The screen is then jostled, and a handsome, bearded face with the brightest sea-green eyes appears. The face morphs into a scowl, and I can just make out what looks like a body being flung across the room.
“Cap’s indisposed right now.“
Then the scrying glass goes dark.
I step back, my heart pounding in my throat as I shoot Kit a horrified glance. I’m pretty sure I just saw the captain roughing someone up while he was chatting away like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Kit didn’t mention Aster or anything about the mate bond, something I think both of us are aware of.
“So... your brother’s pirate ship, eh?”
Kit gives an uncomfortable shrug. “We don’t have to stay for long, but at least it’ll get us out of the town in case there are still sorcerers in the vicinity. I should have asked before I suggested it, but it hit me as Finch was asking. This would be perfect. And I wouldn’t want to leave you here alone. Not that you haven’t been taking care of yourself for a long time, but—”
I lean forward to bump his shoulder with mine. “It’s all right.”
It’s a good plan, really. Especially considering the possible stink I’ve left over in Ambleby. It feels like forever ago that Frannie and I left, but there’s every chance that the fishy guy and his threats will be there right now, causing trouble.
“Well, it’s certainly one way to get to know your family.”
Chapter 9
Reva
It feels like the world keeps shifting under my feet, like a poorly put together rope bridge. With every step it swings and sways, making it impossible to know where I’ll land.
As strange as the past day’s events have been, something tells me that heading onboard a cursed pirate ship will only lead to things taking an even stranger turn. Still, I’m focusing my attention on the parts of the chaos I can actually control. I need clothes, my stash of coins, and the couple of trinkets hidden around the house in Ambleby, which I’d be loath to lose. We also need to see if Frannie’s wards are holding up so far.
Which means heading back to Ambleby.
We need to be quick, in and out and back here in the morning since Finch wasn’t exactly specific with his instructions and I really don’t want to miss the boat.
Frannie and I decide to take Aster with us, while we leave Kit to sort out the shop and his own affairs ready for us to leave town for a few days. After explaining the situation, Aster is surprisingly happy to be getting away. He must be trusting that we’re not leading him into an even worse situation.
It has to be the mate bond talking, as otherwise, he truly has terrible survival instincts.
He’s not the only one feeling unexpected effects of our sudden bond. We’ve barely rowed away from the shore when I feel a hollowache start up in my gut. It seems to grow worse the further we travel from Port Yarrow. From Kit.
Something inside me feels stretched further and further, causing my insides to cramp and my breath to come out unsteady.
Frannie’s got the oars and is focused on rowing three adults through the churning waves, but Aster keeps his eyes focused on me, his expression filled with concern as I clutch my stomach.
Maybe it’s not the distance from Kit that’s the problem. It also feels unnatural to have left Noush in Kit’s care even after I reassure myself she’s locked away in his special little box and I’ll be able to pick her up on our return.
Try telling that to my body, though. Frannie continues to row us around the headland toward Ambleby and something screams at me we need to turn around. Sweat beads at my armpits and my palms, and I keep my face turned toward the wind, trying to keep cool and soothe my raging instincts with the sea’s spray. I cling to the side of the little boat, fighting the instinct to toss myself into the water and swim back the way we came.
It takes a couple of hours of Frannie’s powerful strokes ploughing through the water until we reach the dull, familiar sight of Ambleby Bay. By this point, my body seems to have calmed down slightly, and my pounding heart and overactive sweat glands have been replaced with a dull unease in the pit of my stomach.
The drizzle has returned, and after dragging the boat onto the beach, we hurry along to the house. Everything seems to be exactly as we left it. There are no signs of the authorities pounding on the door or blackmailers having come to call. After seeing the freshly painted fronts over in Port Yarrow, I’m vaguely ashamed to show our little hovel of a village to Aster. Not that we’ll be doing much exploring here. Last night left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I’d be perfectly fine with packing up all of my things and never coming back.
So long as Frannie came with me, that is. She’s been the best thing about this place, and I don’t want to leave her in the lurch.
“I never even asked if you wanted to come with us,” I say to her as I watch her neatly folding clothing and shoving it into a duffel bag.
She looks up at me in surprise. “I spoke to Kit before we left. I’m going to look after his shop for a few days while you’re gone. That way I can keep an ear out if anyone knows anything about your man’s sorcerers and avoid any trouble here.”
“What about Mag?”
“I’m sure he’ll keep an eye on the house for us,” she replies.
