Page 66 of The Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny)

“Lord Blackrose.” The captain’s nod was curt, professional. “I would have brought the Sky Serpent to Skyspire if I’d known you needed her.”

“It was sudden,” Kaz replied. “This gave you time to prepare.” His gaze swept the assembled crew. “Captain Brecca, get us underway.”

“Aye, my lord.” She turned to her crew without missing a beat. “Stations! Prepare for ascension!” Her first officer was already moving, barking orders that sent sailors scrambling to their posts.

The entire crew—perhaps fifteen souls in total—dispersed in a blur of movement, with only a few curious stares cast my way.

I wanted to explore, but we headed for the cabin first. It was at the stern, behind a door marked with the Blackrose crest. I’d just caught a glimpse of a small but cozy, darkly appointed space when a roar split the air. The ship lurched, tilting at an angle that sent me stumbling into Kaz’s chest. Outside, someone screamed.

We burst onto the deck to find half the port in chaos. Sailors dove into the water. Merchants abandoned their stalls. And above us, wings spread wide, Nyx circled like an avenging dark angel.

“I told her to stay!” I shouted over the panic.

“Clearly, she didn’t listen!” Kaz was already raising his hands, prepared to defend the ship. Nyx, misinterpreting his stance as a challenge, let out another roar and released a stream of purple fire that caught the edge of a sail. The canvas caught fire instantly.

Captain Brecca was already shouting orders, her first officer directing crew members with buckets toward the flames.

Kaz snarled a word that made my ears ring, and water rose from the harbor in a massive spout. It doused the burning sails, but not before embers rained down on us. The remaining water flooded the deck, instantly soaking everyone and everything.

“Nyx!” I reached for our bond, flooding it with command. Land. Now.

She folded her wings and dropped like a stone, hitting the deck hard enough to almost shake us off our feet. Her silver eyes fixed on mine, defiant and furious.

“We discussed this!” I stopped. Took a breath. Kaz was still putting out spot fires, swearing creatively in three languages. “You were supposed to stay with Vex.”

Nyx lashed her tail, fixed her stare on the main mast, and opened her mouth.

“Don’t you dare!” I commanded.

“She’s bluffing,” Kaz said, finally getting the last flame under control. His coat was singed, his hair drenched.

Nyx breathed a small jet of fire at the mast, which started smoking.

“Shit.” He raised a hand to douse that, too.

“Like dealing with a wild child, really,” Sebastian offered, then winced.

I forced myself to relax my posture and stopped in front of Nyx, meeting her eyes. She looked at me and I saw the hurt, the fear that I was leaving her behind.

My throat tightened. “Oh, sweet girl. I wasn’t abandoning you.”

She puffed out a smoky breath.

“If you stay, you’ll have to behave. No burning things. No eating people. No shadow-walking into private rooms.”

Nyx uncurled slightly, her tail swishing with tentative hope.

“And you listen to me. Actually listen, not pretend to listen while plotting mayhem.”

She perked up immediately, nearly knocking Griffin overboard with an enthusiastic tail wag.

It was the best I’d get. I looked at Kaz, who was examining the damaged sails with the expression of someone calculating exactly how many people he’d need to kill to feel better.

“We can’t leave her,” I told him. “She’ll follow anyway and probably burn half the coast doing it.”

“The Syndicate—”

“Will have to deal with it.” I brushed soot off my cloak. “Besides, showing up with a dragon sends a message.”