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Naia averted her attention to the bowl on the bedside table and flicked her chin up at it. “May I ask what a bowl of filthy water is doing there?”
Ronin went for the chair Akane had sat in earlier.
Naia’s gaze roamed down his baggy dark blue t-shirt and loose black pants to his slippers—fuzzy, bright pink with sparkles. She bit back her bottom lip to hide her treacherous grin.
“My sister, Yuki, is a doctor,” Ronin explained. “She cleaned you up and got you a fresh set of clothes. I figured you would actually slit my throat if I took you to a hospital, considering it looked like you were running away from something.”
The rusty colored water in the bowl on the bedside table was proof she’d bled. His sister must’ve been baffled to find no injuries on her.
She’d taken a nasty slam into a sea stack—courtesy of Mira’s angry tide—giving her a gash on her temple and another below her ribcage. The injuries healed long before she found Ronin.
Naia lifted her chin and folded her arms, shielding herself from his watchful eyes. “I appreciate that.”
“And I had just docked my dad’s fishing boat,” he said with his leg bouncing in a steady rhythm. “I was walking home when I found you. Not hiding in the bushes.”
Naia’s brow furrowed. “Fishing boat?”
“Yeah, my dad owned a fishing company before he passed away.”
Naia analyzed his lithe build, arms and shoulders toned with muscles only natural physical labor could provide. Clearly, he was no stranger to operating a fishing boat.
The slight dip in his tone did not go unnoticed, nor did the note of tension as he spoke the word dad. It tempted her to ask him about their relationship. All for her greedy desire to resonate with someone.
Do you have a complicated relationship with one of your parents? Yeah, well, me too! Let’s be friends.
Absolutely not.
Naia’s grasp tightened around Wren, the edge of its wings pressing into her ribcage. “If you were on the water, did you get caught in the storm?”
A corner of his mouth tugged up. “Are you expressing concern for me?”
Naia felt every bit of his sly smirk swirling around in the bottom of her stomach as she gave him a flat look. “It’s a shame it did not swallow you up.”
He scratched his chin with a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “I wonder what caused such a random storm in the first place. Sure as hell wasn’t on the radar.”
She glared at him.
He raised his brows, holding her gaze with a challenge. Tell me your secrets, it said.
She unclenched her jaw and moved on. “Are there any nearby hotels?”
“Most hotels and lodging on the island will be booked up by tourists since the Summer Solstice Festival is today.”
She had completely forgotten about the mortal celebration.
The Summer Solstice Festival was in honor of the High Goddess of the Sea. Come nightfall, the islanders would sacrifice their catches of the day and light up the sea’s surface with floating lanterns. A celebration Mira would not risk ruining, because without the worship of the residents of Nohealani Island, her power would diminish.
Naia worked her hair up off her shoulders and spun it around her fingers.
Ronin continued to stare at her, studying her body language and tics, as if he tried to read her mind. His piercing gaze perturbed her for many reasons. The main one being she felt too exposed, and it made her hyper aware of her expressions, wary of giving away too much of herself.
She edged the sharp end of Wren through the bun weaved around her fingers to hold it in place, and then fixed her attention onto the metal bedpost, picking at its chipped white tip.
The festival would buy her the time she needed to figure out a route to Hollow City where Finnian lived. If Naia could make it to him, she would be safe.
Only it had been over a century since she last set foot on mortal soil. Times had changed. They had paved roads and vehicles now; technology and something called the internet. She was unaware of Hollow City’s whereabouts since it didn’t exist at the time. Not to mention, Naia needed money if she didn’t want to hike to her destination. Which wasn’t out of the question if she knew the direction to hike in.
A past punishment from Mira had left Finnian deaf in his right ear, rendering him unable to be summoned. Without communication, Naia would be forced to figure things out, alone.
