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“Aye, setting sail in five.”
“Thank you, Rek,” I said and approached the bridge.
No sooner than I’d muttered those words did Ainsley appear on deck, her white-blonde hair blowing in the breeze. Beautiful. She had changed into similar apparel, but she needed new clothing as soon as possible. I feared the red of her cloak would stand out amongst the uncivilized of Highvein.
“Good morning,” I said, meeting her gaze. “Did you rest well?”
She smiled brightly. “Yes, quite comfortably, in fact.”
At least one of us had. “We set sail in…three minutes, love.”
“All right,” she said. “I will make myself scarce unless you need me.” She waved in Rek’s direction. “Morning to you as well.”
He nodded.
I dropped my chin to my chest. It appeared he was a bit perturbed with her unruly magic. However, I knew she would be able to find a way to control it in time.
* * *
“How long until we arrive?”Ainsley’s voice carried on a breeze that filled the crisp, clean air with her floral scent.
My inhale was slow and steady as we rode high in the clouds above our usual flight pattern. I craved this feeling, the soaring freedom that the skies brought.
“Till Hell’s gates?” I sniped with an arch of my brow, teasing the lady, while at the same time, shoving aside the tension swelling in my gut. It wasn’t inaccurate. “A few hours yet.”
I couldn’t fathom why I had agreed to fly to Highvein. Ainsley hadn’t a clue as to the danger that awaited us there. Yet, here I was… enjoying the moment, the independence, and adventure flying in the skies commanded.
She nodded, directing her attention to the clouds as they dispersed with the ship’s movement. One glance at Ainsley, and I knew she felt the freedom here deep in her bones, as well, despite what must have been thousands of thoughts plaguing her mind. Hell, if my own mind churned over the events of what had happened the previous night, I could only imagine what that meant for hers.
Ainsley’s gaze met mine as she caught me staring, and I could not resist the lopsided grin I sent her way. She rolled her eyes, but the lovely pink blush staining her cheeks made it difficult to wipe away the smile on my face.
She glanced in my direction again and, somehow, I knew the woman’s thoughts had shifted to me. We’d barely had time to discuss the fact that she’d run from my assistance. Had me arrive too late to be of any use in aiding her escape from Bash, and then had my past laid out and revealed at her feet in a way only Silverthorne could have done with that sharp tongue of his.
“See something you like?” I said to the ever-surprising Lady Lilstrum. The tease should distract me enough to get out of my own head. As much as I loved the fact Ainsley had dropped the walls she’d erected, the thoughts that would haunt me for quite some time, could not be so easily chased away. Bash could have harmed her. Severely. He could have vanished, and she’d have been gone without a trace.
I hadn’t been quick enough to rescue her this time. What did that mean for the next?
Ainsley’s quick burst of laughter brought a smile back to my face, and my lips twitched in anticipation of her wit.
“You’re awfully confident, Captain Flynn.” Her ice-blue eyes clouded, and whatever thoughts she had must be distracting her as well. “Since we have time…” Her tone immediately shifted—it was different—and I braced my palms on the edge of the ship’s railing in anticipation of where this may be heading. “You’re royalty?”
My shoulders slumped, and I tightened my hands on the smooth wood beneath my fingers. “I didn’t keep it from you. Not intentionally.”
The clouds had grown thicker as we soared in a quiet chamber of white. Memories were easily kept at bay when my thoughts were preoccupied with flying. But to face them here, in a space I typically escaped to? I craned my neck from side to side in hopes of hiding the shiver of unease running its course down the full length of my spine.
Ainsley leaned against the railing, quiet, but assessing me. Waiting.
“Scarlington Bay is where I grew up. I was the second eldest male born to Prince Conrad Featherwield.” I watched as my knuckles turned white and relaxed my grip—slightly. “Taron, my brother, was to inherit the throne and I was to serve, as I’m sure you’re aware is custom for the second born of our kind.”
Our kind. Wasn’t that the truth? Here Ainsley assumed she’d taken off with a full-fledged pirate, when in reality, there were days I felt like a traitor. Though, a traitor to myself or the Royal Navy, I could not be certain most of the time.
“Prince Taron Featherwield?” Ainsley questioned, eyebrows lifting skyward. “I met him at a ball once.”
I snorted. Many had. Although I doubted Ainsley had met him in the way that most other ladies of the court encountered him. “I’m sure you did, love. I avoided those bloody events like they’d kill me on the spot.” I winked before continuing. “Taron was reckless. Took our father’s money and got into severe gambling debts. Bloody noses turned into stitches, which turned into a few infirmary visits, which led to finding him behind a tavern and left for dead one night.”
Ainsley inched closer to me, whether on purpose or not, her presence helped. This was the past, and regardless of the secrets its darkness held, it was not where we were now.
“When Taron survived, I received a visit from Gretta, informing me that he’d become the property of Sebastian James. Taron was slowly losing it, going mad with fear in a sort of apathetic way. Father was beyond reasoning with. In my upbringing, well, second born sons are, for the most part, useless to lineage. A spare heir, if you will. So.” I shrugged. “I offered a trade. My life and servitude for my brother to remain free.”
