Oh. Heat rushes into my cheeks as if commanded, and I cross my arms in front of my chest as if that might hide it. We haven't been alone ever since waking up. The crew was always around. So that’s why.
“No?” he asks, a glint of amusement returning to his voice. “Thought so.”
“You could’ve given me a hint,” I murmur, my gaze drifting past him instead of meeting his eyes. I know I sound desperate, but I just can’t help myself. This man just does things to me, makes me feel emotions that I have never felt before.
“You’re right,” he says.
Before I can react, he leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek.
My pulse stumbles, and I tighten my arms across my chest. More heat rushes into my head.
“Here’s your hint,” he murmurs near my ear. “Now go and find the current, little fish.”
I do not wait for anything else and stride off towards the ladder, and suddenly, it feels like a deja vu. The only difference is that this time, Sable doesn’t come after me. He doesn't splash in next to me as I descend into the water. It feels less warm than it had in the dream.
The good thing is, I am not disappointed when I glance down at my legs. I was not expecting them to magically turn into a tail. Suddenly, something glistens in the sun. A scale appears on my skin, and I pull in a sharp breath. I follow them as more scales appear, one by one, all over my legs. At the sight of them, I smile, and to my surprise, they look exactly as they did in the dream. Iridescent, they shimmer in the water, as if they’ve always been there. Tears well in my eyes.
At least that part was actually true.
In utter awe, I stare at them for a while longer before remembering my mission to find the current. Within me, the siren stirs with excitement as I let my body glide through the shallow, silver waters. My legs kick and kick behind me, until I reach deeper water and I cannot see the sand any longer.
I draw in a deep breath just as the Noctis creaks. They’re lowering the yawl into the water, and even from far away, I can hear Sable shouting his orders to the crew. I can’t help but smile before I finally go under.
As I dive deeper, pressure begins to bloom in my ears, but I have learned to ignore it at this point in my life. Down here, the water is cooler, and still crystal clear. The light that trickles in from the surface makes it gleam in iridescent colors as I shift and continue my descent.
What doesn’t quite sit right with me is that the water lies completely calm. I don't have to fight any resistance in swimming downward. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong place.
I float in the depths and turn in all directions, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. My hair gets in the way multipletimes, floating around me in strands that seem to catch the light and glow on their own.
In the distance, the dark hull of the Noctis looks out of place. The water ripples where they let the little boat splash into the water, and I follow the movement with my eyes and see it disappear somewhere on the left. I furrow my brows. It seems to have just vanished completely. That’s strange. Normally, that wouldn’t happen, not unless there was a stronger current guiding the water into a different direction.
At this point, my lungs begin screaming for air, so I lock in the position and kick my legs until my head breaks the surface. With a heaving chest, I gasp for air and watch Grim row the little boat in my direction.
“Found anything?” he asks as he reaches me and offers me a hand.
I shake my head in answer and reach for his hand. “Not yet, but I have an idea where I might. Over there, on the left.”
Grim pulls me up, and I tumble into the boat clumsily, scratching my knees in the process.
“There’s nothing,” Grim says as he scans the area with a spyglass lifted to his eye.
“The surface is calm, but from beneath, it looks like there’s a current.”
He lowers the spyglass before folding it shut with a practiced motion.
“Let’s hope you’re right.”
Grim begins to row, the boat gliding through the water towards the place I pointed out. For a moment, nothing changes. The sea lies smooth and indifferent beneath us, the hull barely meeting any resistance. But the moment we reach the one stretch of sea in particular, the boat shudders. The low pull beneath my ribs tells me that I was right. The boat decides to move on its own now, dragging sideways instead of forward.
“Grim?” I turn my head towards him. The pirate is already adjusting his grip and lets out a sharp breath as he tries to maneuver the little boat. Then it tilts, and I brace my palm against the bench to steady myself. The water is pressing against the hull beneath us, no longer sleeping, but instead flowing steadily.
My pulse quickens. This must be the current.
It runs clean and strong beneath the surface, invisible unless you’re caught in it. And by the way the boat is pulled along with it despite Grim slowing his rowing, it must be a strong one.
I look back toward the Noctis, my chest tightening. If it can carry a boat like this, it will drag something as large as the Noctis with far more force.
Chapter Thirty-Two