Fucking indescribable bliss.
Manic laughter continued to roar from me as I shook my head, hair still damp from my dive. Running my hands down my thighs, I cherished the feel of the fabric that’d replaced what Caspian had offered me. It was softer, nearly silk to the touch, and fit far better than his oversized linens.
When I’d woken, utterances of assumption had greeted me, words of Caspian’s past and suggestions that I was a Marked Daughter—a descendant of Ellira. While the former intrigued me for a variety of reasons, the latter was a bold claim, one even I didn’t believe when I met the goddess in my dreams. But now that I’d witnessed her protection, guided from the hands of my captor to another crew, Iknew.
What I’d seen during my slumber had been something far more than a mere concoction drafted up by my subconscious. It’d been real, which made me wonder whether Caspian Vayne knew something about mylineage, given the nickname he’d elected for me. Unfortunate enough for him, the only thing I wanted to do with him was carve his godsforsaken heart from his chest.
The four individuals standing in my room looked at me with a mix of intrigue and, perhaps, fear for my faltering sanity. Either way, I didn’t care about their perceptions.
Scanning the room, I landed on the stunning woman who leaned against the wall to my right. She seemed to carry some understanding of my distress, some shared wrath, and with the recognition, I couldn’t help but chuckle. The sound sparked a layer of judgment that cast its gleam through the vibrant seafoam irises of the familiar blonde, the one joined by the handsome raven-haired man I’d seen him with in the alleyway.
I settled my glare on him. “Don’t they teach youroyalsmanners? Was staring too long never part of your lessons?”
He blinked once. “How do you know?—”
“Oh, gods spite me.” The groan came from the strawberry-blonde whose cock I was more than willing to cut off with his own dagger. “I explained that she?—”
“How do Iknow?I’ve seen you within the godsforsaken walls of that wretched palace just as I saw you during your night out withhim.” Gesturing toward the man I referenced, I craned my head to the side. “Are you that oblivious,Prince?”
Striations danced across his jaw, indicative of his discomfort.
Good.I wanted all men to fucking squirm beneath my boot, to quiver beneath my indignation and kiss the godsdamned ground I walked on. I wasdonebeing taken advantage of, and if any of them elected to try, their execution would greet them just as swiftly as it had Caspian’s men.
Yet I continued to seethe over that tantalizing draw pulsing beneath my flesh like a river of…intrigue? Longing? Loathing? Some form of… feeling?
It was the draw that had kept me from slaughtering Caspian’s crew for far longer than it should have. None of them deserved my mercy, andeven so, against my better discernment, I’d permitted a little under half of them to live. And forfuckingwhat? I’d never hesitated in moments of execution, especially with vile men whose bodies I wished to carve into until not an ounce of their lineage remained.
So why the fuck had I whenever it came tohim?
It spared some of his men and granted him another chance at life. Because, while I was perched outside of his cabin, thirsty to glide my blade across his throat and watch as he choked on every drop of his life force, those tendrils of unease in committing something so insidious against him had won. The insatiable hunger I carried to end his existence had, yet again, been halted by an annoying surge of reluctance. It’d prevented my retribution on multiple occasions withCaspian Vayne,but I would not allow myself to falter now that I’d tasted theaddictingbite of freedom.
“Is that true, Rohen darling?”The haunting, lure-filled timbre crooned from the back of my mind.“Or are you finally willing to uncover what lies beneath your waters?—?”
“I believe he asked you a question.” The deep voice ignited in front of me, its layers carrying something entrancing of its own accord—a temptation to bet on the chance of salvation.
Forcing myself from whatever trance I’d stumbled into, I gazed up at the man whose orange bandana served as a mockery of the one I’d so deeply desired to escape.
“Or did you?”
Gods, shut the fuck up.
“What?” I snapped, my agitation with whatever inner bullshit I was battling slipping out with my query.
As if the prince desired to test me further, he prompted again once he had my attention. “You are one of Malrik’s assassins, aren’t you?”
“Was,”I snarled, my grip on the hilt of the dagger tightening. “By all means, continue testing my patience, so long as you don’t mind if I butcher you. I have athingfor executingpretty men.”
The royal guard beside him piped up, “You’ll have to get through?—”
Flipping my hold on the blade, I sent it sailing. The sharp hiss it carried became the only warning call of my attack; I’d always used the silence to my advantage. Sinking into the wood beside his head, the steel settled against his cheek without leaving a scratch.
“You’re just as gorgeous, and I’d love to see if your insides match. Though I’m sure Prince Kael would heavily prefer your intestines remain in your gut based on how quickly his skin blanched.” Without giving either of them a second more to reply, I craned my chin back to the pirate standing in front of me. “And you are?”
“Alastair Seridean, Captain of theScarlet Tempest.” His irises darkened with sinister intent as the corner of his mouth curled, my expression quick to match his. “Tell me everything you know about Caspian Vayne.”
Swallowing another mouthful of soup, my eyes lifted to meet Alastair. Seated across from me, he rested against the back of his chair with an arrogant nonchalance, and yet, I found nothing about it distasteful.
He’d demanded the others leave us alone, and after helping me from the cot I’d rested on—the stitched wound in my side beyond a hindrance—we’d gone to the galley. Food landed in front of me before I’d even been able to blink, and he nestled into the position he now held, waiting until I’d devoured most of it before even looking in my direction.
