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“Not now,” he whispered.
Havana screamed as a soldier lassoed her with electricity. My blood boiled at seeing her hurt. I didn’t care what she lied about, no one was going to harm her, especially while I watched. They clamped bracers on her wrists, and she slumped on the deck as the magic within the dampeners snuffed out her power.
I tensed against Havoc, but his grip on me tightened, keeping me locked in place.
The king’s eyes glowed white, slivers of pure sunlight wafting off his irises.
“Because you are my firstborn and heir to the crown, I will forgive you for this insolence.” King Tarsios turned to us. “You and your crew are free to go.”
He pivoted and walked to the plank that would take them to his ship. A soldier carried Havana in his arms, and I wanted to slit his throat for putting his hands on her.
“Let’s go.” Havoc shoved me toward the shore. “Go.”
I waited until they hauled her inside before following my crew back to Lily’s.
At the brothel, I sat at a table, drinking heavily. The rum did nothing to stop the fury beating against my mind, and when night had finally come, I was drunk and in a foul mood.
“Who knew that little maiden was a princess?” Harris slugged a shot and slammed the glass on the table before grabbing the deck of cards in the center.
“I should’ve known Declan was lying.”
“Captain,” Declan interjected. “I didn’t know she was a princess, only a light bearer. She begged me to keep quiet.”
“Don’t you know anything about Saol’s royalty? The human king has always been a light bearer, and those magic types are rare. Everyone knows that. Between Azalea and King Tarsios’ line, there hasn’t been another light bearer in years. That magic is slowly fading.”
Declan hung his head. “Sorry, Captain. I didn’t mean to get us in trouble.”
“I know, lad. It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” I poured myself a mug of ale, knowing any more rum and I would spend the night on the floor. “I knew she was hiding something. I just didn’t think it was this.”
“What is the plan to rescue her?” Broxton asked.
“Rescue her?” Harris and I said at the same time.
Broxton’s stoic expression didn’t change. “Using her magic put her in danger, yet she did so to protect the crew and the ship. She does not want to be there, and the captain cares for her.”
I scoffed. “I never said that.”
“So, you do not?” Broxton may have been part of the beast race, but he understood more about fae and humans than most.
“It doesn’t matter. She lied and put us at risk. She is a princess, and our paths will never align.”
“Yeah, but Captain,” Declan leaned over the table, “what if they’re meant to? Don’t you want to know?”
“The only one with brains here seems to be the saber.” Lily folded her arms as she stood by our table. “If you want to see your princess, I may have a way to get you on that ship.”
Everyone turned to me. Saying yes would admit I’d been played, though the more I thought on it, I couldn’t forget how Havana begged me to talk with her this morning and I shoved the conversation aside. What would I have done once I had known the truth? Been angry, yes, but then what? “I’m sure they’ve already left.”
“Well, you’re in luck,” Lily replied, taking my mug, and replacing it with water. “Word is the king left in such a frenzy they were not fully supplied. His guards are restocking for the journey home. If you want to see if Declan’s right, you need to go now.”
A loud explosion sounded from outside.
The door to the brothel swung open and someone yelled, “The docks are on fire!”
