Page 28 of A Warrior's Heart
“Yes, he died by my hand,” Malik answered. “King Triton gave the order, and I removed his head. But not before I removed other parts of him first.”
“It wasn’t a quick death?”
“No.” Malik caressed my cheek before drifting backward to put some space between us. It was as though he didn’t want to overwhelm me with touch. “I made him suffer. I only wish I could’ve made him suffer more.”
“I’ve not spoken of this to anyone,” I whispered, almost too afraid to speak of it now. “Lorcan knew the truth because he witnessed it. Eva learned of it through the rumors that spread through Avalontis. But the words have never left my tongue.” My eyes burned with more tears. “Never.”
“It has been close to thirty years, yet it still pains me to speak of…” Malik paused and shakily inhaled. “Of Aeon. Of his death. It is not the same type of pain as yours, I know this. Yet, my heart breaks all the same each time I picture his face. I understand the desire to remain silent on the matter and pretend it doesn’t exist.”
He's opening up to me.
I reached for his hand, and he linked our fingers. My senses were still overloaded, so I couldn’t handle any more contact than that. But I needed to feel him, even if it was just his palm against mine.
“Can we swim for a while?” I asked. “I’m not ready to return to the ship quite yet.”
Malik’s expression softened before he glided through the water, pulling me along with him. I smiled over at him before whacking my tail against his. He arched a brow and bumped mine in response. I then swished my tail and shot forward.
“Catch me if you can!” I exclaimed, grinning back at him.
He growled, and I felt the water swoosh at my back as he took off as well. After catching me and spinning me in his arms, Malik held me close. I stared at him, admiring the way the sun broke through the surface and shone on his orange eyes.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling my throat squeeze. “For staying by my side. For protecting me. I never knew you were the one who killed…” I couldn’t speak his name quite yet. “Him.”
“No one will ever harm you again,” Malik said. “I will kill anyone who tries.”
There were questions I wanted to ask him. Did he care for me in the same way I cared for him? He had lost his husband before I was born, yet since that time, I had never seen him take a lover. Malik’s focus had always been guarding Lorcan and me, and when my friend left Avalontis to live with his mate, Malik put all his attention into training recruits.
Was he capable of giving himself to another? Or would his heart always belong to Aeon?
I wasn’t strong enough to ask any of those questions yet. Not brave enough.
Malik briefly surfaced to tell Kellan and the others that we planned to swim and for them to continue sailing. We followed the ship as we twisted and spun through the water. He never once grew impatient with me. Dolphins swam past us, their high-pitched yips bringing a smile to my face as I shot after them.
It was exactly what I needed.
By the time we returned to the ship, the sun had sunk below the horizon. Malik helped me over the railing and onto the main deck. Eva sat on the steps, her face in her hands. Spotting me, she jumped up and rushed over.
“I’m so sorry, Troy,” she said, her voice breaking. Her eyes were puffy. “I never meant to upset you. I won’t mention it ever again.”
“I forgive you.” I slid my arms around her waist, laying my head on her shoulder. “You were right. I need to talk about it. I didn’t realize how much I kept bottled up until you popped the cork on that bottle.” I wiped at her wet cheeks as fresh tears fell from her eyes. “But I need to do it in my own time. On my terms.”
She nodded. “I’m here for you.”
“Thank you, sister.” I kissed her cheek before looking around. “What’s for supper? I’m starving.”
“Fish, vegetables, and bread.” Lorcan stood beside Alek and smiled at me. The muscles around his eyes were tight, though, showing his concern. I hated that I’d worried them all. “Alek made a batch of sweet treats as well.”
My stomach chose that moment to growl.
Malik chuckled and lightly touched my lower back. “Let’s get you something to eat before you turn into a completely different person. A hungry Troy is a dangerous one.”
We journeyed below deck to the kitchen and sat together at the massive wooden table to eat. Even Kellan and Fletcher joined us there instead of eating in the captain’s quarters that had a much nicer table and a spectacular view. I kept an eye on the former pirate captain and scooted a little closer to Malik when Kellan’s mismatched gaze flickered to me.
Fletcher was a wonderful man—sensitive, caring, and kind. If he loved Kellan, surely that meant the captain had some good in him.
“Will the assassins not be joining us?” Kellan asked.
“They eat in private,” Reif responded. “Showing our faces is not a crime, but it’s custom to not show ourselves to anyone but our brothers.”
