“
He didn’t seem unwell at the gathering,” she said with charm, following him to the ship’s entrance.
“
Miss Pierson, were you at all part of the conversation he started?”
Rein laughed at his sarcasm.
“
He is always speaking of absurd things.” He lifted his tough hands up to the vaulted door-wheel, trying hard to turn it.
“
Is he particularly fascinated with horror having to do with cursed beings such as vampires and werewolves?”
He grunted. “Yes, he is.” Then he turned to her with a sigh of frustration. “Bloody thing seems to like locking itself from the inside. I need a key.” As he felt in his pockets, she looked into his burning eyes. They slowly returned her stare.
“
You two are not on good terms, are you?” she asked as he continued feeling for the key in his clothing, shifting his eyes back down.
“
No, we aren’t.”
A moment passed. “I can’t find it,” he said with anger. “The madman stole my key. Bloody stole it.”
Rein felt stupidly forgetful because she hadn’t brought the key she had been given earlier with her. Fortunately, her forgetfulness gave them more time to be forced to talk. She didn’t feel hindered by the downpour to speak to him. Despite his frustrated temperament, she managed to see gentleness underneath his hardened outer shell.
“
Why were you so quiet and annoyed at the meeting he had, Mr. Harker?” she asked softly. “Or do you not want to say?”
He stood still, moving only his eyes up to look at her. “Please, there is no need to call me by my last name,” he said with a sigh.
“
But I feel improper calling you Traith,” she said, smiling harder and with more passion.
He laughed slightly. “I suppose it could feel improper. But,” he held his arms out to his sides with his head cocked, “I’m sure you understand that formality isn’t something I’m known for.” He let his hands fall, staring into the rain at her. “It really doesn’t matter that we get inside quickly now, does it?”
He was right; they both were soaked. He left her and walked back toward the port door, so she turned and followed him.
“
You did not answer my first question,” Rein said agreeably to him on their way back to the port door.
He thought a moment before he replied, his ear against the metal, listening for the captain. “What was it?”
“
Why were you so unresponsive during the meeting that day?”
He turned and chuckled. She saw his brilliantly white teeth to the full extent. She had never seen his teeth, not even when he spoke since he always mumbled. It was as if he had been hiding his smile, but in that momentary glimpse, she knew why.
They were as white as snow, but his top set of eyeteeth and the bottom alike were very sharp and pointed, like those of a carnivorous animal. It was only the canines on his upper and lower jaws that were sharp; all the other teeth were quite regular. The upper ones were much longer than his lower, which were only slightly pointed. She realized they greatly reminded her of Romanoff’s teeth. How had she not noticed them before? He had spoken so many times to her.
He closed his mouth. “Damn,” he said, turning his fiery eyes away from her and shaking his head in anger, a smile of pure frustration up his face.
She was baffled at his harsh response, and her heartbeat began ringing in her ears.
“
Bizarre aren’t they?” he said with an irritable look.
She felt guilty as a murderer. “Traith,” she murmured. “Traith, I’m so, so sorry. But what happened to you?”
He became very grave, and his eyes narrowed. “My teeth aren’t cherished, Rein,” was all he said. “Just like my scars, and my eyes.”
Through the downpour she stared at him. She thought she was crying but it was hard to tell. She felt as though she had nearly severed her friendship with him by asking that question.
“
Dear God. I’m ruining this, aren’t I?” she said.
He said nothing, and there was a pause.
“
I want you to trust me, Traith,” she muttered. “Don’t fear that I would say something about you to anyone. Please.”
The fiery red of his eyes enlarged. “I do trust you,” he said simply. “But there are some things that I want to keep hidden. Doesn’t matter now, though.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what happened to me, Rein.” The time nearly stood still. “I can’t remember.”
Through the rain, she saw his insecurity, and her heart ached for him. His quiet temperament had to be because he feared people seeing him as different.
But he didn’t know
her
. Didn’t know that she was unlike most typical girls who might be deterred by such differences as his. Differences that meant nothing to her.
He had told her the truth—the truth that Romanoff had told her first. He was being honest.
“
It doesn’t take away from you,” she said as she approached him. “You’re differences aren’t that dramatic, and they make you
you
. To me, anyway.”
He looked shocked. “Mhm,” he mumbled. “Of course they do. They would have to, you never knew me as anything else.”
Rein was miserable for him. He faced the port door, unlocking it slowly. A key lay on the top step of the stairwell, and the captain was gone. Traith bent down and with a swoop of his hand, grabbed the key, stood straight, and pushed the door closed, locking it again.
“
Look what I found,” he said in exasperation.
“
I don’t mind the rain,” she replied. But her heart was still stinging. “Traith, please don’t be upset.”
He walked slowly to the entrance door. But almost as fast as he had turned to look at her, the wind picked up with ferocity and a huge wave hit the side of the ship. He felt for a rail or a door handle as the wave rose above them. Then she saw him throw the bottle that he had put into his pocket off the side of the ship.
The wave crashed down, and the last thing she saw was him falling and being thrust into a rail. She heard him hit the rail and grunt, but the wash of saltwater by that time was already over her face. Knocked down, she was sliding on the deck as the sudden rush of saltwater stung her eyes and lips. Then she hit something, a rail, and covered her face until the water washed off of the deck.
And then she felt two hands lift her up and hold her shoulders. Blinking to open her eyes, the salt still burning them, she could barely see his face through the rain.
“
That was uncalled for,” he said, and she saw unclearly his forearm raise and wipe across his face. “And brutal. Are you all right?”
She nodded, and when the burning sensation left her, she gazed at him. He was still holding her up with one hand, and he didn’t let go. But she didn’t pull away. It seemed as though his eyes were shining through the rain. His other hand took her other shoulder. She noticed that she was drawing closer to him.
Was it on purpose? It had to be. But she couldn’t control herself. She was nearly in a dream, where their faces drew closer and closer…
But it ended.
He recoiled slowly, let go of her, and held his hand out for hers.
She shook her head and forgot about the dream. Had it been a dream? No; she had nearly tasted his lips. In their closeness, she had breathed in his appealing cologne through the dank, salty smell of the ocean. Nearly tasted
him
. In that sheer instant, she wasn’t sure what had happened.
He led her back to the entrance door, quickly unlocked it, and brought her into the ship with him, closing the door. His head was down, and he shook his hands to remove the excess water. She felt ill. They had almost kissed. His eyes were so intent on her, but he’d stopped it.
“
I can’t say I’ve ever been hit by a wave that size before,” he said quietly.
She made an empty smile. “You’ve been hit by a wave before?”
“
A couple times out on that bloody deck, but that one was massive.”
“
Terrible weather,” she said with a smile. “And all I can taste now is that nasty saltwater.”
His eyes turned to her with sadness. Perhaps he had felt it as well—that fascination. Certainly he had. “I suppose we should change into drier clothes.”
“
Yes, I suppose so.”
“
Have you eaten yet?” he asked.
She stared at him for a moment. Out of nowhere he had become relaxed. She felt herself smiling.
“
No. I haven’t at all today. Barely at all yesterday, save what was in my icebox.” She choked. “There were two plates, you know.”
His eyes widened. “You were in your room since
then
? The entire time you stayed in your chamber?” With her acknowledgement, he shook his head in thought. “I don’t recall ordering two meals.” He wrung some more excess water off his shirt, and his manner took a sudden turn to graveness.
“
Do you have anything else you’re hiding from me, Traith?” she asked softly. “I truly want to be your friend. I want you to have someone to talk to.” She was speaking without thinking, she realized after she had finished.
But to her relief, he was not acting as if she had spoken too brazenly. His eyes were focused directly at her. “No. You’ve learned just about everything,” he whispered. “Thank you, Rein.”
He took a single step away. They were interrupted with a sudden opening of a door, the one leading to the atrium. Relief swept over her at seeing that it was Carden Romanoff, and he had stopped Traith from leaving.
“
Traith!” he yelled heartily and with a welcoming laugh. “God, man, did you feel that hit? The whole ship tossed! Tables are turned over everywhere!”
“
Yes,” Traith said, not yet facing him, “I felt it. It was cold.”
“
You are sopping!” Romanoff added.
Traith then turned his body to him, his voice full of no enthusiasm at all. “By the way, Carden…”
Romanoff’s large eyes were filled with happiness as he paced up to the two of them through the dimly lit hallway. “Why, you both are! Miss Pierson,” he said in greeting as he bowed slightly. “For what purpose were you both standing in the rain?”
“
We felt like taking a bath,” Traith said sarcastically.
“
Was that a wave that hit this ship?” the Frenchman asked sincerely.
“
Was that not obvious enough?” Traith murmured.
Romanoff huffed. “Hold that saucy tongue of yours for a mere moment, will you?” He sighed. “Once both of you
merfolk
dry off, why don’t you prepare yourselves for a little tête-à-tête with Saria and I tonight? We can order dinner and sit in the unused parlor.” He paused when Traith shot him a cold glance, but smiled anyway. “In the unused parlor in the
V-Wing,
yes! That room would be perfect, seeing as no one goes in there. We would have it to ourselves!”
“
Do you realize what time it is?” Traith asked dryly.
“
Not at all late!” Romanoff replied as casually as always.
Rein greatly anticipated the possibility. Just the four of them would be so splendid, and they could eat and spend time together. But the look on Traith’s face suggested that any debate over it at all would be closed.
He began speaking hesitantly. “I don’t think—”
Romanoff chimed in fast. “Just
stop
thinking and have a bit of fun, eh, monsieur?”
Traith looked at her for a moment and then sighed. “I suppose,” he said nearly inaudibly, as if only his lips had been moving.
“
Good!” Romanoff announced, his voice echoing in the hall. He patted Traith hard on the back, but he didn’t even flinch. “I shall tell the cook to bring us food there, and we can meet you, once you both are dry and dressed, down at the West Parlor!”
Romanoff seemed to be glowing with excitement, practically lighting up the dark hallway, and he led them both back into the atrium. Rein glanced with a smile over at Traith, but he wasn’t paying any attention, shaking his wet hands and looking down. It was amusing to see his frustration over being wet. When she giggled, his head snapped up, but he smiled, and she saw passion take hold of his smile for the first time.
“
We must look horrible in front of all these people, sopping as we are,” she said laughing. Her heart was racing with chills from the cold and the thrill of the proposed dinner and what was nearly a kiss.
“
They usually don’t pay any attention to me.” He looked around and shook his head when he noticed the people staring coldly. “Who knows? Those might be their happy faces. None of their expressions ever change.”
Such sarcasm as his was intriguing to her, and she laughed at it, as did Romanoff in front of them. Then that made him smile. She realized that she felt revived and happy for nearly the first time since her arrival on the ship. The odd part was, it was because of Traith Harker, not because she had left England and seen the ocean. She also sensed that it was probably his first time feeling happy since she had boarded—or perhaps it was his first time feeling happy since long before that.