Page 59 of The Song of the Void

His gaze flicked to Reiven, and a sharklike sneer spread across his face.

I pressed my cheek against Vaetrik’s neck and hazarded a glance at Rei, too.

He flexed his fingers, almost shaking with barely contained fury. Those beautiful dark eyes that usually reflected the surrounding light now swallowed the gleam of the nearby lanterns.

“Pet.”

I froze at Vaetrik’s soft, commanding voice, ready to jump at whatever order he gave me.

All his vicious, gleeful attention was on Rei. He saw something in Reiven—something that made observing him more entertaining than killing him, at least for now. Perhaps I should be grateful for his sadism. “Would you like to go back in the hold with him…or would you prefer to stay here with me?”

For one idiotic moment, my heart leapt. Everything inside me screamed to disentangle myself from Vaetrik and run to the warmth, strength, and reassurance of Reiven’s body. I wanted to throw my arms around him, bury my face in his chest, and sob for him to carry me away from the pirate that ruined my life. Even if we’d be locked up again, at least I’d be with him rather than Vaetrik. Maybe I could figure out the feelings that burned quietly in my heart in time to confess them to him before Vaetrik killed us.

Once upon a time, didn’t I hate Reiven?

More than anything, I hated Vaetrik’s manipulation. “I want to stay with you.” I tightened my grip on him and turned my face away from Reiven, but I felt his stunned silence. He wouldn’t understand. I had to make peace with that for now.

“Anything else, pet?”

“I’m yours.”

“Do you know what that man said to me a few days ago?” Vaetrik snickered. “He said, ‘I’d rather die than see her forced into your arms.’ What a surprise this must be for him, that I haven’t coerced you at all, yet in my arms you’ll stay.”

Why would you say that, Reiven? You’re making everything worse.

“And what do you have to say to him?” Vaetrik asked me.

There was one advantage to understanding Vaetrik’s insecurity; he wasn’t just a sadistic monster, he craved amusement that made him feel powerful. To him, as long as Rei and I were just his playthings, he had nothing to fear. Giving him exactly what he wanted was the only way to keep Reiven alive.

But I had the strength now to defy him in ways so small, they’d float right past him. I turned my gaze to Reiven. “You are nothing like Vaetrik.”

“Nothing compared to me,” Vaetrik gloated, jerking my face to his for another kiss that made my stomach roil. Luckily, he closed his eyes—otherwise, he would have noticed mine remained wide open, locked on Reiven as the hawk-nosed pirate pulled him away. I prayed silently to the Spirits that he would read the defiance in my gaze and know I planned to end this tonight. The moment I had Vaetrik where I wanted him…I’d have ten minutes.

Ten minutes to save Reiven and escape.

The ship rocked violently. How the crash of thunder and cascading sheets of rain didn’t wake Vaetrik from his drunken unconsciousness, I didn’t know, but I was nonetheless grateful. The storm began several hours ago, almost in tandem with Reiven being taken back to his cell.

Terrified that every fresh crack of thunder or the next roll and dip of the End would wake him, I lay on the floor beside his bed. It kept me frozen in place far longer than I should have stayed, but the longer I hesitated, the more likely it would be for him to awaken.

I sat up like a fish poking its head out of an anemone, prepared to retreat at any sudden movement. Vaetrik continued to lie still, even as I stood and staggered over to his desk. My mind had mostly cleared of the alcohol, thank the Spirits.

I seized the hilt of my dagger and drew it close to my chest. For a moment, I considered grabbing his pistol and saber as well, but I didn’t know how to use a gun, and it would be tricky to have my hands completely full, so I settled for strapping the knife holster to my thigh. I tightened it, and a groggy groan from behind me made me spin around, holding the knife in front of me.

The dagger nearly slipped out of my grip as Vaetrik moaned, rubbing his forehead as he blinked at what I was doing.

An unfriendly smile shadowed his face. “Now, pet…”

I forced my fingers tighter around the dagger and pointed it at him, despite the trembles that wracked my body. The wooden floor creaked as he prowled closer, effortlessly staying upright even with the constant lurch of the ship. Soon, he stood right before me, shaking his head and stroking his beard like a disappointed schoolteacher.

Stab him. Now!

“Put the knife down.”

My body screamed at me to obey his voice. Memories of the pain and emotional torment, everything he had ever done to me, raced through my veins. Reminder after reminder of what he would do if I displeased him.

But if I continued to cower, I would never get away to see the peaceful future Ash would bestow upon the world. We would never return the Voidtome to the Abyssal Deep. I’d never see my mother or Veleir again. I’d never have the chance to tell Reiven about all these emotions twisting inside my heart—the ones that were inextricably connected to him.

Before my fear caught up with my actions, I lunged for Vaetrik’s throat with the dagger.