“No. It’s me,” I hiss through angry clenched teeth as I turn in his hold and slash his neck all in one swift motion. He lets me go to grab his neck, where blood is pouring out. I start to fall backwards, releasing my dagger as my own hand moves to my throat, where it’s been slashed open, but several sets of arms catch me and keep my hands down. I feel a hand rubbing my throat and it’s only then I register the pain.
My eyes see Silver’s determined face as I’m lowered to the ground. My head’s in Ryker’s lap as the men surround me, touching me wherever they can. Silver lifts his hand and I can see the white cream is mixed with red blood.That bastard slit my throat.
I realize I can’t breathe and my panicked eyes meet Ryker’s above me. “You’re going to be okay, Pen, we’ve got you, the cream is working.” I see the fear in his eyes as they dart to my neck, tears forming in them.Is he lying?And if my neck doesn’t heal fast enough, I could die from suffocation.
My mouth opens and closes as I look to Apollo next. “I know, Angel. You’ll be able to breathe in a minute, just stay strong a little longer.” He looks pained and I can see the anguish in his eyes.
“You’re doing so good, Sugar,” Indy says, lifting my knuckles to his mouth to kiss as a tear leaks from his eye.
“Baby, you’re amazing, just a tiny bit longer now,” Brax says calmly, his thumb stroking my cheek.
“Love, you’re the strongest person I know, you’re almost there now,” Drake tells me, squeezing my thigh.
“Sweetheart?” My eyes move to Silver’s. “I’m an idiot, I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to die not knowing the truth.” Ifurrow my eyebrows at him in confusion.
What truth?
He lets out a breath as he continues quickly. “I’m a coward, Penny. I’ve wanted you since the first moment we met in the forest, months ago, and you were screaming about the harmless octnid. I thought you were the most enchanting woman I’d ever seen. But I knew someone like you could never be with someone like me. I was a pirate. I’ve killed people. I pretend to have my shit together and know what I’m doing, but I don’t. I’m an orphan, my parents left me on the streets when I was a toddler. My own family, Penny. They just left me, like I was trash. I always thought, if my own parents couldn’t love me, then there must be something wrong with me, right?”
I gently shake my head, feeling tears in my eyes as my breath hitches in my throat.
Wait… Am I breathing?
“I’ve been afraid to tell you how I feel, because what if you rejected me? It would crush me, Penny. Loving someone like you, and not having you love me back, I think I’d kill me.” His tear-filled eyes meet mine as he continues. “But I realize that while I’ve been struggling with my fears, so have you. We both fear the same thing, being abandoned. But where I cower away from it, you face it head on, holding it, holdingthemtightly to you. You’re the strongest person I know, Penny.”
“Silver…” I see all their eyes dart to my throat, surprised I can speak, albeit in a rather raspy voice.
“No, don’t speak right now, your throat needs to recover,” Silver shushes me.
“But, I—” I try to tell him those important words, but he covers my mouth and shakes his head.
“Later, Sweetheart.”
“I say we get the fuck out of this forest,” Ryker speaks up.
“If we set a faster pace than yesterday, and considering it’s still early morning, we can probably reach Black Rock Bay by nightfall.
“Alright, I’ll carry her first,” Brax says, lifting me in his arms. I motion to the ground, but he just shakes his head like I broke my feet and not my throat.
“Sugar, we don’t want you to have labored breathing until you’re fully healed. The throat is a much harder thing to heal than your hands,” Indy explains as he moves to divide the coins back between multiple packs.
“Angel,” I turn my head in the other direction as Apollo lifts his hand to my neck. I feel the coolness of the water running over my skin. “I’m just cleaning it up for you. It looks rather… gruesome.” I smile at him in thanks, and after just a few minutes, we are marching through the small forest path at a quick pace.
I’m wearing my light green dress, but it’s hiked up a bit so I can wrap my legs around Brax’s back. He has his hands under my butt as I cling to his neck. I tried to silently suggest that piggyback would be easier on him, but he seemed adamant to holding me in front of him. I don’t mind. I’d rather hug the front of him anyway.
I find myself nodding on and off throughout the day. We stop for lunch and dinner, but otherwise we keep on marching. They tell me I’m not allowed to speak until the morning, which I think is overkill, as I feel fine. But I think they get a kick out of keeping me silent, so I decide to listen to them. They’ve never steered me wrong before.
Luckily for me, they all take turns carrying me, and when we finish what Silver says will be the last break before we reach Black Rock Bay, Silver approaches me, looking apprehensive.
“We have to get going now,” he states as he bends down in front of where I’m sitting to look me in the eyes. I just nod slowly, wondering why he looks so worried about telling me that. “And… Well… I was thinking… That is… I was wondering…”
“Sugar, he wants a turn carrying you,” Indy spits out for him.
“Indy, you should have let him ask,” Ryker chastises him.
“He was taking too long. Besides, he wants to carry her, and she wants to… ride him, ain’t that right, Sugar?” I glare at him, feeling the red rise in my cheeks at his choice of words. He just smirks at me, knowing he’s right.
“Ignore him, Sweetheart, I normally do,” Silver says. “Is it okay if I carry you next?” he asks cautiously as his eyes dance back and forth between mine.
