“Humble too.” Odi grins. “I meant the way you ducked under that creature, and tossed your sword arm back. Seems sneaky for an upstanding man such as yourself.”
I can’t stop the corner of my mouth turning up. “You think I’m upstanding?”
Odi’s head angles to the side, a playful grin forming on her lips. “You don’t know half the things I think.”
What I’d give to slip inside her mind, to trace every dark and shining path that makes her Odelia—vicious pirate of the Viper crew. A woman I have no business imagining beneathmy hands, her hair wound between my claws, tugged just enough to hear her breath catch.
I need to think about something else fast.
“Learned the move from my little brother. He’s always been a head shorter than me. But he’s quick.” I blurt out, knowing the talk of family would damper the flame sparking in my chest.
Odi stretches her arms up, fixing her hair. “You have siblings?”
I almost pass out at the sight of the supple mounds of her breast bobbing just above the surface. I’m certain she hears me swallow as I try not to gawk at her.
“Yes, two. My sister—Selene—who is the oldest. Next in line for the throne and then there is the babe of the family, Dash. He’s training in my father’s army. The favoured son.” The words tumble out in a heap.
“No doubt he’s more handsome than you too.”
I sink further down into the water, so only my head is visible, and drift towards her. “You find me handsome?”
Odi huffs, rolling her eyes, but I catch the smile playing on her lips as she turns to look away.
“How about you? Got any brothers I should know about?”
She softly shakes her head, but it’s her eyes that betray her. “Just me.”
Silence hangs between us. Apparently, family is a sensitive topic, so I drop it. “Trust me, you’re better off. Brothers can be more trouble than they’re worth.”
Odi smiles, but I can see the sadness that dancesin her eyes.
My chest constricts. We don’t have time for sadness, not yet at least. Both of us have treasure to find, and then . . . well there will be plenty of time for sadness after. “Come on, we’d best join the others.”
She lingers a heartbeat longer before dipping her head. Her gaze flicks to my mouth briefly and then she turns, cutting through the water towards the shore. I swallow hard, the burn in my chest fierce enough to keep me rooted, stalling as I watch her glide away.
When she surfaces I can’t tear my gaze away. First, because she’s fucking perfect to look at, and then because I see a faint trail of red snaking down the side of her leg and realise that she’s bleeding. How did I miss that?
Without a second thought I dart towards her, but by the time I’m there she’s almost out, ankle deep in the water—thankfully she still has underwear on, because if she didn’t there’s a definite chance I would have lost all the feeling in my legs. “Odi, stop.”
I rise and wade towards her, not caring that my naked body is on full display. She freezes, but doesn’t turn. Her dark tresses send droplets back to their watery home and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the flow of blood rushing to my cock.
“Turn around.” My voice is a gentle command.
She turns slowly on her heel, one arm crossing her chest to shield herself, and I’m glad, because I wouldn’t be able tobreathe if I took in the entirety of her beautiful naked figure.
I point to her thigh which has three angry, shallow gashes running across it and a crimson trail twisting its way down her leg. “You’re bleeding.”
She shrugs, her lips sealed tight.
Insects hum thick in the canopy above us, wings buzzing like a chorus. The sound mingling with the voices of the crew as they washed upstream. I run my gaze over the wound again, and then my feet have a mind of their own as I take a small step towards her. “Why do you keep doing this?” My jaw locks tight, the words sounding rougher than I meant them to. I try to soften the edges by reaching out to tip her chin up to face me.
She pulls out of my grasp, taking a step back. “Doing what?”
“Hiding your wounds?”
She’s already squared her shoulders, defensive. “Because packs of predators turn on the weak, since feeding them will take from the strong."
Something twangs in my chest, and my brow pinches at her words. “You think I’ll turn on you if I find you injured?”
