Page 5 of Vicious Princess
He’s so handsome. It takes my breath away.
Vasquez watches me with dark eyes from where he still lies, with his arms tucked behind his head, lean muscles flexing under tanned skin riddled with scars. His are not as bad as mine, but he still has more than others.
He’s seen more life than others, too.
I cross my arms over my chest. “What?”
A cheeky smirk curls one corner of his mouth. “Nothing. I was just trying to imagine you dressed in Ezkai leathers.”
I purse my lips. “If you choose to stick around in Jaakii, you might get to see it.”
Slowly, all the cheekiness evaporates from his face, and he turns away from me to look out the window. The knot in my chest tightens.
“Staying in Jaakii is not my destiny, sweet thing. It’s yours,” he finally says, turning back to face me. He flashes a lopsided smirk. “But if you ever change your mind, you know how to find me.”
I snort and grab my backpack. All my belongings fit in this meager thing: a change of clothes, a bag of Ekiosh currency, a hairbrush, and a small folded canvas with smoldered edges, my family portrait—the only thing I was able to salvage from the fire that killed my family.
Next, I pick up my bow, with its quiver of arrows.
“Here you go, sweetheart,” Mom said as she handed the bundle of cloth to me.
With my eyes wide, I blinked at her. “What’s this, Mommy?”
“It’s time for you to have your own bow, one that belongs only to you,” she said with a smile. I was six. “Come on now, pumpkin, take it. Aren’t you curious?”
Excitement bloomed inside my chest like the wildflowers in the fields surrounding our house, the color of the sunset.
“All mine?” I said, ripping the cloth away from the sturdy bow. The shine of it, the sleekness of the wood, it blew my mind. “It’s so pretty, Mommy!”
“Yes, sweetheart. Every great Decarios with an affinity for weapons needs to have one. You have a gift not all Decarios possess. It’s very special.”
I roll my shoulders and push those bittersweet memories away.
“Before you head out, stop by the galley. Hawk will pack some food for you. Starting a new journey on an empty stomach is bad luck,” V says as I’m about to leave his quarters.
I glance at him over my shoulder. “Aye, Captain.”
With a heavy heart, I close the door behind me. I’ve been with V, sailing from Wetra to Ekios, for twelve months. All this time, I’ve known this day would come when we had to go our separate ways.
Yet, now that the day is here…I don’t want to leave.
That’s what you get for forming attachments when you’re not supposed to.I should have been smarter with Vasquez, kept my distance instead of allowing him to make his way under my skin.
Into my heart.
Now I have to add another tombstone to the personal graveyard I built deep within me after my family tragically died. I’m not sure how many more graves I can manage.
You’re a Decarios. Your heart should be made of steel.
Despite the early morning, the main deck is full of life. Quite a few of V’s boys are early risers. Early drinkers, too.
Hobbs, a redheaded dwarf with a beard long enough to reach his knees, brings a half-empty bottle to his lips and takes a few gulps of spiced rum.
“Morning, boys,” I say, passing the group huddled around a low makeshift table they bring out to play cards and dice. “What’s the game today?”
Hobbs burps and then flashes me a crooked smile. A few of his teeth are missing, replaced by golden ones instead. “Mornin’, sunshine! We’re just about to start Bloodiamond. Care to join us for a round?”
I pause, eyeing the cards Hobbs is shuffling between his crooked, dirty fingers. Any other day, I would pass on it. But today…nostalgia tugs on the strings of my heart, and before Iknow it, I’m sitting on one of the barrels with my own hand of cards.
