Dirty Lying Sirens

Chapter Seventeen

Caspian

Rain pattered against the windows as I sat inside the ship.

As long as the storm didn't get too bad and we stayed on course I wouldn't have to go out there. I made myself a sandwich but I barely ate half of it before setting it aside to watch out the windows. I wondered briefly if I should stay up to help Nikkos with the storm, but if he needed the help he could always wake me up. Nikkos was no idiot, and both of us had too much respect for what the sea could do to a little ship like this one to not take precautions when needed.

The sun would be up in an hour or so, considering we were charging headfirst into the eastern horizon. But for now, the common space was soft and quiet in the night. The only light from the tiny illuminated strips of white around the baseboards and the moonlight that graced the wooden floorboards.

I laid back on the seats, just watching the path of the raindrops sliding down the glass. After a long stretch of time to myself, the clouds began to lighten. The rain would probably stop soon, and the sun would dry off the deck.

A door slid open behind me, Nikkos coming out of the cabin we were now sharing.

"You're up early," I commented, still watching out the windows.

Nikkos walked over, stretching his shoulder. He was already neatly dressed in Atlantean clothing, loose linen pants under a longer-styled embroidered shirt. It would seem we were both done with the mainland clothing until our next trip out.

"I couldn't sleep I guess," Nikkos said. "Any troubles in the night?"

"No. We're still making good time. If we don't run into anything big we can probably expect to be home early," I said.

Nikkos nodded, going to the other end of the window seats and taking a seat. He watched out the windows for a moment, then turned to me.

"Why are you avoiding her?" he asked.

I frowned. "We're on different sleep schedules," I said.

Nikkos sighed through his nose, sweeping his fingers through his hair and giving me a knowing frown. "You know what I mean."

I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the seats. "It's complicated."

"Try me," he said.

"I just don't want her to get attached, okay?" I said. "In a week's time she's going to be put on a pedestal with the other sirens."

"And you think she'll forget all about you?" Nikkos said. "Is that your worry? Caspian, I'll be the first to caution you not to get emotionally involved with a siren, but it's clearly too late for that. You kissed her, after all."

I frowned. "Did she tell you that?"

Nikkos shot me a puzzled look. "No, you told me that. Back on the mainland."

Then, his expression twisted into frustrated bewilderment. "Did you kiss her again?"

I turned away from him. "Nikkos..."

"You did, didn't you?" He threw his hands in the air. "Caspian, go after her or don't! Right now I bet she's confused by why you're being an ass."

"I'm not!" I snapped. "At least, I'm not trying to be."

"Madeline is a genuinely sweet person," Nikkos said. "She's caring and considerate, and she doesn't deserve what happened to her."

"I know," I groaned.

"Then what are you doing to her?" Nikkos said, exasperated. "Even I can see she has feelings for you. It's been a week, Caspian. Are you trying to mess with her head?"