He raises an eyebrow, mildly amused. “It’s a tool, not a pet. I never saw the need.”
A tool. The words hit like a slap, and I glance at Zayan, who’s standing beside me, echoing the disbelief etched on my face.
Zayan scoffs, his voice low and biting. “Every ship needs a name. It’s what gives them spirit. Meaning.” He looks at Fabien like he’s talking to an idiot. “You don’t just float around in something nameless.”
Fabien shrugs, completely unfazed. “If it pleases you, name it. I don’t care.”
Well, fuck me, he’s stranger than Vinicola. I almost laugh, but I know better than to provoke him just yet. Not until I’m sure there aren’t brutes waiting below deck to throw me in a cage.
“Come to think of it, we didn’t name the schooner either, did we?” Vini pipes up from behind, his voice light but thoughtful.
I turn to him, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re right,” I admit, annoyance flickering through me. “We were too wrapped up in the damn compass to even think about it.”
“Well, maybe that’s where we went wrong,” Zayan muses. “Could’ve brought us better luck. Might not have sunk so fast.”
Before I can respond, Fabien snorts, crossing his arms. “Luck’s got nothing to do with survival. Skill and preparation do. Names…” He waves a dismissive hand. “Names are just… names.”
But I’m already done listening to him, my eyes drawn to the skiff tied to a rock ahead, looking pristine—untouched by the storm, like it hadn’t spent the last hour in the same hell we did.
“This yours too?” I ask, already unwrapping the rope from the rock.
Fabien nods, his eyes flickering to the skiff and back to me. “Yes, it is. Do you want tocaptainthis one too?”
I clench my jaw, swallowing the retort that’s dancing on the tip of my tongue. Now’s not the time to trade barbs, no matter how tempting it is to put him in his place. I glance at Zayan, who’s practically vibrating with the effort of holding back, his teeth grinding so hard I’m surprised they haven’t shattered. Vinicola, beside us, fidgets like he’s sitting on a barrel of gunpowder, eager to get out of this place before the fuse burns too short.
“Sure thing, Fabien Rancour,” I say with a smirk. “Let me command you some before I do that in front of your men.” My words are honeyed, but there’s a barb beneath the sweetness, one I know Fabien feels.
His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he gestures toward the skiff with a mock flourish. “Ladies first.”
I hold my ground for a beat, but eventually nod and step toward the skiff to prepare it. One by one, we pile in. Vinicola jumps in first, nearly tripping over his own feet in his rush. Zayan follows, his movements tight, controlled. I settle in after, helping Zayan steady himself before turning my attention to Fabien, who climbs in last without losing any balance.
When we push away from the rock, I feel unease coiling around my insides like a knot. This is it. We’re putting our lives in the hands of a man we barely know and trust even less.
Silverbeard would’ve told me I’m a fool. He’d give me that long, silent stare of disappointment before launching into one of his tirades. I’d never hear the end of it.
Fabien’s the one to row. To his credit, he makes it look easy—like it’s no more effort than lifting a tankard of ale. His broad frame moves with the kind of strength you don’t see often, muscles rippling with each pull. It’s clear he’s used to hard work, though how he built a body like that while commanding forty men to do the heavy lifting for him is beyond me.
I’ve got a toned-down body myself—lean and sharp, built for speed and survival. I like to think I’m in peak shape for a pirate. But him? He’s on another level. I’ve never seen a man with so much muscle. Even Zayan, an expert swimmer who prides himself on his physique, doesn’t come close. Fabien’s calves are thicker, his shoulders broader. He looks like he could break a man in two without so much as blinking.
It pains me to admit it, given just moments ago I had to fight with him for our lives, but that’s the truth. He’s a formidable opponent. Hopefully, he can be a formidable ally as well.
And as if sensing my thoughts, he speaks, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. “Are you changing your mind, Captain?” he asks, not bothering to look my way. “Or do you think staring long enough will let you figure me out?”
His words catch me off guard, even though they shouldn’t. Maybe it’s his size, or the way he speaks without the slightest hint of insecurity. Whatever it is, my mouth opens before I can stop it.
“Neither, actually,” I say. “Just wondering how a man stops being human and becomes a monster like you. I’ve never seen someone so big around here.”
The moment the words slip out, I feel the weight of Zayan’s stare drilling into the side of my head. He’s sitting across from me, next to Fabien, and the look on his face makes it clear—ifI hadn’t given him a reason to want Fabien dead before, I just handed him one on a silver platter.
I meet his glare head-on and shrug, because he’s not the boss of me and never will be. He can seethe all he wants, but I’m not about to play nice just because he’s uncomfortable.
Fabien, on the other hand, laughs—a sound that’s rough and jagged, just like everything about him.
“Do you mean my soul or my body, Captain?” he rasps. “Those are two very different kinds of monstrosities.”
I smirk, feeling the corner of my mouth tug up. “I don’t think I’d ever compliment you enough to say you have a big soul,” I fire back.
“My body then,” he replies. “Years of hardship and survival, Captain. Years of pushing past my limits because no one else would. When there’s no one to rely on but yourself, you either grow strong or die. And fish. Lots of fish.”
