20. The Tantalizing Effect

Chapter 20

The Tantalizing Effect

The Siren

M y fingers gripped the railing at the bow of the ship, the salty air hitting me fresh in the face and blowing my hair in dark ribbons behind me. It was almost the same feeling as when I propelled myself through the sea. Almost. I dropped my attention to the magnificently carved woman who decorated the front of the ship and cut through the sea. I longed to dive into the water, but I tightened my hold on the railing instead.

There were indents in the wood, scars that showed the long life of this ship, but the boards, the sails, the ropes, everything, it all was in pristine condition. His men maneuvered about the ship like experts, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Kipp and his crew. The storm between warring gods had been known to be strong enough to tear a ship in half, yet they'd navigated through it expertly.

The wind tore through my hair, and the sea darkened ahead as another storm brewed. It painted the sky with shades of deep purple that swirled deep within black clouds. It was angry and powerful and beautiful. It was like a physical representation of the war within me between my lust and hatred, threatening to swallow me whole in the same way it threatened to swallow this ship.

Hair like my mother's drifted around my face, its dark hues glittering almost blue in the light of the sun. I combed my fingers through it, pulling the silky strands away from my face as my thoughts wandered back to Kipp. For so long, I'd thought of nothing else but the desire to make my mother proud. Claim my siren powers and claim the throne that was rightfully mine.

But days spent within the clutches of this cursed pirate seemed to have awakened something long since dormant within me. Something I didn't think I'd ever feel again since Poseidon had stolen my choices from me. A burning of lust and want, like I had been caught up within the call of a siren, guiding me toward danger and pleasure at his rough hands.

It had been hard, keeping my distance from him these past days, but I had done everything in my power to do just that. I spent hours following beneath the ship, cutting my own path through the water with the invisible leash ensuring I didn't stray too far from the pirate who held the other end of that chain. The nights, well they had become an awkward dance of playful banter as we both fought the urges growing between us, trapped in the captain's cabin, the largest room on the ship but still not large enough to contain our lust and desire.

I watched the approaching storm, the sound of his men scurrying about the deck as they readied us for another battering at my back. I knew the danger Kipp posed, I could see it reflecting back at me from his inky dark gaze whenever he dragged them across my skin. It was like an obsession neither of us could escape.

I turned, facing the rest of his crew. They didn't bother with me at all except to shoot looks of disgust and distrust my way. Saving their captain hadn't gained me much favor at all, and I wasn't sure if I cared about that or not. At this point, they were just lucky I didn't take my wrath out on their hearts; after all, I wasn't bound to any of them.

Lighting cracked through the clouds above, breaking open the sky as rain pelted the sea and ship. I tilted my chin skyward, feeling the wetness hit my skin in massive wet droplets as I reached for my powers. I was more than just a mere siren after all; I was the daughter of the god Poseidon himself. One of the three most powerful gods in all of Olympus. Power hummed beneath my skin, a steady thrum I'd felt just below the surface since I'd consumed Marcus' heart.

The sea called to me, and it was more than just a longing to be home again. I didn't know what to do with any of this. I'd had no one to teach me what to expect, isolated and alone as I'd been kept all these years.

"Secure the rigging!" Kipp barked out orders, his hands gripping the helm as he steered us through the brewing storm.

I rolled my eyes at his command. The sky angry as it was, the waters coiling as they were… It didn't matter how tightly he secured those ropes, the sea looked ready to swallow us whole. For a moment, I debated jumping into the sea to leave them to their fate, but…

"Something on your mind, princess?" Kipp drawled, wiping away the rain that had dampened his face as his fisted hold turned white on the wheel of the ship.

"Nothing that concerns you," I snapped, realizing I couldn't just let the sea swallow this ship. If he died, I died. He'd proven that much with his last adventure into the sea.

"Seems like everything concerns me now," he replied as his first mate took the helm from him, freeing him to join me at the bow of the ship.

I felt his heat before he even stood within a foot of me, and I pressed my lips together in a tight line. Swallowing, I turned my back to him, refusing to let him see the tantalizing effect he had over me. What the hell was wrong with me?

"We're in this together after all," he replied, his voice husky at my back, his breath warm on the nape of my neck.

"Unfortunately."

I couldn't let him get under my skin, where I felt the hum of power within my hold. I needed to be vicious to survive, to claim my rightful place on the throne.

I gritted my teeth and turned to him, realizing all too late that he was far closer than I'd thought as my nose came nearly within an inch of his chest. I tilted my chin, annoyed at the difference in height between us as I said, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"Stay out of the way," he replied, a hint of concern flickering in his inky gaze as he tucked my rain splattered hair behind my ear. "This storm is going to be rough, and I don't need you distracting my crew."

"Fine," I huffed, knowing he was right. His crew already distrusted me enough, and they needed to focus if they were going to push through this storm and remain in one piece. As much as I would love for the sea to claim their ship, it would only be my own undoing.

I pushed past Kipp and closed myself into his cabin, leaving him and his men to do what they all did best. They'd sail us through this storm, or we'd all perish in these murky waters. At this point, I wasn't sure I cared either way.

Hours passed with me in the cabin alone as the storm raged on, and Kipp and his crew worked tirelessly to see us through the worst of it. Now, I lay on the edge of the mattress, my back turned to the door and the blanket draped over me like a second skin. The storm thundered and lightening still lit the cabin as it slashed through the sky, but it no longer rocked the ship with its violent waves, the worst of it behind us… for now.

The door creaked open, and I felt him enter our close quarters, his boots stepping carefully through the room as he plopped himself down into one of the chairs by the desk. I rolled over, watching him lazily as he untied his boots and let them clump to the floor. His movements were slower than usual, and a weariness clung to him from the hours he'd spent seeing us through the worst of these angry seas. He groaned as he leaned back, wincing slightly as he rolled his shoulders, his clothing clinging to him with the dampness of the storm.

"We've made it through the worst of it," he said, a breathy air to his words. "Patton will see us through the night."

I didn't say anything. I just shifted back further, giving him room to lie down since he was obviously exhausted. Kipp tugged his dampened shirt over his shoulders, moaning with the effort and heaving with breath as it fell to the floor next to his chair. His fingers tugged at the belt around his waist as he climbed to his feet.

Quickly, I rolled over, facing the wall so that he could change from his wet clothing in what little privacy I could offer trapped as I was in these cramped quarters. He chuckled at my back, but the sound of rustling fabric continued. Moments later, I felt him crawl into the bed next to me.

The storm may have quieted outside these walls, but it raged on within us both as the tension grew. Every muscle in my body strained against a desire I wanted no part of. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let my desire, my lust, to take us both over an edge from which there would be no returning.

"Just stay on your side," I warned him, my voice low and dangerous. "And I will stay on mine."

I heard the smirk in his words as he replied, "Wouldn't dream of crossing that line, princess."

I felt his warm breath at the nape of my neck, felt his gaze at my shoulders. He breathed heavily, the sound of pain in every breath. I knew I could make him forget it all, I could loosen those bones, those muscles, all with my touch, my body. The power surging within me wanted to give in to it, but I refused to submit.

"Sleep well, Talia," he whispered, his voice heavy with his own unspoken desires. "For tomorrow, we face our demons together."

"Goodnight, pirate," I replied, my heart still pounding in my chest as my eyes drifted closed.

For once, the storm outside seemed insignificant compared to the one brewing within us both.