Page 37 of Blood on the Tide

I can’t stop watching her.

It’s tempting to lie and tell myself that I’m just ensuring she doesn’t break our bargain and bolt. It’s not the truth. The truth is that this woman has gotten beneath my skin despite all common sense. It started well before us having sex yesterday—and all through the day and night—but that definitely contributed. Learning her body, knowing that I’m the first person to taste that sweet pussy? More, I can say that I was merely being soft because she asked me to, but the truth is that it felt right.

It still feels right. Everything about her does.

How many times have I considered the traditional selkie’s story since we met? Always from her point of view, from the selkie who lost a key part of themself and exists in a state of mourning and bitterness. But now that she’s whole again, it’s hard not to look at it as the sailor who saw something so beautiful that he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to possess it. Even knowing that their relationship, such as it is, is doomed from the start.

She will always leave. What draw can a human—or a vampire—hold when the sea is her first love?

When the sun is high in the sky, I force myself away from the railing and move to the helm, where Alix confers with the navigator, Rin. Ze is a lizard person similar to the one who tried to kill Evelyn on the Crimson Hag. No relation, I’m told. Not that it would matter. I’ve already promised Maeve that I won’t murder anyone else on the crew unless I’m actively provoked, and her definition of “provoked” is significantly narrower than mine. Besides, I’m not in the habit of slaughtering people simply for their bloodlines. At least people who aren’t vampires.

My family has been feuding with the other bloodlines for time unknowing, but my generation exists in a state of cautious peace. All of us are too paranoid to really believe we won’t get a knife in the back; we’re just not actively hunting each other the way our parents and grandparents did.

But there are no other bloodline vampires in Threshold. No one worried about continuing their family lines and bolstering their power. No one ready to attack me for being born as a Bianchi. There might be plenty of people in this realm who would be happy to murder me, but it’s for reasons that are entirely new and fresh. It’s... freeing.

Rin looks up as I approach, the movement quick and almost uncanny. Ze flicks out zir tongue. “Captain,” ze says cautiously, “we’re about a week out from Drash.”

A week. A few days ago, that kind of delay would have sent me climbing the walls. Now, it feels like too short a time. Every day we get closer to finding my family heirlooms is a day closer to never seeing Maeve again. It may take time, but once I reclaim the jewels, I can go home. The thought should fill me with joy, or at least relief, but all there is in my chest is an aching emptiness where my heart should be.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Lizzie!”

Maeve hauls herself over the railing, having shed her skin in motion. Beneath it, she’s wearing pants and a shirt that hug her shapely body. The pelt drapes over her arm, dripping over the deck as she rushes to us. “We have a problem.”

Alix and Rin exchange a look, but it’s Alix who speaks. It’s always Alix who speaks when it’s the two of them. “What problem?”

“There’s a water horse following us,” says Maeve.

“Shit.” I breathe. “You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be,” Maeve says.

Alix curses, but I’m still staring at Maeve in confusion. “A water horse? Like a kelpie? But we’re in the middle of the sea.” I was under the impression those creatures stick to lakes and rivers, the better to lure in their victims from dry land. There are no victims around here...

Except us.

The thought chills me despite my best efforts. Now that we’re back on a proper ship, I’ve managed to get my unease about sailing back under control. But if this water horse acts like the legends I’m familiar with, it will latch onto its victim and drag them down, helpless and unwilling, until the sea rushes into their lungs and... I shake my head roughly. “We need to move faster.”

Rin eyes the sails and lifts zir hand to test the wind. “Can’t outrun them in these conditions.”

My stomach drops at how resigned ze sounds. No, damn it. I am not some helpless victim in waiting. “So we fight.” My voice is steady despite how fast my heart is beating. Thankfully, I’m the only one who can read such things.

Every eye turns to me, and none of them look particularly happy. Alix shakes their head. “If it’s desperate—or hungry—enough to come after a full ship, then we’re in trouble. We’re smugglers, not the Cwn Annwn. We don’t hunt monsters, and we’re not equipped for it.”

The small hairs on the back of my neck rise. I can’t see the danger yet, but knowing that it’s coming is enough to make my heart beat harder and my thoughts clear. “You’re smugglers. Which means you’re aware there’s always a chance of trouble. You’re prepared for it. That’s exactly what this is—trouble.”

Rin’s tail twitches nervously. “The best smugglers don’t draw attention to themselves and never need to fight.” Ze gives Maeve an apologetic look. “Sorry about your skin, though. We didn’t know that Bronagh was going to take it. Apparently he had a buyer interested.”

She waves that away with her usual grace. “I have it back and Bronagh is dead. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“All the same.” Rin glances back past the stern to where the ripples have gotten more prominent. “Might not get a chance to apologize again, and I like you, selkie.”

“Um, thanks. I kind of wish you saying that when we’re about to be attacked didn’t feel like a goodbye.”

“No one is going to die,” I snap, though Rin’s words catch my interest. A buyer. Maeve mentioned in passing at one point that there used to be a market for selkie pelts. If this person specifically wanted one, they may try again. Once we find my heirlooms, we should hunt them down and remove the threat they represent. In the meantime, I have a more immediate danger to deal with. “Except for the water horse. I’ll kill it. Simple enough.” I hope.

Again, they exchange a look. I’m getting heartily tired of being tiptoed around like I’m a foolish child. I glare. “Stop looking at each other and speak. Why don’t you think I can kill it?”

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