by Sonya Blake
“Now there’s a lady,” Tommy leaned over and said between verses.
Kaia rolled her eyes again.
Tommy’s brows shot up. “No?” He continued strumming and began to sing the next verse as he looked from Kaia to Sam to Violet, putting the pieces together.
Kaia tried not to sneer as Violet’s bright green eyes widened upon seeing her. Violet recovered from her shock quickly—too quickly—plastering on a smile as she greeted her sister and kissed the cheek of the tall, well-suited man Emory was introducing to Sam.
Violet then put her hand on Sam’s sleeve and went in to kiss him, too, but something stopped her. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she took a step away from him. Felicia’s sigils and herbs were working, it seemed, Kaia noted with satisfaction. Violet let out a little laugh, but her brows swept low over her eyes as she scanned the room.
“Hey, she ain’t got nothin’ on you,” Tommy said, leaning in and whispering close to Kaia’s ear.
As they continued to play and sing in harmony, Kaia kept an eye on Violet flitting around the room. Right as they finished, Violet sailed over, all smiles.
“Kaia, you look cute as always.” She gave a cool smile. “Is that my lip stain you’re wearing? Looks great. And you really do have the most beautiful voice,” Violet went on, eyeing Tommy briefly. “I can see where Sam got his inspiration for those portraits.” Kaia felt her cheeks burn. “Doesn’t that suit look great on Sam? I had it custom-made by my father’s tailor. It was pricey, but it’ll never go out of style. Who knows, maybe he’ll wear it for our wedding someday. Can you believe he didn’t have a proper suit of his own? That old thing he had looked like he’d gotten it off the sale rack at Bargain Barn! Oh, excuse me, there’s Mr and Mrs Winthrop. Daddy’s friends.” With that, Violet slid away in a whirl of bright-colored silk.
“Daddy’s friends,” Tommy parroted, showing his teeth in a snarl.
Kaia laughed, grateful for his camaraderie. Deciding she had to achieve a very specific level of intoxication on the drunk-sober spectrum in order to make it through the rest of the evening, she took another deep swig of beer before starting the next song.
Chapter Fifty-Five
After the gallery had closed at the end of the evening, everyone headed over to the Hook and Anchor for an afterparty. Sam was happy to see Kaia sitting with Felicia Dunne at the corner of the bar, in the same spot where he had first seen her on the night she came to Quolobit Harbor. Kaia’s eyes met Sam’s, but just then a familiar man turned from the bar, his ordinarily unruly silver hair newly shorn into a close-cropped style Sam had to assume had been undertaken for the occasion. The sight of him nearly made Sam laugh and cry at the same time.
“That was one hell of a show, son,” Samuel said, and pulled Sam into a hug. “You’ve been so busy talking to other people all night, I didn’t have the chance to congratulate you.”
“Dad, thanks,” Sam said, trying not to sniffle too obviously. “It never would’ve happened without you.”
Samuel gave him a questioning look, his white brows knitting together at the top of his nose, whiskers twitching beneath it. “What do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t put the pencil into my hand that day and told me to draw a picture of what I wanted to say and what I felt,” Sam explained, “I never would’ve found my… my voice as an artist.”
Samuel smiled and patted a hand to Sam’s cheek. “Proud of you, buddy.”
Sam blinked away the sting of tears in his eyes.
“Thanks,” Sam repeated, even though thanks wasn’t nearly enough. He felt heat rise in his cheeks as he noticed Kaia and Felicia smiling mirthfully at him being patted by his father.
“How much did you make?” Samuel asked. “Did I hear they all sold?”
“I don’t know yet, didn’t do the math, didn’t even set the prices,” Sam replied. Emory had come up to him some time towards the end of the night and whispered that a single buyer had purchased all the paintings. “There’s taxes, too, so who knows. I’m sure it’ll be enough to keep me in supplies for the next year.”
Samuel laughed and raised his pint to Sam. “A great start. I think you’ve got a few admirers to greet. Oh, and, ah, I told Harvey the first round is on me.”
“Dad, no—” Sam protested.
Samuel held up a hand. “I insist. The town’s gonna be paying me to do nothing over at that lighthouse, other than walk the occasional tour up the tower—”
“What?”
Samuel’s blue eyes twinkled. “I’m here to stay,” he said, and clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Town hired me to be the lighthouse keeper.”
“Seriously?” Sam said. “But what about the fishing tours in Fort Lauderdale? I thought you had a good thing going there.”
“Florida’s boring.” Samuel took a swig of his beer, then gave Sam a nod. “Go talk to that pretty redhead you’ve had your eyes on all night.”
Sam hugged his father again and began walking to the end of the bar, his heart heavy with trepidation, his tongue already tied in stupid knots. But before he could make it to where Kaia sat, Violet came into the Hook and Anchor with her father, Kenneth Wilde.
“Sam!” Violet called, and drew her father to Sam’s side. “This is my dad, Kenneth Wilde.”
Sam felt his insides quake beneath the cold and calculating gaze of the trim, scrutinizing man as he took his hand. “Sam Lowell,” he said.
“I know,” Kenneth replied with a tight smile as his dry, cold palm closed around Sam’s. “Congratulations, Sam. I’d say your show was a success.”
“Oh?” Over Violet’s head, Sam saw Kaia and Felicia staring at him, watching his interactions with eagle-like focus. Beyond them, playing darts with Bobby, his sternman, was that damned blond siren stray Kaia had taken in, Tommy—also giving him a judging stare.
“My dad,” Violet said, squeezing Sam’s arm and demanding his attention. He resisted the instinct to take a step back from her as she leaned closer and spoke into his ear. “He bought out your show.”
“What?”
Kenneth Wilde gazed at Sam, his eyes marked by little white lines that spoke of winter retreats to warmer climes. “I bought the whole show, Sam. Hope you don’t mind.”
“What? Why?” Sam asked.
There was an awkward pause in which Kenneth Wilde’s icy eyes held Sam’s. Then Violet let out a laugh.
“Because it’s good work.” Wilde clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ll make a pretty penny at a gallery I own in Boston. You’ll gain a following, and Emory could set up another show for you here in Quolobit this summer when there’ll be plenty of eager tourists and art aficionados in town, hunting down the famous Sam Lowell.”
Sam blinked.
“My dad has a business proposal to make to you, Sam,” Violet gushed.
“Me?” Sam asked. “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that… I’m a fisherman, Mr. Wilde—my life is, ah, out there on the water.”
“Kenneth, please.” The steely, reptilian eyes narrowed. “I’m about to launch a massive project here in Quolobit Harbor, and I’ll need a community liaison,” Kenneth Wilde said, glancing around the bar with the calculating aspect of a prospector surveying new lands which may yield great riches. “A local fisherman and celebrated artist would be just the person. You’re the right age to appeal to the younger crowd, and your status as a seventh-generation fisherman will give you credibility to the old stalwarts. I want you on my team, Sam.” Kenneth Wilde rested a heavy hand on Sam’s shoulder. “And if it goes well, I could pave the way for your future.”
Sam felt his face begin to burn when words wouldn’t come to him quickly enough. Violet came between them with a gracious smile.
“Let him think about it, Daddy,” she said. “Sam’s had an intense night. There’ll be plenty of time to talk about the wind farm later.”
Kenneth Wilde nodded and moved to the bar, but Sam felt the man watching him out of the corner of his eyes as he pulled Violet aside and said
, “Can we talk? Outside?”
As far as he was concerned, this conversation couldn’t wait a minute longer. He drew her out onto the deck of the Hook and Anchor, where the star-strewn sky revealed the Milky Way in all its cold, distant glory. Violet, wrapped in her fur, followed him to the end of the deck, where he leaned on the railing and looked out at the great expanse of water.
She leaned her head back and inhaled deeply. “Ah,” she said. “I love the smell of the sea, don’t you?”
“Violet—”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Need a breather from the madness in there?” A grin broadened across her mouth. “Want to sneak onto the Angeline? We can leave Emory out of it.”
Sam sighed. “I need more than a breather, Violet,” he said, striving to remain calm even though his heart was pounding and sweat was itching against his palms. “I’m not going to let you destroy my life. It’s over between us. Got it? Whatever it is that you want—love, lust, the charge you get from seeing me on my knees—it’s not going to make you happy. It’s not going to take away the poison in your ancient fucking heart.”
Violet, to his surprise, laughed. She reached up and ran a hand through his newly-trimmed hair. “Don’t be crazy, Sam,” she said. “You’ve been super stressed about this show; it was your first show and I get that, and we haven’t had much time together. Things’ll settle down now, and we can pick up where we left off. I can tell Emory it’s just us from now on, if you want.”
“No.” He shook his head and pulled away from her. “No way, Violet. It’s over.”
“I need you more than you realize,” she told him, her voice rising in pitch as her eyes grew wild, reflecting the smattering of stars overhead. “And you need me too.”
Sam shook his head and stepped away from her. “I love Kaia. And even if what she and I had is now damaged beyond recovering, she’s the only person I need. She knows things about me I could never imagine telling you, even if you hadn’t started this crazy shit with Emory and—and fucking bewitching me. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Violet. I’m disappointed in myself for not cutting it off sooner, before it would cause so much suffering. I was weak.”
“Sam Lowell, who knew you could be so eloquent?” She flashed him a biting smile. “You don’t see it yet, but you will soon—you’ll be tied to me for the rest of your life.”
Before he could ask her to explain, Violet turned on her heels and strode off the deck and into the parking lot. He let her go. To chase after her would be to give her an inaccurate sense of the power she believed she held over him, and he wouldn’t let her live under that illusion any longer. Sam turned to the ocean, lifting his face to the briny breeze, knowing that at least one part of him was freer than it had been.
Chapter Fifty-Six
“Alexander was going to kill Sam,” Kaia muttered. “And I almost killed him. And, like, maybe I actually did. The goddamn verdict is still out.” She stifled a choking sob. “My biological father…”
Felicia made a sympathetic clucking noise and shook her head. “You didn’t know who he was, Kaia.”
Kaia let her head droop between her shoulders and instantly felt Tommy’s questioning gaze from where he was playing darts. She offered him her best attempt at a smile, trying to say I’m fine. He nodded, his keen blue eyes lingering a moment to indicate he’d be at her side in a heartbeat if she said the word.
“Seems you found at least one friend down there,” Felicia said.
“Yeah. He’s good, Tommy. Right now, I’m finding it a little hard to get why I should do anything for the siren clan. Seems they’re all assholes, except for Tommy. And you know, you might be crazy to think I could stop the Wildes from building the wind farm.” Kaia had overheard Kenneth Wilde’s conversation with Sam. “Seems like those folks’ve got this town by the balls.”
“Not yet they don’t, but they will if we don’t do something about it,” Felicia said, looking around at the storekeepers, fishermen, school teachers, and other stolid Mainers in the bar. “Cheer up, Kaia. I think you could gather a small army.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kaia said. She sipped her beer, then lifted her brows as outside, Violet Wilde walked quickly past the windows.
“Looks like Sam finally said off with her head.” Felicia craned her neck to peer out the window, and Kaia turned to see Sam standing alone at the very end of the dock. “I think you’d better go talk to him.”
She wanted to talk to him, wanted to bring him to her bed and make each other forget that anyone, anything else existed. But that would be reckless, she knew. There was no way it could actually be healthy, no way it could be what it had been before. Her heart was too sore over what had transpired, and besides that, it was still scarred from the demise of her previous relationship.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“I don’t know if I should,” Kaia said.
Felicia’s hand was soft upon hers, her amber eyes shining gently through the massive round rims of her grass-green glasses. “I think you need to let him—and yourself—know where you stand.”
Knowing that her friend was right, Kaia heaved a sigh and slid off the stool. She shrugged her jacket around her shoulders, taking comfort in Felicia’s compassionate smile. She realized, as she walked out into the cool night air, that her entire body was sore to the bones. She’d never been so tired, she decided as she walked slowly to the end of the deck, where Sam leaned on the railing, his face tilted up to the stars.
“They’re beautiful,” Kaia said.
Sam started and turned to her.
“The stars,” she specified.
He looked up. “Oh, hm.”
“There’s no moon tonight.” Kaia gazed out over the water, where nothing but reflected starlight sliced into the infinite blackness. “I saw Violet leaving. She looked… upset.”
Sam sighed and shook his head. “I told her it was over between us, but I’ll be honest—I don’t know if she got the message.” He turned to her again. He looked about as worn-out as she felt, but in the shadows around his eyes there was a softness that drew her to him. “I meant everything I said to you in the gallery.”
“I know,” Kaia said, though part of her still simmered with righteous indignation for what he’d put her through.
“From the first moment I saw you right there at the bar, the night you came to Quolobit Harbor, I knew I’d been living half a life,” he said.
“And what made you realize that?”
“When I listened to you sing and I heard your voice, that’s when I knew.”
Her own heart ached as she remembered him crying while she sang that night. “Why did you cry?” she asked, looking up at him.
Sam smiled sadly. “Because your voice reminded me of a part of myself I’d almost forgotten. That night, I woke up. I realized I’d been avoiding real love because I was afraid it’d mean I’m just a man, no longer a seal, but somehow you made me feel that I can be both.”
Kaia let herself wrap her arms around him. “Oh, Sam,” she murmured, feeling his lips rest on the top of her head, feeling the warmth of his breath in her hair.
Stiffening, he pulled back.
“What’s the matter?” Kaia asked as he recoiled.
“That smell”—Sam swallowed, hard, his eyes round with fear—“that’s the smell of the person who stole my sealskin.”
Kaia touched a hand to her neck, then sniffed at the inside of her wrist, where the vibrant wild rose perfume Violet had given her warmed her skin.
“Where’d you get that perfume?” Sam asked.
Kaia choked as the pieces began to fit together.
“Violet gave this perfume to me as a gift after I modeled for her. She said it was the first one she ever made,” she whispered, sniffing her wrist again.
A look of dawning clarity came over his face. “Huh. So that’s what she meant when she said I’d be tied to her for the rest of my life.”
“She said that?” Kaia clutched
at her neck, where the rose scent blossomed anew as her temperature rose despite the chill of the winter night. “You think Violet has your sealskin?”
“After what she just said to me, and smelling that on you, I’m sure of it.” Sam laughed.
“That’s terrible, Sam. Why are you laughing?”
“It’s not terrible. It’s great,” Sam said, lifting his brows. He smiled. “I mean, it sucks that I don’t have it, but at least now I know who does. I’ve lived all these years on land not knowing where my sealskin was, not knowing if that person would take good care of it, or destroy me. Now I know. And I can get it back from her.”
“Can you?”
Sam’s smile fell. “I hope so.”
Kaia gasped for breath and turned to take in the cold air that blew in off the ocean’s surface. “And if you do, that means you’ll go back to the ocean… ”
His face crumpled in anguish. “Kaia—I—”
“I’ll help you get it back,” she said, and lifted her chin.
He shook his head, clenching his jaw. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be like the curse says—maybe—”
“I mean it. I want to help you, no matter what the outcome,” she said.
Sam paused before replying, his brows drawing together over his glimmering eyes. Then he drew her to him again, resting his cheek atop her head. They stood that way for a long while in silence before he asked, “Why?”
“Because I love you,” she said, simply. “When your heart wasn’t beating, and you weren’t breathing, Sam, that was all I could think of. That you’d die without knowing what’s in my heart for you. And I’m here,” she said, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes and she looked upward to stay them. “I’m here with you because I just… almost killed someone. Ripped his jugular out with my damned teeth.” She contained a sob, barely. “And that man… he’s my father.” She felt Sam go still against her. “I think I need to be near you right now, Sam, because you make me feel safe, and free, and good. And strong. Stronger than I ever knew. And I need those things. I need to remember right now that I’m more than… a killer.”