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Jack leaned back with his arms crossed. “There’s your offer, Aslan.”
Anna waited for my reply.
And Neri...
She just raised her head, her dark sun-touched hair wild around her shoulders.
Our eyes locked, and all it took was a whisper from her. “You can say goodbye to them out there. That’s your sanctuary now. You should at least visit them to let them know you’re okay.” She flinched. “Sorry, didn’t mean to use that word.”
A small smile twitched her lips, somehow turning mine.
Whoever these people were.
Whoever this girl was.
They were dangerous.
So fucking dangerous to my cracked and waterlogged heart.
Dropping my gaze, I studied my empty glass. “Why...why are you doing this for me?”
A shift of positions and a circle of stares before Jack finally murmured, “Because if Anna and I were ever lost at sea, I’d want someone to love and look after Neri as if she were their own. You’re someone’s son, Aslan. A son who is now an orphan...unless we can find your parents—ocean willing. Hopefully, they’ll be found in a week, and you’ll have far easier decisions to make, but for now, you’re with us and you have a home here.”
He laughed, dispelling the weight of the evening. “But only if you work for your room and board. Growing teenage boys aren’t cheap, you know. In fact, if you don’t pay your way, I might be tempted to throw you to the sharks. Save my bank balance.”
“Jack. Oh my God.” Anna rolled her eyes. “Your sense of humour sometimes.”
“That was funny, Dad.” Neri giggled.
I surprised myself by cracking a smile. “The sharks could’ve already eaten me, but they decided I wasn’t to their liking.”
“Not salty enough, huh?” Jack chuckled. “Well, we can fix that. Come on The Fluke with us and you’ll soon embrace the sea as if you were born to it.”
Neri stood and pushed her chair back, coming to stand over me.
Goosebumps darted down my arms as she stuck out her hand. “We don’t feed you to the sharks and you come on the ocean with us tomorrow. Deal?”
Jack cleared his throat, drawing my gaze to his.
Once again, I got the sense that he was aware of the strange closeness forming between Neri and me. I wanted to assure him it was purely because I’d lost my little sister and, even though no one could ever replace Melike, Neri’s innocent presence was a much-needed cure.
But then Jack slouched and smiled, nodding as if to give me permission to touch his precious daughter.
Slowly, I placed my hand in Neri’s.
It wasn’t the first time we’d touched.
I doubted it would be the last.
But it felt different.
Binding.
Eternal.
And when I tugged my fingers from hers, I swear those warning bells in my head stopped ringing.
They stopped ringing because they already knew it was too late.
Chapter Nine
*
Aslan
*
(Moon in Japanese: Tsuki)
“WHERE IS HE?”
I clutched Melike closer, wedged beneath our parents’ bed where our mother had shoved us the moment the front door flew inward, and five men dragged our father into the living room by his hair.
“Tell us!”
“We don’t know,” my mother yelled. “We haven’t seen him for weeks!”
My father bellowed, “You have no right to barge into our home and—”
“Oh, we have every fucking right. Blood comes with consequences. You are liable for what he’s done.” Something smashed, and Melike buried herself deeper into my arms, doing her best to stifle her sobs.
“What has my brother done?” my father asked. “Tell me and—”
“We shall give you one chance. Tell him to face us. Tell him to confess. Tell him to give back what he stole from Kara, or all of you will pay instead.”
“We’ve done nothing wrong!” my mother screamed.
“Yet you’ll still die.” Heavy footfalls sounded on our wooden floors. “You have until tomorrow night. Find him.”
The door slammed.
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
Reflexes kicked in to protect my sobbing sister.
I swung—
“Ouch! Ow, ow, ow!”
The dream-memory dissolved.
I shot upright in bed, wincing as a flash of pain worked through my casted wrist.
Where the fuck am I?
My heart rate galloped as my gaze swung to all four corners of the homely room with a chest of drawers, seashell-bordered mirror, and white curtains that I hadn’t drawn. The faintest tinge of sunrise made everything glow a dark orange.
A whimper came from the floor.
My heart stopped galloping and froze.
Melike.
Throwing myself out of bed, I collapsed to my knees with a grunt.
I stiffened as two stunningly blue eyes met mine, dancing with tears and dawn light.
Not Melike.
Everything came slamming back.
The storm.
The Taylors.
Neri...
“Fuck, Neri.” I reached out and cupped her cheek.
Her skin was hot, and she flinched as I drew my thumb along her reddened jaw. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Crap, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Say the damn word as much as you want.” I dropped my hand, swallowing hard. “I hit you.”
“I shook you. You didn’t hear me when I said it was time to get up. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
