Page 66 of Claimed By the Depths

“Fuck!” The shout erupted from me like a cannon as I upturned the shiny bucket.

Ellira’s essence spilled, coating the planks in a thick layer of my negligence. Derailed by my sudden outburst, crewmates paused to exchange uncertain expressions. Mouths opened, but before a single utterance could be offered, they were interrupted.

“We have a ship to steer! Man your posts or so help the gods, the wrath I will strike you down with will outweigh any punishment they could offer!” Mahogany irises flaring, Lionel’s brown locks swayed as he rushed to my side once more, the men around us working to obey his demand. “Captain.”

“Don’t.” I snarled, shoving myself up from where I sat. “You know damn well who deserves that title, and it certainly isn’t me.”

“Syoran, I understand your concern. Believe me, all of us are worried about Caspian’s health, but we have a godsdamned ship to sail, and we need someone”—Lionel gestured toward the sterncastle deck—“behind that wheel spouting off orders. And, based on rank, that person is you, Kao.”

“Give it to Sapphira, our renowned navigator; she is more than sufficient⁠—”

“At betraying our captain,” Lionel hissed, his timber sharpening. “You damn well know the crew will not accept that. Before her treachery? Sure. But she has lost the trust of our men, myself included, and there is no way in hell that I will allow her to play the role of thief any longer.”

My lips parted, but the smooth utterance that came did not belong to me. “Problem?”

Unbuttoned to mid-chest, the fresh white linen clashed with black breeches. Seafoam irises ignited with a glint of protectiveness; Kael’s dark brows furrowed to hood his enchanting glare. Unable to help myself, my greedy eyes wandered, admiring the tautness of the belt wrapped around his waist and how it accentuated his soft curves. Finding his throat, my thoughts became muddled with desire, but I paused as I landed on three newly added necklaces that nestled against his hair-laden sternum.

The first rested higher than the others, accented by a small, organic-shaped charm that caught the moonlight. Below it was a fine gold chain with a round coin pendant, the textured medallion sparking recognition. Crafted from dark beads, the longest contrasted beautifully against its counterparts, adding a hint of bohemian beauty.

Not giving Lionel the chance to retort, I asked, “Where did you get those?”

Features lifting with a hint of mischief, Kael chuckled. “Why? Do they look familiar?”

Yes and no. “Kael.”

“Don’t devour him with your wrath,” the melodic voice crooned.

Ignis rounded the corner, still clad in his cropped gothic jacket and paired trousers. The once single chain dangling from his right hip had been paired with another. Shifting in tandem with his stride, they brushed against one another, clinking with a sense of elegance and regality. With a ruby choker snug against his neck, the addition of a red-diamond necklace solidified my wavering recognition.

Meeting his all-white stare, I exhaled heavily. “How in Ysalyne’s name did you not only locate the lock boxes but access them?”

The corners of his mouth upturned as he craned his head to the side, white strands falling over his shoulder. “Need I remind you of the creature I am, Captain?”

“You act as if we just have Fae strolling the streets of our lands, capable of enlightening us about their intricacies.”

“They’re thieves,” Kael interjected. “From livestock and treasure to names, memories, and even human children.”

Lionel pinned me with exasperation. “We’re just freely allowing an untrustworthy being to wander our decks.”

“If I were untrustworthy,” Ignis hummed, “would I have flat-out told you?”

“But you didn’t.” Folding his arms over his chest, Lionel challenged the otherworldly creature. “You suggested it.”

“Look, I call it conditioned borrowing. If you aren’t a walking, talking cunt, then I will happily return your treasure to where it belongs after I am finished with my time enjoying it.”

Our boatswain started to retaliate, but I cut him off. “Whatever. Honestly, treasure is the last thing I give a fuck about at this moment. Besides, it’s not mine; it’s Caspian’s, so it’s his wrath you will face, and I can promise you it is the last thing you want to experience.”

The absence of guilt on Ignis’ face seemed to highlight the lines it cast across Kael’s. He nipped the inside of his cheek and ran his tongue across his lips before redirecting the conversation. “Where can we offer aid?”

Casting my gaze to the crew, they worked with the practiced rhythm of men who had spent their lives at sea. Boots thudded across the weathered planks, further punctuated by the snap of canvas, the groan of timber, and the coaxing crash of Ellira’s waters. Moonlight washed the black sails in silver as rough hands hauled on lines, ropes creaking through the blocks. Others scrambled into the rigging, loosening one sail and reefing the other to catch the wind. With no one manning the great wheel to make deliberate corrections, their fluidity became reliant on each other, and the calm breeze Ellira seemed to grant us.

The trust they granted one another brought forth a sense of sentiment, the realization that, even amid desolation and uncertainty, our crew was capable of anything. We’d bonded through tumultuous storms, narrow passings with Elaros, and the wrath of a woman more than capable of a reckoning, but nothing had chipped away at our connection.

We stood through hardship and loss as a well-oiled machine, a brotherhood, a family, and there was no chance in the gods’ names that we would let down the man who brought us together.

Which meant we would have to take the war to them.

Turning back to the three surrounding me, I met Lionel’s questioning irises with a command. “Get behind that wheel.”