12. The Thoughts Within

Chapter 12

The Thoughts Within

The Pirate

W e'd been out at sea for months, and even I looked forward to stepping back onto land. The shores of Whitecliff broke the horizon in the distance and my men moved around the deck of my ship as they readied to dock, some more eager than others. I knew some would not be returning when the time came to set sail again.

The sun burned brilliantly in the high sky, but by the time we reached the dock and tied the ship down, the cooler breath of night descended, much to my crew's delight. I knew many of them would be heading to the local apothecary for relief, their skin blistered and burned from the unrelenting rays of the sun. These past days had been brutal for them. The curse gripping me by the soul was the only reason I remained unaffected.

Waiting for the crew to disembark, I waited along the railing near the bow of my ship, and when I knew I'd been left alone, my fingers dipped into the pocket of my trousers until they wrapped around the cool brass I never went without. With a sigh, I pulled it free, holding it within the palm of my fisted right hand for a moment, my attention watching the town nearby, lit only by flickering torches along every street. I clicked it open and dropped my gaze to the spinning dial of the compass, a slow grin lifting the corner of my lip as the arrow jerked to a stop. It now pointed somewhere on shore, to the town nearby, to the answers I'd never been this close to in all the years since this wretched curse gripped me in its clutches.

I snapped the compass closed, dropping it back into my pocket. Only one thought on my mind. It was time to go hunting.

I grabbed my jacket from my cabin and disembark the ship. A few people dotted the beach beneath the night sky, lying on spread blankets as they lost themselves in romance. With a shake of my head at their naivety, I made my way up the twisting path to the town, which, at this hour, still bustled with activity.

The compass led me to one of the market streets, most of the businesses in their final hour of operation before shutting down for the evening. A wicked grin spread across my face as I quickly picked her out in the crowd.

She exuded beauty, bred to lure in her prey like a predator that no one ever saw coming. Her short yet curvy form, pale skin that reminded me of cream, and long hair that glimmered bluish like midnight beneath the flickering torchlight.

I stood on the street corner, watching as she came out of one of the shops, flicking her hair over a shoulder as she laughed at something I couldn't hear from here. She looked my way, her large turquoise eyes landing on me, and I could tell even from this distance that her pupils held the gold ring of royalty, a sight I hadn't been expecting. I smirked as she turned her back to me, moving in the opposite direction.

There would be only one reason for her to be on land blending in with the humans. She hadn't yet inherited her powers, but she'd come ashore to do so. It wouldn't be long before some unfortunate soul lost more than just the affections of a young woman. Legend had it, a siren must claim the heart of a man who loves them in order to gain their full power. A moment I intended to take full advantage of.

She wrapped her arm around that of a tall man who joined her, both of them talking and laughing as they walked through the town together. I walked a safe distance behind them, shadowing the siren I'd been hunting for longer than I cared to admit.

The man at her side had no idea that his life dwindled, had no idea the danger he was in. She'd found her target, and he looked like putty within her fingertips as she dragged them over his wide shoulders. She paused, her footsteps halting on the cobblestones as if she knew the thoughts within my mind. She peered over her shoulder as the man looked at her curiously. Her gaze locked with mine like a predator assessing another predator. She smirked, her plump ruby lips lifting as if she'd already won, and then she turned from me, dismissing me as if I weren't worthy of this chase.

I almost laughed. The darkness growing inside of me as I watched her walk down the street. She wouldn't be dismissing me for long. Soon, she'd be mine.

The Siren

Another predator lurked in these streets, and he'd recognized me as one as well. I tightened my hold around Marcus' arm, letting him guide me through the bustling market. I'd spent weeks with him, weeks in this town, and I'd learned that the evening hours always seemed busier. Marcus told me it was to avoid the burning heat of the sun. The temperatures far too high in the earlier hours of day.

I couldn't resist another look at the man I knew trailed us. As our eyes met, a sizzling energy passed between us, sending a heat throughout my body that was unexpected. I ogled his muscular, well-defined form, admiring the confidence and strength he exuded as he stood in a sea of people who moved around him like a stone in a current. He smirked at me, and I returned it. I wasn't afraid of him.

A red cloth held back his hair, revealing a gold hoop piercing in his right ear. His sun-kissed dark skin held an air of rugged masculinity as his piercing gaze connected with my own, causing my breath to hitch momentarily within my chest as Marcus watched me curiously. This man's eyes were so dark, they were almost completely black. There was a darkness held within him, one I couldn't quite explain but that felt similar to the one within my own heart.

"Precious?" Marcus spoke, breaking the spell this predator held over me and snapping my attention back to his adoring stare. His gaze flicked behind us to where I had been looking and, in the seconds my gaze had left, the man had disappeared. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew," I mumbled, slumping my shoulders and letting my face fall with disappointment.

Marcus turned toward me, taking my chin into his hands as he brought his gaze close to mine. "Worry not, my dear. My men are still searching for any survivors of the shipwreck that beached you here. I know it has been weeks since you arrived, and I'd hoped we would have found something by now, but I can assure you that we haven't given up."

He spoke with such kindness, his blue eyes sparking with concern for me as he held me delicately within his hold. My heart fluttered in response, but I pushed those feelings down. I couldn't allow it. I wouldn't. Emotions were a weakness that would get him killed, but I would never succumb to such a weakness.

The lingering feeling of being watched followed me as I kept pace with Marcus. His arm was a comforting anchor as I trailed alongside him, taking in the sights and sounds of the vendors vying for our attention in their last hour of business of the night. Everyone recognized Marcus, the wealthy merchant lord who'd made his own wealth in life, and eagerly called out their wares in hopes of earning some of that wealth for themselves.

In the time I'd spent with him, I'd learned that he liked to know the people in the village and knew most of them by name. This had become a routine for us, visiting the market every few days so that he could give back to the community he had claimed as his own, supporting local businesses with his attention and his money as he made purchases he didn't even need.

The community held him in high regard. As far as I could tell, he had an unblemished reputation, which made him perfect for my plans. He rarely left my side, but when he did, he did so with secrecy flashing behind his brilliant eyes that reminded me of shallow waters. I knew he kept something from me, and part of me didn't care. I was just determined to capture his heart, and then guide him to the sea.

The other part of me…

Marcus ran several shops in town, but I knew there was more to it than just that. Secret conversations held out of earshot, strange glances my way everywhere we went, visits held under the deepest hours of night. My curiosity piqued, I knew tonight I would get my answers. He planned to meet with one of the captains of his ships, his business partner, tonight, giving me the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop and gather more information.

I didn't have to justify choosing him as my target, but a persistent voice in my mind fueled by my godly emotions seemed to grow in strength the longer I spent away from the sea. It needed a reason to kill him. I knew I would kill him either way, but it didn't hurt to have all the information.

There was lust behind Marcus' gaze when he looked at me, and I suspected those feelings were beginning to develop into something deeper. I needed to be sure he loved me though because if I took him to the sea and he didn't love me, I risked losing potential power, and I needed to be powerful if I wanted to secure my throne. Nagging guilt writhed in the back of my mind at the thought of letting my mother down. I swallowed it down, giving my head a shake. Humanity threatened my existence, but I relented.

"Dear," Marcus said, pausing in front of a table. "Would you like a new comb?"

He lifted an elegantly crafted comb with a siren carved into the handle, her tail stretching around the metal with her hands cupping a shell that she blew into. Red gems lay twinkling around the siren, glittering like ruby stars. He passed it to me, and I gasped at the beauty and the lightness of it. I ran my fingers over the tail as a pang of loss rippled through me. I missed the ocean, the feel of the water kissing my skin and scales as I raced through the depths of the sea.

Marcus watched me as I admired the craftsmanship, turning the comb over in my hands as I thought of home. He'd asked me something, but I no longer remembered the words as longing for home held me in its grip. I blinked up at him, afraid to say the wrong thing. I needed his love, and any misstep threatened my mission.

His fingertips brushed against my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn't realized I'd released. I looked at his damp fingers with shock before I remembered to school my features. "It… It is lovely," I said to the merchant, flicking a glance toward Marcus who peered at me adoringly. My cheeks heated with embarrassment. "However, I am unable to purchase it."

With a gentle laugh, Marcus spoke to the merchant, "The lady loves it. I will take it."

I held up a hand, taking a step back. "That isn't necessary, Marcus. It looks terribly expensive. You've already done so much. You don't need to do this."

"Nonsense," he said, and then he began talking costs with the merchant.

My stomach dropped at what I was about to do. That misstep I had been so afraid of. I reached out and pulled Marcus from the table, an apologetic look to the merchant hopeful of a sale. "No, Marcus. I can't let you do this. Please, let us go."

He listened to me, reluctantly, and soon, we continued wandering through the market. It still felt like eyes watched me wherever we traveled. He made several other purchases along the way, for his home and things his cook had asked for. We carried the items to the awaiting carriage.

As his driver guided the carriage through the streets toward the manor, Marcus studied me closely. It made me uncomfortable, but I didn't allow myself to flinch or fidget. He shifted, pulling the curtain closed and hiding the passing streets from view.

"You know," he said, reaching for my hands and holding them within his own. "I would have happily gotten the comb for you."

I smiled at him. "I know," I said, in a voice that held sweetness in its lyrical tones. "I am not sure what it was about it, but it reminded me of something I can't quite place." I dropped his gaze, letting my lip wobble with my sadness. It was an emotion I faked, but it felt too real even to me. "I'm sorry. I don't want to think of that right now."

My sadness reflected back at me from his eyes, and I felt a twang of guilt within my heart. I looked away, listening as Marcus shifted closer to me in the carriage.

"Listen," Marcus said quietly, as if he were reluctant. "I didn't want to say anything earlier, but I received news from one of my ships earlier today."

"The one you spoke to shortly after our noon meal?" I asked, remembering how he'd been pulled away from our table at the beachside diner. They'd walked out of earshot so I hadn't been able to catch any of their private conversation. Now, I watched him with wide eyes as his fingers gripped mine tightly.

"Yes. We believe we located your ship."

His words left me shocked, and it took me several seconds longer than it should have to perk up, hope flashing within my gaze as I leaned forward, eager to hear more. I knew how this would play out, of course. After all, I'd had a day to waste before the moon lifted and gave me my legs. A day I'd used to plan for this exact moment.

"You found my ship?" I asked, my voice holding hope and excitement.

His shoulders lowered, and his chin dipped with sorrow as he said his next words. "I'm afraid we found it in pieces, most of it below the sea and only parts of it floating on the waters. I'm afraid there were no other survivors other than you."

I pulled my hands from his hold and twisted, hiding my face within my cupped hands as I turned toward the corner of the carriage. Sniffling, I replied, "I feared this would happen. How do you know it is my ship?"

"The debris we found included a chunk of the ship siding that included part of the name. The Harrow. That is the name you gave me when you first arrived, correct?"

I nodded, still not looking to him. I let my hair hide my face from him as I bowed in on myself. I'd led that ship to the basilisk, letting it feast on that ship and its people without any guilt. I'd only saved a single soul, taking her to Siren Island, a place no human would ever find without the guidance of a siren.

"My men investigated your ship records at the registrar's office. Not all the news I have is bad, Talia," Marcus continued.

That girl really had been the merchant's daughter on that ship, an identity I stole for my purposes. I had spent the day interrogating her on the ways of her people, learning how to be like her. If Marcus continued digging in those records though, he could find that I wasn't who I claimed to be. While her father hadn't kept thorough records of those on the ship due to the nefarious business he dealt, I looked nothing like her.

"There is an inheritance owed to you. One that you will be able to live comfortably with if you so choose."

I looked at him, pushing thoughts of the girl who lived on Siren Island from my mind. Perhaps, someday, I would return and help her… or finish what I'd started. For now, I glanced across the carriage to Marcus, feeling my lashes still damp with the tears I'd spilled.

"If I choose? What other option is there? My life, it will never be the same," I said, my voice cracking on my words.

Marcus pulled out a glistening black box from his pocket, snapping it open to reveal a beautiful ruby ring cushioned on a white cloth. "You could choose to marry me.

A genuine smile stretched across my lips as I dashed the wetness from my cheeks. "Marcus, I am honored, but I can't take advantage of your good nature. You are a good man who I have imposed myself on for far too long. I cannot simply marry you because you pity me."

He looked as though I had struck him as he shifted forward, the box still held within his hand. "It isn't pity, Talia," he stressed. "I have spent so much time with you these past weeks, and I have found that I thoroughly enjoy your company. I have come to care about you…" his words trailed off as his gaze hardened. "No, I am lying. It is more than that."

This was it. The moment that I had been waiting for. My lips pulled into a savage grin as I watched him, my claws itching beneath my fingertips. He was about to tell me how he truly felt, and then I would know without a doubt that the time was ripe for plucking out his heart.

The carriage lurched to a stop, and we both glanced toward the door. The ring still held within his fingers and his feelings held in the air between us unsaid. The door swung open and his footman stood on the driveway next to Marcus' manor.

"My apologies for the interruption, my lord," the footman said, his gaze flicking from Marcus to the ring to me and then back to Marcus again. "Captain Martin seems to have arrived early. He is waiting to meet with you."

Marcus closed the box and tucked it back into his pocket before he helped me to my feet and then from the carriage. As my feet hit the pavement out front of his manor, he paused, bringing my hands to his lips and giving them a gentle kiss, the softness of his lips sending warmth through me. "Later," he said, looking at me with lust-filled eyes that sent a thrill through my heart. "We will continue this conversation."

We both entered the manor, and he guided me to the bottom of the stairs toward our rooms. I walked up a few of the steps as he disappeared down the hall toward his own study. I waited several seconds before removing my heeled shoes and following him.

I was ready to hear what secrets he held from me.