She drifted amid the calm waves, seemingly unbothered by the recent storm. Her peaceful state made me question if the storm we’d sailed into had steered us here, if Ellira hadwantedus to find her.
Whether the gods or my own stupidity guided my action, I ordered my men to retrieve her, because the shade of the dark bunch of planks she rested on looked far toofamiliar.
CHAPTER 27
Onboard Lethality
KAEL
The storm and ensuing chaos that Alastair had informed us of hadn’t disturbed our sleep. It seemed that no longer being beneath my father’s watchful eye had granted Percival and me an unexpected peace, though something continued to stir deep within me that I couldn’t quite place.
Rubbing my eyes with my palms, a lengthened groan escaped me. A yawn was quick to follow, my mind and body muddled because I’d finally, for the first time in my life, slept longer than two hours at one time. Scratching at the freshly grown stubble on my jaw, I lifted my gaze to Percival.
With his bare back to me, I was able to admire the breadth of his shoulders. Scars littered every inch of his bronze skin, their patterns hinting at varying lacerations, some whip, others knife. Running along them and down the entire length of his spine, the inked version of his sword nestled perfectly between his shoulder blades. Each raven perched on either side of the steel held secrets of his lineage that even I had yet to learn.
Before I could analyze its intricate hilt, he pivoted on his heel to faceme. Offering me a cheeky grin, he scratched the side of his neck, fingers disappearing beneath his disheveled locks. The golden beams drying the deck filtered through the circular window of the decently sized galley, their radiant tendrils freckling his emerald stare.
Extending a mug to me, he lifted a brow. “Coffee?”
“Where did you?—?”
He jutted a thumb over his shoulder to the coppers; two large kettles positioned on the stove. “Alastair was adamant about us ‘making ourselves at home,’ so that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“By Ellira’s grace, Percy,” I grumbled, the smile on my lips telling a different story. “You realize he isn’t just any man, right? Or has it slipped your mind that we are sailing with?—”
A deep hum came from the door to my right. “A criminal? A pirate?”
Leaning against its frame, Alastair folded his arms over his chest. The damp clothing he’d greeted us with when we rose had been swapped for a fresh pair of linens, the light-weight cream tunic hanging loosely from his muscular frame. Dark breeches rested on his hips, both of them adorned with the weapons of his choice: an intricate cutlass on his right and a dark sword on his left that pulsed with unexplainable energy.
“Go on,Prince,finish your statement.”
A lump suddenly formed in my throat, the sensation unlike anything I’d experienced before. Even seated beside my father, there hadn’t been any instance in which he’d instilled an ounce of genuine fear in me, because I’d promised myself that, after the age of twelve, when he beat me beyond recognition, I would never grant him that privilege again.
But Alastair Seridean was…different.
“He didn’t mean any harm by?—”
The pirate held up his hand, his golden glare shifting momentarily to the man I loved. “I don’t believe I requested your reply.”
When silence welcomed him, he turned his attention back to me,and I fixated on anything other than the demand he’d uttered. My gaze fixated on the mix of powdered blue, navy, and coppered gold beads woven into a handful of his strawberry blonde locks. A burnt-orange bandana tamed his loose waves, which fell just above his shoulders, their near-auburn hue blending with his manicured beard. An array of earrings decorated his ears, a trail of hoops running up his left ear, and a hanging dagger swinging from his right.
While his sharp features were entrancing, the gods having graced him with perfect symmetry, they weren’t what forced my breath to still in my chest. No, it was the undeniable branding of the royal crest that came into view as he craned his head to the side, the serpentine creature glaring into my soul from its perch on the right side of his neck.
The words came from me before I could stop them. “You bear the marking of the crown.”
Striations danced across his jawline, and the tip of his cutlass settled against my throat without him so much as shifting his stance. Lips curling into a sneer, he started to speak, but the sound of steel gliding against metal cut him off. Within a blink, the vibrant gleam of a sharpened edge of a kitchen cleaver rested against his throat.
“I suggest you sheath your weapon,” Percival whispered from his position beside Alastair.
The corners of the pirate’s mouth lifted. “Ah, someone idiotic enough to test my patience. I don’t know if I should be insulted or flattered,Royal Guard.”
“He has a name,” I quipped, my tone carrying irrefutable annoyance.
“Oh, does he?” his brows dropped to hood his building glower. “As if I have any interest or care in the matter?—”
“Alastair Seridean!”
Rounding the corner, a petite woman came into view, easily a foot shorter than the man who was threatening to kill me for my mere observation of factuality.
