Page 90 of A Reckless Indulgence

Cool water clings to her skin. It’s familiar. She peers over the edge of the boat and down at her reflection. Her shadow blurs the edges, and her face ripples until she and the ocean become indistinguishable.

Hesitantly, she lowers her fingers. They dip into the water, and she swears something holds onto her. With a steadying breath, she shuts her eyes and tries to sense every droplet that flows between her fingers.

Please.

She doesn’t know what she’s asking. It’s been years since she reached out to the sea. Her cheeks burn. Maybe this is foolish — or maybe Cav’s audacity has finally rubbed off on her. Her fingers drift through the water in search of something. A connection. A response. She isn’t sure any longer. No matter how she hopes, there’s nothing. She almost withdraws, but instead, she sinks her hand in deeper and submerges up to her elbow.

Around her, the water fizzes. Hope lodges in her throat.

Take us to the island. Please. I’ll come back to you. I’ll send Tidus back, too.

Behind her, Cav sighs. “I can’t fix it. It’s —”

The boat jerks and sends Cav toppling. Lyx braces against the side, holding Cav in place when the boat takes off across the water. It sprays up around them as they bounce along the waves. The worn boat creaks with effort. Cav and Lyx cling to whatever they can, and behind them, a wake churns. Cav laughs above the sound of the water. It’s rough and choppy, jostling them as the boat moves faster than should be possible. In minutes, the overgrown island in the distance becomes a stretch of beach before them.

The boat gives out when they reach the shallows. The vessel slows, stutters, and falls apart at the seams.

Cav lifts Lyx onto his strong shoulder and wades toward the shore. She trails her fingers into the water behind him.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

The waves rush up after them and urge them forward.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Lyx

Sand kicks up behind Cav and Lyx as they run. The island is covered in wild shrubbery, vines and brambles that stretch out along the beach. They maneuver the coastline, pushing through bushes and branches until they come across a clearing.

It hosts a slipway hidden from view of the other islands. A metal rail slopes out of the water and up to a cradle that holds the Indulgence aloft. Its hull is exposed, already scraped free of barnacles and seaweed. Otherwise, the ship is dark and empty.

On the ramp below are half a dozen nets, full of oysters and clams and scallops. It looks like a haul fresh from the ocean, but Lyx knows better. These are no ordinary mussels. These mollusks are coming off the ship. The shells look almost natural, but when she creeps closer, the undertones ripple with magic. Fiery red, aquatic blue, deathly white, like the pearls she found on board.

Something shatters next to the ship. Lyx and Cav move through the shadows until they find a clam smashed on the ground. Tidus kneels over it and curses when he slices his finger on the jagged shell, but the pain is soon forgotten. With one hand, he lifts a shimmering pearl from the wreckage.

He wastes no time pocketing it and moving onto the next shell. His greedy, roughened fingers force their way between the oyster’s lips and pry it apart. The shell flickers, but when Tidus wrenches the pearl free, the oyster’s hue fades in a dying gasp.

Only now does Tidus notice Cav and Lyx. He jerks the gun from his waistband and points it toward each of them. “How the fuck did you get here?”

Lyx tries to keep Cav behind her, but he has the same idea. When Cav steps forward, Tidus hones the gun on him.

“You left me to drown!” Lyx shouts.

Tidus jerks the gun back to her. “That’s chaos, baby!” With his empty hand, he lifts a bag of mollusks and slams it onto the ground. Every swing makes Lyx flinch as the air fills with a chorus of cracks, stirring a sickly feeling in her stomach.

Pearls roll and bounce at Tidus’s feet. His movements are loose and easy now, but it won’t last. It never does.

“Is this your plan?” she calls. “Destroy the shells to get back at Heathen?” If Tidus starts talking, maybe they can slip away. Maybe they can find Heathen and the others. With one hand on Cav’s shirt, Lyx takes a step back.

Tidus cocks the gun.

Lyx’s heart thuds. She knows what’s coming from the sharpness of his smile. His temper is a tidal wave, rising inside him and sucking the life from everything else. With his boot, he kicks the mollusks aside and steps over them.

Cav presses Lyx behind him, but Tidus keeps prowling toward them. They back up into the bushes, Lyx’s nails digging into Cav’s arm to shove him aside. He doesn’t move.

“I’m not going to destroy them,” Tidus murmurs.

He lifts the barrel of the gun to Lyx’s head, and a nauseous tide rises inside her.