Page 168 of Fallen Stars

“It was nothing.”

“You saved my life, Oceanne. That isn’t nothing.” He thought about the churning poisonous waters that had nearly killed him. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” she replied. “Though many of my kin were killed in that battle. I mourn them.”

Adrian stiffened slightly. “You mourn the loss of kin who bow to Scorpius and do his every bid, even if it includes killing innocents?”

There was a scoff. “I’d hardly call Princess Elara of Asteria and her friends innocent.”

Adrian narrowed his eyes, looking to the clashing waves. “It’sQueenElara to you.”

Another scoff. “Perhaps this was a mistake,” he heard Oceanne mutter. “I should go.”

“Perhaps you should,” Adrian bit out. His jaw clenched, a bitter feeling churning through him. The sweet mermaid he’d come to know over the past few weeks seemed to have vanished, replaced by a cynic, content to insult his friends.

There was a silence, and he turned the pearl once more in his hand. He was angry with her for forcing him to quarrel when he’d already seen enough battle to last a lifetime. He sighed, near certain that she must have gone, and pocketed the pearl. As he went to turn, he felt cool hands over his good eye and his patch and stilled.

“Siren.”

A tut. “How many times must I tell you I’m not a siren?”

Adrian made sure not to move a single muscle.

“What are you doing up here, Oceanne?”

“I wanted to say sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you just then.”

Adrian sighed as the scent of oceanflower wrapped around him.

“Perhaps you can show me how sorry you are by letting me see you,” he said, her hand still over his eye.

“Nice try. I’ll allow you to turn around if you wear this.”

His every sense heightened as the feeling of silk rubbed against his cheek. He felt it placed over his one good eye and the patch too as she hesitated pulling it taut.

“Fine,” he replied.

She knotted it quickly, and he slowly turned around, seeing nothing but darkness.

A finger traced over his patch through the silk as she murmured, “I think this makes you look even more handsome. Rugged.”

Her voice… Adrian had never been so aroused by a voice. He wanted to bottle it up and sip it at his leisure, savour every roll of her tongue and purse of her lips.

“You like a bit of rough?” he purred.

She chuckled, and he smiled.

“What?”

Adrian shook his head. “Your laugh. It’s beautiful.”

He could hear her smile. “I’m glad you’re blindfolded, or you’d see me blushing.”

He sighed. He wished he could see her flush, see the dusk pink of her blood heating, all because of him.

He felt her fingers trace the point of his cheekbone, right below the patch. “Does it hurt?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “Not anymore.”