I can only pray Kai finds it in his heart to open up to them too. To see that they were there the moment I needed them most. It was as if they could feel my fear, my rage, the betrayal inmy heart. Read my intent. They knew exactly what I was doing when I lured Smith closer to the water’s edge. I wasn’t scared, not then. Because when the sea turned that haunting, beautiful shade of obsidian black, I knew I wasn’t alone.
Kai made it back to the ship safely, through black waters that would’ve swallowed any other man whole. The sirens must have escorted him. I want to know what happened out there. What was said and what wasn’t. I want to be a fly on the wall during his conversation with Jay.
I haven’t made it back to our quarters. I wander instead, my thoughts swirling like the tide. Staring out at the ocean, the moonlight glittering across the surface, I feel the ache of everything. My mind unspools at sea. I wonder if the sirens are silently gliding through the night water beneath the ship. The water always does that to me, wraps around my soul and pulls at all the knots I’ve tucked away.
Very like me, I suppose, to be lost in the sea’s beauty. I am a Pisces, after all. And Kai is a Scorpio. Of course he is. Born in the season of storms, tethered to secrets, shadows, and the pull of deep waters. He once told me his favorite part of our quarters is the windows, not just for the view, but because he likes to watch the sunrise break over the sea. He said it reminds him that no matter how dark things get, the ocean always finds its light again.
We’re both water signs. It makes sense now, why I feel everything so deeply, and why he hides everything he feels like it’s a weapon. He is the storm, and I am the tide, pulled to him no matter how far I try to drift. Dangerous, beautiful, and impossible not to love.
“Cap’n?” Nate’s voice breaks through the hum of my thoughts. I turn to face him. He stands a respectful distance away, hands loose at his sides. He’s maybe ten years older than me, but his presence carries a calm authority that makes men listen. Salt-and-pepper strands streak through his dark blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck. A deep scar curves along his jaw, a faded reminder of battles long past. He joined my crew a few years after I was born.
“I want you to know, Smith never told any of us what he planned. Not about leaving. Not about hurting you,” Nate says, his voice low but firm. “I’ve watched you grow from a wild little girl into a captain men will follow into the storm. The crew on this ship, your crew, they’re here because they believe in you. We’ll protect you with our lives. That’s what your father would want.”
He pauses for a breath, the flicker of something unspoken passing through his expression. “I can’t speak for Captain Kai’s men,” he adds, “but we’re with him too. Anyone who has your back the way he does earns our respect and loyalty.”
His words settle in my chest like warmth after a long, cold swim. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear them. “Thank you, Nate,” I say. “Your loyalty is all I could ask for.” He gives a short nod, the kind shared between people who’ve been through hell and still keep going. Then I turn and make my way to my quarters.
I undress, peeling off the soaking wet clothes and letting the sting of the cold night air bite at my skin. The lantern flares to life, its soft glow casting shadows across the room as I sink into our bed. A long-sleeved shirt lies draped over the chair—lightweight, worn, and saturated with the scent of tobacco and sea salt.
I curl beneath the satin blankets, facing the long window. The sea shimmers in the dark, and I let the sound of waves lull me. I must fall asleep waiting for him, because I wake to sunlight kissing my face, warming my skin like a promise.
I roll over, sensing him before I see him. “Morning, treasure.” Kai’s voice is low and raspy, gravel laced with heat, the kind ofsound that sends goosebumps down my spine. I turn and see him standing at the door in nothing but his underwear, a cup of coffee in one hand. The steam curls around his face in delicate swirls, catching the morning light. His hair is damp, tousled from sleep or sea, I can’t tell. I don’t care. He looks like sin and salvation all at once.
“Morning,” I say, my voice soft but with worry. “Are you okay?”
He sits beside me, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. “Yeah. Just… figuring out a plan.”
I narrow my eyes. “A plan? For what?”
He reaches for my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. “To protect you. Mira, you’re not safe. You need to go somewhere, somewhere no one can find you. To train, to strengthen. Not that you need it, but it could help you protect yourself in battle.”
I pull my hand back, holding his gaze. “First off, I can protect myself. Never bring that up again. Second, I’m not leaving you. I’m not leaving my crew. And I will never abandon this mission. We are going to find that fountain together. We’re going to make our wishes together. We are going to save you.” I glance at the black veins spreading down his arm and his hand. “Do you understand?” My voice doesn’t waver. I need him to know there’s no version of this story where I run.
He exhales slowly, nodding. “Understood. But we need better ways of keeping you safe.” He hesitates, just long enough to make my heart skip.
I meet his gaze, steady and unflinching. “We’re pirates, love. Nowhere’s safe.” A slow smile tugs at his lips.
“Luckily, I had a conversation with the sirens last night.”
My eyes widen. “And?” I ask, my pulse already racing. Unlike Kai, I’ve never been good at keeping calm when it matters most.
“They’re going to help us,” Kai says. “They’ll show us where Sirens Cove is.” He pauses. “But like everything else… it comes with a price.”
A chill slides down my spine. “What do they want?”
He walks to the desk, grabbing the black long sleeve slung over the chair. As he pulls it on, my heart pounds louder in my ears. “They want the all-powerful witch,” he says, buckling his belt, attaching each weapon with careful precision. “And they want you to help them get her.”
My blood runs cold. “Taika?” He doesn’t answer right away. He just crosses the room slowly until he stands at the edge of the bed. The morning sunlight pours in through the window behind him, casting a golden glow across his face. It catches the flecks of green and gold in his eyes, turning them into wildfire.
“Yes,” he says. “It’s time the witch burns.”
Chapter twenty-five
Kai
Deals & Blood
Anger burns through me at Smith’s betrayal, simmering in my blood. Knowing how much it’s tearing Mira apart makes me sick with disgust. I want to be the one to drag him to the plank myself. But death by a siren feels more fitting. More painful. More poetic.
