Page 3 of Leviathan's Song
He broke into a large grin, his teethjustthis side of too sharp for a human. Merfolk supposedly had sharp teeth, similar to a water sprite, but I’d never met one myself.
“It seems fitting,” he said, his light eyes assessing my form. “You’re wearing enough jewelry to finance an empire.” His eyes were warm as he said it, as if, perhaps, his teasing wasn’t meant to be taken as mocking.
I didn’t know how to respond, so I simply asked the question on my mind. “What are you doing?”
His smile dropped by a degree, and his eyes narrowed a fraction. “What does it look like I’m doing?” The crowd had dispersed, and being the focus of his attention made me feel as though a wave were crashing over me, pulling me toward him in a rising tide. A flush crept up my neck and into my cheeks.
“It looks like you’re playing guitar on the sidewalk,” I began, struggling to focus. “But itfeelslike you’re enchanting people. That doesn’t make any sense, though, because you’re not a mermaid.” The last bit was mostly muttered to myself.
“Last time I checked, that was correct,” he replied with a smirk.
If I narrowed my eyes at him any further, they would shut. This guy could weaponize his charm.
He hesitated before seeming to catch himself, then leaned over, straightening the money in his case. Clearly a dismissal.
“Wouldn’t that be stealing?” I asked, because I couldn’t help myself. Everything about it just feltwrongto me.
“Why?” He sat back on his haunches and looked at me. “Everything here is freely given. Performing is an art, and art makes people feel things. I can’t help it if the words I speak affect people more than someone else’s words. I have bills to pay, so I use what gifts I have at my disposal to make a living.” His eyes grew colder as he spoke, defensive and cautious. “I don’t suppose someone who comes from old money would know much about that though.”
I looked down at my clothing: a draping top, designer jeans, and a light peacoat. “Why would you think that?”
“Lots of things, Empress, but your accent screams Upper Golden Laurel.” He stuffed his cash into a cubby in his case and gently placed his guitar inside, nestling it carefully before closing the case.
“I’m not an Empress,” I muttered.
“Notyet.”He stood, his grin returning, and picked up his case. “But if you work very hard, you might get there someday. Maybe this will help.” He pulled something out of his pocket and flicked it to me as he walked away.
Catching the object out of the air, I opened my hand to reveal a quarter.
Chapter 2
I was surprised,as the week went on, how many times the siren returned to my thoughts. While there were many men I found to be attractive, it was incredibly rare for me to feelattracted tosomeone, and I wondered if the frequency of my thoughts was simply that: attraction.
When we’d discussed the encounter the next day, Sidney had been nearly hysterical at my retelling.
“Lord, Elara, I can’t believe he pegged your accent right down to the neighborhood,” she’d said with a laugh. “Only you would question the ethics of a siren singing on the street. It’s not like he was luring sailors to a watery grave.”
She had asked me multiple times why he’d given me a non-magical quarter, not understanding why he thought I might want human money, not understanding that it was meant as a taunt, and a well deserved one at that. My face heated at the memory. I was more embarrassed every time my conversation with him mentally resurfaced.
I jerked from my distraction when my name was called, stepping forward quickly to collect my coffee from the counter at the local Starbucks. Halfway to the door, I felt the siren’s magic outside and froze.
I briefly contemplated living in a coffee shop for the rest of my life. That was assuming he wasn’t planning to come inside. The possibility of him finding me standing here like a deer in headlights had me glancing toward the bathroom. That was ridiculous, but I wasn’t ready to see him again.
I recognized that I’d still been irritated about Harrington’s behavior toward me in my shop that day and upset about the kelpie attacks on the water sprites, and it had been unfair to direct those feelings toward him. He’d also been right that Ididn’tknow anything about struggling to pay bills. I’d been born to a wealthy family in a wealthy area, and thanks to my father’s abilities as an artificer and golemancer, which he passed on to me, he’d never had difficulty securing contracts with the government in the Boundlands.
The siren provided entertainment, and people willingly paid him for that service. No one was harmed by his manipulation, and if perhaps they were a bit more generous than they would have been otherwise, who was I to say what he was doing waswrong? I used my own magic to make a living for myself. Admittedly, I still had some quibbles about thewayhe was using his magical talents, but I also had concerns about the morals of the contracts my father took to make the money he’d provided for our family as well. I came to the conclusion, while glaring into space, that I had indeed been too quick to judge him.
I knew I needed to apologize, but that didn’t mean I wanted to do itright now. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a reasonable way for me to get back to my shop without him seeing me.
I could feel him outside, impressions of sand and surf, high tide and clear, starry nights, rolling over me. Once I’d met someone and felt their magic, I could usually recognize them from a distance. Each person’s unique combination of presence and magic stood apart to me from anyone else’s, even if just slightly, like a scent or a taste. Feeling him out there and knowing I was only delaying the inevitable, I made myself move.
Forcing myself forward, I stepped out onto the patio, as the wind lifted loose strands of my dark brunette hair around my face. Moving slowly to keep from jingling, I did my best not to draw attention. I found him bent over a shaded table, writing on a sheet of paper with an empty cup near his hand.
I realized I could walk past him, pretend like I hadn’t seen him, but now that Ihadseen him, it felt inexplicably rude. While I despised inviting confrontation, I knew I’d offended him, and my conscience wouldn’t allow me to escape from apologizing now that I had the opportunity to do so.
I hated this. Sidney would never fret over a conversation. She’d just stroll right up and say whatever she wanted to. I could be brave.Right?
I stilled near his table, unsure how to approach. Should I interrupt him? Wait for him to see me? I hadn’t really thought this part through. I was half a second from chickening out and returning to hide in the store when he paused to brush his hair back from his face, spotting me out of the corner of his eye.
