Drip.
Drip.
I growl, swipe it with my bandaged hand, then flop back onto the pillow—ignoring the strike of pain that rips through my shoulder as thatthinginside me twists and toils and roots at the undersides of my skin.
Another flash of light illuminates the room—the Captain’s quarters, all to myself, guarded at all hours of the day and night to preserve myvirtue.
I close my eyes. Work through my shoulder stretches to distract myself from the phantom sting between my breasts ...
Found you.
I whip the blankets over my head and cut myself off from those silver strikes of light.
... Not real.
Every pull of Cainon’s arms powers us through the turquoise water slapping at the hull, bringing our rowboat closer to the monolith of navy marble dominating the bay like a thick, sturdy tower forged by nature. A large hole is bored through its base, creating a window to the other side, a clutch of empty rowboats bobbing in its protective embrace.
My gaze travels up the jagged staircase chipped into the edge of the gigantic structure, to a platform sitting atop it. From there, a rope bridge sways in the wind, stretching across the water to the top of the cliff that curls around the sheltered cove like a giant hook.
Protected in the cove, we don’t feel the blast of wind that whips the bridge into a crawl, making Cap, Zane, and the seven unfamiliar men currently scaling it stop and cling to the rope rails. A vision that sparks trepidation in my chest.
“We should’ve gone first. That thing looks frail …”
Cainon steals a glance at the bridge over his brawny shoulder.
Hair tied in a loose knot at his nape, he’s wearing a deep blue, tailored jacket with gold buttons that aren’t done up, offering ample view of his muscled chest.
Of that scar just above his heart.
His oversized shirt is huge on me, rolled to the elbows and tucked into a large pair of navy pants cinched around my waist by a length of rope—all left outside my door this morning. A subtle order for me to change out of my Ocruth garb before we docked. It was the first interaction we’ve had since the violent storm struck after I boarded his ship a week ago, forcing the fleet to sit offshore and wait for the worst of it to pass.
“Itisfrail,” he says, working the oars harder, shoving us through the silky stretch of water. Such a contrast to the riled ocean beyond the cove where I can see the fleet’s bulk receding through the haze of rain as it sails away.
Somewhere.
“They’re checking it for faulty planks.”
My eyes spring wide. “You sent achildto check the bridge for faults? Are you mad?”
He shrugs, giving me a half smile that makes his eyes glint. “The kid begged me. He said you’re his favorite person, and he wants to make sure you’re safe.”
My heart bobs, stunting all the words sitting heavy on my tongue.
Cainon spears his gaze at the sack between my feet and lifts a brow. “That’s going to be a pain in my ass to carry up those stairs. They’re steeper than they look. Sure there’s nothing in there you can leave behind?”
I tighten my knees around my belongings and stab my stare at the heavily vegetated cliff face, watching Zane and Cap finally step off the other side and onto sturdy ground.
Relief cools my veins, and I skate my attention further around the harsh cliff—hands twisting, knee bouncing, toes curling as I picture them digging into soil for the first time in weeks.
A shadow cast by a tree weeping off the cliff’s edge snags my stare.
Not a shadow.
Something …more.
The huge, black blur steals my breath, like I’ve just been shoved beneath the water by a hand caught around my throat.
My heart thumps, skin flushing with a burst of goosebumps.
