Page 40 of Of Song and Darkness

“What…did…he…do?” Kai gritted out each word like it was poison on his tongue.

Without thinking, I raised my hand, brushing my fingertips across the small cut at my throat caused by Flynt’s blade. “He…” I paused, unsure what to tell Kai to keep his anger at bay and, most importantly, keep him from punishing me.

Kai’s attention zeroed in on my neck, and he ripped my hand away. His rough fingertips danced across my skin with such gentleness that it broke out in goosebumps.

“He did this?” Kai seethed.

I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat as I caught the almost unnoticeable twitch in Kai’s jaw. “Yes.”

“Flynt will pay dearly for this. I promise you that,” Kai said through clenched teeth.

I stood there, too stunned to speak, blinking up at him. Was Kai directing his anger at Flynt for his trespass, not at me?

Kai stepped closer, making my head dizzy with his tantalizing scent of salty sea air and masculine spice. His swirling blue irises bored into mine, threatening to drown me in those deep pools.

He reached up, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, urging me forward until our breaths mingled. “Do not ever do that again…” The pressure on my neck increased, but not painfully so. In truth, the deadly grip enthralled me. “In the future, if you leave my ship without my permission, the punishment will be severe.”

My heart threatened to take flight from my chest as Kai lowered his face to mine. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. He was going to kiss me, and the bad thing was I desperately wanted him to. When he pressed his lips to mine, my world exploded. He was gentle and caressing at first, like he was savoring my taste, but the longer we stayed locked together, the more passionate he became.

An electric shock coursed its way through my body, and I went weak in the knees. Kai tightened his grip on me to keep me from sliding to the cavern floor in a puddle of mixed emotions. If this were my punishment, I would jump ship again at my next chance.

Kai pulled away, combing his fingers through his dark hair as he looked anywhere other than at me. “We need to get back to the ship.”

I stood in stunned silence as he walked out of the cave. I don’t know what hurt more. The fact that I had allowed Captain Blackheart Kai to kiss me or the fact that he so quickly dismissed me afterward. I swallowed my bruised pride and slowly followed him out of the cave. Thankfully, he was a few paces ahead of me, so I did not have to face him at the moment.

We followed the winding foot trail through the lush forest back to the lagoon. The closer we got to the water, the stronger the necklace pulsated with power. I reached up, clenching the locket in my fist. Having something this powerful against my flesh made my skin crawl. I had no idea what this thing was capable of or what it might do to me.

My heart came screeching to a halt when something hissed in my ear. With sluggish movements, I turned my head to see one of Medusa’s wicked snakes hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. It was so close that I swore its forked tongue brushed against my cheek.

I gasped as a blade flew toward my face, slicing the head of the serpent from its body before it had a chance to strike.

“Keep moving,” Kai snapped, disappearing through the foliage as quickly as he appeared.

Something warm and wet slid down my face. With shaky hands, I reached up and wiped at the substance. My fingertips were stained crimson. A tremor ran down my spine just thinking of the blood splattered across my face. I picked up my pace and did not stop until I reached the lagoon.

Kai stood with his back to me in front of a dinghy. He turned toward me, and the expression on his face betrayed his impatience, so I quickly stepped into the small boat and sat down. Kai pushed off the shore and began to row us back to the ship.

I leaned over the side of the boat, dipping my fingers in the cool water, and then splashed my face to remove the offending blood that had started to dry on my skin.

I squirmed as Kai watched my every movement with calculating eyes. “How did you defeat that beast?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at Kai’s harsh tone.

My gaze flicked to him. “She’s not a beast, and I didn’t defeat her. She gave me the necklace.”

“Gave?” Kai scoffed.

“Yes, gave. She sacrificed herself to save the inhabitants of the Seven Seas.” I watched Kai for any hint of emotion, but as usual, he was unreadable. “Does that surprise you?” I pressed the subject.

“No,” he said, barely above a whisper. “She spared my life once.”

A heavy sensation settled in my stomach, and unspoken questions scorched my tongue, yet Kai turned his back to me as he rowed against the tide. His actions left no room for doubt—he was done with the conversation. I bit my lip to keep the words within that jumbled on my tongue.

As we approached the ship, someone threw down the rope ladder. Kai seized it and signaled for me to go ahead, while he steadied the swaying boat. I quickly brushed past him and scurried up the ladder. I swung one leg over the ship’s railing, and Cael promptly lifted me, setting me down gently on the ship’s deck.

Cael’s eyes rounded as he stared at the locket around my neck. “You did it.”

I gripped the locket, feeling self-conscious as all eyes turned to me. “In a manner of speaking.”

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