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“Hey?” I pushed the word out. As if I was right in front of her, lifting her chin, Kat’s head raised up. “We will get your crew and your ship back. Okay?”
“What about Annabeth?” she whispered.
My teeth gritted, trying to hold back the despair building up like battery acid poured down my throat.
I gave no response, nothing that would be positive. AB wasn’t long for this earth, and even if we went after the nectar, she would probably die before. The necromancers had already fed off her, stripping her of the soul that was already barely holding on.
I hoped Cooper and AB had gotten far from here. I hoped she would make it back to Zoey and Ryker in time. Be with her family at the end.
Tugging at my chains, I tried to adjust to the hard ground, needing a distraction from thoughts of AB.
“Do you know where we are?”
“We’re in the palace,” she responded. “They took us in a side entrance below the castle.”
My head bounced, figuring that’s where they put us.
“Has Killian—”
“Has Killian what?” The smooth, familiar voice jolted my muscles, causing me to stand up, my leg almost bowing under the pain of my healing wound. The chains kept my arms at my sides, my shoulders tightening in defense.
Katrina sprang up too, both our gazes going to the figure strolling up to the cell door.
With one hand in his pocket, Killian peered in with a smug superiority only wealthy and powerful people held. Like they were untouchable. The kid always had an arrogance about him, a front so no one would see he was just a scared, hurt little boy.
With time, his anger only grew—at me, at the world. He used it as a shield. Kat was the only person he let his guard down around. Except now, she was also his enemy.
“Have I been betrayed? Deceived?” He pinched his lips. “Yes, on both counts.” His sharp eyes snapped from me to Kat, locking on her. “By someone I had trusted, loved, believed in…”
“Killian—”
“You don’t get to speak,” he barked at her, his hand coming out of his pocket, wrapping around the bars. “You conniving, backstabbing bitch.”
“Hey!” I yanked on my manacles, anger narrowing my gaze. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that.”
“I can talk to her how I want!=,” Killian snapped at me. “I was the one there for her, who didn’t throw her off the ship like cargo, who was there through itall.” Killian’s glower moved over me with loathing.
“What? You deserve a medal for that? An award?” I seethed through my teeth. “You areowedher now?”
Killian’s face flushed with fury, his hands yanking out a set of keys, ripping the door open.
“No!” Katrina screamed. “Killian, stop!” She tugged at her chains as Killian stalked up to me.
“Go ahead.” I leaned closer to him. “I know you’ve been dreaming of this day forever. Well, here I am.”
Killian’s fist crunched across my jaw, slamming my body back into the wall. I was unable to defend myself or fight back. He had always been an amazing fighter. It wasn’t just Master Yukimura who had taught him skills; I had as well, and now he had more muscle and strength behind him. Blood coated my teeth as he laid in another hit, his violet eyes igniting with bloodlust.
Katrina’s cries became white noise, a soundtrack, while Killian worked out his hate on me. Falling to the ground, I let out a gurgled laugh, spitting out blood.
“This make you feel big and strong now?”
“Shut the fuck up!” he hissed, clutching my shirt, yanking me to him. “You may have gotten her to forgive you, but I was there. I saw what a betraying, lowlife piece of shit you are.”
“It does say that on my business cards.” I squinted up at him mockingly, one eye starting to swell.
“I will make sure you rot here before dancing with Jack Ketch,” he snarled. An old pirate phrase for hanging. “The famous Silver Tongue Devil will have a pathetic end.”
“Look at you.” I grinned. “Can take the man out of piracy, but can’t take the pirate out of the man.”
