A Duet with the Siren Duke (Married to Magic, #4)

by Elise Kova

The sea will devour me, if given the chance. If not the waves and currents, or sharp-toothed animals, then the ghosts and monsters that haunt its depths.

If the cost of my happiness is the world’s judgment, then it is a price I’ll pay.

He doesn’t love me. He never did. He loves feeling needed. Important. What he loves is knowing that at any time of day, I am there to be whatever he wants. That I am here on this rock every time he leaves and am waiting every time he returns.

“An offering, Of life so fine, Unto the old And ancient divine. Er’y corner of the land, Er’y depth of the sea, Shall open unto thee.

No plant nor man, Bird nor beast, Shall hold you back when you desire release.”

The sound of a man’s rage has a cloying, grasping feeling working its way up my spine, gripping the back of my neck. Get away, every instinct demands.

“We all endure deep and difficult wounds. They’re not an excuse for handling oneself in a boorish manner.” I squeeze her shoulder before releasing. “Never compromise your worth, not for anyone, not even for family.”

Ilryth’s eyes in the sunlight remind me of the sun between the leaves of fall. Cozy. Warm. They’re eyes that beg you to trust. Which is more dangerous than any cruel glare.

His voice was my lullaby for years. How he haunted me with the constant reminder of my impending demise.

For nearly five years, a siren sang me to sleep almost every night, and I have only just now appreciated the sound that would make sailors leap to their deaths for want of merely hearing it a bit better.

His voice—his song—it feels as if my very soul aches for it. Simple notes fill me to the brim, leaving no room for thoughts, for pain or doubt.

“Sing for me, Victoria.” His nose brushes my temple, as though he is actually whispering in my ear.

His voice is achingly beautiful. Toe-curling. It fills my chest and soothes the beast of my pain that paces its cage.

“I exhaust you?” I call after him as he swims away. “Most definitely. You seem to require all my energy and attention these days; I can think of nothing else but you.”

I can think of nothing else but you,

I cannot worry about the things beyond my control. The what ifs.

“You are worthy of so much more than I, or anyone, could ever give. I could spend a lifetime giving to you, and it wouldn’t be enough,”

“You don’t have to repay someone for their love. It’s given freely.”

“No buts. That’s it. It’s that simple. If someone loves you, truly loves you, it’s because they want to—because they can’t imagine a world in which they don’t. Because you make their soul sing just with your mere existence.”

Who we are is independent of the trauma that tries to mar our souls. It is a part of us, it might teach us, but it does not define us.” Those

I cross the gap between me and Ilryth and grab his face with both hands, kissing him with a fierceness I didn’t know I still possessed.