Page 20 of A Captain So Callous and Cruel

“That is where our likeness ends.”

“I can see that.”

That answer doesn’t please him.

Not one bit.

The captain then downs his drink and slams it on the table. Whatever thoughts he is having, he is transformed. His eyes cut to mine, and I know what’s coming.

“Enough,” he says icily. “No more talk. We’re going, Red.”

“Going where?”

He stands up, and the chair screeches back, loud as the screams in my soul because I already know.

“I want you in my bed, Red. I want you now or I might end up taking advantage of that porcelain flesh right here, within earshot of my men.”

I’m in trouble. Glancing nervously at the door, I feel the world close in on me. If I screamed for Kai, would he hear me?

We’d be as good as dead if I did that.

Deep breaths, Hali.

The shift is coming.

Your hours with the captain are numbered.

As is his life.

CHAPTER 8

Hali

Captain Erickson keeps his distance from me as he leads me to a door inside his quarters. I try not to question it, but it’s rather bizarre. He’s made it a point not to touch me, like maybe he doesn’t trust himself. Or it’s just another game to him. I simply follow after him, feeling my skin grow cold.

Fear shoots through me like ice. I feel it from head to toe. My shift is coming in a matter of hours. I can feel the transformation already starting. There’s a buzzing beneath my skin.

Usually, this is an exciting time for sirens. The buzz is welcomed, and the anticipation is like the clock winding down to New Year’s day.

But there’s no excitement right now as he pushes open the stressed wooden door and stops there, looking at me. He doesn’t even gesture at me to go in. He just stares at me in that expectant way.

It’s ominous to me that I have to walk in before him. That I can’t simply follow him like he’d already made me do.

Glancing behind my shoulder, I stare across the room at the door leading out. My lips tremble ever so slightly.

I think of Kai’s final words to me when he’d fucked me roughly after we found each other upon boarding.

“By whatever means necessary.”

But this wasn’t what we had in mind. At least, it wasn’t what I had in mind.

There’s no way Kai would allow another man to fuck me.

Yet, here I am, walking past the captain who has had me in a loop from the moment I laid eyes on him.

How the hell am I going to dodge this?

My legs feel like lead as I walk through the threshold. Before I’ve even gaped at his bedroom, I feel his body come around mine. His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me into his hard chest. My heart jumps to my throat, and I let out a sharp gasp as his lips press against my ear.

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