A cackling laugh escaped her chapped ruby lips, high pitched and strained in the middle.
He slid three golden coins across the desk, never breaking eye contact, as the crew collected their supplies, and we all slipped out quickly.
“Benjamin? What’s going on with that?” I shot under my breath to Calvin… or Benjamin.
A chuckle escaped his lips, and I was caught between wanting to push for more answers and wanting to hear him laugh again. The lie festered fury beneath my skin as if the hours ofknowing them meant enough for the truth. Especially after I’d given them every bit of knowledge I had.
“Wait until you find out whatJundid before joining us.”
The hooded male punched Calvin’s shoulder without looking, sending him into a fit of hysterics.
“I may or may not have a kingdom looking for me,” Calvin replied at ease. “I think they may have stopped looking, actually.”
“A kingdom? For what?” I barked, covering my mouth to keep my voice low in case of eavesdroppers.
“He’s the missing prince of Dralendor,” Jun cut in at Calvin’s side, tauntingly against his friend.
My eyes shot wide.
“Yep. You’ve jumped on a ship with a pirate, a missing prince, and a rogue assassin. I bet your parents would be proud,” Calvin joked with a chuckle.
Rogue assassin? Parents?
My mind began to wander, but Zahara must have sensed my shock, because she glowered over her shoulder. “Don’t scare her off, yet. We’re going to need her.”
“In the depths, we have the Abyssal Hold for people like you all,” I fired back behind narrowed eyes. The ocean prison somehow flashed behind my glare, the pit for seafolk criminals. Daggered spikes jutted across the void-like walls of dead, stone coral.
The crew erupted in laughter, the sound comforting me slightly against the recollection. I longed to do it again, to hear their chuckles, see their smiles, and I didn’t even know them. Nor could I remember the last time I’d expressed my own happiness. Maybe happiness was never an emotion I’d encountered in life and the reason my heart ached to find it.
We continued through the market streets until the sun nearly set, a slight shade of autumn harvest casting over us as the storm clouds poured their contents over the sea. Many momentspassed where I envied the individuals so accustomed to its beauty that they passed it freely.
“Anything is better than Zahara’s hand-me-downs,” Calvin fought, handing me a pristine rose-colored satchel.
“I happen to love my new look.” Somehow, banter flowed easily with him, his lightheartedness paving a straight path to my heart. I snatched the bag playfully from his outstretched hand and hummed, jogging for the makeshift bathing chamber we recently passed.
The stall nearly met my head as I crouched low, switching into the maroon shirt, brown leather vest, and black stretchy pants that I fumbled to pull over my waist. No pair of pants should have been that damn hard to put on. The dagger rubbed against my thigh in its new sheath, reminding me of its presence, and for some reason, confidence snaked through me at the feeling.
Calvin whistled a tune when I exited the stall, arms splayed to display the new outfit.
“I’ll be the first one to admit when I see a beautiful woman, and you, love…areit,” he said, bumping his shoulder into mine as we continued making our way back to the ship multiple steps behind Jun and Zahara.
“How many times have you said that to other women, though?”
Calvin laughed deeply, his shoulder shaking wildly.
“Too many to count,” he replied between gasps for air. “But I mean it. Really.”
“So, is charming women your go-to move when you don’t want them thinking about your bounty?” I queried playfully.
“It’s also how I manage to sneak out paying less coin without anyone noticing,” he teased, barely hiding his amusement.
“Well played. I’ll have to try that sometime.” The idea itched under my skin, as if my soul leaned toward rebellion. If I ever remembered myself again, I hoped I’d never forget the liberation in the streets of the Gringham markets.
“I might play the part when it suits me, but honestly? My interests don’t lie with women,” he murmured quietly, a touch of awkwardness behind the words.
My heart ached at his fearful—or embarrassed—reaction to the confession.
“Nothing about you just became less—”
