Page 23 of Pearls of Salt and Sacrifice

Reva froze, chest heaving with angry breaths. “Where’s my first mate?”

After a momentary pause, Isla swore. “I’m here, Highness.” She sounded furious. “Oy, put that foul hand over my mouth again, and you’ll be carrying my teeth around as trophies for the rest of your sorry life.”

A snicker echoed around the group of pirates.

Rency flicked a look toward Isla, the corner of his mouth curving upward in another of his infuriating smiles.

“Rency promised you’d not be hurt.” Albus tried to defend himself.

“I’ll keelhaul you!” Isla snarled. “See if I don’t have your hide stretched out to tan in the sun when I get my hands on you.”

Before Albus could answer, Rency called quietly over his shoulder, “Cast off, boys!”

“Wait!” Reva tried to push herself upright, but the sword at her neck nipped harder against her skin, halting her. “Rency, where are we going? What are you doing? I took you for a blackguard, but I never took you for a kidnapper and hijacker! The Perseus is my flagship, and you’ve no—”

“I’m no mere kidnapper.” Rency squatted in front of her, so close she could see the lantern light flickering in his eyes. “I’m saving your life, love. You should reward me with a kiss.”

“I’ll reward you all right,” she said, lacing her words with venom. “You can kiss your treasure goodbye, along with any chance you ever had of becoming a reputable merchant. You’ve sealed your fate, pirate.”

He sighed and plastered a wounded look on his lying face. “Alas, you’re probably right. I never was one to play by the rules. But I’m not a hijacker. You aren’t on the Perseus, poppet.”

Reva’s breath hitched, and she craned her head to look around. The lanterns lit so little of the deck that it took her a moment to accept the truth of his words. This wasn’t the Perseus.

“Aye, this is the Andromeda. I’m no ship thief: this is my flagship.”

Her heart rate stuttered, then escalated again. “That doesn’t matter. Your actions are still a blatant act of war—”

“Oh, let the poor dithering maiden up.” Rency ran a hand over his face as if she plagued him nye to death. “Let them both up.”

As the sword withdrew from her nape, Reva bounded to her feet, her hands balled into fists. She’d show him just how much of a dithering maiden she was. “I trusted you, Rency,” she snarled. “I gave you a chance when no one else would.”

The truth slammed into her like a fist, his betrayal worming deep into her heart. She’d trusted him, her one ally in this horrible nightmare. And now this…

“Now, now, Reva.” Rency raised his hands placatingly. “I swear on my honor, I don’t intend you any harm. In fact, I brought you on board my ship for your own safety. To protect you from Felix.”

“To protect me from—” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You are the one who’s hauled me off into the night. You’re protecting me by kidnapping me?”

“I told you he was not to be trusted,” Rency countered. “You weren’t listening, Reva, darling. Rather, you seemed to be leaning toward accepting his ridiculous marriage proposal.” He shuddered as if something with gooey tentacles had crawled over the back of his neck.

“What business is it of yours? Sand and pearls, I was never going to marry you! So why would you care?”

“I care because we’re friends, and that’s what friends do—”

“Oy, Cap!” Footsteps thundered toward them, half a dozen of Rency’s crew scuffling out of the darkness with something in front of them.

Someone.

Prince Jareth’s knees hit the deck with a jarring thud, and he glared up at Rency, his sea green eyes glinting with anger. He snarled something around the gag in his mouth and yanked furiously against the sailors pinning his arms behind his back.

“By the fates, what is he doing here?” Rency asked, flapping a hand toward the hog-tied elvish prince. “I didn’t place an order for any princes, you worthless dogs. I wanted a princess. One. Her. Not him. Where’d you get him, anyway?”

“From the sea,” one of the sailors admitted. “We hauled him up in a net like a fish.”

“Well, toss him back in like a fish then. I don’t have any use for him, and I don’t want to start a war with the ocean, you fools.”

“But he was snooping around, Cap,” the smallest of the sailors whined. “We didn’t want him swimming back to the beach and spinning tales.”

Rency shrugged. “By the time he gets to shore, we’ll have a decent head start. Enough of a lead to make this fun.”

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