Hymn of Breath and Bone (The Whispering Sea Duet #2)

Chapter 2

Skies, I was a fucking idiot.

The thought pounded through me as I flew from my rooms to the closed dining commons. The wind beneath my wings was usually enough to make any dark mood abate for a while, but this one lingered as I landed on one of the lower stone ledges, entering through a crevice disguised by a blanket of moss.

I had to tell her.

I should have told her the moment she woke up in my bed, but, idiot that I was, I thought I would have more time. Time to win her over, to train her, to show her our truths, and time to let her decide on her own whether to help us.

Whether to stay with me.

But the council was relentless. She was relentless. If I took her like she wanted—like I wanted—the bond would lock into place, and she’d never be able to leave without both of us being permanently weakened. Marina had explained that selkie mates were chosen, the bond forged like the fae or the elves. But siren mates were more like the demons, the bond forged by the gods or destiny or whatever force governed our lives.

It wouldn’t kill me to have that bond stretched—siren couples could part for weeks at a time without too much ill-effect. But if Marina rejected the bond, rejected me…well, I might not die, but life certainly would not be worth living.

Not without Marina, and her fire and excitement over the most ordinary things. Like music! The fact that the selkies had banned music was a travesty, one I planned to rectify if we got our home back.

When, not if.

And the training! Why her father and betrothed thought it wise to keep her locked away rather than teach her to defend herself was beyond me. It had worked in my favor, of course, but I’d be damned if I let her go one more day without being able to fight off an assailant. She was too precious to risk it.

“Skies, Cas!” I nearly careened straight into Zephyr in my haze of self-doubt, and she caught me with a hand as if she weren’t a full two feet shorter than me. “What’s eating you?”

“Sorry,” I murmured, taking a step back from my petite first mate. “Thinking too hard.”

“That’s always a mistake,” chimed in Astraios as he rounded the corner with a dark-skinned, black-haired beauty I knew well and hadn’t seen for weeks.

“Hello, Ana,” I said, giving Zephyr’s mate a questioning smile. She and Astraios both carried bags of what smelled like food from the commons. “Long time no see.”

“Same to you, Sire,” Ana replied, her dark eyes flashing in amusement. She knew I hated it when she called me that.

“What, no greeting for me?” Astraios asked indignantly.

It took all of my willpower not to growl at him like I had in the training ring this morning.

“Maybe let him work off what’s chafing him first,” Zephyr cautioned, a hand on Astraios’ chest. “The mating bond, I presume?”

It certainly was a problem—the bond pushed me every second to claim my mate like some wild beast.

But Ana wasn’t supposed to know that.

“You told her?” I asked accusingly, looking at Ana. She winced apologetically, and Zephyr scowled at me.

“Of course I did. She’s my mate.”

Zephyr said this with so much ease, so much conviction, that, for a second, I was jealous of her. Jealous that her mate knew her, that they were open and honest with each other to a fault.

“Fine,” I gritted out. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that it wasn’t Zephyr or Astraios I was frustrated with, but myself. “I suppose I can’t argue with that logic.”

“Where’s Marina?” Ana asked, peering behind me like she might be hiding there. “Zeph said I could meet her.”

“Did she?” I growled, turning my ire back on my first mate.

Zephyr met my scowl with a truly fearsome one of her own, one of the many reasons I named her my first mate. “Don’t bite my head off because you haven’t mustered the courage to tell her yet.”

Ana looked nervously between the three of us, Zephyr and I both scowling, and Astraios looking vaguely amused.

I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face. “You’re right. I need to tell her.”

“You do,” Zephyr said, taking my arm and guiding me back down the passage the way I had come. “But not tonight.”

“Wait—what—” I dug my heels in, stopping Zephyr from dragging me back to my rooms. “I have to get something for Marina to eat.”

“Already done!” Ana piped cheerfully. “Reuben’s finest. Well, except the bread, but he can’t be perfect.”

“We have enough for all of us,” Astraios agreed, holding up his bag as if it were a prize. “And Marina.”

“She’s not expecting company,” I said, trying to snatch the bag from Astraios.

He jumped back, holding it out of reach. “None of that, Captain,” he said, oblivious to the visions that flashed through my mind of dismembering him. “Ana wants to meet Marina, I want to play cards, and clearly, you need a chaperone. We’re a package deal.”

“Please, Cas?” Ana said, placing a gentle hand on my arm.

Ana’s gentle pleading was far more effective than Astraios’ nonsense.

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

“That means yes,” Zephyr crowed delightedly, resuming our trek out of the passage to make the short flight back to my rooms.