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“Fifty coppers to buy in,” the one with the pipe said, one arm slung over the back of his chair. A wide-brimmed hat with a feather hung from the chair, and his skin stretched like leather across his frame, dark and tight from years in the sun.
Was this the captain of the Oilliphéist he’d heard others mention?
Kade joined the table, taking the last empty seat. “How about fifty coppers and instead of cards you answer some questions, Captain?”
The man’s eyes darted downward in a movement so slight only Kade’s werewolf sight caught it. The rest of the table stiffened. Kade sensed their wariness as if it perfumed the air. He threw fifty coppers onto the mountain of coin in the center of the table, redirecting the crew’s attention. All eyes twinkled with the promise of more money.
“I’m looking for a passenger who boarded your ship four months ago,” Kade said, crossing his arms.
The captain snorted, taking a puff from his pipe. “I suppose at that price I can entertain ya. Who you lookin’ for?”
“She wouldn’t have used her real name. Early twenties. Dark hair. Traveled with a large cat.” Kade cringed. Why would Evelyn choose a feline companion to travel with?
The crewman named Sam huffed a laugh. “Aye, I don’t think any of us would forget such a fine beauty. Could we, lads? Eyes of steel with an ass—”
“Careful,” Kade said with lethal calm. He locked his eyes on the crewman, his wolf growling below the surface. “That is my future wife you speak of.”
The captain slapped Sam upside the head. “Are you daft, boy?”
Sam winced and rubbed the back of his head, sinking into his chair.
The captain sighed and said, “Aye, the young woman you speak of was on my ship. Boarded it with red hair and a black cat, but her hair changed to black as night for the rest of the trip, while her cat was a fiery red thing.”
Another crewman nodded in agreement. “A witch in disguise, if you ask me.”
The story fit, and Kade didn’t hear a hint of a lie in the captain’s tone. He itched to pinch the bridge of his nose, a habit when he worried, but remained calm in his seat. He’d already considered that Evelyn might be using a disguise, but he felt like a fool hearing it out loud. He himself masked his wolf. Why wouldn’t she do the same in more ways than one? Kade remained still as stone in his seat, worry and frustration weighing him down. He might as well be trying to catch the wind at this point.
“Did you not think to ask about this said disguise?” Kade asked, letting some of his frustration leak through his tone.
Another crewman, seated to the right of the captain, narrowed his eyes. “Not our business, and I’m not entirely sure it’s any of yours, future wife or not.”
Moons, the prophecy and his duty was his business, and as Daughter of the Goddess, Evelyn was tied to it. Kade mastered his temper and threw an extra three coins, this time silver, onto the table, diffusing the growing tension. “What else can you tell me?”
The crew and captain shared a silent conversation with looks and nods. Kade’s patience wore thin, until the captain sighed.
“Not much, I am afraid. She stuck to herself. Spent some time on deck during the day but stayed in her room most of the journey. Seemed on edge the first few days but boarded the ship with rigid determination. Definitely running from something.” He paused, took a puff of his pipe, and eyed Kade. “Or someone.”
Kade ignored the jab, again not wanting to face the fact he may be the reason she left. If so, convincing her to come back would be more difficult, but Kade had learned from his mother’s sacrifice that what he and Evelyn wanted did not matter compared to their duty.
He had to try and convince her of that.
“Have you seen her in town?” Kade asked.
The captain nodded. “Aye, of course, Saige’s a barmaid here.”
Kade’s wolf howled. She was here, in this very establishment.
A crew member clicked his tongue. “True, Captain, but I haven’t seen her at all tonight.”
“Aye,” another crew member chimed in. “Perhaps she left after the McCarthy girl’s murder.”
“Shame, that is,” the captain whispered.
“A murder?” Kade asked.
Had that been the tension he’d felt earlier at the docks?
“Aye, a young woman drained of blood. They sayin’ it was a vampyr. Can you believe that? A vampyr in Torren, let alone Callum of all places.” The captain shook his head.
