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“So that’s our port.”
I don’t jump out of my skin, but it’s a near thing. I didn’t hear Evelyn approach. Now she’s standing at my side as if she’s been there all along. She’s changed back into the clothes she was wearing when we pulled her out of the sea, but she must’ve done something to magic them, because the rain doesn’t seem to touch the fabric. Or her hair, for that matter.
I step back and look at her properly. There’s a fine bubble around her that the rain slides off. “Neat trick.”
“Work smarter, not harder.” She’s still eyeing the small, sleepy town with far too much interest. She’s going to run. It’s nothing more than I expected, but I can’t help the frustration that blooms in response to the realization.
I don’t have time to be chasing down a wayward witch who breaks vows as easily as she makes them. “Do I have to lock you in my cabin for the duration of our stay here?”
Her brows wing up. “There you go again, flirting with me.”
I hate myself a little bit for blushing in response. Hopefully she can’t see it in the low light and stormy weather. “I’m not flirting with you.” I might have been thinking about kissing her after dinner in my cabin, but I wasn’t flirting.
“Are you sure? Because threatening to lock me up in your cabin sounds particularly flirty.” She shifts closer until she’s nearly pressed against me. “If you had me in your cabin all to yourself, what would you do with me?”
Everything.
I barely manage to keep the instinctive, unforgivable answer inside. She’s trying to provoke me, to make me uncomfortable enough that I won’t pay attention to what she’s up to. I may be interested in her, but I know better than to let it color my interactions with her. At least I hope I do. I’ve never felt so completely foolish around a potential paramour.
What am I thinking? Potential paramour? This woman is a godsdamned menace. She is fair of face and lush of body, but she’s already proven to be a ball of chaotic energy. Besides, I’m the captain. No matter that I would never abuse my power, there is a power imbalance between me and the rest of my crew. I have to keep my interest locked down.
I belatedly realize that I’m staring at her in awkward silence. Usually I’m not so damn awkward; she seems to bring out this side of me in particular. It’s irritating. “Go back to your cabin, Evelyn. You can go ashore with the rest of them at first light.” It won’t be first light. Everyone will sleep in, courtesy of a long night and the fact that most shops won’t open until well past dawn.
She gives me a long look and smiles sweetly. It’s a liar’s smile. This woman doesn’t like me, and she doesn’t want to be here. It’s mildly insulting that she thinks I would believe her to be docile after only a few hours. “Yes, Captain.” She salutes in a charmingly irreverent way and turns with a click of her heels.
I can’t help watching her big ass in those tight pants as she walks away. I have no doubt that the extra swing in her step is because she knows I’m watching. The little witch. It’s only when she disappears back belowdecks that I think to check whether she lifted something else off me.
Sure enough, I’m missing the ring from my thumb on my right hand. How did she manage that? She never got close enough to touch me properly. It’s wildly unfair that she’s slipping things from my body and I don’t get the benefit of feeling her touch.
I shake my head. Hopefully the storm passes quickly and we’re able to get back on the water soon. Being at port, and so close to the portals each respective island offers, makes my skin itch.
Or maybe it’s the fact that I highly suspect Evelyn will be sneaking away the moment she thinks my back is turned. With all the spells at her disposal, it’s entirely possible that she’d be successful. Unless …
A slow smile, feeling foreign on my lips, settles over me. The little witch has gotten one over on me several times since she came aboard. Perhaps it’s time I turn the tables on her properly. It’s not something I would normally engage in, but there is very little about the situation that’s normal.
She’s going to run, and she thinks I have no idea. If I happen to get ahead of her, to lie in wait … Is she actually breaking her vow and fleeing if she’s running to me?
Something strange and fizzy takes root in my stomach. I’m not sure what to think of the sensation. It almost feels like excitement, but that can’t possibly be it. I catch sight of Dia over by the mast, the bright orange spot near her lips making her easy to pick out. “Dia.”
She doesn’t rush, but then I don’t expect her to. I’m also not a captain who expects people to drop everything and sprint to me the moment I call. My navigator strolls over to me and holds out a joint. “Care to join me?”
“You know I never touch the stuff.”
She shrugs. “You should try it sometime. Might loosen up that sphincter a bit.”
I never know what to say when she makes comments like that. They’re highly inappropriate, but this woman has been on the ship for longer than I’ve been alive. If Ezra was something of a grandfather figure, I suppose that makes Dia a grandmother figure. It doesn’t mean that she gets special treatment, exactly; more that she chooses which orders she feels like obeying, and no one can force her to do otherwise. I’m certainly not going to. “You’ll be up for a bit yet?”
She inhales deeply, and exhales a perfect circle and then another inside it. I’m not sure how she’s managing that in the rain, but Dia is plenty magical at times. “That depends. Why are you asking me to watch over the helm?”
There’s no point in lying. She’ll know if I do, and then she’ll just ignore my request. I blink rainwater from my eyes. “The witch is going to try to escape. I mean to stop her.”
“You could just let her go.” She flicks ash away. “If she’s so determined to meet her bloody fate, you could just allow it. No one escapes the Cwn Annwn. You know it, and I know it.”
That’s the problem. I can’t stand the thought of Evelyn’s green eyes going faded and blank in death. I’ve seen enough life snuffed out from this world. I’m sure if I explained as much, Miles would say that I’m soft and unforgivable and further erode the crew’s faith in me. I’m not the kind of stern shit a captain of the Cwn Annwn should be made of. Maybe it’s even true. There are more than a few captains, like Hedd of the Audacity, who have no problem hanging crew members who question too many orders.
But if Evelyn flees and a hunt is called, it won’t matter that I’m not a captain like that. I won’t have a choice about joining in.
“I would rather catch her now, while there’s a chance to save her, than catch her with a blade in my hand.”
