Page 110 of Liar Witch
I won’t leave him behind.
As always, my beast gives a sad, lonely huff at the thought of Nos.
“Is she awake yet?” Val demands, stepping out of the wall beside me.
Nilsa’s sleeping.That’s the lie we’ve all told ourselves. A huge part of me believes Val’s being paranoidagain. If our vow to the Eagle was going to make us turn on Nilsa, it would have done it the second she was back on the ship. It would have triggered when we took her back on board after she blatantly admitted to trying to kill the Eagle.
Inaction is not betrayal.
If Val really thought it was, he wouldn’t have been so loud about leaving those bombs out for Klaus.
We all know the truth.
Scratching noises at the door make us all crane our necks forward.
“You’re going to get fat.” Her voice—Nilsa’s voice—washes over me like a balm, soothing my nerves as the handle turns.
She opens the door and Opal bolts through, heading straight for the galley like a feline possessed. I barely notice the streak of grey fur, though.
Instead, my eyes canvas every inch of the witch in front of me as she’s yanked against Rysen’s chest in a flurry of vampiric speed. I only stop staring when I determine I can’t see a scratch on her.
Thank the Goddess.
“Opal went for food,” Nilsa mumbles, leaning into Rysen’s embrace. “I’m kinda hungry too.”
She meets my eyes with her own, and for the first time, I notice howtiredmy mate looks. It’s not physical. There are no dark circles under her eyes. It’s a tiredness of the soul.
So when Rysen finally releases her, I drag her straight into my arms instead. “How about we eat on the deck? There are a few barrels of fae liquor that have been left untouched in the hold for far too long.”
“Wh—” Val starts to object, but I cut him off with a glare.
Yes, that was going to make us a tidy profit in Meliad, but one barrel wouldn’t hurt.
Sometimes, when you see too much of the dark side of living, a little bit of levity and alcohol is necessary. Our girl needs to remember the good side of life, and fae liquor will give her a nice buzz.
“I’ll break out the fire pit,” Rysen mutters, stomping off towards the hold, effectively ending the argument.
“Grab Val’s phonograph,” Nos adds. “We might as well have some music.”
My brows raise in response to Val’s frown, daring him to say anything.
It’s not like he’s used the phonograph in decades. The mage-tech device has been sitting in his office, collecting dust with so many of his other old projects. I can’t remember the last time we played music. Let alone the last time we wanted to.
Nilsa doesn’t seem certain, but Klaus evidently agrees with me because he slips past us with a kiss to her cheek.
“I’ll find us something to eat. Go get the fire started with the twins,” he says.
Nos grins and holds his hand out to her. Nilsa takes it, and I reluctantly release her to follow the two of them, inhaling a last lungful of her scent to placate my beast as he shoves against my skin to get to her.
On the deck, Rysen has already dragged the huge metal pit out of the hold. With Val’s magic, it’s entirely unnecessary, but because Val is paranoid about setting fire to his beloved ship, we humour him.
The Captain has trailed behind us silently until now, but upon seeing the fire pit, he sighs and a transmutation circle flickers to life within.
Mage fire flares bright, casting brilliant shadows across our mate’s face as she shifts closer to it, tugging Nos with her.
My brother doesn’t mind. He paints himself against her back, tucking her head under his chin. Nilsa just leans back into him, letting him hold her.
Goddess, they look perfect together.
