Page 25 of Of Song and Darkness

Candles cast a subtle glow throughout the room, providing enough light for me to wash off the lingering salt spray from my face. In the gentle light, I changed into one of the captain's oversized shirts. I slunk into the bed, pulled the covers over my body, and closed my eyes.

The cabin door flung open and banged loudly against the cabin wall, and I shot straight up, my head buzzing as my heart lodged in my throat.

Kai's boots echoed across the floor as he approached me. "Slide over, sea demon. I refuse to sleep in that hammock another night."

"I'm not sleeping beside a heathen," I hissed, bunching the covers tightly to my chest.

To my horror, he never stopped until he was by the bed. The tension in the room heightened as he stood there, his presence looming over me, challenging the unspoken boundaries keeping us apart.

“You don’t have much choice,” he countered, pulling the edge of the covers back. “It’s either this or I can throw you back in the cell you’re so fond of.” The weight of his words hung in the air, leaving me with an impossible decision to make.

The image of him sleeping next to me did unspeakable things to my insides, stirring an uproar of conflicting emotions. Yet the thought of returning to that dark hole below filled my head with panic. Reluctantly, I scooted over, creating just enough space for Kai to join me on the bed.

"If you try anything, I will slit your throat," Kai declared with a stern gaze. He emphasized the point by placing the dagger, previously concealed in the top of his pants, on the small wooden nightstand. The sharp gleam of the blade seemed to highlight his threat.

"Don't worry, I won't try to take advantage of you," I retorted with a forced laugh. The uneasy humor died to a deafening silence as Kai peeled off his shirt, tossing it casually to the floor.

The bed yielded to his weight, threatening to edge me closer to him. With a decisive roll, he turned over, presenting his back to me. The ship rocked gently, and the moon cast a soft glow through the small cabin window. I stared into the darkness, unable to get comfortable knowing that Kai lay so close to me. As a princess, I had never shared my seaweed bed with another male, although I had plenty of offers. I had been certain that Orm would have been the first to lie beside me and not Blackheart Kai, the sworn enemy of my people.

My eyes burned like someone had poured sand into them, begging me to close them and get the rest my body demanded. We had been like this for a while, and it seemed as if the pirate captain truly only had sleep on his mind. I blinked a few more times, trying to keep my eyes from closing, but eventually, exhaustion won the battle.

Aloud crash and the splintering of wood that shook the entire ship woke me from my slumber. I screeched and tumbled to the floor in a mass of blankets. My heart threatened to burst from my ribcage as I sat motionless, trying to make sense of what was happening. I glanced at the bed, noting that my sleeping partner was no longer there. Barnacles! I had slept more soundly than intended with the enemy at my side.

I threw on my dress from yesterday and rushed outside. Another loud boom, followed by more splintering wood, met me as I reached the deck. My mouth dropped open when I saw two large wooden beams protruding out of the deck of the ship.

“Stop knocking holes in my ship!” The captain’s voice rang out loud and angry. “If you drop one more beam from up there, I will hang you by your cojones. Look what you’ve done to my deck!” Fury rolled off him like a tidal wave, so I steered clear of him and the men who obviously were having difficulties securing the beams above.

I watched in fascination as the men scaled the mast, swinging from pole to pole as they worked vigorously to repair the rigging and mast.

“Tie that tighter,” Kai growled then, in seconds, leaped onto the rope ladder and climbed up to the men.

There was nothing I could do to help them. I would be more hindrance than aid if I got in their way, so I found a nice shaded spot and made myself comfortable.

“Here.” Cael invaded my secluded spot, handing me a plate of food and a cup. I tentatively took it. I picked at the food, Cael's watchful eyes following my every move.

My mind wandered back to the delicious food of my kingdom—seaweed wraps filled with succulent sea berries, kelp salads with a hint of salty ocean freshness, and my favorite pearl-like orbs that burst with savory liquid when bitten into. The memories of those flavors only intensified the disappointment of the bland and strange textured food before me.

“Cael, bring me that extra rope,” Kai yelled.

Despite myself, I smiled at Cael, who released a frustrated huff as he lugged the rope up the mast.

The sun rose higher in the sky, bringing with it a suffocating heat. The men continued to work, and despite my efforts not to do so, I kept glancing at the captain. Kai had pulled his hair back, tying it out of his face, and had shed his shirt long ago. As he lifted the large wooden beams to repair the mast, his body glistened with perspiration. I glanced down, berating myself for finding pleasure in the way the captain looked. Masking such deadliness in an appealing outward package was a cruel ploy.

“Rat, throw me that rope!” Kai bellowed, causing me to glance back up.

Rat worked tirelessly right alongside the other men. I glanced at his Rat’s nest, noting that no one was in the lookout tower. I stood and faced the wide-open sea. We were far from port, as we had traveled all night to distance ourselves, but we were also very vulnerable without any sails and a half-deconstructed mast and rigging.

My gaze swept across the horizon to ensure that no one was prowling around out there. Both my eyes and heart stumbled as a ship no more than a league away came into view. I eased closer to the front of the ship and squinted against the bright sun to see it better. It could be anything. Ships probably traveled through there often, I rationalized, trying to calm myself as panic clawed its way up my throat. I blinked a few times. This ship was bearing down on us, heading right in our direction at top speed.

My limbs began to shake as I turned. “Kai!” My voice trembled with anxiety as I tried to gain his attention to warn him of the impending danger.

“That’s Captain to you,” he yelled, never turning to me or taking his eyes off his work.

“Kai!” I yelled louder, completely ignoring his command to call him Captain.

Anger radiated off him as he looked down at me with dwindling patience. His gaze followed mine as I turned back toward the oncoming ship. A slew of curses left his lips as he scrambled down from above. “All hands on deck! Prepare for battle.”

I never moved, my hands deadlocked on the railing and my eyes on the ship that grew closer with each passing second. The scraping of metal against wood caught my attention, and I looked down at the hull of the ship. At least a half dozen cannons emerged from the inner hull, aimed toward the oncoming vessel.

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