Page 44 of Sustaining
Until it isn’t.
“When King Barron arrives, I’ll be sure to tell him what I’ve seen over the last few days.” Molly’s bitter face comes into view from behind my mother, and the tension around us twists into something new and defensive. “The freak little girl and her freak little friends aren’t welcome here. You five freaks will not be—”
“Molly, can you just shut the fuck up for five minutes.” My mother casts a glare over her shoulder, and her outburst gets her exactly what she wants.
Molly does, in fact, shut the fuck up.
Finally.
Vixen and Miles glance from my mother to Molly, and then they smile at me just before they slip into the steam rooms. I note the way Miles leans in close to whisper in the girl’s ear. A giggle shakes through her just as the door closes behind them, and a small amount of happiness spreads through my chest.
When the woman’s lips thin into a nonexistent line, she storms off, leaving a smirking group of five freaks behind her. My mother turns to me, noting the smile on my lips before she looks me in my eyes that are identical to her own.
“Promise you’ll come back. And promise you’ll say goodbye this time.” Back and forth her thumbs brush against my knuckles, holding me with both hands but knowing she’ll have to let me go.
“I will.” My voice is thick with too much emotion, and she and I are both nodding to each other until another gentle hand brushes over my wrist.
I look up to the warm color of my father’s eyes. He hovers between us, studying my face for a long moment that I feel ticking by with every hard beat of my heart.
“Your demon friend is a good worker. The quota your men were hitting in the forest was unlike anything I’d ever seen either. They’re unexpectedly hard workers. You’ve found yourself some good ones.”
The gruff tone of my father’s words holds a sort of respect, and I can’t help but smile. It’s odd what leads my father to slowly like these men; Kain’s simple determination to make sure I build these boats and keep my word. And now Chaos, Rime, and Sinister have hit some sort of impressivequota. Nothing says he’s a keeper like quotas.
My father’s approval is incredibly strange but appreciated.
I bite my lip and sneak a glance back at the four quiet men behind me. Sinister finally lowers his hands. I can’t even count the number of floating ships crowding the sea right now. He might have gone a little—yeah, I’ll say it—overboard.
“I’m trusting you four to look out for her. She’s a smart girl, but …”
“Incidents happen?” Sinister cocks a dark brow at me, barely suppressing a smirk.
“Exactly.” My father nods so hard I’m almost insulted.
I’m not that bad.Usually.
“We love you. Stay safe, Arrie.” His arms wrap around me, pulling both my mother and myself against his chest, muffling my reply in the strength of his embrace.
We stay like that until the crowd quiets, the sun rises a little higher, and the pressure of what I’m about to do today becomes too much to ignore.
And then I leave them.
Again.
Seventeen
An Unexpected Meeting
The shipwe take out onto the calm morning sea is smoothed to perfection. Not a single nail or board is out of place. My dad was right; Sinister is a good worker. Demon employee of the month hands down.
Maybe we’ll keep this one. We could sail the world. Forget all about Attika and the mysterious mage who lives there.
But I can’t do that. There will always be something at the back of my mind that just has to know. What did she want from me?
“So once we get the hair of a mermaid, what about the rest of it? The pain and the love. What do you make of that?” Chaos looks to Rime as he leans on the edge of the ship, the wind whipping his white shirt against every line on his body.
Sinister guides the ship with ease, and I have to admit, the journey out to Isolde Island is a far less creepy in the daylight. Rays of the sun beam off the sea, casting it in a glinting image of white, and I hold my attention there as I think about Chaos’ question.
“Well, the drop of someone she’ll love forever, that’s easy. The moment you need my blood, just say when, love.”
