CHAPTER 53
Esmyra
The room was quiet except for Draevyn’s soft, even breaths as he lay asleep on the bed. Jenli had provided them her largest guest room, tucked away in a quiet corner of her enchanted tree.
Kaelypso’s powers now thrummed through Esmyra as if they never left, and her flickering merlights hovered all around her, casting teal shadows against the rough-hewn walls.
After she cleaned Draevyn and his wounds, they carefully brought him to their new room. Jak and Jenli decided to join the rest of the crew downstairs, begging Esmyra to go with them, but she refused to leave Draevyn’s side.
Their chatter and footsteps from down below were muted by the thick wooden floors, but knowing they were all able to relax and enjoy one another’s company for the first time in weeks brought a genuine smile to her face.
Even with knowing she would need to finally explain everything to them all in the morning.
Esmyra sat perched on the open windowsill, her legs crossed beneath her, staring out at the moon’s pale glow filtering through the branches.
She couldn’t stop thinking about what Draevyn had done.
How he willingly swallowed her pain, accepting it as his own.
That selfless act burned in her mind, but that wasn’t all.
It was the weight she felt, and the tension raging through his heart that threatened to tear her apart.
Esmyra now knew the grief and blame Draevyn held, likely stemming from everything he’d endured because of her.
And because of Syrena. Her sister had twisted their lives into knots with her endless lies and manipulation. She had turned Esmyra against the only man who had ever truly loved her, knowing very well he felt the same way.
And all because of an ancient jealousy stemming from Naerysa.
How many times had Draevyn held himself responsible for what Esmyra had done? How many silent nights had he wrestled with the agony of watching the woman he loved destroy his kingdom?
She had carved these invisible scars into him with every cruel twist of fate dealt to them by the betrayal of gods.
Esmyra was the root of all the heartache he felt. She loathed that her torment had spilled over and drenched him in sorrow and guilt. And yet, despite it all, Draevyn never turned away from her. He stayed, bled, and loved her fearlessly, carrying her brokenness as if it were his own.
That love was a fierce, painful thing. How could she accept such sacrifice when she felt so unworthy? When all she wanted was to protect him, but until now had only brought pain?
“Draevyn may hold a piece of Irah’s soul, but he is twice the man the God of Rage and War ever was,” Kaelypso tried to comfort her.
She never thought it possible, but Esmyra was more than thankful to have her goddess back. When Kaelypso was locked away, it felt like a piece of her was missing. As frustrating as it was sometimes now to share their body, there was a strange sense of comfort the Goddess of the Depths brought her.
“And I say this to you, Esmyra, as someone who has witnessed love at the hands of both men,” Kaelypso continued. “There will be a hole in my chest where Irah tore out my heart for eternity, but Draevyn would sooner carve out his own before even considering touching yours.”
In that moment beneath the moonlight, Esmyra vowed to herself she would find a way to shield Draevyn from the darkness that still threatened to consume them both.
“I missed you, Kae,” Esmyra whispered aloud.
There was a beat of silence before the goddess said, “I’m never far. Even when you can’t feel or hear me, I’m always here.”
A beat of silence stretched. “I was scared,” Esmyra finally admitted.
“But I thought you fear nothing, little siren,” Kaelypso teased, a quiet laugh following the taunt.
Esmyra snorted. “Not all is what it seems, I suppose.” She paused. “I thought I lost you forever this time.”
“And is that not what you want? To have our vessel to yourself.”
“Tits, don’t call it that,” she grumbled. “But no, I guess that’s no longer what I want. You were right all those weeks ago. I don’t know a life without you in it.”
“And that is what scares you? Being alone?”
“Aye,” she whispered. “And failing. There are too many people counting on me now. I failed my father. I can’t fail Draevyn and my crew too.”
“Esmi, by the depths, I’ll never allow that to happen,” Kaelypso began, and the use of her nickname brought a sense of comfort.
“My fear of velsinyte isn’t only regarding my life.
We are the sea’s protector and guardian.
If you and I both fall, Naerysa will poison and corrupt it just as she has with everything else. ”
Confusion crept into Esmyra. “After everything you’ve witnessed, how can you even believe I’m worthy or capable of being the sea’s protector?”
“There is no one more worthy than you, Esmyra Blackwood,” Kaelypso answered. “And I will do everything in my power to ensure Naerysa is defeated. I will surrender all that I am to you before I let you fall.”
Esmyra’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean—”
A soft rustle behind her stirred Esmyra from her spiraling thoughts. She turned slowly, heart tightening as she saw Draevyn’s eyes fluttering open, blinking against the dim merlights.
“Wildfire?” His voice was softer than she’d ever heard.
“Kae, wait. What did you mean by that?” she tried again but went unanswered. She scoffed in her mind. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
Esmyra leapt down from the windowsill and she crossed the room. She gently lowered herself onto the edge of the bed and his gaze found hers immediately.
He blinked slowly. “What happened? Did it work?”
Esmyra offered a small, tired smile as she settled closer on the bed’s edge. “It did. Jenli managed to remove the shard, and your blood healed the curse.” She paused as his eyes flared, his posture relaxing in what she could only assume was relief.
“You passed out afterward,” she continued. “I cleaned you up and then they helped me bring you here to rest. Jenli gave us our own little chamber. I think we’re at the very top.”
Draevyn blinked, a flicker of genuine surprise softening his features. “Are you saying you bathed me, Ms. Blackwood?” He gave her a half grin.
Esmyra shrugged, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course I did. I’m not a monster.”
Her words lingered between them, but her pulse quickened as doubt rapidly crept in. Deep down, she knew the truth was far darker and more tangled in centuries worth of hidden betrayals. And that truth was that she was a monster—the monster of the depths.
A quiet beat passed before he smiled at her. “I’ve been trying to tell you that for months, Wildfire.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she couldn’t help the smirk that formed.
“But look at you…being sweet for once.” He winked.
Esmyra chuckled. “Don’t get used to it.”
“There she is.” A breathy laugh slipped from him, and her heart fluttered.
His gaze drifted around the room. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours give or take.”
Draevyn stretched lazily, and the movement sent the blanket sliding down from his shoulder, tracing a path along his bare chest. His skin, marred only by faint scars, caught the soft moonlight as it shined through the window.
He rested his arm behind his head, leaning back against the pillows.
Esmyra’s mind faltered, finding herself drawn to the slow rise and fall of his chest, and the way his muscles flexed beneath the smooth skin.
She tried to focus, really, she did. But there was something about him right then that pulled at her in a way she couldn’t ignore.
Heat stirred low between her thighs and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip as she sat here, staring at him.
Draevyn caught the way her eyes lingered on him, and a subtle heat bloomed across her cheeks. A slow, knowing smile curved his lips as his gaze held hers.
After a breath, he shifted, finally breaking the silence. “I meant every word I said that night on the ship.”
Her head tilted. “What do you mean?”
“That this is your choice. No one else’s. The only person who gets to decide your path is you.”
He paused, searching her eyes. “I love you for who you are. Not for what you were born into, or for the power you possess. But for you. For the woman who’s survived storms I can’t imagine and loves with fearless loyalty. And no gods, curses, or kingdoms will get in the way of that.”
Warmth flooded through Esmyra. Draevyn’s love was so fierce and unwavering that it should’ve overwhelmed her, but every time the man looked into her eyes, she only found herself aching to drown in it more.
She wanted to drown in him.
Draevyn sat up next to her and grabbed her hand, his callouses rough against her palm as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“If I had to go through it all again I would. Because every second of that torment was worth it if it meant finding you. In this lifetime or the next, I’d endure it all. Without hesitation.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between his, but she found herself unable to speak.
“A phoenix is nothing without his flames. And you, Esmyra, are mine.”
Wildfire. She knew the word wasn’t spoken aloud, but she heard it all the same. Was that why he’d given her that name all that time ago?
Unable to hold back any longer, Esmyra closed the small space between them, her lips pressing softly to his. His hands came up to cradle her face gently, thumbs brushing her cheeks. The kiss was sweet, almost delicate, like the first touch of sunlight after a long, frigid night.
This wasn’t like before. It was nothing like the fierce, desperate ravaging of one another driven by raw need. This was something more profound—a claiming, a sealing of two battered hearts and souls.
It was the promise to never let go.
But beneath that gentle beginning, a deeper hunger stirred, growing with each breath and every brush of their lips.