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She had been braced for any other answer, but not that. Nicola examined him as he turned to look at the scene before them, not missing the way his expression shut down. He could deny it all he wanted, but she and Nathaniel knew how much one of their house’s human servants, Hilda, had meant to him before she had died amid their family’s old corruptive ways. Perhaps he wasn’t as over it as he pretended to be.
“Fine,” she said, a tad petulant. “You can come. But don’t meddle.”
He nodded but continued looking ahead, brow raised. “Were you just going to sneak in and hide the whole time inside a ship? Was that your plan?”
It was, but it sounded rather silly now that he said it out loud. She was spared having to answer when a hush came over the shouting group and another voice piped in, this one more melodic and cooler than the others. She looked up.
A man stood on the tip of the bigger ship, his brown coat billowing in the wind and boots shined to perfection. His black hat was hooped with gold rings and tipped down, but she could still see the outline of brown eyes, full lips, and a smile meant to pacify.
“Now, now, fellas, there is no need for all this hubbub. Jasper, I’m sure you didn’t mean to threaten my crew member here with death since I didn’t hear the word. And Marko, must we solve all squabbles with shouting? It brings nothing to the table but unrest.”
He brimmed with charm and conviction. She didn’t trust it one bit. He tilted his head and showed his scarred cheek, a mark made by a sharp object once upon a time that identified him easily: Isaiah the Great, also known as the most notorious pirate to ever sail the seas—and that was saying something considering they lived in the Otherworld, where most notorious creatures existed.
He had been a trader frequenting Ostrov Krov for a while now, and she had seen his effect on the more civilized pirate traders. Jasper was among the few bold ones, scowling before he spat on the ground.
“Your second-in-command is a sad excuse of a lowlife. I could kill him with my bare hands.”
Marko sputtered, enraged all over again and crackling with fire. A few men yanked him back when he tried to jump Jasper while Jasper’s men growled back and shouted obscenities. Again, the commotion died down when Isaiah swung from his position and landed on the center edge of the ship, a fast, competent motion that had her blinking. He crouched forward.
“We are all lowlifes here, I believe—at least, in the eyes of society and this island. And my second-in-command is brilliant; otherwise, I wouldn’t have appointed him to the role. Are you questioning my decisions by any chance, Jasper?”
The coolness was still there, but there was a grittiness to his tone now that had Jasper’s men backing away. Perhaps the men sneaking in to physically support Marko had a lot to do with the mood shift. But Jasper reluctantly gave up his ground and swung to glower at his men instead.
“You! Stop relaxing and get to it! I didn’t keep you in to get lazy and slack off on me! Hurry the fuck up, you idiots!”
Just like that, the commotion was over as everyone got to what they were tasked here to do. Marko continued yelling at his crew without any death threats while their captain disappeared from view.
“That was intense,” Maddox muttered. “I suppose it’s a good thing that our vampires weren’t around to add to the tension.”
An idea formed, one rooted in observation and the belief that she wouldn’t get anywhere if she snuck onto Jasper’s ship. It clashed with the other fact she knew about Isaiah: that the man had supposedly killed the ship’s original captain to get to where he was and continued doing all other sorts of unspeakable things that no one dared question his authority anymore. It was a risk.
And risks got one answers.
“Thereisa better way to get access to that ship.”
It was a testament to how long they knew each other that Maddox instantly detected her shift of focus and eyed her warily.
“The one we are after?” he asked.
“The one we are riding to get what we are after. The truth. Maddox?”
“What?”
She smiled.
“You are always prepared, oftentimes more than I am. Did you by any chance bring any spare black clothes?”
Chapter 2
Isaiah Charles had banked on it being a very peaceful trip, with a step-by-step plan on what would happen: dock on Ostrov Krov, drop off the goods that a few houses had ordered, and get out of there before they overstayed their welcome. The past few weeks had been riddled with troubles on the seas that left him with no rest at all, and oddly enough, it was the island of vampires and their polite, business-driven camaraderie that had made him look forward to stealing moments to nap and recharge. They had done enough transactions for him to understand that they wouldn’t be attacking him since they had much need for him and his goods.
“Wheeler, do me a favor and back Marko up, would you? I’m sure he’s got this handled, but I don’t like having that Jasper around while we finish up here. That idiot’s bound to mess something up.”
“Jasper or Marko?” Wheeler joked, then sobered at the long look that Isaiah gave him. “Right. You meant Jasper. I was kidding, captain.”
“Well, make sure you don’t kid like that in front of Marko, kid. I’m not liable for your head getting cut off when Marko hears you talking about him behind his back.”
Wheeler paled, perhaps not as immune to the second-in-command as he would have liked their captain to believe. When the quarter was empty, Isaiah took a deep breath and settled into his settee, meant for guests but the most comfortable furniture in the vicinity.
