“He’s not going to kill you. I would never allow it.”
Did Aveen not realize the lengths I would go to keep her safe? If that meant killing a woman I’d almost consider a friend, then so be it. What was another stain on a black soul? “This witch is interfering with an official investigation. I’m well within my rights to take her life.”
The witch’s jaw popped in irritation. “His name is Caden Merriweather. He’s a…a captain. Of a ship.”
“And how do you know the dearcaptain?”
“He’s a distant cousin.”
Truth.
“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” I sent my dagger away and collected a tailored blue shirt from one of the hangers on the rack. “I’m buying this.” I couldn’t very well be wandering around with Aveen in a blood-soaked shirt with gaping holes in it, could I? I shifted coins to the desk before taking Aveen’s hand and dragging her toward the door.
“Come on. I’ll get you home.” Once I’d regained my strength, I would deal with her beloved captain. Feckin’ prick. The nerve, showing his face again after all these years, thinking he could waltz right in and steal Aveen away.
If Meranda hadn’t gotten the message to me in time, he might have done just that. And I would’ve spent the rest of my days searching this island, believing the worst had happened to her. Not even the best scryer would’ve been able to find her the moment she set foot aboard the ship, and without possessing merrow or selkie blood, her magic would’ve been useless at sea.
How close I’d come to losing her…again.
My teeth ground so hard, my jaw ached.
Aveen tugged loose, her eyes sparking with icy fire. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You’d rather let them discover you’ve returned from the dead and find yourself dangling from the gallows? Fine.” If she wanted to be foolish, who was I to stop her? “Meranda?” I called, unfastening the buttons on my shirt to trade it for the blue one. “Can you shift Aveen’s body to the cottage once she’s dead?”
Aveen shouldered past me on the way to the alley, but not before I caught her taking a good long look at my bare chest. “You are insufferable.”
“And you are infuriating.” I trailed after her, fastening buttons while keeping my gaze on the angry set of her shoulders and not the way her hips swayed with each stomp. Mostly. When we reached the alley, I held out my hand once more. Although she scowled, she laced her fingers with mine. Her harsh intake of breath reminded me of the sounds she used to make when I would ease inside her. The fire between us still burned as strong as ever. Had she felt this with her pirate?
“Call your magic forth,” I gritted out.
“I don’t know how,” she shot back.
She must know something considering we were all the way in feckin’ Graystones and not Hollowshade. “How did you do it before?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I don’t know.”
Little liar. I pulled her close, entranced by the shards of deeper blue running through her light eyes. Before she could protest, I stamped my mouth to hers. She melted. Then, as if she remembered she no longer cared for me, she jerked away. The flat of her palm met my cheek with a loudslap.
Anger. Rage. Lust. All powerful emotions and perfect catalysts for accessing one’s magic. I grabbed her hand and told her again to call on her magic, feeling the heat rise almost immediately. Her lips fell open, and we were gone. Falling through nothing until we reached the portal in Hollowshade.
Aveen let me go and started down the hill.
“You’re welcome!” I called after her.
She whirled, narrowed eyes alight with murderous intent. I almost wished she would stab me and give me a respite from this nothingness. “You think I’d thank you for abandoning me?”
Now, hold on one feckin’ minute… “I abandoned you? You’re the one who kicked me out.”
She dragged on her curls, her eyes snapping with frost. “Because you lost your mind!”
“Would you blame me?”
The sound of flapping wings lifted around us as a bunch of birds took off through the trees. Aveen blew out a harsh breath. “No, Rían. I don’t blame you. I blameher.”
And just like that, my anger blew away in the autumn breeze.
I knew how overbearing I’d become, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself. Aveen was all that mattered to me. Keeping her safe. Keeping her for myself. And in doing so, I’d driven her away.