So that’s her little champion, is it? My blood boils all over again.
Her eyes lock onto mine, and just then, a bolt of lightning splits the sky, lighting her up like some vengeful goddess come to claim my soul. My heart lodges itself in my throat.
What a beauty. What chaos in the flesh.
“Gypsy!” I shout, taking a bold step toward the stairs, a smirk curling on my lips. “Fancy running into you like this!”
That does it. Something snaps in her. Her teeth are bared, rain and seawater dripping down her face, and for a second, all I can think is how damned breathtaking she looks, even when she’s ready to tear me apart.
“Hold the wheel, bard!” she shouts, leaving the wheel spinning like mad, the ship lurching as the waves batter us from all sides. But she doesn’t care—not one bit. No, she’s charging at me like the devil himself shoved her forward, and I’m the lucky bastard she’s chosen to gut.
“Me?!” The bard’s panicked voice reaches me from somewhere behind, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Gypsy.
“Fancy running into me?!” Gypsy’s scream cuts through the storm, louder than the thunder rumbling overhead. “I’ll fancy killing you, you bastard!”
And just like that, her dagger is out, catching the storm’s light. I should be fighting for my life, but all I can do is stare. The lightning strikes again, purple and royal behind her. The sea shoots into the air. Waves crash. And amidst all this chaos, she looks perfectly in place with it all—fierce, furious, and, fuck… even prettier than a moment before. I’m frozen.Mesmerized.
And then my body remembers what my brain apparently doesn’t—this woman’s trying to kill me. Instinct kicks in, and I snap back into action, my grin never leaving my face.
I feel more alive now than I have inyears.
She swings the dagger at me, pure rage in every movement. If not for a wave knocking me backward, she’d probably even slice me open. But the ship lurches again, and I scramble to stay upright on the slick, heaving deck.
“Fight me, you coward!” she screams, her eyelashes catching the rain, looking like sea urchins bristling in the storm. “Don’t just stand there! Fight!”
I raise my hands, palms out, the sea spray blinding me for a moment. “No.”
She swings again, her blade cutting the air so close I can feel the wind of it. I stumble back, my heart pounding in my chest, but not from fear. Oh no. Not from fear.
“Save him! Save the pirate!” a voice calls from the merchant ship, but all I can think isdon’t. I like it here. But then a crack of a gunshot splits the storm, and I curse under my breath. They’re aiming at her. Ather.
“Stop!” I roar, spinning to face them, rage bubbling up. They’re still firing, the bullets lost in the storm’s fury. One zips past us, close enough to feel, and I see it—the flicker in Gypsy’s eyes. Fear. Just for a heartbeat. But it’s enough.
I watch as she loses her footing, sliding toward the edge. Time slows, and I know—she’s not going to catch the railing. The sea, dark and hungry, waits to swallow her whole.
“Gypsy!” I yell, but my voice is lost to the wind. She’s already falling. Lightning cracks again, lighting up her face, her hair whipping wild.
Chase her, you idiot. It’s what you always do.
The cold sting of death brushes past me—black water as deep and unforgiving as the woman I’d throw myself into it for. The sea’s pulling me in, and I welcome it.
Without thinking, I let go of the rope and dive. The deck’s a blur beneath me as I skid across it, faster than I’ve ever moved inmy life. My hand shoots out, and just as she slips over the edge, my fingers lock around her wrist.
For a moment, we’re hanging in the storm—her body dangling over the sea, my grip the only thing between her and the abyss.
“I’ve got you,” I breathe, every muscle in my body screaming as I hold her.
The ship tilts again, and the sea pulls at her, hungry, trying to drag her from me. But with a grunt, I yank her back, pulling her to safety. We crash onto the deck, a mess of limbs and drenched clothes, gasping for breath. She pushes herself up, and for a split second, our faces are so close, I can feel her breath against my lips.
Then, just as quickly, she shoves me off, rolling away and scrambling to her feet.
“Don’t think for a second I won’t kill you now,” she spits, but her voice shakes, her chest rising and falling like she’s still trying to catch her breath.
I laugh, low and rough, the sound barely human. Damn, I missed this. We just get each other—her and I.
“Whatever gets you all worked up, love.” I stand, my hands still buzzing from the feel of her skin.
Her eyes flash, sharp as the blade she’s always so quick to throw. For a heartbeat, I think she might go for it. But no—her gaze shifts past me, locking onto the ship closing in on us, the one that’s still hunting this little schooner.
