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I burst into laughter, the irony and idiocy hitting me at once. When I couldn’t stop laughing, he laughed with me, almost like a boy instead of the feared captain of the ship.
A terrible rumble ripped through my chest and made the windows shudder. I yelped, dropping the clothes in my hands and jumping into Adrian’s chest. He scoffed, but I felt one strong arm wrap around me, holding me steady.
“It’s just thunder, Princess Blood.”
I wanted to let go of his shirt out of pride, but I couldn’t.
“I’ve never been on sea during a storm,” I said. “Are we going to be okay?”
“No one dies on my ship.”
“What if we get thrown off?”
“I’ll come get you.”
I leaned back, looking into his eyes. He was smirking like a boy who liked to pull girls’ pigtails and show them worms, but the way his arms were wrapped around my waist was anything but boyish.
“We still need to cut you open, right?” he added.
I shoved him away, remembering myself. I looked down at my arm.
“I’m not going to kill you, you know,” he said. “It’s just a cut.”
I rubbed my arm. It was already aching.
“What are you going to do with this stone of yours once you find it?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Get a lot of money.”
My mouth gaped. “That’s your master plan for the most powerful stone in mythology?”
He pursed his lips and nodded.
“You’re using me for a get-rich-quick scheme?”
“Hey, I wouldn’t call itquick,” he returned. “First, I had to get a crew, then I had to steal a ship, and then I had to find the descendant of one of the Guardians of the Eros and kidnap her…I’ve been busy. This has been a lot of work.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re high maintenance. We’re even.”
“I’m high maintenance? You’re the one—”
Thunder boomed again, sending me to my ankles. I swung my arms over my head to protect myself. Adrian snorted and laughed from above.
“I guess there’s no other option,” he muttered. “I’m going to have to keep you close to me tonight.”
CHAPTER 9—LESSONS
I awoke to the smell of the sea. It was fresh and clean, the salt cleansing my mind of all stress and fear. This was the reason I slept with my bedroom window open. The scent of the sea was always the cure for anything that made my heart ache.
Mother’s death.
Father’s failing business.
My betrothal to a total stranger twice my age.
The thoughts tumbled through my mind, but only stayed for a moment, the smell of the sea soothing my aching heart.
