25. In Which There are Mimosas and Girl Talk
Chapter 25
In Which There are Mimosas and Girl Talk
Day 8 Aboard the Epic of the Seas
D ays on board and still no luck with either the Serathena or the warriors. After spending a disappointing morning rifling through the Serathena’s room, only to come up empty-handed, Callassa desperately needed a drink. The only thing standing between her and the mojito she ordered ten minutes ago was an arrogant bartender flirting with a woman out of his league. She’d rather have strong whiskey, but she was here to make friends, which required something lighter. Annoyed, she raised her hand once more and shouted over the pulsing dubstep.
“Hey! What about my drink?”
She had to find the Serathena, and the grimoire, and get the hell out of here before the warriors found her out. Avoiding her target worked like a charm. Anytime she caught him staring, the intensity threw her off kilter. This morning was no exception. Knowing Liam was watching, Callassa leaned over the bar, standing on her tiptoes and waving her hand. She sensed his gaze traveling up her bare legs to her perfectly round ass, so she flexed her hips for good measure. Ever so slightly, she turned her head and caught the pair of them discussing her.
“Is that the lounge singer from the other night?” she heard Evander ask.
“Aye,” Liam responded.
Lost in eavesdropping on their conversation, she momentarily forgot her true reason for being here as she listened to them discussing the Serathena. So, when the woman in question sat down beside her, she startled.
“Morning,” Olympus’ creature of doom said brightly.
The power that flowed off the Serathena coursed through her in waves. She felt it pour out in surges but draw back as if dampened, shallow. As if the Serathena was purposefully containing her magic. Cocking her head, she tried to connect with Ellie’s force; something an Olympian would feel right away. But the woman gave no indication she was aware what Callassa was doing. And the damn cuffs weren’t helping matters any. Either Ellie was that good at hiding, or the Serathena didn’t have a clue how powerful she was. That last thought caused Callassa to shudder. If the Serathena didn’t know her own power, she was more dangerous than anyone realized. She needed to end this mission as soon as possible before her world imploded.
“You trying to get a drink?” Ellie asked brightly, her kind eyes smiling.
Callassa made a gargling sound low in her throat. “Yes, for ten minutes, but the barkeep is being a wanker.” She shouted the last part and made a rude gesture. “Man’s too busy trying to shag the girl at the end of the bar to notice.”
Standing on her tiptoes again, she yelled across the bar, “Hey, twat!” Annoyed, she slapped the polished wood. If she was going to make friends with the Serathena, she needed a drink, dammit.
Arching one eyebrow mischievously, Ellie smirked. She jumped from the barstool onto the bar’s edge, swung her legs over, and hopped down.
“Whatcha drinking, sugar?” Her drawl elongated the word sugar as she grabbed a glass.
“A Mojito.” Impressive.
“Barbancourt, right, hun?” She winked as she gathered ingredients.
“Of course.” Callassa instantly liked her. Sure, this human was destined to bring down the gods from their ivory towers, but the woman knew her way around stolen liquor.
The sun splashed across the deck in a sudden burst from behind a cloud. It ran its rays like a beam straight to the bar and up Callassa’s legs, causing her brown skin to glisten in the sunlight, as though it had flecks of copper in it. Her dark hair was wound into a messy bun. She wore tiny jean shorts and a black bikini top that was working hard to keep her ample breasts confined. Blending in with the cruisers wasn’t the problem. The problem was finding that right combination to lure her target closer. It was never just her voice, although most inexperienced sirens believed it was. Callassa was as powerful as she was because she played into whatever the target needed. She had always been able to read people and that skill was invaluable. The sun glinted off her gold cuffs, and she rubbed one with the opposite hand, her ring catching the light and sending prisms of rainbows smattering across the glossy bar top.
“I’m Ellie.” The cheerful introduction jolted Callassa out of her reverie. A pestle in one hand, Ellie crushed mint into the bottom of the glass.
“I know,” she blurted out before remembering she wasn’t supposed to know. She pointed with her chin over her shoulder at Liam. “That hunk of man over there told me to be on the lookout for a redhead who was unpredictable.” To solidify her lie, she waved at him and prayed he waved back. He nodded and raised a beer in their direction. She relaxed when Ellie smiled at the two men and handed Callassa her drink.
“Who did you say you were?” She began filling another glass with the same mixture.
“Syren.” She faked a smile at her obvious lie. She was itching to get on with this job and get out of this realm. Before anyone realized what had happened, she could cover them in black shadow and take the Serathena now, ending the charade. But she had several questions that needed answers. So, as it goes with forming fake friendships—and with fucking new partners—it’s best to go slow and let the other person set the pace. Ellie filled her drink with more rum than anything else when the bartender finally noticed and began yelling. Handing her drink to Callassa, she flipped up the bar flap and escaped, clinking the glasses together in triumph.
“To friendship and thievery.”
Smiling, Callassa took a swig. Ellie had made the drinks strong, the rum delicious; as she took another sip, she linked arms with her.
“Let’s give those two something to stare at, shall we?” A finely shaped eyebrow arched in the warriors’ direction.
If she was to bond with this woman, she might as well enjoy it. Except, Callassa towered over her. How had she not noticed the all-powerful Serathena was a shrimp of a human? She had all the power of the cosmos in a tiny, little package. They found a pair of loungers and she flopped unceremoniously into one. She patted the one next to her.
“Come, sit. Tell me all about yourself.” She hoped her wide grin was welcoming enough; she could never judge just how much to fake. Human women were better at catching subtle nuances, and more than once, she found herself in a sticky situation. Human men, on the other hand . . . tits and asses. Once she showed one or the other, they were easier to manipulate.
Lowering herself down into the chair, Ellie sat upright instead of relaxing.
“Relax,” she said as she rested her arm over her head. “You look uncomfortable.”
Callassa watched Ellie from under her lashes as she adjusted her wrap and nervously glanced around the pool deck. One moment, Ellie was loose and free, and the next, she acted intimidated and unsure.
So, the confidence is all an act, she thought to herself. If this friendship was to be believed, she would need to act fast. Time to figure her out.
“Relax,” she repeated.
“I am.” Ellie sipped her drink.
“I know what your problem is,” Callassa said, setting her drink down and resting on her hip. She pointed her index finger at her accusingly.
Ellie scoffed. “What?” She eyed Callassa. “I don’t have a problem.”
“Yes, you do. You think that . . . what?” She squinted her eyes at Ellie as if telepathically reading her thoughts. “Hum. You think you don’t really belong here.”
Ellie stared at the pool.
“It’s true, then.” Being a siren left her with many talents, but her best was the ability to read her target. “You question your age or your weight—”
“Of course not!”
“Really?” She arched a brow.
Ellie shook her head, curls bobbing, and rolled her eyes. She growled deep in her throat.
“Okay, yes. Like anyone, I have insecurities, but I’m not worried about what these buffoons think of me.”
“Oh, so it’s a certain buffoon.”
Ellie briefly turned her face towards the sun. “Maybe.” She wrinkled her nose.
Callassa made a motion with her hands. “Talk to me.”
“Hell no.”
“Look, if you’re going to steal alcohol for me, the least I can do is listen to whatever drama you want to share. Spill it.”
Ellie groaned. “It’s so damn high school.” She glanced over to Liam and Evander, who were in lounge chairs on the far side of the pool.
“Met a guy, kinda thought there was something there. But things happened, and now it’s weird.”
“What things?”
Ellie shook her curls. “No, I’m not telling you that.”
“You had sex with him?”
She shook her head again, blushed, and closed one eye. “We made-out like our damn plane was going down, and now he is avoiding me.”
“And?”
“What?”
“Little lamb, you don’t know the power you wield, do you?” Callassa took a sip of her drink. The alcohol was starting to kick in; she could do this, befriend the Serathena. She was picking the lock on her damn cage and setting her people free, no matter the cost. “You have confidence. You’re charming. Hell, you’ve charmed me, and I’ve known you for thirty seconds.”
“I stole alcohol for you. Of course you’d think that.”
“You aren’t giving yourself enough credit.”
Ellie made a noise in her throat and rolled her eyes.
“Stop that.” Reaching out, Callassa grasped her arm.
Ellie looked down at her forearm, to the slender fingers clasped around, the gold and jeweled cuffs catching the light. She looked back up.
“Look at him.”
Ellie’s eyes darted right to Evander. Callassa had her suspicions, but this confirmed it. The Serathena had a thing for one of Athena’s men. A better situation could not have fallen into her lap if she had asked the Fates first. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since the moment you walked in.”
“That means nothing. Besides, how’d you know?”
“You looked right at him, little lamb. You gave yourself away.”
With a headshake, Callassa twisted the screws. She could manipulate the Serathena into doing most of the work if she played this right.
“This is so immature.”
“So what?” Callassa gave her a pointed look. “Who fucking cares? We all need a little immaturity once in a while. Act out of character just once. Look, confidence is a dangerous thing. You don’t need one of them to look your way to make you feel wanted, you want him to. There’s a difference. If you want to dismiss it, fine. You want to go on for the next few days and agonize about every little detail of a few shared kisses; be my guest. But you, little lamb, are the one holding all the cards. Besides, he’s not the only guy on the ship. You want a one-night stand, let’s find you one.” She was forming a plan faster than she could talk. This was precisely the little pep talk the Serathena needed, she could tell. Her reputation for always completing the job better than even the gods had envisioned was infamous. She just had to play her cards right. Ellie’s wheels were turning, and she relaxed back in the lounge chair.
“Given the chance, he wouldn’t kick you out of bed.”
“Syren!” A blush immediately rose to her cheeks.
“That man wants you, Ellie. Look at him. That god-like man could have any woman in here, but he only wants you. Oh, he’ll pretend he doesn’t, because you terrify him. You are all he thinks about, dreams about. I bet he has already thought about fucking you all over this deck.”
“That’s not true.”
“You don’t believe you’re worth having, do you? Who made you feel that way? A boyfriend? No, a husband.”
Her surprised expression confirmed what Callassa already knew. In five minutes, she had gotten to the root of the issue. Ellie didn’t answer; she didn’t need to. It almost always came down to someone telling a woman she wasn’t worth anything enough times that they started to believe it. Zeus! How she hated that women, human or Olympian, still had to deal with this bullshit.
“How long were you married?”
“Eighteen years.” Her response rushed. “He was always putting me down. I can still hear his damn voice in my head.”
She reached across their chairs and rubbed Ellie’s arm. “Ahh, makes sense. You hear that prick’s voice and you’re letting him win. You don’t think you’re worthy enough for that guy?” She pointed her thumb at Evander. “What is it he sees in you? Am I right?” She lowered her voice an octave. “That’s where you’re wrong. You are the prize, little lamb.”
Ellie blinked, and Callassa had to resist rubbing her hands together. She didn’t want Ellie under a spell that might backfire. No, this had to be her idea.
“When was the last time you were reckless?”
“Never.”
“I said reckless, not destructive,” she tilted her head. “That girl from a few minutes ago who climbed over the bar and made us drinks, she’s reckless. Impulsive. Charming. You took charge and let go for a second.”
She pointed her drink at Evander and Liam. “Take Liam, for instance. That glistening, handsome man sitting there is intrigued by me. I excite him. But I also confuse him. I know exactly what I want, and I won’t beg for it, unless he makes me.” She shimmied her shoulders. “I’m not waiting for him to validate me. I know I want him; I know he wants me. What makes you any different?”
Ellie sighed a long, slow breath. “How do you know all this?”
“I can read people; it’s a gift.” Callassa winked and gave Ellie a once over. “You think it’s easier to blend into the background than go after what you want. But you don’t do it because you’re self-conscious or unsure. You seem very confident in yourself; you know exactly who you are. It’s because, for too long, you were told you weren’t worth it, that you have to hide, so you’re second-guessing yourself. You hate when people misjudge you or, worse, discount you. But you definitely choose who you interact with. And that man, you want most of all.”
Ellie’s jaw dropped. “How the hell? What are you, psychic?”
“No, just observant. Just like I know Evander wants you in every way you can imagine. He’s holding himself back, won’t dare act on it. He’ll fight his growing attraction until he eventually gives in. Or gives himself the best hand job his shower has ever seen.”
Ellie burst out laughing. The object of their conversation glanced in their direction.
“He mentioned there were rules.”
Callassa smiled. Sure, rules. I guess that’s what we’re calling breaking the vow of the Circle. “So my question remains. When was the last time you were reckless? If you let go of all your self-imposed expectations for just a moment, if you give that man an inkling that you are even the least bit interested, you will have the best night of your life.”
“But it’s pointless?” Ellie said to her glass. “I mean, the cruise is only so long. I’ll never see him once we get to Athens.”
“Little lamb,” Callassa stroked her arm. “I’m not asking you to marry the bloke. I’m saying if you want to, fuck him.” She took the last swig of her drink.
Evander caught Liam glancing his way as he was trying to look anywhere but at the two women across the pool.
“It’s a bad idea, deartháir ,” he said, shaking his head.
Evander snapped his eyes to Liam and then to Ellie. “What is?”
“Her.” Liam pointed with the rim of his beer bottle. “You’ll put us all in Athena’s crosshairs if you cross that threshold. Especially if she is part of the oracle’s prophecy.”
“She’s human.”
“Aye, possibly,” he said, launching into his brotherly tirade of advice. “If she is the Serathena, you know we can’t go near her.”
Evander only nodded.
“I’m serious, mate, she’s off-limits. You said it yourself. Protect her, sure. Valerius is crafty and stupid, which is deadly. See her safely to Athens. Duty and honor and all the bloody uptight aristocracy breeding that pumps through your veins. Camulos might get you a reprieve from the council. But that lass is off-limits. In every way.” He took his last swig and set the bottle down on the table.
Evander watched her face explode with happiness at something the other woman said. “What ways?” he said before he could catch himself.
“You know exactly which bloody ways. The ways you’ve been having her in your head.” He leaned in close. “You and I both know she could destroy you. Athena would shite two bricks if she learned one of her epsilon warriors broke their vow. Never mind, you are already on the hook for going against her direct order. I can’t have Athena killing you out of spite.”
Evander nodded again, like a mindless robot. Athena would get her way; she always got her way, it seemed. He was clinging to duty like a drowning man clinging to a life raft. The other night, in her bed, he surprised himself with how fast and hard he came, rutting against her like a stag in heat. That should have been enough to slate his lust, but he wanted more. Her response to him, to his words, had caused him to lose control. He could taste her on his tongue, hear her little sighs and moans. He had been craving her for days. Avoiding her for her own protection against the damn lust that coursed through him. She was a drug, and he was becoming an addict. Even now, this far from her, that scent called to him, awakening the beast that gnawed against the bars of the prison he built to keep that side of himself contained. Waking up next to her that morning had been a taste of the Elysian Fields. Her ass pressed against him, his arm around her, protectively. It felt right, natural. He had laid for several minutes listening to the soft sounds of her gentle breathing and pretending he could have this forever. Then reality set in.
Liam was right; continuing down this path was suicide. He needed to stay away from her. And he had. After breakfast that morning, he kept his distance. She deserved better. She deserved someone who didn’t have to lie to protect her. The only thing Evander offered was heartache. A woman like Ellie needed someone who could control himself and not spew wickedness. That’s what the ladies of Madam Chatterley’s had called him. The Duke with the wicked tongue. He had let that damn phrase, the one several in the brothel scolded him over, slip not once but twice. His tongue had ridges from his teeth as he desperately tried to keep anything else from being said. And fuck, the things he wanted to say to her. Whisper. Delight in watching her react to his words as much as his hands.
He had to be practical. Logical.
Liam clapped him on the back. “I’m just trying to protect you, deartháir .”
“She isn’t Ann.”
Liam froze. It was the first time he had uttered her name aloud in over a century since the night she died.
“No,” he said softly, “she isn’t Ann.”
“She’s different, Liam.”
As he spoke, Evander looked across the pool towards her. Feeling his eyes, she turned. Even in this crowded lounge, it was only Ellie he saw. She was bright and sunny and warm. She flashed him a smile, and his heart twisted in his chest.
“I won’t make the same mistake twice.”