Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 140462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 702(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 468(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 702(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 468(@300wpm)
We approach a rock with the letters ML carved into it, which tells me we are almost at the cove where the captain is either currently moored or where we will have to await her return.
“I will handle everything,” I tell Hawk. “But if securing passage with her proves impossible, we will travel down the coast. Captains communicate with each other, so it is better if we do not cause problems. I’d rather not be blacklisted.”
“Right,” Hawk says, squeezing my hand as we walk ever faster. “You think me being a human might be a problem? Maybe I should cover my head?”
I sigh and stroke him with my thumb. “I’m afraid you’re memorable either way.”
“Maybe I should stay behind then. You’d get on the boat, and we’d meet in Ravanzia. I’d travel in the Sunwolf form, through forests, hunt on the way. Just tell me the direction, and I’ll figure it out.”
I frown at him, shocked at such a suggestion. “Hawk. No. We either go together, or find another way to reach our destination.”
He licks his lips, staring at the waves crashing onto the shore. “I don’t want them to turn you away. You are in danger.”
“And as my Dark Companion, you are too, even if they don’t know you’re also the Sunwolf. We are in this together, just as we promised in our vows.” I show off the ring I’ve ended up wearing on my thumb. “We do not leave each other behind.”
He swallows, and his nostrils flare as he exhales. Moments later, his arms are around me, his lips at the top of my head, breathing me in. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I melt into him, wishing we didn’t have to continue this perilous journey. The seaweed on his skin has already dried so much it crunches when we hug. I just hope the cool breeze of the ocean will help once we’re on the boat.
Not far from the rock with the initials, the wide mouth of a cave opens in the cliff towering over the beach. With my heartbeat in my throat, I lead us inside.
The resident doesn’t attempt to hide her presence, as I can see swamplight torches from the entrance. I suppose not many people would end up here by accident, so I pull Hawk along, walking deeper into the hideout. The air smells of salt and adora smoke, which the captain must often use for it to be so pervasive, but those musings evaporate from my mind when we turn the corner and see the back of the cave.
Furniture worthy of a royal family is set up on top of carpets, along with colorful textiles and items that are as expensive as they appear. Beyond them, in the green glow of the torches I spot a small ship as white as bone. No, actually, it is made of bone, and I find myself stilling at the sight of the pier next to it, and the three people lounging there over a game of cards.
Two men are stretched on fancy chaise-lounges, one of which is suspiciously reminiscent of the piece of furniture that apparently sank on the way to the Nocturne Court before Lord Kyran’s ascension to the throne. But neither of them look like the type of gentlemen who can afford such fine pieces.
Both of them are wearing leather pants that don’t even reach their ankles. In the moonlight, their pale bodies seem almost as white as the bone vessel behind them, while their long black hair falls in messy streaks down their backs. I see enough resemblance to assume they’re brothers.
But while they are a mystery to me, I’m sure the woman sitting on a barrel next to them must be Captain Margaux Lepearl, as her mane of curly blonde hair beneath a hat fashioned out of the skull of a Skyshark is a distinct feature my mother told me about. As we get closer, I realize she’s dressed just like her companions, and wears nothing beyond a pair of leather pants, leaving her breasts bare.
As soon as the crunch of rocks under our feet alert the group, three pairs of eyes turn our way and Lepearl grabs a shirt to cover herself.
I raise my hands when one of the men grabs a crossbow. “Greetings, Captain Lepearl!” I say to signify I know what I’m doing, even though confidence drizzles out of me the moment a bolt is aimed at my heart.
She frowns, and her feline features grow even more angular as she raises her chin. “Who’s disturbing my peace? I do not know you.”
Behind me, I sense the faintest vibration, as if Hawk is growling deep in his throat, but he remains still, as I asked.
The other man drops his cards with a frustrated sigh. “Can you not come back once we’re done playing strip poker? I was winning.”