Page 69 of Of the Stars and Sea

Code breaker.

Outsider.

The stains of my past are worn in deep, constantly reminding me of the things I’ve lost and the sacrifices I’ve had to make to keep myself and my crew safe from Red Beard’s wrath.

When I open my eyes, I see an earnestness reflecting in Grayson’s blue irises. “Promise me something.” He leans back a little and I can see his fingers rise to the right side of my face. I stop breathing as he begins to trace the line of each scar from my brow down to the bottom of my cheek.

“Promise me, that when this is all over, you will tell me who did this to you.” A muscle feathers along his jaw when his eyes meet mine again. “Promise me.”

I move to shake my head, but he captures my face between his hands. “It is nothing,” I murmur. “It is lost to the past now.”

The low growl that rumbles from his chest tells me he thinks otherwise.

“And what would you do, Grayson? Chase the man down and slice his throat open to watch him bleed?”

“No, Little Pearl. First, I would ensure he knows I am coming for him so he might rot in the fear of knowing his death is imminent with no way to escape it. Once I find him, I would carve him up and relish in the sounds of his screams. Then I would have him healed again and again and again until he begs me to end it all.” Hatred ignites in his eyes. “And I would wait even longer before I allowed his wretched corpse to feed the monsters of the sea.”

Grayson captures my chin between his fingers, stroking my bottom lip with his thumb as I hang onto his every word.

“Your world is painted in shades of grey, but what you speak of is pure darkness,” I say, bringing my hand to his chest. The steady thrum of his heart meets my palm.

He flashes his canines in a cruel smile. “If protecting you from him means straying to the edge of what is brutal and wicked, then I shall become darkness itself. If only for you, Little Pearl.” He threads his fingers through my hair and I lean into his touch like it’s the very air I need to breathe. “Promise me.”

Lost in the ocean of his eyes, I find the edge he speaks of in myself. The feral need to seek revenge on those who have betrayed me. Those who were meant to protect me and instead, cast me away to the violent whims of the world.

“I promise. As long as I get to stand by your side and witness the hells you will unleash upon his soul.” The words echo around us as he exhales a long sigh and brings me to him. I rest in the sanctuary of his shadow.

Grayson has claimed me as his, telling the world I belong to him.

What he does not know is thathealso belongs tome. That the deepest parts of my heart call to him, begging me to let him in. With each passing day, I find my will to stand against him slipping away. Replaced with the strongest desire to be wholly consumed by him.

Staring into those sapphire depths, I push against his chest until his back meets the stone wall behind him. Crawling into his lap, I let my hands roam the strong muscles beneath his tunic before making quick work of the bandolier buckle. Once the buckle opens, he leans forward a little so I can pull the strap away from him. The metal of the buckle and the hilt of his dagger clink against the hard stone floor as I set it to the side.

Grayson’s hands find my hips as I straddle him, his finger delving into my flesh. My thighs splay wide as I settle both of my shins on either side of him. The darkness around us clings to his shoulders, but I do not fear it. I do not fear him.

“What a vision you are, Little Pearl. Divine, and bright as the stars shining amongst the heavens.” His hands glide further back until they cup the swell of my bottom and he leans forward, brushing his lips along the cuff of my ear. “But that is not what I adore most about you.”

Chills cascade down my body as he nips the bottom of my earlobe with his teeth. “It is the darkness that lurks within you that calls to me. The shadows you hide from everyone—even yourself. The way you let them come out to play for me,” he growls, sending another wave of chills down my back. “The way you only show that darkness tome.”

Winding my fingers through his long hair, I pull him closer, his words hitting their mark. My heart rages against my chest as I bury my face into the crook of his neck. Needing to be closer, to end this tantalizing agony that has pulsed through my veins since the very moment he called mehison the docks in Silvermoon Landing.

I need him.

Like the sea needs the sandy shores to crash upon.

I need him.

Heat spreads all the way to my toes as I press my lips to his neck and feel the response of his hard length pressing into my sex. He groans, kneading his fingers against the flesh of my ass as I start to move against him.

Breathing in his scent, I kiss and suckle my way down his neck. I move the edge of his tunic to the side once I reach his shoulder. One of his hands moves to the small of my back, bringing me closer to him, but it’s still not enough.

Not as my blood becomes liquid fire as his lips meet the flesh of my neck. Grayson’s hands roam my back, my sides and my hips. He’s everywhere. All at once. Claiming my body with his kisses. Healing my soul with every brazen touch.

There’s only one word whispering through my mind:mine.

Just as he said I am his.

Nearly ripping his tunic from my need to be closer, I expose the tanned skin of his shoulder. Lowering my mouth, I nip my teeth along his toned flesh and his hold on me tightens.

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