Page 41 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

According to her father’s stories, they would kill sirens because they felt threatened by them. The king often hired corrupt pirates of the Portland Sea to slaughter the undersea creatures.

At that moment, while staring out the window, Nola realized something that had slipped her mind earlier.

Shit! Lincoln can see magic!She told herself. He knows about the Fae people, so does he see me for what I am? If he does, why would he help me?

“You can hang that towel back in the bathroom,” Mazie said from behind as she walked in, carrying a bundle of clothes. Her footsteps clumped against the wooden planks. “You’ll need to dress differently if you want to blend in. Your clothes are terrible, and they don’t look like what a pirate would wear.” The woman threw the bundle on the bed. “Put that on.”

Nola held up a pair of black, tight leather pants and an all-black shirt, and lying flat on the bed was a black scrap of fabric.

“You want me to wear this?” she asked, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Nola looked down at her clothes, which were not terrible, she thought. She was wearing brown pants and a long burgundy, sleeveless shirt that exposed her shoulders and back. The shirt came high on her neckline, just as her mother had sewed it. Her mother made all her clothes. But there was nothing special about her attire. It was plain, dull, and as simple as her simple life.

“Yes, I want you to wear this. You are out in the Portland Sea, milady. We need you to not look like a girl from a small, poor village. If you don’t look like a pirate, then anyone who approaches our ship will ask questions we aren’t goin’ to answer. Then they’ll be fightin’ and bloodshed, and, as much as I crave every part of that scenario, we don’t have time for that. We’re on a schedule right now and you can’t become more of an inconvenience.”

Nola felt very small at that moment. She barely made it off land and had entered someone else’s home—if that was what they called their ship. She expected the pirates to help her when they were not even sure what they were helping her accomplish.

Nola nodded. “I understand,” she hushed, looking down at the dark red spots on her top.

Mazie smirked as she walked past her and stopped at the door.

“You meant to say, ‘Aye, mate,’ eh?”

Nola reciprocated with a humorous smile. “Aye, mate.”

Mazie turned on her heel, heading back to the stairs as if she were already annoyed by Nola’s presence. Once she reached the steps, she turned to look at her. “Bear in mind, girl, if you cross my captain again, he may not be so lenient on your punishment next time.”

Nola nodded, unsure if she believed her. The female pirate was hard to read, that was certain, but one thing Nola knew was to stay out of that one’s way.

“I’ll remember that next time,” Nola said.

Mazie flashed her a fake smirk, flaring her nostrils as she walked out of the captain’s quarters.

Nola put on the pants, securing a rope to keep them from slipping off. She fanned out her hands, running her fingers down the slick material of the pants. She and Mazie were close to the same size, but Nola’s waist was slightly thinner. The pants also felt a bit itchy, but nothing in her bag was anything that the crew would approve of. Everything looked like what she was wearing when they caught her, which apparently, was not pirate enough.

After pulling Mazie’s shirt over her head, she heard footsteps descending the stairs again.

Lincoln stopped on the last step abruptly, and his eyes met hers. He sized her up—giving her a look of approval, his teeth gleaming with a broad smile.

“That outfit suits you,” he said.

She was aware that the outfit revealed a lot more than she was used to near her breasts. And, she had nothing to cover herself with. Lincoln only stood there, with his elbow pressed against the stair’s railing. Nola liked how he looked at her, even though it was only with lust-filled eyes.

She held the bandana out. “How exactly do I wear this?”

He continued into the room and once he stood in front of her, he reached up, removing the thread she had used to tie her hair, and allowed it to fall against her back. As his fingers lightly touched her skin, she sucked in a breath. His eyes stayed on hers as he smoothed out the front of her hair and proceeded to wrap the piece of fabric around her head, tying it off at the back. He reached around the front and lightly touched a wavy strand that had escaped the bandana and tucked it back in.

Nola lightly fluttered her eyes as his fingers grazed her neck as he trailed his hands back down. She turned slowly to stare into his eyes, his lips creating a perfectly flat line. He let his hand fall to his side, but not before a chill ran up her back. Nola was not sure why he had dropped his hand so abruptly.

Perhaps it is for the best,she thought.

She hated how it made her feel. Well, she loved every part of Lincoln’s touch but was angry at herself for allowing her to find pleasure in it.

Nola focused on his lips as they parted slightly. Her breath hitched.

Impulsively, she reached up at the strands of hair that had fallen across his brow. She moved them slightly away from his eyes. Lincoln’s jade eyes widened.

“Sorry,” she said, retracting her hand quickly, feeling utterly mortified by her bold gesture.

What the hell am I doing?Nola thought immediately. She was never that daring, especially when it came to men. But his kindness made her want to reciprocate.

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