Page 24 of Midnight Serenade
Micaela clapped her hands like I was a circus performer, and I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “Okay. Next, can you scan the whole restaurant and tell me if there’s anyone that falls into the really bad news territory?”
I scanned the restaurant, my gaze lingering on a few individuals. “There’s a few that are morally bankrupt, but wouldn’t attack someone, if that’s what you mean. But that man there.” I discreetly pointed to him sitting at a table alone, reading the paper. “He’s a predator.”
Micaela’s smile was razor sharp and nearly made me flinch. She rubbed my head like I was a particularly good dog that she was giving pets to and then climbed over me and approached the table where the guy I’d just told her about was sitting. I followedher progress, my heart in my throat, my eyes probably wide enough to give me panoramic views.
“What is she doing?” I whispered to the table at large.
Micaela was shaking the man’s hand, and I could tell she was pouring on the charm. The man smiled, offering her the seat opposite him, and she took it with a contrived, demure smile.
“She’s giving him his next easy victim,” Sebastian said.
I turned to him, concerned.
He smiled at my expression. “She knows what she’s doing, Grace, I promise.”
“But what if he spikes her drink or something?”
Sebastian shook his head. “She’d never leave him alone with her drink. She’s been doing this for quite a few years.” He squeezed my hand. “Just trust her.”
I sat back, still worried, but less so after Sebastian’s assurances. “Well, I guess we’re down one person for the excursion today.”
“She should have him wrapped up and trussed like a turkey for the Honolulu police by the end of the day,” Rafe said, his gaze still on Micaela as she flirted with the guy across from her. Rafe turned to me. “We’ll stay with you today until she can join you again.” Then he smiled. “I feel like we should have everyone on the ship gather for a,” he used air quotes “mandatory meeting, and have you look down, maybe from the level two lounge, or a passageway, and point out the people that are bad news, just for our security to keep a special eye on.”
Sebastian nodded. “Not a bad idea, if you’re amenable, Grace? We can do that before we need to disembark for our excursion.”
“Sure, if you’d like.” I shrugged. “But not everyone is onboard since we’re in port.”
“We’ll catch the others another time.”
After breakfast, I did my thing, but I was subdued afterward. There had been five. Five people on a happy Hawaiian cruise who were really bad-news people. One woman and four men. My heart felt heavy afterward, and I took some time to myself before we had to leave for our excursion. Kazi followed me like the good bodyguard he was.
I found a secluded place on the aft of the ship on deck one and pulled up a lounge chair. Rafe was at the end of the section with his eye on me, blocking the entrance so people didn’t come into the area. Kazi snuggled against me, facing the direction my back was turned so he could see if anyone snuck up on us.
“I know it sounds dumb, Kazi, but I wish I didn’t have... whatever this gift is. It’s awful toknow.Sometimes I just wish I could bury my head in the sand and pretend everyone is good and kind.”
I petted Kazi’s side.
“But that’s kinda dumb, not to mention unsafe. And also... there are people I could help with... whatever this is.”
I sighed. “I just sometimes wish that it wasn’t me, you know? That this fell to someone else to handle.”
I sniffed. “And that poor man this morning!” I growled in frustration, wiping my eyes. “I’m seriously never writing a siren romance. Sirens are the worst!” No matterwhatI could do with my singing voice, my regular presence did so much damage!
I was, by nature, an ambivert. That meant that I liked to be social sometimes, but I also really valued my alone time and had a lot of introverted tendencies. My room, being full of people at the moment, was kinda killing me. Micaela was awesome, and I adored my mom, but I needed a bit of space every day and some peace and quiet.
I breathed deeply for the first time in twenty-four hours and closed my eyes, completely trusting that Kazi would protect me. The shushing and crashing of the waves, the sea breeze on myface, the stillness all around me, all of it filled my soul until I felt ready to join everyone again.
Sebastian
I satabove Grace’s hiding spot on the aft of the ship. The deck two lounge and bar were low key, with a relaxing atmosphere. Since it was nine a.m., there were fewer people in the lounge to disturb me with their noise. I sat and sipped a glass of water so I wouldn’t look like an idiot just sitting there with nothing in front of me, and clenched my fist, almost cracking my glass when I saw tears streak down Grace’s cheeks.
I hadn’t thought...
It must hurt her heart toseepeople the way she did. To know what she knew. She must wish she didn’t have the ability.
Grace’s siren nature had worn off since the first night we’d spent getting dinner together. Her blood no longer sang siren songs to me. Now, her blood sang to me simply because I wanted to be closer to her. Because I wanted her to be mine.
I was fully under my own autonomy now. I always had been. My vampiric nature was much stronger than her siren nature, simply because I was so much older than she was. Her nature had lured me in, but I’d broken through it during our dinner. No, her appeal to me now was so much more than a lure, and so much more terrifying.
