Page 76 of A Reckless Indulgence

Cypher tugs at her bandana. “I know you have feelings for Lyx, but they’re clouding your judgment.”

His eyes roll, but anxiety creeps through him. “This again?”

“I’m serious, Cav. She’s been sneaking around since she got here. I caught her on the deck in the dead of night.”

“That makes someone guilty?”

“She met someone yesterday morning.” Her eyes glint like she’s forcing herself not to look away, the inkblot sharpening on her cheekbone. “I followed her all the way down the dock with my crow. I couldn’t tell who it was, but she disappeared with him. She’s hiding something.”

Cav’s heart lurches. Yesterday morning, before Lyx showed him everything. His heart thuds. Who was she meeting? Her ex? Was the pool just a distraction? Was any of it real?

He shakes his head. It was real. He knows it was, even if what Cypher says is true. Thoughts cloud his mind, but he pushes through them. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters!”

“Heathen doesn’t know, does she?”

Cypher’s jaw tenses. Of course she doesn’t. While this might be enough for Cypher to come to Cav, they both remember what happened with Heathen last time. Cypher won’t risk her pride again without solid proof. “I’m telling you so you can spare yourself the heartache. Lyx is only here to get what she needs before she makes a fool of you. Of all of us”

Smoke coils from Cav’s nostrils. “Have you considered maybe there’s a reason?”

Cypher scoffs cruelly.

“It’s not like you’ve asked!” Cav’s tail jerks behind him. “If she did meet with someone, maybe there’s a purpose. Maybe she’s ashamed of something. Maybe she needs help instead of your constant accusations.”

“She’s leading you on, Cav!” Cypher laughs humorlessly. “If you want to play hypotheticals, let’s do it. Maybe she’s setting us up. Maybe she’s calling her siren friends to run us aground. Maybe she’s leeching off of you until there’s nothing left.”

“I trust her.”

It comes to him so easily. He means it. Lyx saved his life in the grotto. She healed him. She sent him back to shore. Since the Silver Spoon, she could have killed him half a dozen times, but she hasn’t. She showed him more than she ever did before. She opened up to him.

Cypher’s head shakes back and forth. There’s the disappointment he expected from Heathen, her anger boiling over. “No wonder she let you live,” she spits. “You’re such an easy mark. She knew she could come back years later, and you’d still be a fucking sucker. How does that feel?”

“What is your problem?” he growls. She knows exactly what to say to hurt him…and so does he. The words seep out before he thinks better of it, before he can stop himself. “Are you just mad because I have what you can’t? Is that it?”

The crow’s feathers ruffle. Cypher’s inkblot shifts.

An icy chill wraps around Cav’s spine. He swallows, like that will take the words back. “I’m sorry.” His gaze drops to the ground. “I shouldn’t have —”

She doesn’t look at him when she shoves the parchment to his chest. “Handle the rest yourself, then, since you know every-fucking-thing.”

He calls after, but she doesn’t stop. She storms back onto the ship, leaving Cav clutching the supply list and his apology. No matter what front Cypher puts up, her curse is a delicate subject. He knows that. He knows better than to touch it.

Dejected, he leans back against the dock piling and flattens out the parchment. There’s one last produce drop to pick up. The least he could do is finish it. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he makes his way between two storefronts to the fruit vendor’s stand.

The marketplace begins to grow crowded, customers running morning errands or searching for breakfast. Cav loads the full basket onto his strong shoulder and starts back toward the ship, weaving into an alleyway to let a group of children pass.

A hand closes over his arm. When he turns toward the interruption, a voice flows between his ears and drowns out his thoughts.

“You’re coming with me, pretty boy.”

THIRTY-ONE

Lyx

Lyx still feels like she’s floating in that pool.

Her body is more buoyant than it has been in years, splayed on her back and drifting. She’s carried through thoughts of Cav, but she’s no longer stuck on the memories of before. Now she remembers his warmth when she pinned him beneath her, his shiver under her tentacles, his mouth forming certainly around the words.