And if the Viking isn’t a siren either, what other kinds of creatures could get past the veil?
It leaves so many posing questions amongst us, ones we need to ask Taysa because something is wrong with the spell.
“Let him in,” Nesrine bellows, chuckling at my sister’s scowls. “I know Davina wants to know what he brought.”
Sullivan bows his head before leaving while my sisters start in on my third eldest sister and her chancy bias of my friend.
“Ladies,” a male voice greets cheerily as Nesrine looks over her shoulder and gives me a wink. She steps aside, letting me take in Tobias as he enters with a small chest in his hands. “How are you today?”
“Inconvenienced,” Atarah pipes in, crossing her ivory arms along her chest. “I thought I told you to stop coming here or there would be consequences to your defiance.”
Tobias might like to mock the reality of what we could do to him, but I’d never let it get that far, no matter how many times Atarah threatens his life. She always seems to forget the simple, yet complicated fact that he released Rohana from the net she was held captive in and the reason why she’s not three sisters short.
I watch him smile, his boyish good looks could melt any normal woman’s demeanor down, if he was around any normal human women. My sisters are unaffected by his humor and charm but a quarter of us like him—myself, Rohana, and Nesrine.
Kali is torn between paranoid and gratefulness. Skeptical because her voice should have impaired his and the crew's ears that day, but he was unaffected. The moment my head broke over the waves, he was peering over the rail, looking down at us when he should’ve been dazed, confused, and possibly ready to step over the side.
As much as my impulse tells me I shouldn’t care about a human, let alone a boy that was on a Hunters’ ship of all things, but I’m glad he’s here—most of the time.
“Ah, yes,” Tobias falters. “But you forget that I’m used to living in the face of danger, my little snowflake.”
Atarah steps in his direction, her eyes turning the frosty white that they do when she is on the verge of losing her temper. “Don’t call me by your nicknames like it’s going to soothe my ongoing irritation with you, Tobias. You’re riding on my last nerve.”
Tobias gently places the chest on the floor and holds out his hands. “No disrespect, Your Majesty.” He looks over at me. “But your little sister seems to like what I bring, and, well, I have quite the collection today.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t bring any of your human friends on the island as well,” Nesrine exhorts.
Tobias glances at her. “No, they’re all too scared to venture past the mist. They think it’s haunted.”
“You’re a fool,” Atarah spouts, balling her hands into fists. “You bring your men close to our home to capture us and—” That’s when Tobias’s attention snaps back to her.
He hates when he’s accused of bringing people to hurt us. That he’d betray me in any way, shape, or form.
And I believe him.
He’s never steered me wrong. Never did he treat my sisters with disrespect, if anything he tried to force his charm on each one of them in hopes that they’d all welcome him with open arms.
Let’s just say he had his work cut out for him.
“Amongst other things, I’m a fool, yes,” he leers. “But a traitor, not in this lifetime, snow bunny.”
Atarah takes another step forward, but Nesrine moves in front of her. “And what do you want in return for these items that you keep bringing?” she asks.
His brown eyes fall on me. “To see your sister smile for once.” I roll mine, which gets him to chuckle.
“Did you bring something for me?” Rohana asks him, hands clasped together to keep her excitement in check.
Tobias reaches into his long brown leather coat and pulls out something but keeps it hidden in his palm. My sister skips to him, stopping when she’s a foot away, impatiently waiting for him to reveal what he’s brought.
Extending his palm, a soft gasp leaves my sister’s lips before she snatches it.
“Oh, Davina!” She twirls on her heels, holding up what looks to be a gold chain with a large purple gem hanging off it. “It matches.”
I crack a grin. “It’s beautiful.”
Nesrine walks in Tobias’s direction and bumps his shoulder purposely while stating, “Good luck with that.”
Striding from the room, the rest of my sisters follow her but not before Atarah gets to make her final comment, of course.
“The next time you step foot on this island, pirate, make sure you bring someone for my sisters and I to play with. We don’t like it when someone plays favorites.”
She bumps his other shoulder then sends me a warning look before withdrawing from the room.
Rohana ignores Atarah’s hostility, clearly in her own state of euphoria, because her lavender hair wraps around Tobias’s shoulder as she gives him a hug. Mumbling a quick thank-you, she scurries out, following the rest of my siblings.
Tobias sighs, adjusting his brown coat, and brings his attention to me. “I swear, one day she’s going to kill me.”
“She’ll have to go through Rohana first.” The left side of his mouth quirks as he picks up his chest and rests it on the dining room table, rust sprinkling onto the surface.
“I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to come back with things, got caught up in Port Thetis but...” Tobias cracks the lip of the chest as it whines in protest, expressing its age and the amount of time it hasn’t been opened. “I brought you this, Princess.”
Gems of different colors; reds, blues, and greens along with long strings of pearls fill most of the bottom—but it’s the small dagger on the top that gets my full attention.
One like the Viking’s.
It’s beautiful, no special encrusted gems or engravings embellish the weapon except for the etched lines down the middle of the knife. The handle is black and gold while the blade makes a sharp descent into a fine point.
How many stories this weapon must have—the bloodshed, the crusades it could’ve sailed or marched on. Every object has a story, and that’s one of the best curiosities and wonders I have about each thing Tobias brings me.
“Of all things, you pick the blade,” Tobias chortles with a shake of his head. “I bring you rare jewels, you choose the most dangerous thing out of the chest.”
I ignore him, turning it in my hands and examining any hidden clue of its past or journey.
“I’ll keep the rest of it here for you in case you change your mind. Give some to your sisters,” he voices. “There’s enough for you there. And speaking of, I better leave before your sister makes good on her word.”
I don’t respond, still studying the new item to add to my assembly.
“I might not see you for a few weeks, I have to go make good on my own word with another pirate who stole something from me.” I can feel his eyes on me. “So take care of yourself.”
I hear him walk away, all the things around his waist clacking and clicking together.
“Don’t you dare come in here giving me gifts then tell me you’re going to go fight your stupid human battles.” I hear him halt. “What did they take from you?”