Page 86 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

“Captain, may I come in?” Mazie’s voice called from outside the captain’s quarters. She placed her ear against the door to listen in for any noise. Lincoln’s first mate knew he was awake as the bed lamp shone brightly from beneath the crack.

You are quite the stubborn man, huh!Mazie thought as she waited in silence.

Raven thumped lightly against the wall, hoping he would grow tired of the annoying noise and let her in.

“Go away,” he finally said dryly. His tiring voice muffled through the door.

Mazie had witnessed, on more than one occasion, the captain losing his temper. But never had she seen him feel such remorse for him to hide in a room, wanting to be alone.

The Lincoln she knew would drown his sorrows in a bottle of rum while going about his duties as their captain. Because that was something he was good at—letting it go.

She suddenly heard movement from inside the door, then the captain pulled it open and stepped back, allowing her to enter.

“You aren’t goin’ to leave me be, are you?” he asked, stepping to the side as she walked by him.

“You would not have picked me as your first mate if I didn’t make you natter out those feelings of yours?” She tossed a hand up. “Bah! You need me to ask you what is wrong because everyone else up there is mad at you right now. You provoked a fuckin’ siren, Captain!”

Lincoln’s lip twitched, but aside from the involuntary reaction, he did not respond. He only leaned back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were flushed, his cheeks a peachy hue under his scruff to match the change on his face.

The black-haired pirate was always cautious around her captain when he felt troubled. She knew he would not dare lay a finger on her. However, his behavior from earlier was indeed scary and very unusual. She figured her captain would have sobered up enough to talk rationally.

“I only came here to check if you wanted to talk about it, but clearly, you are not ready to—”

“Is Nola okay?” Lincoln asked, sounding almost like he was out of breath.

Mazie placed her hand on her hip. “I cannot speak for the siren,” she started. “But my guess is she is not. Her face is still buried in my pillow. She can stay in my room for as long as she wants. Hell, I know she doesn’t want to be near you!”

He ran his strong hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he shouted, stepping towards the door.

Mazie rushed to block him from leaving his room. “Easy, Captain. You’re a man and have no clue how a woman works, but I’ll say this once. Give her the damn space she needs. She will come to you when she is ready.”

His breath was heavy. “Raven,” he started. He had not used her pirate name in quite some time. “I’m not goin’ to hurt her.” His voice was soft but troubled. “I don’t know what happened back there. She—”

The captain pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring.

How the hell am I going to say this?Lincoln thought. “Shit. I need to tell you somethin’.”

Mazie relaxed her shoulders and stepped back. “Have at it, Captain,” she said.

Lincoln was not sure how much he wanted to tell Mazie. He was always forthright with his crew. However, the secrets he was about to expose not only affected Nola’s fate but the Sybil Curse’s crew as well.

The dark secrets he kept hidden from Mazie for ten years were starting to unravel.

“That other siren who came upon our ship, Pearl,” he started, reluctance in his tone. “She, uh, told me some unsettlin’ news. I took my shock and horror to her words and unleashed those feelings upon Nola. I was drunk and reckless, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself!”

“You’re not going to start weepin’, are you?”

He shot her a cold sneer. “This is serious, Mazie.”

“Blimey! Quit beatin’ around the damn bush and tell me then.” Her expression hardened. “Is it because she’s a siren?”

Lincoln swallowed, shaking his head. “No. None of that matters, Mazie. I do not care that she is not human. Shit. I don’t even care that she lied about it.”

“Because you care for her?” Mazie asked.

He nodded. “Deeply,” he confessed. “But that isn’t the point.”

I need more fucking rum!He thought. The lump in his throat seemed to linger, but he choked it back, finally finding the words.

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