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“Thank you,” she whispers, but I can still feel the tension radiating from her body.
“Remember to breathe,” I remind her as I lean forward, kissing the top of her thigh before touching the needle to it. The gun is powered by magic and vibrates softly in my hand as I draw the symbols Nelvin scribed. I’m hyper-aware of each flinch she tries to suppress, and my chest tightens at the thought of causing her pain.
Her eyes flick around the room, searching for a distraction from the discomfort. I can sense her curiosity mounting, the questions she wants to ask about the treasures and trinkets I’ve collected over the years. Honestly, I’m surprised she’s waiting so long to do so.
“Breathe, love,” I say, pausing to stroke my fingers up her thigh. Her legs tremble, but I don’t sense fear from her, just the nervousness. It’s likely the adrenaline. “Think about the fact you can float me once it’s done. I’m pretty sure Smee would allow it.”
A laugh escapes her as she looks down the length of her body at me. It’s music to my ears. “She’d never allow that.”
I raise my brow, tilting my head as I look over our progress. “I don’t know... She’s going to be pissed when she hears I killed those men. Especially since I just showed everyone on that deck that I’m their captain, almost immediately after handing the helm to her. She’s not going to be happy with me, but I suppose she already wasn’t. Part of my conditions in giving control of the ship to her was that you remain unharmed.”
Scarlet lifts onto her elbows, meeting my eyes. “Why? You’ve been so torn about what to do with me up to now...”
“Because that’s the second time you’ve saved my life. I don’t think a blood witch would’ve done that. A blood witch would’ve let me die on that deck, yet you did literally everything in your power to ensure that didn’t happen.” Rolling my wrist, I get ready to start again.
“You believe me?” she breathes, her eyes rounding by the second.
“Aye, I do. It doesn’t change the fact the crew doesn’t, though. I’m hoping they’ll listen to Smee. If I can prove it to her, the others might listen.”
She nods, sitting back so I can continue. As I work on the tattoo, Scarlet’s gaze wanders to the shelves.
“What’s in those jars?” she asks, and that one question alone means Zephyr was right. She didn’t know what was in them, and anyone crafty with magic would’ve felt the power they contain.
“Shadows,” I say, and her gaze snaps to mine. “They belonged to traitors my father killed. He believed he could trade Pan for my soul, so he collected them, hoping the more he had to trade, the more likely the god would make a deal.”
She stays deathly still, allowing me to work, but her gaze returns to the shelves. “You make it seem so transactional… Like a merchant selling goods. He couldn’t truly believe that he could bargain a god for your soul.”
“Hasn’t anyone told you not to speak ill of the dead? My father didn’t have much of a choice. Bargaining was the best option. Still might be. Not everyone on this crew can fight, and it would’ve taken dozens of men to even attempt to overpower Pan.” As the final lines of ink take shape, I sit back, admiring my handiwork. “Done.”
She cringes as she sits up, looking for herself. Swirls and twisted symbols form a line at the top of her thigh.
“How do you feel?” I put down the gun and clasp my hands in my lap in an attempt to keep them to myself and not on her.
“Like I’ve just been stabbed a thousand times,” she replies, attempting to sound casual but failing to hide the relief in her voice. I snort out a laugh, grinning wickedly as Scarlet examines it. “It seems feminine enough. It’s not like yours.”
“What? You expected skulls and ships?”
She pokes at the skin around the mark, hissing as she does. “I’m not sure what I expected.”
Honestly, I’m just relieved she’s taking this with minimal resistance. I’m not sure how Smee and the others would’ve reacted if she’d turned it down. It’s just one less thing to worry about and one less weight on my shoulders.
“I don’t feel anything different.” Her head tilts to one side as she gazes up at me.
“It’s not activated yet...” I’m not sure how to explain this part. I was hoping I didn’t have to, that things would just sort of happen naturally.
“How do you activate it? Say the rest of the spell or something?”
I shake my head, trapping my lower lip between my teeth. “No... You have to willingly accept it. Intimately.”
Her eyes grow wide with understanding, and I fight the urge to smirk at the sudden flush of color creeping into her cheeks.
Before she has a chance to pepper me with more questions, I offer my hand and help her up from the bed. “We should talk about what happened,” I say, sitting back in the chair. “Not many knew I was going to be in a meeting. The men who took you knew you’d be alone.”
“What are you saying?” She cringes, tenderly running her hand over the symbols I placed.
“That someone from my meeting was in on it. They were the only people who knew I’d be there and that you were alone in the med bay. Well, all except Zephyr’s assistant, but the boy looks up to him, and Zephyr’s been your biggest supporter. I doubt it was him. Even then, I won’t float a fifteen-year-old. He’s just a kid. If he was involved, it’s because someone else got him involved.”
I hate to think that any of them are a part of this. Everyone at that table has been in my life for so long, I can’t envision living it without them. But it’s the only thing that makes sense.
