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Her upturned eyes grew wider as she tried to swallow back her gasp. Her yellow and green irises went horizontal for a moment before she reined in her emotion.
It was all the answer I needed.
“You think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Even without Tsai’s push, I would’ve eventually. “I want to say I’m shocked, but really I think I’m proud.”
“Proud?” she repeated through her teeth, her lids tapering on me.
“You have made quite a reputation for yourself. The Caribbean is abuzz with rumors and tales about this infamous Puss.” I leaned even closer. “Her skills in sword fighting and thieving have made her the most feared pirate in the east. Why wouldn’t I be proud? I am the one, after all, who taught you everything you know.”
My crew let out sharp inhales, unaware of our past connection. Scot had been with me the longest, but he joined me after Kat had left.
Kat folded her arms, her smile curling her lips. “The greatest teacher I’veeverhad, the one who taught me to be the pirate I wanted to be. The person I wanted to be.” She moved close to the bars, our faces only an inch apart. “Was Master Yukimura.”
A low scoff pushed me back with amusement, my head shaking. “Haven’t changed, have you,Katze?”
“Haven’t changed?” She arched up her brow. “I’m nothing like that idealistic, naive girl I once was. You know, the one who used to be enamored with you. I wised up to that childish folly the moment you threw me away.”
My jaw gritted at the disgust in her tone. The hatred. Because I deserved it. But in no way would I let her know that.
“Not enamored with me? Really?” I countered, lifting my eyebrow. “You’ve just spent the last few centuries trying to become the best pirate out there, am I right?” I gripped the cage, my face even with the bars, showing her how the metal didn’t affect me. It did, but not like others. I had spent so much time being held prisoner by Dr. Rapava, being injected with goblin metal, tortured and tested on, that I had developed a higher tolerance than most. I was able to touch it and be around it much longer than other fae.
“Allbecause ofme. Every thought and breath has been aboutme. Dreaming about me, practicing what you’d say when you finally saw me again. Tell me I’m wrong, Kitty-Kat?”
“Dreaming aboutkillingyou.” She swung her hand forward, her nails shifting into longer claws. I leaned away, a laugh bubbling in my throat.
“You had your shot, and you hesitated.” I licked my lips, my mind going back to the feel of her straddling me, the fierceness in her eyes. “You won’t get the chance again.”
“So sure of yourself, aren’t you?” She seethed. “The moment you look away, the moment you let down your guard. I will take everything you took from me. My fath—”
The sound of heavy feet pounding on the stairs distracted me, cutting off whatever Kat was saying. Corb ran down, his eye wide, his deep grunts filled with alarm. Cyclops could make sounds, and their grunts expressed a lot in tones, but they couldn’t speak. I had taught everyone our own version of sign language to be able to communicate. His fingers formed a signal.
“Somali pirates?” Zid exclaimed at the same time the sound of machine guns pinged off the side of the ship.
“Fuck!” My feet were already racing for the stairs as Kat yelled for me.
“Let me out! I can help.”
For a moment, I debated. She was an excellent fighter, but I didn’t trust her. She could easily turn a gun on me instead.
“Where am I gonna go? Join them?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you,” I clipped, rushing for the stairs.
“Croygen!” Her voice grew fainter as I ascended up to the deck. “You fucking asshole!”
The buzz of battery-operated boats hummed around us like bees. Their boats were tiny and low-tech, but they made up for that in quantity and sheer determination. The Somalis had nothing to lose. Most of them understood if they went out, they most likely wouldn’t come back. Their own lives or those of others were of no consequence to them. They were pitiless and cruel, overwhelming you like cockroaches.
“Cover the starboard side!” I ordered, pointing at Zid and Vane since the pirates had gotten too close to bother with cannons. Twenty or more boats swiftly surrounded us, blending in perfectly with the ocean in the dawn light.
Times had changed since the mid-seventeen hundreds, but many of the ships out now remained the same because technology had gone backward, falling into the times before electricity, cars, and computers. King Lars had a team of scientists, engineers, creators, and wealthy donors working on getting products to function in this new magic-boosted world, but not fast enough.
We were sitting ducks.
The pirate’s automatic guns tore into the wood of the ship as they sped closer, the front ones already prepping to toss their hooks and board my ship.
Scot, Corb, and I covered the stern and port side of the ship while Tsai went behind the helm, maneuvering us away from the attack. The woman may be blind, but centuries of experience made her the best at what she did. The woman had a photographic memory and could recall every inch of this ocean. She knew the alignment of the stars in the sky at any time and place, and she knew when a storm was coming by the smell of the air.
With such a small crew, it was easy to be overwhelmed. My reputation in the Caribbean had stopped anyone from coming after me, but they had no such honor here. All probably way too young to even know who I was.
