18. Rissa

18

RISSA

I sat cross-legged on the silky cotton sheets, my cards fanned out before me. Luce lounged beside me, his long legs stretched out, a playful grin on his face as he studied his own hand.

"You know," he drawled, "we could make this more interesting after dinner. Turn it into a little game of strip poker, maybe?"

A laugh burst from my lips. "With just two people? Not nearly as fun."

His smirk widened into a grin. "We could always invite the others to join."

I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head vehemently. "No way I'm playing strip poker with Rey. Or your sister. Gross."

The mere thought made me shudder. Rey was like a brother to me, and Jeanette... well, the less said about her, the better. There were some lines even I wouldn't cross.

Luce chuckled, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Just a thought. Guess it's just you and me then, Rissa."

I found myself warming to the idea of a private game with Luce. Just the two of us, the cards, and the delicious tension that always crackled between us. "Just you and me, huh?" I mused, my gaze drifting over his rugged features. "I think I could handle that."

As the words left my mouth, I realized with a start that I meant them. The idea of seeing where this thing between us could go sent a thrill through me. When had that happened? When had I started to catch feelings?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. No, it couldn't be. I didn't do feelings, didn't get attached. It was just the thrill of the challenge, the rush of butting heads with someone who could keep up with me. That was all.

But as I sat there, watching the way the light played over his chiseled features, I couldn't help but wonder if he felt it too. This inexplicable draw, this magnetic pull that seemed to tug us closer with each passing moment.

I opened my mouth, ready to broach the subject, to see if we were on the same page. But before I could utter a word, a piercing scream shattered the air, echoing from the other side of the yacht.

My cards scattered as I leaped to my feet. Luce was beside me in an instant, his body tense and coiled, ready for action.

Luce and I burst out of the bedroom, our bare feet slapping against the polished teak deck. Rey and Cathy emerged from the second bedroom at the same time. He was in shorts, and she'd thrown on a robe.

"What's going on?" Rey demanded, his gaze darting around the main cabin.

Before anyone could answer, another scream pierced the air, followed by the acrid stench of smoke. My stomach dropped as I spotted the source: flames licking up from the stove, engulfing the galley kitchen.

Jeanette stood frozen in front of the fire, a fire extinguisher clutched in her trembling hands. She fumbled with the pin, her usually perfect hair falling in disarray around her face.

"I can't get it to work!" she cried in a panic.

Luce lunged forward, his muscular frame coiled with purpose. "Give it to me," he commanded, reaching for the extinguisher.

But Jeanette shook her head, her gaze locked on the flames. "No, I can do it. I have to do it."

I watched, my heart in my throat, as she struggled, then fumbled and dropped it, breaking the pickup tube. It was useless now.

The fire flared.

Rey dashed forward, snatching a thick woolen blanket from the nearby couch. "Cathy, help me with this!" He tossed one end of the blanket to her, and together they rushed toward the stove, attempting to smother the flames.

"It's not working!" Cathy cried as she stumbled back from the stove, the charred remains of the blanket falling from her hands.

Luce lunged for the sink, turning the faucet on full blast and grabbing the little sprayer. With a flick of his wrist, he aimed it at the fire, the water jetting out in a pitiful stream.

I couldn't help but shake my head, even during the chaos. Seriously?

With a sigh of exasperation, I raised my hand and waved it dismissively at the flames. Instantly, the fire vanished, leaving behind only the acrid stench of smoke and the charred remnants of our failed attempts to extinguish it.

"Hello. Magic?" I said, my words dripping with sarcasm as I turned to face Luce, fixing him with a look that could have withered an entire forest.

Luce hung his head, unable to meet my gaze. Shame radiated off him in waves, his broad shoulders slumping under the weight of his failure.

I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Served him right for losing his head.

Meanwhile, Jeanette shot me a venomous glare.

Rey cleared his throat, breaking the tension that had settled over the room. "Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say we were being sabotaged by a pack of gremlins."

I snorted, tearing my gaze away from Luce. "Gremlins?"

He shrugged, a suspicious glint in his hazel eyes. "Stranger things have happened. I mean, we're on a yacht with a goddess, a couple of daemons, a shapeshifter, and creepiest of all…" He shuddered and looked at Cathy. "A human ."

I burst out laughing as Cathy smacked him gently.

"Who's to say gremlins aren't real too?" he concluded as he dodged his lady love's hands.

"It doesn't matter now," I said, turning to look out the window at the inky black sea. "We'll be there by morning. We're close, so close I can almost taste it. If it wasn't so dark, we could probably get there in a couple of hours."

Luce frowned. "Is it safe to sail at night? I thought you said?—"

"It's not," I interrupted, my fingers tightening on the windowsill.

I could feel it now, the pull of my abandoned power calling to me from the depths of the ocean. It was like a siren song, a constant hum in the back of my mind that grew louder with every passing mile. A portion of me wanted nothing more than to dive into the water and reclaim what was rightfully mine, to feel the rush of energy coursing through my veins once more.

And part of me didn't.

It really wasn't safe to sail near where I'd put it at night. Still, the call was almost overwhelming, and I had to physically grip the windowsill to center myself again.

"Rissa?" Luce's voice was soft, concerned. "Are you okay?"

I blinked, realizing that I had been staring out at the water for longer than I thought. "I'm fine," I said. "Just... just tired, that's all."

It was a lie, and from the look on Luce's face, he knew it too. But he didn't press the issue and moved away, giving me some space.

It was kind of him. I didn't think I could handle any more questions, not when I was barely holding myself together as it was.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Tomorrow, I would have my powers back, and everything would be different. I just had to make it through the night first.

And then we could fix the problem for good.

Out of nowhere, Jeanette's delicate fingers wrapped around my wrist like a vice, pulling me aside. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into my skin, and I had to resist the urge to punch her until she let go.

"Listen, Rissa ," she hissed, her pretty face contorted into a scowl. "You're not good enough for my brother. You never will be."

I raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Is that so?"

"He can't help but be attracted to you because of your power," Jeanette continued, ignoring my jibe. "But that's all it is. Power. He doesn't really care about you."

I laughed then, a sharp, bitter sound that made me wince when I heard it.

"You think I don't know that?" I murmured, my words laced with venom. "You think I'm stupid enough to believe that a daemon could actually love me for anything else?"

Jeanette's grip tightened, her fingers leaving angry red marks on my skin. "You're lazy," she spat. "Entitled. A spoiled brat. Remarkably like a cat, actually."

I shrugged, trying to ignore the way her words cut, even though they shouldn't have. "You're right. Luckily for him and me, we're just messing around. I don't get attached."

The words tasted like ashes in my mouth, and for a moment, I wondered if Jeanette could see right through me. Could she tell I was lying, even to myself?

I'd caught feelings for Luce, despite my best efforts not to.

But if she did, she didn't show it. Instead, she released my wrist with a final, disdainful sniff. "Just stay away from him," she warned. "He doesn't need some thing like you in his life."

I rubbed my wrist, keeping my tone light and dry even as my heart twisted painfully. "I don't give a rat's flying behind what you think about me."

Turning on my heel, I walked away, leaving Jeanette standing there with her mouth hanging open. Her glare bored into my back, but I didn't look back. If I did, I was afraid that she would see the truth written all over my face. That despite everything, despite all the reasons why it was a terrible idea, I'd fallen for Luce. And I had no idea what to do about it.