowly. I let her go with ease. She starts getting dressed, her movements quick and focused. “Mira,” I say, watching her, “you need to lead the way. I don’t know how to find her. My best guess is Alek, but once we’re inside those haunting seas… I don’t know where to start.” I have a feeling my magic could lead me. But someone like Taika is only found when she wants to be. And honestly, I’ve avoided Alek my entire life.
She glances up at me while lacing her boots. “I know. I just…” Her voice catches in her throat. “I don’t want us to make the wrong move. What do you plan on doing when we find her?” Worry clouds her eyes, heavy and real.
“I’ll figure that out when we get there,” I say. “We’ll hear what she has to say. Then we’ll decide, together.”
Mira shakes her head and stands, heading for the door. She pauses, hand on the handle, turning back to me. “I will follow you to the ends of this world,” she says quietly, “but I won’t stand by and watch you lead yourself to your own death. That path, I cannot follow.”
She straps on her belt, securing her weapons, then takes her father’s hat and sets it on her head. In that moment, she looks every bit the captain she was born to be, even the air shifting around her as she steps out of the room.
Chapter twenty-six
Mira
Severed Bloodlines
I left our captain’s quarters with my blood boiling. I knew he could hear my heart beating out of my chest, could feel the rage pouring off me in waves. I don’t know why he thinks this is a good idea. He’s going to put everyone in danger, mostly himself. He’s always throwing himself into the fire like he thinks he’s invincible. Maybe he is.
