Lia funneled out after her, followed by Jace.
“We’re letting the crew rest for a few hours while we take watch,” Jace called over to us.
Lia held up a bottle from her side containing a dark liquid that swished around beneath the torchlight. “I have rum!” she yelled cheerfully.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Gage said under his breath as he reached for my hand and tugged me across the deck.
After almost losing my footing many times from being dragged by him, we finally came to a halt in the center of the ship, where everyone was rolling barrels to create makeshift seats to sit upon. Gage and I opted for the floor of the deck.
Veli wandered out from the shadows of the mast and ambled over to be among us, keeping abnormally quiet—even for her.
Lia took a swig from the bottle as she invited herself to sit on Jace’s lap from where he sat on a barrel, making me wish I felt comfortable enough to do the same with the handsome man next to me.
Zaela lit a few more torches on the outskirts of the ship, lighting the space up intimately beneath the stars. Her lips curved when she noticed the witch had joined us.
She even likedVeli. Yet, she loathed me. Lia and Gage were free to believe whatever they wanted, but I was certain that this was more than just being overprotective.
Jace sipped the amber liquid and made a face as he stared at Lia. “I don’t know how you drink this so easily.”
“It’s not my fault you’re a chickenshit,” she answered, unphased.
“Oh, so we’re back to that. Here I thought we left that at the waterfall.”
“Waterfall?” I questioned.
“Ah, so the princess knew you were mates, but doesn’t know your story,” Zaela sassed as she ripped the bottle from her cousin’s hand and took a gulp herself.
My gaze snapped to Lia, who looked the tiniest bit nervous. “When did I have time to tell you anything, Avery? I yelled to you ‘I have a mate’ while fighting off attackers at Kai’s wedding, for gods’ sake.” She laughed under her breath, and my own mimicked hers as the memory surfaced.
“So much has happened, yet we have barely had time to process much of it,” I whispered as the bottle made its way to me. I sipped it carefully and nearly gagged the second the rum touched my lips.
Gage let out a deep laugh and took the bottle from my hands, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he sipped from it. I leaned into the warmth of his touch, sending butterflies fluttering through me.
“What’s the matter, Princess? Never had real liquor before?” Zaela harassed me from the opposite side of our small circle.
My eyes glanced over to Lia and she gave the tiniest nod in my direction.
I ripped the bottle out of Gage’s grip and took a long swig of it, sending the burning liquid down my throat. The second it hit my stomach, I felt a blaze of warmth followed by an unusual giddiness.
“Avery,” Gage said with a laugh. “Be careful.”
“She’s fine,” Lia said with a smirk, and I matched hers as we made eye contact.
“Yes, well, we’ll see if she’s fine in about thirty minutes or so,” Zaela pestered. “Tell me, Princess Avery, how are you feeling after such a heaping gulp?”
My breathing deepened as I stared at her. Challenge radiated from both of us. Was this my initiation? Lia had made it known that she and Zaela didn't see eye-to-eye at first. Did she want me to give her shit right back to her?
My eyes lazily moved to Gage as his arm remained around me. “I’m feeling as if I wouldn’t mind getting to know Gage better.” His eyes flared as they met mine. My focus slowly pivoted back to Zaela, who had fury radiating in her stare. “Muchbetter.”
“Oh gods,” Lia breathed as she rubbed at her temples.
Zaela leapt up, and for a moment, I thought she was going to storm across the small distance between us and move to strike me. Gage’s body tensed.
She aggressively pointed at me from where I remained sitting on the floor. “Enough! Enough with your claim you think you will have on him! I’m sure that as a princess, you’re used to getting whatever and whoever you want, but that stops here and now!”
“You know nothing about me!” I screamed at her as I climbed to my feet. We stood nearly nose to nose, and out of my peripheral vision, Lia shoved out of Jace’s lap and moved to circle us as if waiting to step in if needed.
“Zaela, what is your problem?!” Gage barked at her as he stood at my side, a bit of bite in his tone.
