Page 95 of Ship of Shadows
Kara rolled her eyes. “Just give him a minute.”
Driscoll huffed. “Do you need to clean out your ears? Seaman. Sea man. Seeeaaamannn—” He paused, frowning.“Wait a minute. Semen? Oh, that’s just disgusting.” He turned and yelled at some of the crew members who stood on the opposite side of the ship. “You all are barbarians!”
They burst into laughter.
“Let me know when you want some of that cream,” one of them yelled back, making Driscoll’s face turn as red as a lobster.
They’d delighted in pranking Driscoll lately, but honestly, he made it so easy.
I looked around at this crew I’d grown to care about. I had to save them. I had to save everyone. Even if it meant going against Bastian’s wishes.
Chapter Forty-Three
Bastian and I lay together in his bed, the dark night spread out beyond his windows. The moon shone bright tonight, its glow bathing the room in a silver hue.
He trailed his fingers up and down my back as I nestled my head onto his bare chest.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” I asked.
“No,” he said honestly. “I’m glad Marian gave us some guidance, but that doesn’t change how difficult this is going to be. The shadows can do terrifying things to those who try to escape them.”
I shifted against him. “So can we. No one has beat this shadow king because no one has tried. From what you told me people sneak onto the island to steal magical items. Has anyone actually tried to rescue a loved one? You told me yourself you chose boys who didn’t have families, who no one would miss.”
Bastian’s chest rose and fell under my head with deep breaths, his heart thumping in a steady rhythm. “Listen, you need to steel yourself for the possibility that your brothers might not want to come home.”
I propped my head up on my elbow. “What are you talking about? Of course they’ll want to come home.”
“I told you that the shadow court isn’t what it seems. You don’t understand?—”
“Then make me understand.”
He hesitated. “It’s a paradise of sorts for the boys.”
I scoffed, remembering him telling me something similar before, but I still couldn’t believe it.
“Think about it, love. These boys came from the streets. From horrible situations: abuse, starvation, neglect, injury. At the shadow court they have free rein of the jungle. They’ve banded together to create a family. They’re fed, they’re taken care of, they’re happy.”
“It’s a false happiness,” I argued. “They don’t have their shadows. They’re too young to understand what they’re missing, that their lives have been robbed from them.”
Bastian tipped his head. “That may be, but it’s the truth of it.”
Except our boys weren’t missing a community. They came from loving, good homes. Surely they’d want to return. I glanced at Bastian, and guilt rose up at keeping my full plan from him. I still hadn’t told him that I planned to rescue all the boys, not just my brothers. That I planned to rescue him and his crew. He was so damn stubborn, and he wouldn’t want to put me in any more danger than I was already in.
“Well,” I said, “my brothers are not little boys, and they didn’t come from a horrible situation. They’re not going to be tricked into not wanting to leave.”
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
His words softened my sharp edges. “I don’t need protecting. Are you ever going to learn?”
He rolled me over, his chest pressing against my breasts, his cock growing stiff. “No. Not when it comes to you. I’ll never stop protecting you, no matter the cost.”
He’d already proven that.
I trailed a finger down his cheek. “I suppose I can live with that.”
He leaned down and kissed me tenderly. His hand stroked my waist, and he moved it up and down in gentle lines. Heat stirred between my legs, and I positioned myself so his hard length pressed right against my entrance.
He moaned into my mouth, slowly rubbing his cock up and down my slit while kissing me deeply. I slid my hands down his back, enjoying the feel of him, and in one deep thrust he entered me, filling me, making me feel so complete in this moment.
