Behind him, the jingle of Aleksei’s keys rattled under Kye’s heavy breathing. Chains clanged. I kept my eyes on Burian.
Confusion altered his features before he shrieked, pushing me away and struggling to his feet, tripping over Aleksei. I strained against my chains to follow, unwilling to lose my grasp, and felt his heart give an erratic heave.
The meaty sound of flesh striking flesh met my ears as Kye punched him in the back of the head, and for the second time in as many minutes, the light in Burian’s eyes snuffed out.
He landed hard in my lap. Kye shoved him off, sending the pirate onto the floor as he shoved a key into my cuffs with shaking hands and freed me. We faced each other, panting. The air was molten with his anger as he looked me over for injuries. My body shook, hands clenched into stony fists.
Kye kneeled at my feet, chest heaving. “Are you hurt?”
A strained sob escaped my lips. “I'm fine.”
“Aalto and back,” he swore. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.”
“I'm fine,” I repeated, wishing I could stop my moon-forsaken legs from shaking.
“I didn't mean a word about you staring at me.”
“I know.” I pushed him away enough to look at him.
"Or about finding another pirate to—"
"I know."
His eyes burned, a savage inferno. Standing, he reached for my hand, pulling me onto unsteady feet.
We didn’t move. We didn’t speak. Ears angled toward the stairs, we stared at each other, waiting with bated breath for boots to come thundering down the hatch to investigate the clamor we’d caused.
Kye's hand tightened over mine as he stole a glance at Aleksei, a trickle of water still leaking from his mouth. Questions rose in his head, but there wasn’t time to ask me anything. “Come on,” he murmured, eyes on the ceiling.
We crept to the empty berth, angling around the rabble of pirate mattresses and personal effects. I shakily transferred a sword to Kye’s belt. He strapped a knife to my ankle. A leather bag sat nearby, stuffed with clothes and who knew what else. Kye grabbed it, slinging the strap over his shoulder without even glancing inside.
Huddled against the wall, he tucked the hair behind my ears, forcing my chin up to meet his eyes.
“You're a strong swimmer,” he said.
I blinked at him, vaulting over the walls of my mind to follow his words, but it was like wading through mud.
“You're the strongest swimmer I know. You pulled me out of the sea without any help.”
“I don't—”
“You escaped Naheso’s knife. You escaped those ugly bastards—" he pointed to the two bodies on the floor inside the tiny cabin. “And youwillescape this ship alive.”
My heart froze in my chest. “Iwill escape? What about—”
“Do not question your strength. Don’t show them any fear. You’re the woman who stood at the altar, glaring up at the man in her way, willing to burn the world to claim your freedom.”
“Wait—”
“You're going to climb the stairs,runto the stern, and jump.”
The air in my lungs evaporated. “What are you going to—”
“You're not going to look back or wait for me.”
“No.”
“Or give them any chance to grab you.”
