thinking, I moved towards her, wanting to reassure, only she darted behind someone else.
And that was when the locket did something to me.
Magic seized my limb, and the next thing I knew, I’d wrapped my arm around another woman—a witch by the feel of her—and dragged her beneath the surface.
Why? What had happened to me? I had no control as I sought to drown the innocent passenger.
I wanted to apologize. I wasn’t a monster, even if I appeared as one. I wasn’t a murderer either, even as it seemed the woman would drown.
A man came to her rescue, diving in after her, doing a horribly awkward front crawl. Self-preservation had me knocking him away before he could attack me with sharp teeth and claws.
That was when the witch took offense.
I burped air as pain jolted my limb, loosening it finally. The witch escaped with her would-be rescuer, and I…I was annoyed that a magical locket had thought to control me. I had enough problems with my inner monster doing that. I didn’t need any other distractions.
Tunneling to the surface, I projected my tentacle from the water as high as it could go.
Be gone cursed item. I flung the locket back onto the ship.
Not long after, I was pulling myself up the fat links of the anchor, naked and being catcalled by mermaids who felt a need to discuss my ass and dangling balls.
Presenting well didn’t make me immune from embarrassment. It kept me warm as I made my way quickly to my room. But hiding proved to be impossible as my uncle waited for me.
“Where have you been?” Shax bellowed the moment I entered my suite.
“Out for a swim.”
“Swim? Shouldn’t you instead be in bed with your new wife?”
“What are you talking about?” I played dumb. Surely, he didn’t know already. I wasn’t even sure myself.
“I’m talking about your marriage. Last night. Did you really think you could hide this from me?” My uncle shook the paper at me. “The chapel sent over a copy of the marriage certificate this morning. You sly bastard. I don’t know how you did it.”
“Me either.” Although alcohol and an incense that was more than just flavored smoke might have played a part.
“How did you find her?”
“I didn’t. We met when I was playing roulette.”
“And then fell madly in love, got married, and broke the curse.” My uncle beamed.
Whereas I frowned. “No. I got drunk with a woman, did something stupid, and now I’m going to fix it.”
Uncle Shax eyed me, then the paper. His expression turned incredulous. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” I snapped.
“The name of your wife.”
“Sasha.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s what I remember.”
“What about her last name?” my uncle prodded.
I flung out my hands. “I don’t know.”
“How could you not know the name of the woman you married?”
“Because I was drunk. High.” Desperate, but I didn’t say that aloud.
“Well, I do.” Shax thrust the sheet of paper at me. “Take a look.”
“If I must.” I took the document and eyed it. An official-looking missive with my sloppy signature on it and a more feminine scrawl beside. But it was the name that caught me.
Bianca, which I didn’t recognize. The last name stopped my heart.
Farseer.
It couldn’t be.
The coincidence…
I glanced at my uncle. “Is this some kind of joke?”
He shook his head.
“But the woman I met last night, her name is Sasha. Not Bianca.” Unless my recollection was faulty.
“According to this, she’s part of the Farseer family.”
“We can’t be sure this Bianca Farseer is related to the one that cursed my family.”
“Oh, she’s the last of the Farseer line, all right.” Poof. The words arrived before the devil. He looked resplendent in flamingo pink shorts with skeleton versions of the birds embroidered in white. Deck shoes and a jaunty sailor cap completed his ensemble.
My uncle didn’t bat an eye at the devil’s sudden appearance. “Can she break the curse?”
The devil appeared coy as he said slowly, “Maybe.”
“What do you mean, maybe? Either she can, or she can’t,” Uncle huffed with impatience.
“It’s not just about marrying the girl. They need to be in luuuuuv.” Lucifer exaggerated the word.
The reminder had me grimacing. I liked Sasha well enough, but we’d only barely met. My recollections were hazy at best, except at the same time, parts of them were sharp. Like how her lips had felt against mine.
“There isn’t enough time.” I didn’t even realize I had murmured aloud.
The devil agreed. “Nope. You’re screwed. So, you might as well take the job.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t ready to reply