Page 25 of A Captain So Callous and Cruel

He slams the door shut again, resting a palm against it. The bracelet around his wrist catches my eye now. From this close, I see words running across it. Words from a different dialect. Oh, my goddess.

Witch tongue.

Witches only impart their language for a…

Curse.

My eyes flare with suspicion, along with my fear for Kai.

“Come, Red,” the Captain says, breaking through my thoughts. “I want you by my side.”

“For what purpose?” I question.

He turns to look at me. “I’m not done with you.”

Go, I tell myself. If he takes me above deck, I’ll see Kai.

I nod, looking down at my feet as I become submissive to him. “Of course, Captain.”

“Out there, you keep that wicked tongue to yourself,” he warns. “Or else I’d have to punish you in front of my men. Appearances are everything. I can’t look weak.”

He thinks himself weak for all his admissions. Interesting.

“I understand,” I assure him.

“Then come.”

CHAPTER 9

Hali

Fear spikes through me from the frantic hum throughout the ship. The finding of the man's body sent a scurry of chaos throughout—as though they’ve never had a man killed while aboard.

As the captain and I make our way to the deck, my eyes scan faces, searching for Kai among the countless nameless men.

I work hard to keep up with him as he moves past his men, taking several steps for every one of his strides.

Coming to an abrupt stop in front of an older man, he barks. “Has he been found, Grimy?”

I startle from the anger in his voice.

The old man, Grimy, glares at me as I stand behind the captain. He assesses me with scrutiny before answering. “No, Captain. We are working on collecting the crew who fits the description.”

“And the whore who saw him?”

“There, Captain.” His chin tips behind us and we both turn, finding a scared woman standing by a large barrel. She looks dirty and unkempt, and for a moment I wonder how she possibly could have seen Kai carrying a man's body from the cages where the others are being held. She hardly appears coherent, her mouth mumbling her desires for more green gala.

As though reading my thoughts, the captain’s head whips back to Grimy. “We’re taking her word on the matter?”

“We are, Captain,” a man who I recognize from when I first came aboard—Kalis, I believe his name is—says as he joins us. His eyes dart over to me as Grimy’s did, and I lower my gaze to the floor, remembering what Captain Erickson said about keeping my tongue to myself while I was out here.

I’m still not sure why he asked me to come along. Maybe he enjoys having me by his side, like a trophy everyone keeps swinging their heads to look at. Whatever the reason, I don’t complain. The longer it takes me to find Kai among the crowd, the deeper the fear settles.

As I subtly look for Kai, I catch sight of my hair in the reflection of the moonlight. The long, red strands shine brighter than they did just hours ago. The effects of the shift's magic are becoming stronger, and I realize my time is both running out and about to begin.

My only hope is that the Captain doesn’t notice the changes of my body before I can get myself to solitude and prepare for the shift to happen. Once the time turns to midnight, the shift is instant and I must be in the water.

A commotion toward the bow of the ship catches our attention and seconds later, a few crewmates step forward with two men in shackles.

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