Page 68 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

“I’m sorry.” My eyelids slide open. “My power is too drained.”

Draven curses and shoves the oars off his lap, fisting his hands in his hair.

I avert my eyes.

Darius cracks a smile, but it’s far from genuine. “It’s all right, my love. In a day or two, I have no doubt you’ll fix me right up.”

I wait for a shadow to knock him upside the head for the cheeky endearment, but it never comes.

Silas clears his throat. “We should get going. Before we lose sight of the Virendrellians.”

“Excellent idea.” Darius claps. “Come now, Drav. Stop sulking and pick up those oars. Unless you want your poor, ailing little brother to⁠—”

Now a shadow does strike Darius on the back of the head.

“Hey!” He huffs.

“Sit down and shut up.” Draven grabs the oars, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

Their dinghy pulls away.

The breeze carries snippets of their continued bickering back to us.

I’m reminded of me and Ferria. We don’t strike each other, though the Gods know we’ve had our disagreements. But underneath the anger, irritation, and frustration, affection always lingers. The same affection that exists between the Fae brothers.

A cough punctures the air.

I turn to find Rian and Silas watching me. “What?”

Silas glances at the bench behind my knees. “We should get going.”

Oh.

The boat rocks when I sit down.

Silas nods and lowers himself to the bench across from me with much more grace than I managed. He lifts two oars and positions them in the water.

Rian remains standing. He’s about a foot away, close enough that his body heat brushes my cheek, joining the warmth of his dark eyes as they drill into the side of my face.

Unable to take it anymore, I tilt my head back and frown. “What?”

Silver flashes through his irises before he smirks. “Nothing, Sunshine. Nothing at all.”

He moves back to the bench behind me. Wood taps wood, followed by a splash as he orients his oars.

The Fae begin to row after the ship, a few dozen feet behind Darius and Draven.

The boat cuts through the water, each wave sending my stomach into a miserable roll as seasickness returns.

Worry for Darius also gnaws at me, but that isn’t what keeps my shoulders tight.

We’re heading for an island where the Shadow Fae are not welcome. And as part of their traveling party, I doubt I’ll be received with open arms, either.

The Virendrellians won’t know I’m bound to the Fae by a debt I cannot yet repay, tethered by the markings embedded in my arms.

I keep my eyes forward, pretending not to feel Rian’s gaze burning into my spine. But it’s there. Steady. Relentless.

I may not know much about Fae law or custom, but I know this much: being coveted by the Shadow Prince is not a blessing.