Chapter 20
Raiden
Iwant to hold onto her forever. I thought I'd lost her. She fell over the edge of the boat, and I was certain the Huri had devoured her before I even hit the water.
I breathe in her flowery scent that's currently mixed with dried saltwater and blood, and it hits me that I cannot live without knowing she's safe.
I had felt it before, but I think the Smog had dulled the strength of our mate-bond.
Now that the barrier is gone, I am overwhelmed with my need for everything that is her.
A plan hadn't exactly spelled itself out to me yet. But now? This intense draw I have to her is too strong to ignore. I've never felt anything like it, never allowed myself to get close to another. Not since I sold myself to Clestraya for the good of my kingdom.
My kingdom. For the first time ever, it feels like I might have a shot at getting my kingdom back.
We're lying in the bottom of the boat, staring up at the stars together, having spent the day talking and drying her off in the warmth of the sun.
“There are so many of them,” she whispers.
I point to the different clusters of stars, telling her their names.
“Which one is your favorite?” she asks, blinking up at me with those cool, green eyes that have softened significantly over the hours we've spent together on this boat today.
“That one,” I say, swinging my arm out just over the horizon to where Ophiuchus lies in the stars.
“It's the Serpent Bearer. They say the lord of the gods struck him down with lightning because he was a healer.
He was able to raise the dead back to life, and the fates don't appreciate that kind of power. They allow him to rest in the sky as an honor to his origins.”
“I wonder if he's looking down in disgust at all the death he could have prevented or undone,” she says, and I hum my acknowledgement.
She draws different lines and shapes on my stomach while we talk. I'm not sure she knows she's doing it, but I don't want her to stop.
“Thank you for saving me,” she says, and I swear I could live in this moment forever.
“Don't thank me yet.”
She sits up, looking down at me and worrying her lip. “What do you mean?”
I debate telling her everything here and now, wrought with the ache of carrying so many secrets for so long, and wanting her to know it all.
But the desire for just a few more moments of delusion wins.
“I just mean that we haven't made it to land yet, and I still haven't decided what I'll do with you when we get there.” I make an attempt to wag my eyebrows at her, hoping she doesn't read too far into the jest.
She swats at me playfully, and I grab her wrist. I can't fight the urge to bring her hand to my mouth and press a soft kiss to her silky skin.
Arina pulls back as if I've burned her when the familiar spark of our bond shoots through me.
“I'm sorry,” I stutter, moving to give her space, suddenly worried I've crossed a line.
“No, it's fine, I just … Did you feel that?” she asks.
“Feel what?” I want her to say it.
“Nothing, never mind. Maybe it was just in my head.” She waves her hand as if swatting at a bug.
Interesting. Maybe my little snake is becoming more in tune with her magic than she's letting on.
Arina
I could have sworn a spark of something had traveled from Raiden's mouth to my entire body when he kissed my hand last evening.
My cheeks grow warm at the thought. I've never allowed attention from any man to make me feel the way Raiden does whenever he so much as looks my way. I've also never craved a man's touch the way I am right now.
This cocky, rude, infuriating male who made me a murderer and stole me from my home is starting to consume me in ways I don't understand.
My stomach is tying in impossible knots at the idea of letting him in. Letting him know me. I can't have feelings for a rebel. That is fucking stupid, and I am not an idiot. I think maybe the open air and the sun are too much all at once.
But then again, he has saved my life countless times. He makes me feel safe and insane and desired without saying a word. I want to stay in his arms on the bottom of this boat, but my stomach is growling.
I move to sit up, but he beats me to it.
“Tell me something nobody knows about you,” he says, and that thing inside me melts.
“I … am afraid of the dark,” I tell him and cover my eyes so I don't have to see his reaction.
The crunching sound of him chomping into an apple is his response, so I peek through my fingers, and he grins a crooked, beautiful grin. One that tells me maybe he did already know this.
“You can't be a badass and be afraid of the dark,” he argues, tossing an apple to me.
I roll my eyes. “Okay, your turn. Tell me something I don't know about you.”
I study him carefully, trying to anticipate what he might say. His face is sad when he says, “There is so much you don't know.”
I push up to sit. “That's not fair. You have to tell me something.”
Time is suspended as we stare into each other's eyes. Neither of us daring to move until he reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. His calloused hand gently holds the side of my face, and I lean into the caress. Another jolt hits me in the temple.
What is that?
He rubs his thumb across my cheek, and I inhale the salty scent of the ocean that mixes with his bergamot and amberwood aroma.
“I promise to tell you everything, but just let me enjoy this peace for one moment longer,” he says, pulling me back down to him.
I'm about to argue when shouts fill the air, carried on the wind, and we both turn to find the source.
Raiden mumbles an almost inaudible curse as a huge, beautiful ship casts a shadow over our tiny boat. How had we missed its approach? Had we been so enamored with one another we had lost our sense of survival? I reach for my dagger, but Raiden puts his hand over mine.
The most gorgeous female I've ever seen leans over the ship's railing, waving down at us with a bright white smile. Her dark, curly hair is pulled back, wisps of it blowing in the wind, and a small golden crown sits atop her head.
The blue sky and sun shining behind her make her glow, as if she's not from this world.
“Well, isn't this a welcome surprise!” she yells, and I whip my head back to look at Raiden.
He smiles back up at her, and my heart cracks a little at the thought that he has never looked at me with such unbridled joy.
“Lavinia!” he shouts up at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Can't a girl sail out to meet her betrothed without her motives being questioned?” she replies, and I swear I've heard her wrong. I shake my head, as if that will clear things up.
“Of course!” he laughs, and squeezes my hand once. The gesture sends an ache into my gut, and I'm blinking back unexpected tears. But there's something else bubbling beneath the surface.
“Who is this? And what have you done with Father's ship?” Her hands are on her hips as she feigns a disappointed glare down at him.
“Bring us aboard, and I'll tell you everything!” His eyes find mine, and he looks at me with his mouth downturned. I try not to think about the fact that not even two moments ago, he was promising me the same.