Page 58 of Boneyard Tides

He led me to the crowd of women like a prized pig on a leash. I usually hated this part about anything that we did. Was it so hard for him to just want me and me only? Why must he throw it in my face any chance he got that he could have anyone he wanted? And he did. He took anyone he wanted, so what did I do, well I did the same, of course. Hanging the artwork of my affairs on the walls of our home was as petty as it looked. I was a shallow bitch, and everyone knew it.

“Hello, ladies,” I said, my eyes brushing over all three.

One had long blonde hair that flowed down her back in effortless waves. She was quite pretty, but she was also young. I shouldn’t be surprised at all, considering my husband’s taste in women.

“Your Majesty.” She bowed, keeping her eyes on mine. Her other two friends slowly followed suit. They managed to do it politely without annoying me. “Such a lovely party you’re holding.”

I hid my chuckle behind an amused laugh. They annoyed me. How boring and bland. I would eat them for breakfast, and I didn’t mean the kind of feast that included my tongue between their thighs. Although I was sure if I got bored enough, I’d take them all to my bed.

“Thank you, ladies. Excuse me.”

I touched Sparrow’s arm in passing, leaving him to play with his little toys while I went about my business. I needed to mingle, and I needed to make peace with what was about to happen tonight. I wasn’t sure who was coming with this next load. But I knew. I knew that Hades was coming with them, and anywhere Hades was, there was always going to be trouble.

2.

The night was still young, but I knew it wasn’t going to hold youth for much longer. There were whispers about this man, whispers that not even I could understand. People knew who he was. They knew the kind of ruling he held. But I, Hollow Wilson, would never ever bow to anyone, much less a man.

I made my way up to the small stage that held a long rectangular table filled with an abundance of food. Large roast meats and feasts that would last a lifetime among most people. I hated it. I hated the wasteful nature that we created. The time that we had been on this land, we had made sure we knew how to eat from it. I pulled my chair out slightly from beneath the table, lowering myself while keeping my eyes out on the masses. How was I going to do this? How was I supposed to rule over people, but I couldn’t even rule over myself or my marriage, for that matter. I was twenty-three years old, barely an adult, yet I was here making decisions over people that I didn’t even know.

I reached for the goblet that sat in front of me, the cool metal touching my palm as I raised it to my mouth.

“Are you having a good time, my lady?” Gerald asked from beside me.

Gerald was my husband’s best friend, and at times, I wondered where his loyalties would lie if it truly came down to it. He was once loyal to my father too, but somewhere between my birth and my father’s death, his loyalty became skewed.

“About as good of a time as I’m ever having at these things, Gerald.” I took a long sip of my wine, placing it back down on the table and picking at the roasted potatoes rolling around my plate. The hut we lived in was much larger than the one that we feasted in. I wasn’t sure whether this was a good or a bad thing.

“I’m sure you’ll warm up to it, my lady,” Gerald finally said, holding my stare.

Gerald was a contradiction to everything that I should know, but he was loyal to Sparrow, and right now, that counted for something. Especially when we had a crazed pirate getting ready to anchor on our waters.

“Hollow, my beautiful wife.” Sparrow leaned into me, his eyes shifting between Gerald and me. “He is here.”

My throat turned dry, and I dropped the spoon onto my plate, straightening my shoulders. My father ruled this town the best he could. He and others found this land, and he decided to name it after me. I was only a baby when he and my mother found it.

The masses of people quieted as the doors at the end of the room parted. I held my breath unintentionally, my palms sweating. What would he look like? Pirates were dirty creatures. Unlovable. Filthy. They had—

He stepped through the doors with men standing on either side of him. He captured the room instantly. He was a magnet of attention and lust, and I was certain all the women sitting in this room right now were going to need to be carried out of here.

He tipped the rim of his hat up, flashing a wide grin that reached over the space that separated us, and grabbed me by the throat. “My lady…” He bowed low, his head the last to dip before he slowly dragged himself back upward, his eyes coming back to mine. They were a dark, murky green. The kind that reminded me of a swamp sewer. He had no business being this damn attractive.

I shuffled sideways, breathing out slowly once I had a grip on my thoughts. “Hades.” I nodded toward him, casting a quick glance at the two beside him.

Only one was a woman, and the other was a man. She had dark hair that she kept tied low near the nape of her neck and a single feather earring that hung low enough to touch her collarbone.

She leaned into Hades and whispered something with a grin, which in turn made Hades snicker.

“Something funny?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at both pirates. I wasn’t at all impressed with them, no matter how…annoyingly attractive Hades was.

“No, Your Majesty.” As he said the words, the corner of his mouth curved.

It should have raised the hairs on the back of my neck, and a big part of it did, but the stupid side of my brain was also curious. I wanted this man. I knew I did. He wore his shirt unbuttoned, showcasing his bare chest. Muscles tightened with every move, and I wanted to run my tongue over the intricate lines of the artwork that littered his tanned skin. He had short hair that he hid beneath his pirate hat, and if I looked closely, I was sure there was a diamond encrusted onto one of his teeth.

My lord. He was everything bad that no one should ever want, much less a queen.

I was barely a queen though, only just stepping into this role recently. Could I still play the bratty princess that got everything she ever wanted? Probably not. At the very least, not with Sparrow around.

“As I thought.” I lifted the corner of my mouth slightly, keeping my eyes on his. Challenge flashed over his eyes and my skin prickled with excitement.

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