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Annabeth looked up briefly, her mouth pinching in thought. “I know she loved him.” She twirled her tea bag around. “And no doubt he loved her. Absolutely adored her. There was no way you couldn’t. Lexie was filled with so much life, almost like her body couldn’t contain it all in this life.”
I swallowed.
“But was heinlove with her?” Her blue eyes met mine as if she sensed something more in my question. “Until I met Cooper, I would have said yes. But now I understand fae better, and what mates mean to them. How it feels, the intensity and deep connection between us. There are no words in the English language to describe the bond.” A blush colored her pale skin. “To experience it. To witness it firsthand with Ryker and Zoey and so many at the Dweller ranch.” She paused, her gaze boring through me. “No.” She wagged her head. “Croygen loved her, but he wasn’tinlovewith her. Not the way she would have wanted him to be.”
A strange mix of sadness for this girl flowed over me because I knew how it felt to be so in love with him and for him not to feel the same, and also relieved that he wasn’t. Which only made me feel guilty because this poor girl was dead. What kind of person was jealous of a girl no longer living?
A loud fart whistled in the air, a sigh coming from Sprig. Annabeth and I both laughed, watching him curl up tighter around the goat, smacking his lips.
“I better get him to bed.” She scooped him up, smiling at me. “It was good talking with you, though I feel like I’ve somehow known you forever.” Oddly, I felt the same. “See you in the morning.”
“Night.”
AB took off toward the cabin she and Cooper shared, that bitter scent still lingering. My nose wiggled. Must have been Sprig farting the whole time. Cats had an excellent sense of smell. It was how I knew we were being attacked this morning; the men coming up the stairs had a strong magical stench I knew wasn’t from anyone I had met before.
This morning…
A flush warmed my cheeks, recalling how I woke up. I swear I could still feel his massive cock tucked in my ass, his hand up my shirt, his thumb absently rubbing at my nipple.
Desire slid down between my thighs, pulsing fiercely.
Jumping up, I needed to move, get some fresh air to flood out my thoughts. Taking deep breaths, I let my feet take me to the quarterdeck, trying to regain my composure.
My skin prickled, my senses knowing who was here before I even acknowledged them. My nose and eyes picked up on the figure standing at the railing.
The draw to the spot was a habit I had learned from him. When the pendulum swung too high and nothing made sense, the ocean would always center me again.
I was sure he was aware I stood there, but he didn’t react when I stepped up next to him, leaning on the rail, the impending storm rocking the ship.
I could feel turmoil whipping around inside him, his jaw clenched, his muscles tight, and his gaze far away.
“When I was young, late at night when no one was awake, I used to sneak out of my bed and spy on this pirate,” I spoke, my attention on the swells. “He’d come to this same spot when he felt the world on his shoulders.”
“Really?” he said flatly.
“I could hear him talking to the sea, telling it all his woes. And one time, I asked him if it ever answered him back.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said, ‘the sea always answers.’” My eyes stayed forward as I repeated the words he had told me in the past. “Maybe not directly. It keeps many secrets, but it will always guide you.”
His mouth hinted at a sad smile.
“Sounds like this pirate of yours was full of shit.”
“Oh, he was definitely that.” I grinned at his lips twitching again. “But he also was one of the wisest I’ve ever known.”
“Was that a compliment, Kitty-Kat?”
“You’re assuming you were the pirate I was talking about.”
His head twisted to me, our gazes catching. I could see and feel his sorrow, like he was adrift and had no raft to hang on to.
“You never snuck up on me. I always knew you were there,” he breathed. “I think you were one of the things that calmed me.”
I hated this sensation in my gut, this need to forget all the stuff between the time he sent me off the ship to when I climbed back on. Pretend he wasn’t the reason my life had been so rough, that I didn’t miss my father every minute. That I hadn’t spent every day for centuries planning my revenge, becoming a notorious pirate to spite him.
“I need you to tell me about my father.”
