Page 62 of Blood of the Stars

He gave Aeliana a pointed look before pushing off the bamboo to join the others by the fire.

CHAPTER 25

They were still three days and three nights out from Bamboo Island, and Gaeren was beginning to wish he hadn’t given up his cabin for Lenda and Orra. When the men weren’t glaring at the women, they turned their suspicions on Gaeren.

He leaned against the main mast, watching the men laugh and eat their meal. Thallahan had pulled out his fiddle, and a few who’d had too much ale stomped their feet and danced without partners. The moon shone over the water, waning from the full moon. If Bamboo Island didn’t hold answers, an inland trek would be treacherous with full grown winex out on the prowl.

The silvery beasts waxed and waned with the moon, their short lives balanced out by their infinite rebirth—if they survived each cycle. During a new moon, their newborn cries were annoying, but they held no danger. During a full moon, coming across a pack was deadly. They grew weaker as the new moon and their rebirth approached, but sometimes weaker meant more desperate.

Gaeren glanced at Riveran up in the crow’s nest. Maybe that was why Enla insisted he bring Riveran. He’d always been able to manage the creatures the same way he’d managed horses.

Before he could think it through, Gaeren climbed the rigging, joining his former friend in the tight space. Riveran gave him a wary look before returning his gaze to the sea, his watchful eyes taking in any potential danger. Gullet blinked at Gaeren, then let his eyes slide shut. The bird spent most of the day on the coast they skirted, hunting and foraging, then joined up with Riveran at night.

Gaeren shifted his gaze to the X on Riveran’s forehead, the scars forming an outline for the bold ink. Rather than keep staring, he pulled out his dagger, weighing its balance over his knuckles and testing its point against the pad of his finger.

“You haven’t replaced that daisy yet?”

Gaeren’s lip lifted at the surprise in Riveran’s voice. “I told you. It doesn’t make me look weak.”

Riveran shook his head. “People are probably just saying it behind your back.”

They’d argued over it when Gaeren had had the dagger made. It was a gift for Daisy—her dedication year dagger. Riveran thought it was fine for a girl, but he’d teased Gaeren mercilessly for carrying it around.

“The men think you’ve gone mad.” Riveran’s soft rumble put Gaeren at ease despite his words.

“Because of the women?”

Riveran nodded. “At first I thought Orra was the girl you’ve been searching for. But you’re still hunting for something or someone. It didn’t feel right.”

Gaeren didn’t say anything, unwilling to confirm or deny Riveran’s line of thinking.

“The men won’t talk to me either, but I still hear things. Thallahan defends you. Says its good for a man to keep his women close to keep them safe.”

Gaeren cringed. “They’re not ‘my women.’”

“Lenda is in a way. Just like you’re her man. But they’ve all latched onto that, and now they’re heralding you as the prince with two bonds.” Riveran’s smirk stirred up Gaeren’s irritation.

“Orra is twice my age.”

“Is she?” Riveran’s brow furrowed, making the X shift into a jagged squiggle. “She doesn’t seem that old.”

Gaeren didn’t honestly know or care, but he wouldn’t stand for rumors about the women. Just because he didn’t love Lenda the way he should didn’t mean he would cheat on her. “Lenda is my bondmate, and I will remain faithful.”

His words silenced Riveran, and the air between them grew thick with the unspoken reminder and accusation. Why had Gaeren come up here? This would always sit between them. It wasn’t like he could ever regain the friend he’d once had. No matter how much he might want to.

The realization that he wanted their friendship back was like cold sea water splashing overboard. Even wanting it felt like he’d betrayed Enla in some way.

He stood, throwing a leg over the nest’s edge.

“I didn’t tell you those things to rile you,” Riveran said, eyes still trained on the horizon. “The point is that the men think you’re besotted. Despite the bad luck you’ve brought on the ship, they understand. In fact, it makes you seem more like them and less like some inaccessible royal brat.”

Gaeren paused, one foot on the rigging. “I haven’t completely lost their respect?”

Riveran snorted. “It’s not about respect. Well, it is, but not in the way you’re thinking.” He turned his gaze on Gaeren. “They’re Recreants, not Loyalists.” The admission was treasonous, but Riveran wasn’t saying anything Gaeren didn’t already know.

“I’m not asking them to be loyal to the crown.” Gaeren frowned at Gullet, who fluttered his wings and turned his tail feathers toward Gaeren. “I want respect as their captain. I want them to trust me.”

“You should want their camaraderie more than their respect,” Riveran said. “They aren’t willing to die for their superior, but they’re willing to die for their friend.”

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