Page 26 of Of the Stars and Sea

Burying it deep in the recesses of my mind, I settle my hands on the wooden railing, letting the warmth of the wood from the morning sun seep into my skin. A momentary distraction from the war that rages in my mind.

“I guess it is a good thing for you that he has learned to leash the monster lurking beneath, given that you are still in need of something I possess.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him look my way, but I keep my gaze fixed ahead at the strong sails and the men working the rig.

“It is true. Your knowledge of the old language is something I require to succeed on this quest.” He huffs a breath. “I just hope you won’t get yourself killed by a member of my crew before you have the chance to fulfill my need of you.”

I turn toward him and stare into the hard planes of his face wondering how someone so devastatingly beautiful can be so cruel.

His dark brows pinch for a moment, like he’s trying to read what I might say next.

“And once your need is fulfilled . . . What then? You’ll toss me to your crew? Let them have their way with me?”

His body angles towards me and a shadow passes over his face. “Is that not what a villain would do?”

Before I have a chance to respond, one of his men shouts, “Captain! We’re gaining on her!”

Grayson’s steely eyes linger on me for a moment longer. I hold his gaze, not willing to show an ounce of retreat.

Then he looks to the lower deck and responds, “Ready to fire!”

As the sun hits his black hair, a midnight blue cascades through the strands like a ripple from a stone cast into the water.

For just a moment, I see myself running my fingers through those silky strands. They are soft against my skin and he smiles at me. Radiant, like the moon on her most glorious night. Grayson tilts his head, pressing a featherlight kiss to the inside of my wrist. Heavenly sparks shoot up my arm from where his lips graze over my racing pulse and I feel myself falling into him.

Then, like a flash of lightning, the image is gone and I’m left standing at the railing of his quarterdeck, while Grayson shouts orders at his men.What the hells was that?I shake my head, the image or . . . whatever it was still clings to the frayed edges of my mind. Internally, I groan at myself. There’s no way in hells I would considerhimas anything more than the wretched monster he is. Grayson stole my one chance of freedom, forced me onto his ship, and has since made countless threats about ending my life if I don’t obey his rules.

Grayson’s gaze searches the horizon where I note that we are, indeed, gaining on the merchant ship. It won’t be long and we’ll be within firing range of her, giving Grayson and his men another prize to be won. Given their reputation, it will likely be a swift win indeed.

The lapels of his long coat flap open in the wind, revealing the low V shape of his tunic and his bare chest—a smooth, golden brown. My mouth goes dry and I look away.

Fucking hells.

He turns towards me and says, “You are not a prisoner on my ship. If you desire to have a hand in this fight, so be it. Though”—his eyes dip to my shoulder—“it might serve you better to sit this one out and take the damned potion Doc offered you.”

Rolling my eyes, I snort. “Maybeyouwill need it after this fight. I wouldn’t want to take such a powerful healing aide away from you and your men.”

A shadow cascades over me as his large body, now blocking the sun, shifts closer. The right side of his lips quirks upward and Ihatewhat it does to my insides. “I can assure you, Little Pearl, I am the last person on this ship who will be in need of that healing potion.”

It’s not just his bravado that makes me believe him, but the way he seems to enjoy what he’s about to do. The lives he’s about to take with the sword at his hip and the cannons beneath our feet. Zaos may have death in his eyes, but it is Grayson that everyone should be afraid of. Because it is a truly monstrous being who relishes in the killing of others and not have it leave some kind of mark on their soul.

As I watch Grayson sweep past me and down the stairs to the main deck, I consider the kills I’ve made with my own daggers. Some when my life was hanging in the balance, and others when protecting those I care for. All taken in desperate moments.

Raven’s lifeless face settles in my mind like an omen, and the pain of grief that hits me is as strong as a rogue wave—deadly and ready to take me under. Some part of me changed the moment Blythe’s dagger swept across her neck and a river of crimson flowed freely, taking her life with it.

As I watch Grayson move along the deck, preparing his men for the fight ahead, I wonder if some part of him has ever been broken too. If whatever led him to be so unfeeling, to see the lives of others as nothing more than a barrier to his desires, is the same as what Raven’s death is doing to me. Decaying my everlight spirit until I am unrecognizable. Until there is no good left in me but memories that are too far to reach.

Some part of me knows that this journey I am bound to is the start of a permanent change. For all the things that have already happened, and the things that have yet to pass, I know I will never be the same.

“Fire!” Zaos commands the men below deck to ignite the cannons’ fuses.

The deck beneath my feet shutters from the blast and the rolling of the cannons. Wood from the merchant ship splinters. Men’s screams tear through the air as their merchant ship is torn apart. TheCaesletiahas three rows of gun ports—an incredible amount of fire power that most pirate lords would only dream of possessing. Even the king’s royal naval ships aren’t as well-equipped to manage an attack as theCaelestia.

Grayson orders his helmsman to steer closer to the merchant ship, readying to board once her captain surrenders.

An excitement hums in my veins as I grip the ship’s side railing and lean far over. Beneath me, the men are readying the cannons again. Pushing them closer to the gunport openings to ensure they reach their target and don’t damage the interior of theCaelestia. But they aren’t ready quick enough as a distant cry to “Fire!” has the merchant ship responding with a cannon blast of their own. A zip soars through the air as cannon balls find their mark and blast three holes into the side of theCaelestia.

Shards of wood shoot out in all directions and the impact has me wavering backward, but I grab hard onto the railing with my right arm, gritting my teeth against the strain the tension puts on my other shoulder.

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