"We'll need to be quiet. I imagine some of the crew wouldn't be thrilled to see you walking freely around the ship," I whispered.
"You're probably right," he whispered back conspiratorially, his hand covering his mouth in shock. "The big bad savage might frighten them."
I snorted and stepped into the hall, turning left. The sound of shuffling feet behind me was the only indication Kamil was there at all. He didn't say a word until we were halfway up the second set of stairs that would lead us to our destination.
"Why do you care about my neck?"
"It bothers me to think of people suffering needlessly." I shrugged as we made our way to the captain's quarters. I skirted the area where I knew the two men had been standing on deck earlier.
"Soft woman," he sighed. He sounded . . . disappointed?
"Not at all," I corrected, pushing open the door to my temporary bedroom. "Murder and death don't bother me. Prolonged cruelty is a different matter altogether. You disagree?"
Kamil blinked and fumbled for words. I stepped into the room and smiled to myself as I closed the door behind me. Some part of me was satisfied that I'd managed to shock him.
Chapter Five
"Seas, stay still," I hissed.
Kamil winced, tensing the muscles in his neck for the hundredth time in the past hour. I flicked him in the ear and glared. He was making this so much more complicated than it needed to be.
"You're trying to stab me, woman," he growled.
"No, I'm trying to sew—"
"Stitch!" he screeched.
"—stitch you up. The pamphlet in the medical supplies clearly shows how to do it. It doesn't look hard at all, now stop being an egg and let me finish this." I held my hand with the needle away from his neck, waiting for him to comply.
"Fine. Talk to me while you mutilate me, then," he grumbled.
"Tell me about the singing." I threaded the needle through the first piece of skin and pulled it tight. To his credit, Kamil only hissed in a sharp breath in response.
"Where I'm from," he winced as the needle pierced the flesh on the opposite side of the gash, "songs tell stories. We sing at weddings, funerals, when we play with our children . . ."
"Do you have children?"
"No." He grinned. "Not yet. I have nieces and nephews, somewhere."
I nodded, working as quickly as I could while he was distracted. "So, what story were you telling last night?" My skin prickled with goosebumps as I remembered the mournful sound carrying through the water.
Kamil's face fell, sad for the first time since I'd met him. He didn't cover it with the smile that seemed to be his constant companion like I’d thought he might. Instead, he sat there stiff as a board while I worked on his wound.
"There was a girl . . ." His voice cracked, and I steadied my hand, wondering if I'd hurt him again. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. " Zuri. Adjo's wife. She jumped." His voice went flat on the last word. It was devoid of all the emotion the rest of his words had conveyed.
I tied the string into a knot and snipped the overhang with a pair of scissors I'd also found in the medical kit. So, the song had been for Zuri, the woman I'd found in the sea.
"Who is Adjo? Is that your brother Kesia mentioned?" I leaned away from his neck and grabbed the foul-smelling liquid labeled disinfectant. Pouring some onto a cloth, I dabbed carefully at the wound until it seemed clean.
"Yes." Kamil's hand slid under my own until he was holding the cloth against his own neck.
I slipped my hand free, and he sat up straighter on the bed, and then scooted up to lean against the headboard. My gaze landed on the scars on his forehead. I opened my mouth to ask about them when a knock sounded at the door.
"Gia?" a feminine voice called out.
I hurried over to the door and unlocked it, opening it for my human. I smiled at her as she stepped into the room, a huge barrel of some kind at her hip.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Water for a bath," Kesia responded sweetly. She looked at the man sitting on the bed, and her spine stiffened for a moment before she continued hauling the water across the room to a very large bowl.
I spotted a second barrel just outside the door and pulled it inside. Toting it to Kesia, I kept an eye on Kamil. He looked amused for some reason, and it put me on edge.
"What's a bath?" I whispered.
"You've never taken a bath?" Kamil laughed from the other side of the room.
I glared daggers at him.
"It's when you sit in a tub of water and scrub yourself clean, love." Kesia turned toward Kamil and tossed something small and hard at him. He muttered an oomph when it landed against his chest and stared in shock at the offending item.
"How do you not know what a bath is?"
I ignored him and kissed Kesia on the lips. It was just a light kiss, only because I wanted to touch her. Her hands came around my neck, and she deepened the embrace, her tongue sliding between my lips until our tongues met. I slid an arm around her waist, rolling my tongue over hers until I leaned back, sucking at her full lips. I released her with a loud smack and a grin.
"Tease," she accused as she bent for the second barrel. She poured the water into the bath bowl and then pointed to Kamil. "You, undress. I'll launder your clothes tonight, in the meantime, you can wear something from the captain's things, though my love might prefer you naked."
Kamil's skin was far too dark for me to be able to tell if he was blushing, but from the stunned look on his face . . . I could only imagine the embarrassment. I bit my knuckle to hide a laugh and Kesia winked at the offended man.
"Don't eat him, Gia. He's important to the rest of 'em," she whispered.
"Important? How?"
"Okay, okay. Leave, woman!" Kamil stood and stripped out of his worn clothing. The stained cloth fell into a pool at his feet.
My eyes went round as I took in the sight of him. A broad, scarred chest was the first thing that caught my attention. My eyes dipped down to his firm stomach—there was something about stomachs that did it for me, and I loved the small swell of Kesia's. Kamil's hands covered his pride, and I glanced back up to his face with a smirk.
"Like what you see?"
"Perhaps I do," I purred.
"I didn't think I was your type," he muttered, glancing toward Kesia.
Kesia laughed and quickly gathered the fabric he'd abandoned and headed out the door. She tossed us both a wink before she pulled it closed behind her. I smiled at the door, that woman was surprising in a lot of ways.
"I don't have a type, per se." I walked to the bed, noting the way Kamil stood a little straighter as I passed him. His eyes flitted after me as I crossed out of his line of sight, like a nervous fish darting between an eel and a shark.
"I don't understand. Don't you prefer women?"
"I don't have a preference," I drawled. Why was that so hard for this human to grasp? I was perfectly capable of appreciating his body as much as a female's. They were different but equally pleasing to the eye. And other organs too, I bet . . .
Kamil stood wide-eyed for a moment before he coughed and made his way to the bath bowl. My head met a pillow, and I lounged on my side, resting my hand on my hip as I watched him. He braced both hands on either side of the bath and stepped in. The curve of his ass was spectacular from this angle. Water splashed over the edge, and my heart panged; I missed the sea. It was an odd sensation to be surrounded by home and yet so far away.
"What's wrong?" Kamil's voice was gruff.
My eyes snapped back to his, and I shrugged away the emotion boiling inside me. I would go home soon.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Hmm," he hummed noncommittally.
I let my eyes drift shut again to the sound of Kamil scrubbing himself. When I peeked, his chest was covered in suds. I sighed and shook my head, closing my eyes again; I was relaxing. I hummed a melody to myself. I'd long forgotten the words, though I'd learned them as a child. It was meant to be a song that
Norsemen sang to the gods of the sea for safe passage.
"Your voice is hypnotic," Kamil whispered from his seat in the water.
"So I've been told." I smiled at him. If only he knew how right he was.
Kamil rubbed his soapy hands across his neck and winced, then tried to reach his back. I rose up on my elbows and smiled at him.
"I can help if you'd like?"
"You don't even know what a bath is, how are you going to help?"
A grin stretched my lips, and I rose from the bed and moved behind him. I pulled a small stool over and held my hand out over his shoulder, waiting for him to place the soap in my hand. He complied with a huff, and I began washing his back. Layers of dirt and dried sweat—and I didn’t even want to think what else—melted away. I scooped some water into my palm and rinsed away the suds accumulating on Kamil's back. His shoulders were well defined, but the right one was marred by a raised scar. I traced my finger down it.
"A spear." His voice was a low rumble.
My fingers hesitated where they feathered over the puckered flesh. Kamil turned, water splashing out of the bowl as he did, and gripped my wrist firmly.
"You can't spell me, witch," he whispered. His tone didn't hold any insult, unlike the last person who’d called me that particular word.
My other hand slid up, and my fingers traced the markings on his forehead. I blew out a breath and nodded. "I can." I ignored the pressure of his fingers as they curled tighter into my flesh. "I won't, but I can." I met his deep brown eyes and shuddered at the heat I found there.
"You don't deny it?"
I twisted my mouth to the side, trying to hide my smile. "I'm not a witch, no," I hedged. Humans were unpredictable, desperate humans even more so. . . I didn't want to end up being the next fish dinner.
Kamil stood, water dripping down his body. I tilted my head to the side as I took in the view. There was something to be said for the male form . . . Kamil grabbed the towel hanging on the edge of the bath bowl and stepped over the edge. I didn't move from my spot on the stool, watching as he dried himself off.
"Are you going to tell me?" I finally asked. I was curious why Kesia thought this man, out of all the men on the ship, was so important.
"I'll trade my secret for yours." He grinned and then padded toward a cabinet filled with clothes.
I stood and walked to the small table where the bottle of wine still sat from the captain's final meal. I poured some of the red liquid into two cups and lifted one of them to my lips. I drank it down, shivering through the sweet and sour flavors.
"I like games," I purred, pouring myself another cup of wine. "What if, instead, we try to guess each other's secrets?"
Kamil turned toward me as he pulled a white blouse over his chest. I'd missed him slipping into the breeches when I was pouring the wine—and what a shame that was, the man had a fabulous backside. He walked to me and lifted the second cup, sniffing it before he took a long swig.
"Spirit."
I snorted and shook my head before I downed my own drink. "No. King?"
Kamil grinned and shook his head. He snatched the wine from the table and meandered toward the bed. "Mermaid."
"Wrong again," I sighed and followed him, sinking down onto the lumpy mattress. "Holy man?" My eyebrows shot up my forehead as the thought dawned on me. "Please tell me you're not a holy man."
"Afraid not," he laughed. "I don't think I qualify."
Kamil sipped from the mouth of the bottle and then passed it to me.
"Aren't you going to guess again?" I took a sip and shook my head, handing the bottle back to him.
"I don't need to. I figured it out."
I narrowed my eyes on his smiling face and crossed my arms. "Alright, let's hear your theories, then. I can't wait to hear what sort of ideas you've got swimming around in that head of yours."
"Your song," Kamil whispered. He looked serious. "You're a siren."
My eyes widened and I sat up straight in the bed. "You're so sure?"
"Of course." His eyes glinted with mischief. "My village is near the coast. Fishermen told stories to children about the women of the sea since long before my brother or I were born."
I pulled my fingers through my hair, studying him. He didn't seem concerned about his revelation. These humans were so different than I’d imagined them to be. They were crueler, darker than I’d ever envisioned, but there was light here too. My path was set; I’d be a death-bringer for all my days, for as long as the tides rose and fell there’d be a siren feeding the sea.
“You look upset.” Kamil set the wine on the bedside table and turned to stare at me directly. “I didn’t mean any disrespect, you’ve been kind to me. Kinder than I would have expected on this ship.”
“So, you know what I am. Does that mean you also know what I must do?”
I wasn’t entirely sure how much humans knew about my kind. Seafaring people were usually accustomed to the ways of our world, but even they sometimes missed the siren for the waves. A calloused, dark hand crept up my arm toward my shoulder, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“I know what your nature is, yes.” His smile was sad.
I hated seeing sadness in him. His smile was so bright, so inviting. The fact that Kamil had such light inside him, even aboard The Lady Rose, spoke volumes to me. He was important to his people . . .
“It’s your turn,” I reminded him. “Why are you important?”
Kamil grinned and rolled up the right sleeve of his borrowed blouse. He waved his hand toward the exposed flesh, and I looked closer. There were markings etched into his skin that formed a picture. It looked like a brace of some kind, similar to the ones I’d seen on the ships surrounding the sunken city, but also very different.
“I was the head of my father’s guard,” he explained, and traced his fingers over the decorations on his skin.
“Your father is the . . .”
“King.” His eyes met mine. The heat I found there was breathtaking.
I wasn't surprised at all that Kamil was attracted to me. I was built to entice humans, after all. Sometimes I wondered why my father had designed his daughters the way he had.
“So, you’re a prince of some kind. That's funny . . . technically, by your definition, I'm royalty too.”
Kamil's eyes widened, never leaving mine as his fingers stilled against his skin. "How so?"
"Sirens are the daughters of Poseidon of course," I whispered, leaning closer.
My lips itched to taste him. I wasn't sure if the heat in his eyes was genuine or a byproduct of my birth, but I was through waiting. I leaned in and brushed my lips over his, my tongue darting out to lick the full, bottom lip that had been tempting me all night.
"Woman," he hissed, pressing against my shoulders.
I leaned back and my eyebrows shot up my forehead as I waited for him to explain. That was not how I'd imagined that going.
"Impatient," he muttered before sliding his hands into my hair at the base of my scalp. He tilted my head to the side and kissed me thoroughly. His lips plucked and tugged at mine, our tongues testing each other in a dance for dominance.
I gave in first. My back arched and I surrendered fully to the kiss. Kamil made love to my mouth. He could’ve had anything he wanted in that moment. I just didn't want him to stop touching me. I didn't want him to stop kissing me.
"Come here," he commanded on a whisper.
I raised my eyebrow in question but allowed it. Climbing onto his lap, I wrapped my arms around his neck and waited to see where he would take this.
"I'm not going to fuck you," he whispered against my skin as he kissed across my neck and up to my ear.
"What? Why?" I couldn't keep the incredulity out of my voice. Humans made absolutely no sense to me. Kesia did, sure, but the rest of them were insane.
"Because," he chuckled, “I don’t want to be your regret, Gia. If you’re going to kill us all, why would you want me inside you first?”
My heart nearly stop
ped. Anger surged up to meet the confusion his words caused. I slapped him across the face and glared, even seated as I was on his lap.
“How dare you!” I growled. My hand stung where it had met his skin. “I’m not what you seem to think I am. I’d never hurt Kesia.”
My eyes flashed in warning when he opened his mouth to speak.
“Be careful,” I warned.
Kamil leaned forward and nipped at my lip, his hips rolling underneath me regardless of his words. I ground against the erection through the breeches and cursed Kesia for offering the man clothes. His fingers dug into my shoulders where he still held me.
“You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” he murmured against my mouth as our lips moved against each other.
I sighed and gave in, again. I didn’t understand his hesitation, but it didn’t matter if he wasn’t going to adhere to it. My hands slid up the white shirt he wore and inched it over his defined chest, pushing it up.
Kamil pulled the shirt the rest of the way over his head and made short work of my dress. He pushed it up and over my hips and I pulled it off the rest of the way. My breasts rose and fell with each breath. I’d never been with a human man before, and I was excited to see what this would be like. He wrapped his arm around me, cradling me to his body as he laid me back. Our eyes locked as his hand trailed from my cheek to my breasts. Kamil’s hands were big, one covered my breast almost completely. I shuddered when his thumb brushed over my pebbled nipple.
I glanced up at Kamil—I still thought of him as the smiling, scarred man—and smirked to myself as his mouth came down on my neck. There was something extraordinarily sexy about him being unable to control himself, even though I hadn't spelled him. I could feel his restraint breaking in the way the tension vibrated in his arms by my head.
"Are you sure you want this, Gia?" Kamil's voice was husky, his erection pressed into my thigh.
Shipwreck Souls Page 14
