They glowed in the darkness with an unholy light.
“And an acquired taste.”
Yelping at his sinister tone, she jumped back on the deck and crossed herself as true, unmitigated horror engulfed her. This was not what she’d meant to sign on with when she’d promised herself and Lettice that she’d find her brother no matter what and bring him home. She had already been gone longer on this quest than she’d ever anticipated. Longer than Nathaniel Harrison would forgive her for.
Nor had she meant to find the devil’s ship and his crew to sail with. No doubt to hell itself they were bound!
Dear heaven, I’ve consigned myself to Perdition.…
Everything had seemed so simple when she’d opened her brother’s letter and first set out to locate him. She was to come to Port Royal and ask a few questions. Find out why Paden hadn’t come home after the shipwreck that he’d obviously survived. Take him to task for being so cryptic in his missive, then return home to her life with her wayward brother in tow, and let Lettice beat him sideways for his thoughtlessness and the worry he’d given them.
This was never supposed to be part of it. And the horrifying captain in front of her was definitely not part of the bargain.
Bane froze as he witnessed the absolute stark terror inside Cameron. She literally quivered by his side to such an extent he was amazed she didn’t wet the planks beneath her feet.
There had been a time once when he’d lived to instill that amount of fear and intimidation in others. When the sight of petrified men had been mother’s milk to his cold, dead heart. Compassion and tenderness had been virtually unknown to his warring people.
And yet …
In the flash of one single heartbeat, his mind took him back to the days when he hadn’t been the leader of his race. To the time before he’d first taken a life in battle and had been nothing more than the beloved older brother of his younger sister.
No longer on this ship, he was again in the green meadows where he’d run as a boy. And as was his wont, he was off to join his friends to hunt for game and play for a rare afternoon of freedom—something he’d worked and suffered hard for.
And as was typical of his sister, Elyzabel was hot on his heels, annoying the very piss from him. Five years his junior, she was a tiny wisp of a thing, yet she thought herself his equal in size and abilities.
“What are you about, Du? Why are you carrying Ta’s spear? Does he know you have it?”
“Aye, he knows. Why are you bothering me now with your inane prattle? Off with you! Isn’t there someone else you can annoy for once besides me? We have a sister, you know. Surely, she’s more suited to your tastes than I.”
But she’d never preferred Edyth’s company over his. And not that he blamed her that. Edyth was a futtocking handful on her best day.
“Are you off to hunt? Can I come? Please, please!”
“Nay!” Turning on his heels, he’d growled at Elyzabel. Then froze as he saw the tangles in her brown hair and the dirt on her freckled cheeks. More than that, he noted that, beneath the dirt, a bruise had started to form that deepened the shade of her amber eyes, and there was a tear in her dress.
Though scarce more than tick-size, she was ever ready to stand toe to toe with him, never flinching in her temerity whenever he’d said or done anything that displeased her. She would even dare to shove at him when no man save their father would so much as meet his gaze in anger.
Shout in his face whenever she was mad at him.
She even stood up to their father during his most drunken rages.
Her guts and fire had always amused and amazed him, even when he’d wanted to put her through a wall for not listening to him, or refusing to hide when it was the more prudent thing to do. In all his life, he’d never loved anyone as much as he’d loved his little sister.
Not even Vine.
But while he might have verbally fought with his sister whenever she pushed the boundaries of his patience and all common sense, by the very gods, no one else was allowed to do such and no one was ever to lay hands to her.
No one.
Not even their father. And he had the scars to prove it.
“What’s all this about?” he asked, indicating her cheek.
Elyzabel glanced away. “’Tis naught. Can I come with you?”
“Elf…” he’d chided, cupping her chin and gentling his tone with her. “Tell me what happened to you, lass.”
She let out a long sigh before she finally screwed her face up and confessed it. “’Twas the beast!”
