Page 64 of Tower of Tempest
Leoni crossed her arms, scowling. “I didn’t scare him away. They’re all being idiots. We’re not even asking them to step foot on Sorrengard, just to get us close enough so we can jump off and swim there.”
“And face the crocodiles?” I asked. “Or the tall cliffs? Or would you rather swim ashore where the shadow king can see us coming?”
She huffed. “Do you have a better idea, Prince Lochlan?”
I flashed her another smile as my gaze landed on a redheaded woman, older. She wore all black, including the captain’s hat on her head with a single feather sticking from it. She petted a black horsethat whinnied. “Yes, yes, I do.” I pushed past Leoni. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I strolled up to the woman, who turned to face me. “Hi,” I said, using my most alluring voice.
“Does that really work?” Driscoll said from behind me. “All he said was ‘hi.’”
“Just wait,” Leoni muttered.
The woman gazed at me curiously, little lines crinkling the corners of her eyes and mouth. “I’m not taking on any passengers,” she said. “And certainly not to go to the shadow court. I overhead your girl, there, talking to Captain Grimwall.”
“Oh, now there must be a way to convince you.” I stepped closer. “I happen to have a lot of gold on me. What’s your price?”
She eyed me with interest. “You look familiar.”
I winked. “I get that a lot.”
I didn’t want to reveal my identity. Didn’t need word spreading that the playboy prince was seeking passage to the shadow court, for it to possibly get back to the shadow king. I didn’t know where he had shadows lurking, what information they might report back to him. I’d been told the shadows couldn’t communicate with shadow elementals, but I didn’t believe it.
The woman’s gaze raked over my body, and a thrill shot through me. I hadn’t done this in a long time. Not since... since before Poppy.
Just like that, my mood soured, all the excitement fizzling from my veins.
“What else can you offer me?” the captain said, eyeing me with interest.
All I had to do was lean over and whisper a few promises in her ear. Step closer to her, not close enough that we were touching, but close enough that she could feel the heat of my body, could imagine what it might be like once I actually did touch her. It would be so easy. And yet...
“Nothing.” I stepped away. “I have nothing else to offer. Just our gold.”
Her flirtatious smile turned to a frown. “Well, then I’m afraid there’s not much I can do for you.” With that, she spun on her heel and focused her attention back on the horse.
“What in the bloody earth was that?” Driscoll said as I walked back toward them. “You had her. She was completely invested and then you just...”
“We’re never getting off this damn isle.” Leoni kicked a small rock; it skittered toward the edge of the cliff. “At this rate, we’re going to have to steal a ship.”
“Why do you think we haven’t seen her?” I looked over their shoulders back to the city of Winded in the distance, a lone stone road leading toward it. “Where could she be? We’ve been here a week since she disappeared. Surely we’d have spotted her by now.”
Leoni groaned. “Not this again.” She eyed me suspiciously. “Did you sabotage that interaction?”
Driscoll pointed at me. “I think he did.” He paused. “Wait, why am I angry? That just means another night in a nice warm bed and not spent in the bunkhouse of a ship.” He shuddered.
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t sabotage anything. The captain wasn’t interested.”
Driscoll’s eyes dipped below my waistline. “She was interested in something.”
Leoni swatted him. “Well, we’re just going to have to get horses and go down to the docks. We’ll lie. Or we’ll book passage as far as the ships are willing to take us, then we’ll figure the rest out. We can’t stay here any longer.”
I glanced down my shirt. The blue lines had stretched just a little deeper. “Do you think she’s hurt?”
Leoni threw up her hands and stalked toward the edge of the cliff, muttering something about me being hopeless.
Driscoll studied his nails. “Listen, I’m totally team Loppy.”
I gave him a questioning stare.
