The dronsian fluttered his wings and focused on the movement coming up from behind. Augustus knew exactly who it was before he turned around. The Rangers came together at the top of the stairs, Blaze’s hair half-pulled back the way he used to wear it long ago aboard theAkias.
But something was different about Blaze today. Lines formed deep grooves around his mouth and between his brows, and he folded his arms as if to protect himself from whatever Roslyn was saying. The men, Luc and Xavier, nodded in agreement.
“It’s weird having him back,” Lili said. “I mean, he’s notbackback, but you know what I mean. He’s still our Blaze. Only taller. Broader. Those shoulders?—”
“Lili.” He caught her dark eyes and shook his head. “He’s leaving.”
Lili’s brows drew down. “How do you know? He hasn’t said anythingto me.”
Augustus’s throat tightened. “Look at him.”
She did, and Blaze caught them staring. His arms dropped, and he said something to the Rangers that ended with them nodding. Then, with a final glance at Augustus, Blaze strode down to the main deck and disappeared.
“I’ve seen that look before,” Augustus said, and the dronsian whined.
“If that’s true,” Lili said, her jaw muscles tightening, “I’ll kill him.”
“No, you won’t. I’ll talk to you later.”
Augustus strode from the forecastle, stomping down the steps until he reached the main deck. Everywhere he looked, Omar’s friends and family—strangers—worked and laughed. They moved with a type of synchronicity unlike anything Augustus had ever seen. Theylikedone another, and they were at home on the sea. This wasn’t a job; it was a way of life. And they’d somehow managed to suck theEntia’s original crew into their thrall.
Four of the youngest aboard zipped toward Augustus with giant eyes and gaping mouths—Tiny, Mighty, Little, and Scout.
“Can we pet it?” Scout asked.
The dronsian purred, and his tail tap, tap, tapped down Augustus’s back. “What do you say, Little Kraken? Feel like playing for a while?”
“He’s not a kraken,” Little said with a snorting laugh.
“But he is a mighty beast,” Augustus said.
The dronsian, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth, leapt and flapped his wings, soaring over their heads. They chased him across the deck with ear-piercing squeals of delight.
Before the attack in Perean, when Augustus saw his future, he and Selene lived with a loyal crew. The days were regimented. Rules kept everyone alive. But the nights…those he spent worshipping the woman he loved. They’d have years like that, sailing wherever the winds took them.
He knew that life by heart, and it was one he wanted to share with her.
These last few weeks opened his eyes to another version. The expanse of a single family that began with two people—Omar and Eliza—and stretched outward like a net of golden thread. Children raised into strength. Strangers welcomed without condition. A legacy forged not in blood, but in choice.
Thiswas what he wanted with Selene. To helm a family, not just a ship. To forge relationships that were stronger than loyalty.Thiswas what their love might eventually bloom into.
The hair prickled on the back of Augustus’s neck.
Blaze stood at the entrance to the officer’s quarters and motioned for Augustus to follow.
Augustus entered his cabin to find Blaze already pouring himself a shot of whiskey. The Ranger tossed it back.
“Where are we dropping you off?” Augustus asked.
Blaze poured another and stepped outside onto the balcony. His silence a confirmation.
Augustus paused at the threshold with folded arms. “Why did you even bother coming?”
“You know why.”
Guilt. Love. Hope.
The kind that lingers too long. Twists itself into duty and doesn’t let go.
