Page 115 of Heir of the Beast

What is done in the dark is always brought to the light, or so the girls at the strip joint always claimed. I believe them too—you should have seen their faces, very serious.

But that doesn’t stop me from wandering hallways I have never been through.

One of my many faults will always be curiosity. Which is why I signed the Fairy Godmother contract in the first place—I could not die in this life without knowing.

I think it’s been an hour of me wandering with little luck. Why do I want to find him? Not sure—curiosity, I am guessing.

I wander back into their library, if you want to call it that. Study? It is one of the cozier rooms, which means the couches are not metal. They have black velvet cushions, which is way better than steel on your butt.

I take a random book off the bookshelf and plop down, gazing at the cover. It’s some dictionary that looks fabulously boring. I’m not sure if I have enough patience for this.

I am too lazy to get up and look for another, my mind and body exhausted. My head falls back against the cushion, deep in thought.

It’s crazy to think about where I started in all of this and now where I am at. What a ride it’s been, for lack of better words. This has not been the Disney movie I envisioned.

That’s when I hear his cane, and for a split second, I get excited—no, I get ~surprised~.

It’s not excitement. It’s my boredom making me think crazy thoughts. I calm myself and take a breath as I listen. I hear him pause as he enters the room, probably seeing me.

Did he not want to see me? Strange.

“I can leave,” I say, feeling his presence behind me.

I hear him continue to walk into the room, then I see him as he sits right across from me. He is wearing a tight, black shirt which makes him look larger than life. The dark villain.

I look away for a second, not wanting my brain to go to places I don’t want it to. “I was just leaving.”

Siron leans forward and grabs the book out of my hand with a frown.

I blush. “I just picked a random one.”

He slightly grins and gets up, walking with his cane to the bookshelf. Skimming his long fingers over some novels, he finds the one he is searching for.

Siron walks back over to me and sits on the same couch as me, tossing the book onto my lap.

I swallow, not expecting him to sit next to me. “What is this? How to enslave people?”

His expression does not change as I look down at it.

I try not to smile, but it’s hard. I close my eyes as I fight the grin that threatens my person. From the cover of this book, it is obviously a romance, and somewhere inside me, I can’t believe how sweet the gesture is.

I take a steady breath as I look back at him. “Thank you, this sounds much better.” ~Damn it.~ I grin at him and ask, “This yours?”

His eyes sparkle as he takes out a notepad from his pocket. Why does even that seem endearing? I need to get off this ship and away from him ASAP. I am losing my freaking mind. Cabin fever?

He writes, then looks back to me, showing me. ~Please tell no one. It’ll ruin me.~

I laugh out loud. Holy mother of Mike, this cutthroat pirate is joking with me. “Whose is it really?” Probably belongs to one of his many female slaves.

He writes again then sighs as he hands me back the note. ~My chief’s wife. Bloody irritating for a cutthroat and evil individual to have this sort of blasphemous material.~

I laugh again and can’t seem to wipe the smile from my face. I look away because he is staring at me like he wants to dissect me or something.

I can smell him and it’s not something I want to comment on. The fresh scent is nothing groundbreaking. Tons of men shower regularly and use great smelling soap.

Congratulations, you’re not disgusting. Not worth a medal. Mega eye roll.

He hands me a note and I glance at it. ~My dancer, were you looking for me?~

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