Darius chuckled. “I, again, admire your confidence. You’ll certainly need it.” The pirate prince backed away with a smirk, shouting an order to his crew.
“Do you really think this is going to work?”
Delaynie’s icy eyes were still locked on the port, auburn hair unbound and swirling around her face. Her brow was smooth, but her full lips and jaw were tight.
Quentin pushed a hand through his hair. “To be honest, Del, I’m not entirely sure what to expect. But I’ve never let a bit of uncertainty stop me before.”
She dipped her chin, the barest hint of a nod. “Just do me one favor?”
“Anything for you, little wolf.”
Those piercing eyes slid to him, a bit of humor flaring. “Please at leasttryto be diplomatic. I’d hate to have come all this way just to see you killed.”
Quentin barked a laugh, leaning his forearms on the ship’s railing. “I’ll try my best.”
The pirates didn’t rebindtheir hands as they were led off a gang plank onto a long, swaying pier.
Quentin supposed there was no use for bindings here. Not when their “hosts” were surrounded by the element they could use to form any weapon with a flick of their fingers.
Their escort consisted of Darius and four members of his crew. The air in the bay was crisp and slightly sweet, the sun beating down on their exposed skin. Darius led them down the dock, greeting sailors who lounged outside the other ships moored on the pier with loud gaffs and hands clapped on backs.
Obnoxious. All these gods-damned pirates were loud and chaotic and obnoxious. Quentin ground his teeth, his mood darkening.
A soft hand brushed his. He glanced down at Delaynie, who gave him a pointed look.
Right. Diplomacy. Civility. He fucking hated this, but he remembered their task. He could—would—do this for their queen.
Mariah had trusted him with this, and he would not fuck it up.
They were nearing the end of the pier, but instead of continuing toward the island and city nestled around the beaches, Darius led them to the right. The dock continued, running through a fleet of smaller merchant ships before heading back toward the deeper parts of the bay.
Where were these pirates taking them?
They rounded a bend, the end of the pier coming into sight, and he understood.
A great galleon sat tied to the docks, so large that its three masts dwarfed all the nearby ships. Several gangplanks connected its multiple levels to the dock, its deep hull fitted with rows of heavy cannons.
Darius smirked at their slack-jawed expressions. “Oh, did the Onitans think the pirate lord would hold his court in a pretty little palace like their queen?” His crewmates chuckled. “The sea is our home. My father will see you in the only place he does his business: aboardTheSerpent’s Mercy.”
Quentin swallowed. He didn’t like this. If he were being honest, he hadn’t minded their time at sea. But to be trapped in a contained space with the ruthless pirate lord, surrounded by an element their enemies could manipulate to their very whim?—
“We’ve come to meet with Kizar’s lord on his terms.” Delaynie nodded at the great ship at the end of the dock. “So, lead the way, Darius.”
Darious blinked then chuckled. Something that Quentin really fucking hated heated in his dark gaze. “Youarea fiery little thing. I like it.”
Quentin had to choke down the growl curdling in his chest. The pirate turned on his heel, continuing toward his father’s ship.
“If you want me to bediplomatic,” Quentin seethed to Delaynie under his breath as they followed Darius, his crewmates falling into step a few paces behind them, “thenpleasestop provoking him.”
“Provoking him?” Delaynie’s gaze seared the side of his face. “I’m doing my job, Quentin. I’m a Lady of the Onitan Court. Negotiating with those beyond our borders is what I was raised and trained to do.”
“I understand that,” Quentin said. “But I don’t like the way he?—”
“He what? Looks at me?” Delaynie tipped up her chin. “I don’t belong to you, Quentin. I’m the one who decides how people look at me. Not you.”
“That’s not what I meant, Del.”
She clenched her jaw. “It doesn’t matter what you meant. Like I said, we have a job to do.”
