“Very sad.”
“Yeah, Nick went a little crazy after it happened. Totally gutted he was. Took off for a mad trip to Queensland, even. He went off in an okay mood but came back absolutely wallowing in grief. It was like he lost her all over again.”
Amaya swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she managed to say. She took Saul’s hand and squeezed it fondly.
He smiled curiously. “Have we met before?”
“No, we haven’t.”
She went to Nick. Taking the seat beside him, she asked for a drink and when it arrived, she raised it in a toast to Nick.
“To a safe voyage.”
Nick lifted his glass and clinked it with little enthusiasm. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be a good trip.”
Amaya put down her glass and offered him her hand. “My name’s Emma.”
“Nick,” he replied and finally looked at her. He blinked several times. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
She couldn’t resist. “I don’t know. Do you want to have known me from somewhere?”
Swallowing hard, he stared into her eyes. “Amaya?”
“Call me Emma or the others will get confused. Maybe think I’m a poltergeist or something.”
“My God.” Nick fidgeted with his glass. “I can’t believe it’s you. It is you, isn’t it? Holy crap. I never would have thought you’d ever come back to me. Not after—”
She put a finger to his lips. “You’re babbling. And I don’t know if I’ve come back to you or if I just needed to see that you were all right before moving on.”
He nodded hastily. “Sure, sure. I’m not going to force you to do anything. I won’t even ask—”
“No. Ask me to stay for a drink and we’ll take it from there.”
Nick hesitated, then smiled shyly. “Emma, would you care to have a drink with me?”
Amaya pursed her lips. “Hmm. I don’t know.”
He looked devastated. She laughed and hugged him. After a confused moment, he hugged her back.
Much later when the guests were piling onto the Rose to find their bunks and sleep away the last few hours before they set sail, Amaya stood at the bow and drank in the calm, cool night air. She and Nick had shared a drink, and then another and finally they’d reached the bottom of the wine bottle and she was happy she’d approached him. He’d asked her on the trip as a guest. A last minute cancellation assured her a bunk and place at the dinner table. She’d said she would think about it and, wary of inadvertently commanding her, Nick had backed off to give her some quiet time.
It would be good to be back on the Rose with Saul and Tom and the rest of the crew. She’d missed them all in the last month.
From inside her jacket she took out the feather. Moonlight glistened silver on its perfect black. As she ran it through her hands, a faint shimmer of blue power grew from it—power still attached to the source back in her realm.
And if she went with Nick, she could drop Asmodeus’ feather into the depths of the Southern Indian Ocean where no one could find it and use it again.
Decided, she left the bow and went to find Nick.
About the Author
L.J. Hayward lives and works on the Gold Coast, Australia. As a pathology scientist, she’s spent a good deal of time around blood and supposes it’s only natural she chose it as a cornerstone of her writing. Don’t worry, she’ll get over the obsession soon. Maybe. You can check up on her progress on her blog, Plot Happens.
Coming Soon
Rock Paper Sorcery
Night Call: Book Three
Night Call (Book 2): Demon Dei Page 40
