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“My true nature. Only the captain and a select few know.”
“What if I don’t want to stay on your ship?” the woman retorted stubbornly.
“That’s your choice. I’m getting you out of here either way, Miss. But you need to help me leave this ship first.”
“Ruby. I’m Ruby.”
“I’m Nicola. But you can call me Nic. Come on.”
That seemed to seal the deal for the woman as she nodded, the decision clear on her face. Nicola bit back a smile.
“Okay.”
It was harder than anticipated to drag Ruby up to the deck, as the woman could barely walk straight. Halfway through, Nicola carried her instead until they were at the back of the ship.
“We could cross through a rope, but I don’t think you have the energy to do that, considering we are three ships away from our destination.”
Ruby shook her head, scrutinizing the horizon. “I can’t fly. I can’t even jump if you ask me to jump.”
“Any other options?”
The woman pointed to a small boat dangling below. Getting the idea—but not liking it—Nicola assisted them both into the boat before lowering it into the ocean. This close to the water, she was wracked with anxiety, her hands numb on the paddle. A sound escaped her throat when the boat glowed and started moving away from Cross’s ship. Ruby gripped the edges on either side as if that was the only thing keeping her from passing out.
Determined to reach their ship before the woman passed out, Nicola started paddling. Their combined force had them speeding through the waters until they were on the other side. She could have shouted for joy when she spotted the rope dangling in wait, making it easier for her to tie Ruby up and carefully hoist her to the deck.
“There you are. You were gone so long and I was worried sick—” Wheeler stopped, ogling the new figure with them.
“You were worried sick about me, Wheeler? Really?” Nicola teased. Ruby quietly noted the change in her tone and body language but didn’t say a word. “She’s a prisoner. I found her and thought….”
“Yes. Of course.” To Nicola’s surprise, Wheeler turned beet red. “We can take care of prisoners.”
“For as long as they want,” she confirmed, looking Ruby in the eye. “And—”
A scream rose from the other end of the ship, followed by shouting. They froze, then instinct kickstarted and had Nicola frantically urging Wheeler to get over his awkwardness with the woman.
“Take her with you. Stay out of sight. They can’t find her.”
Wheeler nodded. Nicola sprinted to the front, ducking and crouching along the way until she spotted Cross and his crew making their way back to their ships. She smelled blood and eventually glimpsed the bodies being carried—two bodies, which meant…?
She ambled over until she was standing beside a nearby pole, pretending she had been there all along. She noted the bottles of wine and a large, golden chest that Cross took with them, too. Isaiah stood rigid, but he glanced at his crew until his eyes landed on her. Then he shouted.
“We leave now!”
No one seemed pleased, but they moved and Marko started with his orders, his fury more distinct than usual. Puzzlement slid over her when Isaiah didn’t head to the steering wheel, but everything started clicking into place when the figures parted and she finally saw where Isaiah was going.
“Maddox!”
Moon stayed behind, unlike the others, kneeling over a bleeding, unmoving form. She collapsed on the space beside him, checking for a pulse, and felt horror spike when all she could hear was the roaring of her ears. Maddox’s eyes were glassy, and his veins were popping out of his cheeks. His hand fisted Moon’s shirt, also unmoving.
“He saved my life,” Moon cried out, tears falling down his cheeks. “He took all the brunt when my sword fell.”
“He killed them. He ended the fight and made us win,” Isaiah said.
He ripped Maddox’s shirt and pressed a cloth down his wounds. She hissed when she glimpsed a deep gash that ran across the abdomen and stretched to the back, where a lot of blood flowed out. There was too much blood.
A figure limped toward them with Wheeler not far behind. She locked eyes with Ruby, who was assessing the unconscious form.
“Help me. Please.”
