“What do you want, Mira?” I ask, kissing her chest, my mouth finding her nipple.
She squirms beneath me, soft moans falling from her lips. “Please…” she breathes, barely able to speak as she reaches for me again.
Her touch is electric, every stroke driving me closer to the edge of insanity. My body aches for her. Every part of me burns, and this time I won’t stop.
Her curves glow under the golden light, slick with water, like she’s been carved by the sea itself. I want to be selfish, to keep her here with me forever. In this place. In this moment.
I lift her easily, and she wraps her legs around my waist without hesitation. Her skin on mine. Her heart races like mine. I kiss every inch I can reach, slow and reverent, worshiping her like the goddess she is.
“Are you sure?” I ask, voice low, pressed against her ear. She looks up at me, those sea-glass eyes wide, shimmering with something deeper than want.
“Yes,” she whispers, breathless. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
That’s all I need. I kiss her again, deeper this time, anchoring her to me as I ease into her. She gasps, sharp, beautiful, a sound I want to hear again and again. Her nails dig into my back. Her hips roll against mine in perfect rhythm, meeting me with every breath, every pulse of heat between us. I grab a fistful of her hair and gently pull her head back, exposing the length of her neck.
I kiss her there. Bite gently. Mark her as mine. I move faster, deeper, chasing the sound of her moans, the shiver in her breath, the way she clings to me like I’m the only thing keeping her grounded.
She comes first, head tilted back, body trembling. I follow, losing myself completely, coming undone in her arms. And for the first time in my life… I don’t feel cursed—I feel whole.
I sit down with her still straddling me, her arms looped around my neck. Her hair clings to her skin, half wet, half wild from my hands, and I can’t stop looking at her. “You’re exquisite, Mira Bleu,” I say, voice low and sincere. My eyes can’t stop taking in every single inch of her. Pure. Holy. Beautiful. Her smile lights up every dark place inside me.
“You’re my always, Kai Eldoris,” she whispers. Her words warm me, a feeling I’m not used to. She isn’t just a part of my life now. She is my life—the only treasure I’ll ever need in this godsforsaken pirate world. I cup her face with one hand, theother resting gently on her back. She leans into me, and we kiss again, slow, unhurried, until the sun melts into the sea.
Chapter twenty-three
Mira
Flesh & Blood
We make our way back through the jungle under the glow of a full moon. Fireflies light our path, flickering softly around us like they can feel the energy still humming beneath our skin. Kai leads the way, never once letting go of my hand. His grip is tight, protective, like he expects something to come from the shadows and take me.
Then I smell smoke. “What is that?” I ask, looking up at him. “Stay close to me,” Kai says sharply. I do without question. He has a sixth sense for danger. I’ve seen it too many times to doubt it. He always knows before anyone else does.
As we near the opening of the jungle, the glow ahead brightens. Flames. The small village has been overtaken, engulfed in fire. Screams echo. Steel clashes. Pirate flags wave in the smoke-choked air.
It is chaos. The town is under siege. I scan the harbor desperately, trying to findThe Leviathan, but the smoke is too thick. Shapes move in the firelight, fighting, falling, fleeing. I can’t make out anything clearly.
“What the fuck is happening,” Kai growls, rage seeping through every word. He reaches for his weapons, twin blades strapped in an X across his back. The moonlight and flames carves shadows across the muscles and dark veins spread on his arms as he moves, all sharp angles and deadly focus.
I unsheathe my cutlass, the familiar weight grounding me as we move toward the burning town, smoke stinging my throat. Taking the black bandana from my hair, I wrap it around my nose and mouth. Kai suddenly turns and grabs both of my arms, his grip firm, his eyes locking on mine.
“If anyone comes for you, you run. You don’t look back. You swim straight to the ship and don’t stop. The ocean answers to you. That’s where you’re safest.” There was desperation in his voice. Fear he wasn’t even trying to hide.
“I know how to handle myself, Kai. Don’t forget, there was me before there was us. Not just anyone. A captain,” I say sharply. Something flickers in his eyes, hurt, maybe. Or guilt.
“I know that,” he says, softer now. “You don’t have to remind me.” He says this like he was repulsed that there was a life I led without him in it. He turns away and leads us toward the chaos.
“I’m going to the coastline. I might be able to spot the ship,” I say, scanning the horizon.
“No. Stay close to me,” he orders. But before I can argue, something shifts behind me.
There’s a rustle in the bushes. I turn just in time to see a massive figure emerge from the fog and the smoke from the fire. Seven feet tall, shoulders broad as a ship’s mast. His skin looks like weathered driftwood, his face torn with old scars and his eyes hollow.
He lunges. I barely have time to move. Kai is already there. Steel flashes and in one brutal motion, Kai slices across the man’s gut. His blade carves clean through flesh and muscle, and the man drops to his knees, entrails spilling to the ground. He collapses. Dead. Blood soaks the earth at our feet.
Kai turns to me, eyes dark and wild with fear. “This is an ambush. These pirates are here for you. We have to leave. Now.” There’s no room for debate in his voice.
“How the hell do you know?” I snap.
