Page 10 of Trapped By Vengeance

Out of habit, I shake myself dry like I would if I were in my wolf form, droplets flying everywhere. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to give special care to my saber to make sure it doesn’t rust. I don’t have the coin to replace perfectly good weaponry.

My shaking only makes Eloise giggle harder. Even Valda looks vaguely amused where she stands between two of the pirates I hired for this job.

“Take her back to her cabin,” I bark.

Baldy— who isn’t even one of the men holding her— crosses his arms. “You mean the captain’s cabin?”

“Yes— my ship and therefore my cabin to give as I please.” I certainly spent enough coin renting this ship to have such rights.

I don’t look away from Baldy, daring him to back down first.

I’ve never had to hire additional help for a job before. For my more dangerous quests, I would sometimes pair with someone else from the Guild, and we’d split the payout. But this is thefirst time I’m the employer, and I don’t like it. And since no one from the Guild was foolish enough to cross Baron Schwerin, I had no choice but to resort to these scoundrels. None of these men are trustworthy. If they thought it would benefit them any, they’d run me through.

The threat they present doesn’t even take into consideration the expense of having them on— like the ship isn’t costly enough. Unfortunately, the only way of surviving the wrath of the Baron Schwerin is by escaping to sea. He has far too many allies on land. If I sent him the ransom letter on shore, I’d be dead within the day.

Out here, in the ocean, where a landlocked baron has no vessels, I have a fighting chance to earn that ransom. It will be enough to pay off the expenses of this outing and provide a proper life for Eloise— one where she can have a roof over her head, all the gowns she could ever want, and not have to worry about me leaving her behind while I take treacherous jobs— or else have her tagging along like she is now.

I glance at Eloise, who looks far too comfortable enjoying a pirate’s life. She and I fought with her hair to carefully pleat it around the tips of her ears so even the breeze cannot expose her heritage. I think it must be her elvish blood that is even now drawing her attention back to the crow’s nest.

At least up there I know she is in an easily defendable position should the men turn against us.

With a sigh, I drag my attention back to Valda. She’s glaring at me even as the men have begun to drag her back toward the captain’s cabin. “Wait!”

The men freeze, and I close the distance between us.

Valda arches her perfectly trimmed brows. “Have you decided to assign me to the brig after all?”

“I am not as inhospitable as that. You may stay in my quarters for the duration of the voyage. I only ask for one boon.”

Dripping all over her fine gown, I reach into her hood, doing my best to ignore her intoxicating flora scent.

Valda doesn’t move, maintaining my gaze.

My fingers find her hair ribbon and tug it free. Taking it feels almost as wrong as stealing her, but both sins pale compared to what I have already done in the name of creed.

Yet the guilt remains for all of the above.

Valda gasps as her hair billows around her face and I remove my token.

“A little something to assure your father that you are safe with me,” I say.

Then I snap my fingers, and she is dragged back to her quarters while she hurls all manner of unladylike phrases at me.

Shaking my head, I make my way toward the first mate cabin reserved for Eloise and me to transcribe the ransom letter.

I do my best to ignore the squelching sound I make with every step.

Tying off the ransom letter with Valda’s ribbon, I slide it into a protective canister. Then I secure it to the leg of the waiting carrier pigeon.

“Safe travels, my friend,” I say as I open its cage. “I hope Baron Schwerin isn’t the type to shoot the messenger.”

The pigeon chirps and twists its head almost upside down to better look at me.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, though, since he knows he needs to send word back by you.” I give the pigeon a heel of bread to calm hisnerves.

Then I open the porthole. The pigeon hops twice, glancing between it and me. Then it soars out.

“You really think Sir Pigeon will be fine with Baron— what is his name?”

---