Blend On The Water Astoria Queens Novels & Stories

It’s cute of him, but I find it annoying at the same time. These last days, I’ve been preparing things for the newbies that will join the new assassin group. Tomorrow we will head to Mount Black Mist, and my dear friend Roxana will join me for the training. I was skeptical about taking her, but I will need someone’s opinion and feedback, Caspian will usually accompany me and help me, but there’s no one else. But here, for now.

I breathe, shrugging out of my jacket to drape it over her head as a sheet of heavy rain barrels toward the ship, violently crashing down over the deck. Sawyer races to the helm to steady the boat as we rock against the surging waves. I clutch Brie close, trying to edge away from the railing, but her iron grip prevents me from moving as she looks over her shoulder, her lips parted in a gasp. I follow her gaze, watching in awe as the Asteria, then the Atropos, come into view, appearing out of a haze of dark mist nearly invisible to the naked eye. I look down at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as other boats start to appear. I have to squeeze my eyes shut against the rain, but I pray, and

Silence floods in to replace it. I sit staring out at gray-blue water spreading toward Manhattan skyline. The Statue of Liberty is visible in the distance, small enough to fit between my thumb and forefinger if I frame it right. Boats move with purpose between boroughs, wakes spreading behind them in perfect V formations that disappear before reaching shore. The letter sits on my lap. Victor's words pressed against my thighs through fabric and paper that weighs more than it should. Water slaps against the pier below—rhythmic, indifferent. Salt and diesel cut through the car even with windows closed.

Later That Afternoon — Astoria, Queens The sun dipped lower over Queens, casting warm amber light across rows of modest brownstones and flowering stoops. The air was quiet on this particular block, the kind of silence that only came in the lull between school let-out and dinner. A sleek black Mercedes eased to a stop at the curb.

She quickly pushed that thought straight into the back of her mind. She carefully folded her dress and placed it on the porch of the building, approaching the body of water. Derek was the first to see her coming and he let out a low whistle. Joaquin and Ki-woo turned and saw her. Ki-woo gulped, staring without subtlety, while Joaquin averted his gaze immediately; he was afraid of Darius punching his face in if he was ever caught staring. Astrid, not aware of the effect she had on everyone present, slowly got into the water. She smiled at the warmth of it against her skin.

He punctuated that last bit with a leer and a waggle of his eyebrows. Ruby glanced behind him toward the open water. There were two cruise ships docked here today - the one she'd just come from, the Queen Aquaria, and then the Ocean Jamboree, which featured a tangle of water slides on the main deck and was blaring electronic dance music so loud that she could hear it from here. She had an idea where these guys belonged. "Sorry," she said with a shrug. "I'm on the Queen Aquaria." "No way," one of the other frat guys said with a laugh. "That's the old person cruise."

The rich blue water came into view as we broke through the tree line and onto the soft sand that made my feet slide with each step. The dark blue waves were ferocious against the shore and rocks that sat in its way. “Come here, dear.” Queen Fara stepped into the water, barely deep enough to cover her ankles. I did as she asked and stepped forward towards the water, with a gentle hand, she guided me into the water and when my foot entered the blue coolness, the waves immediately calmed down to a slow paced wash up. A light blue shimmer cascaded over the top layer of the water and up to my foot.

Astoria announced in a loud voice making the sky bolt and thunder. Abigail doesn’t know what to do. They started chanting. Her body and brain screamed at her to run but she couldn’t. Her brain is hurting. Her eyes started turning into Aquamarine blue but soon it started turning darker further. Now, she has a pair of shiny Sapphire blue eyes that could steal the heart of any man.

Smiling like he knew exactly what I was thinking. Heat flooded my body. Not from the mate bond this time. Or maybe it was. I couldn’t tell anymore. Astarian dove into the water. For a moment, he disappeared beneath the surface. Then he emerged right in front of me. Too close. Way too close. Water dripped from his hair. Ran down his face. His chest. I watched a droplet slide down his neck and wanted to follow it with my tongue. Stop. Stop thinking like that. But I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t even realize I said it out loud. “You look like a tourist seeing water for the first time.” Pascha said. “Because this isn’t water. This is… liquid glass.” Gosausee stretched out in front of me like another world fallen from the sky. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky, the towering Dachstein peaks in the distance, and the silent pine trees lining the shore. I stepped onto the small wooden dock, looked up, then quickly lifted my phone and started taking pictures. Once. Twice. Three times. Then switched to panorama mode.