Page 3 of Light Up the Night

“Noblemen. From the way she acted, he was a fucking bug. Be thankful I didn’t squash him.”

His throaty laughter chased me up the ramp. I’d traveled by boat. But it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. The moment my feet it the deck, I froze. Crewmen weaved around me, calling out to each other as they stacked and arranged things.

“Are you sure… I mean, yanno… someone really should stay and make sure…” I rambled, between bouts of nausea and cold sweats.

“Hey, big guy,” one of the sailors called, steadying me a bit. I closed my eyes and was instantly light-headed. I groaned and the grip on my side tightened. The man assisting me was smaller than Chalice. If I passed out…

I held on to him and squinted toward the side of the boat, suddenly certain that I was about to join the dock master. It wouldn’t have been the first time Karma dry-fucked me. We were a good ten-feet distance, but in my paranoid, panicked state it was only ten inches.

“Inside you go,” the sailor groaned, struggling to open the door of the Captain’s quarters.

A nice, cushioned sofa awaited me, but the queasiness in my belly made me question just how good of an idea sitting would be. I clutched the rail of the sofa and glanced over my shoulder in time to see Chalice and Messiah enter.

“Say, how’s he supposed to captain this thing, if he can’t even board it proper?” the crewman asked, scratching at his greasy hair.

“He ain’t,” Messiah announced, plopping his bag down on the floor beside me.

It was all the explanation the man got. Messiah started stripping off his shirt and tossing things around like he owned the place.

Chalice

It was a glorious voyage. The fresh air ripped through my hair, and I was oddly comforted by the fact that no one was around for miles. We were safe, and there was no chance of a sneak attack. It washed all the stress from my face and distracted my mind. Sailing was a life I could get used to. I smiled, recalling how we had pirated the Dark Jewel. Of course, it instantly soured when I recalled that Isabella was now holding claim to it.

Fuck her. I’d get to her eventually.

I reflected on how massive the world around me really was while I studied the vast open waters. A piece of white fabric fluttered in the breeze beside me, alerting me to the fact that I wasn’t alone anymore. I used my fingers to secure my hair and turned toward Messiah. My gaze immediately dropped and climbed up his thin white pants and open-chested matching shirt.

Laughter brewed and spilled from within me. It was the same bold outfit he had strutted around in the Villa.

“Ever the boundary pusher, eh?” I laughed

“In order to push boundaries, one first has to acknowledge them. That’s the trick to life,” he slowly sang in a low conspiring tone.

“Is that so?”

“Mhm. You must define your world, or it will define you, love. Remember that.” He slid his hand down the side of my dress and hauled me against him. “Don’t ever let anyone define you again.”

“I’ll kill them first,” I promised without hesitation.

He snagged me with a possessive clutch. Securing his grip just beneath my ass, he lifted me while crushing his mouth against mine. His impatient demand for access commanded the hem of my gown, carrying it high up my leg.

It was indecent. Reckless. And so much more, especially when the safety rope caught the area just above his hand and his tongue pierced my lips.

I ran my hand down his neck while my pulse raced, and my mouth warred with his. With a mere bit of pressure, he could send me to an icy death. He was a man capable of shutting off his humanity. A creature who committed unspeakable acts against people. I’d seen them. With my own eyes.

A chill ran up my back, and I dragged my nails down his while memories of it all were shattered by his rough penetration. His hand ran up my back and locked over my shoulder, leaving me nowhere to go when he buried himself in me and began to grind.

My conscience was smothered with his scent and drugged with adrenaline. It was a rush, all of it. Not just fucking him in public or heading to the Spicelands. For the first time in my life, I had a voice and nothing to fear. I was untouchable, alive, and throbbing with need.

I locked a leg around his side, and he released my shoulder, instantly claiming a handful of thigh. My universe melted until all that mattered was the need building in my core. It raged against the cock that stuffed me until I no longer cared who heard me.

I bucked against him and gave in to the maddening urge to drop myself back. Whether it was the rush of my own risk taking, or the amazing angle I found, I came harder than I ever had in my life.

His strong hands gripped my ass before one slid up the length of my spine. He pulled me up against his muscular chest and nodded to the sea beyond.

“The Spicelands,” he whispered before nipping my earlobe and leading me back inside.

I cleaned up behind the privacy curtain and checked myself over with a hand mirror, only to discover Keifer standing alone when I came out.

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