Page 342 of Kingdoms of Night

I handed him his drink, and he chugged, his hawk-like gaze never leaving me as his shoulders began to relax. I was transfixed by his eyes which were gray, and blue, and white all mixed together.

They were otherworldly.

Magical.

My songs had a calming effect on everyone, but I felt some unusual sense of pride that it could even work on someone as big and powerful as the stranger.

When the song ended, he gave me an odd look. “What are you called, lass?”

I wiped the counter one last time and leaned back against the wall. “Siddhe.” I resisted chewing my nails. “And, you are?”

He shrugged. “No one of any consequence.”

I cracked a sidelong grin. “Oh, I doubt that.”

“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me playfully.

“And, what’s that, sir?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at me. “I’ll tell you my name in exchange for a kiss.”

I pursed my lips to stop my smile from splitting any wider. I could feel the heating of my cheeks and cursed them for their betrayal.

I was a Sea Knight, not a blushing virgin.

“Its my job to know everything about everybody,” I said, just as playful. “But, I think you’ll be the clear winner in that deal.”

His grin widened. “Will you accept or not?”

I laughed, and nodded. “I’ll accept your deal. Just one kiss though.”

He stared at me for a moment, and I found myself holding my breath.

“Tell me, Siddhe. What was that song you were singing about?”

“One moment, sir.” I looked past him to see my patrons start to leave. “Travel safely, boys.”

“Thank you, Siddhe,” a few replied.

Once alone with the stranger, I locked the doors lest someone else strode in looking for trouble. I made my way over to the seat beside him, picked up a few roasted chestnuts from a clay bowl on the bar, and I bit into one.

“Surely you know the myth of the sea sirens?”

He gave me a blank look and scratched the back of his neck. “Can’t say that I do. Why don’t you tell me?”

“Well, the story goes that a long time ago, the people of this island asked the sea goddess for help defending Calbrock Bay from pirates. You see, the pirates have always been an enemy to all, but this one year, when it was particularly perilous, the people had no one to turn to for help but the goddess. But,” I said, lifting a finger, “when the sea goddess needed the humans to repay that favor, they did not uphold their part of the bargain. So, she cursed them to serve the sea for an eternity. And that’s where sirens came from.”

“Like mermaids—sea-folk?” His brows rose, and he gave an amused smile.

I could listen to his voice and lilting upperclass accent all day long. He had to be lying about being a nobleman.

“Sounds like a story my nan would tell when I was a child. A bedtime tale.”

His dismissiveness stung, but that was for the best. It was probably wise not to let him believe any of the tale’s truth.

“Of course it does,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “That’s what it is. Just a bedtime tale.”

“Right,” he said, rising from the chair. “Well, best not back out of our deal then, lest a curse fall upon us both.”

---