Page 46 of Silver Tongue Devil

“More like snooping.”

“Tsai.” I pinched my nose, taking a deep breath. “If you’re not a seer who can see the future, yourbad feelingholds no weight.”

“Men tend to end up dead when they ignore a woman’s intuition.” Her lips thinned. “Look at my husband, for example.”

“Which one?” I snorted. “Both are dead because you were by far the better pirate.” If most knew the true identity of who I had navigating my ship, one of the greatest woman pirates of all time, we would become the stuff of myths and legends—more than we already were. My ship would become a celebrity sighting, relentlessly gawked at. None of us wanted that, and I respected Tsai’s privacy. The desire to live out her life quietly. “We are leaving the moment the repair is done. Have this ship ready to disembark.” I started to turn.

“Croygen.” She said my name so rarely that I swung back around; her expression was serious. “There is a power, something I’ve never felt before, ahead of us.” Her cloudy white eyes darted back and forth like she was searching for something. “I feel that if we go, not all of us will return.”

A flicker of anxiety swelled in my gut, but I quickly shoved it back, exhaling deeply. “That is no different from any other time we venture out to sea.” I shrugged a shoulder. “The risks of being a pirate.”

Sweat pooled down my back, my shirt long gone, my muscles aching as my hammer pounded in the nail, putting up one of the last boards. The day was brutal, and all of us were shirtless, sweaty, and smelly. I wasn’t someone who stood on the deck, dictating from a perch. I was right there in the trenches with them. A good leader was next to their soldiers in a fight, not on the hill watching. You got harder workers when they saw you doing the work as well.

Plus, it was a good outlet for my anxiety. The need to run to her bubbled under the surface, pushing me faster with every moment that passed as she was only getting weaker the longer we stayed here. The blood from her nose and eyes still stained my hands, driving me to push forward every time I wanted to take a break.

Kat’s pained howls echoed louder in my head than the pounding of hammers. We built from the bottom up, both inside and outside the hull, the last planks being set in place. As the final nail sunk in, a loud cheer boomed from all the workers, waving their tools in the air.

“Fuck yeah!” Vane clapped his hand on my back, holding up his hammer in celebration. “Wenailedthat in no time!” He bumped my shoulder, laughing at his cheesy pun. “I say this calls for celebratory drinks.”

“Untie us from the mooring,” I ordered Vane, tossing my tool down and taking off up the ramp, already dictating orders to my crew. “Scot, pay the men. The rest of you, get us ready to sail. Now!”

Tsai was already at the helm waiting for Vane to release us from the docks and Corb to pull anchor, pushing us back out into the canal and turning us northeast.

I had been so focused on getting the ship back together, I was able to curb my constant pull toward Katrina. But now the need overtook me, and I jogged for my cabin, swinging open the door. The instant I unlatched it, the cool air brushed my sticky skin, and terror braided down my esophagus. The smell of blood and sweat filled my nose with a sharp bite. A tingle of magic soured the air. If agony had an odor, it would be this. She would suffer a long time before she died, but it didn’t take away from the emergency of her predicament now. I was lucky to have Scot. He saved me from going completely into a coma. I had heard some went brain dead, never coming out of it.

“Katze?” I crept to her, watching her chest take in short, shallow breaths, like a cat panting. Her hair took on a fur-like quality, her ears more pointed. Her body naturally wanted to protect her, going into her animal form, but she no longer had the energy to shift.

Grabbing a cloth and bowl and filling it with water, I pulled a chair up to the bed, perching on it. Blood crusted her eyes, nose, and mouth, sweat glistening off her flushed skin. She looked so small and fragile. For that moment, an uncontrollable, almost irrational wave of protection crashed over me, a growl vibrating deep in my bones. It was primal. And if anyone stepped into this room, friend or foe, getting too close to her, there would be hell to pay. The need to attack, to tear into them before they could reach her, had me sucking in sharply.

Shaking my head, I leaned over her, boxing up whatever the hell came over me and locking it away.

“Hey,” I brushed the damp towel across her forehead. “We’re setting sail now.” The moment the promise knew she was back on track, it would start to ebb. I learned that when Scot found me. When he was able to get me on my feet, leading me back to Ryker, the pain eased up quickly, disappearing the moment I resigned to the idea of my role with the Viking.

This magic was so intricate and nuanced that it understood intent, not just actual distance. I could have sat next to Ryker, and if I had done nothing to help save his life when he needed me, the same result would have happened.

One more reason we didn’t fuck with this shit. The gods and goddesses of old were twisted assholes. They loved pain, torture, sex, and blood.

The ship surged as we pushed off from the dock. The landscape through my large window changed as we backed up, turning toward the sea.

A low cry came from Kat, her limbs twitching violently.

“You’re going to be okay.” Reaching out, my palms pressed down on her arms. A zing ran up my hands as her body eased. This time a low moan purred from her as if my touch filled her with relief. The sound shot straight into my dick, an electrical charge forcing me to pull away. The moment I did, her face scrunched up, her legs kicking out, whimpering.

What the fuck was that?

“Shhhhh. It’s okay.” I inhaled before cautiously laying my hand on the side of her face, sensing the same zap. I kept my hand there, brushing through her damp hair, instantly quieting her. I used to be awful at caring for people, but it was another thing Lexie taught me. She suffered a lot after all the things Dr. Rapava did to her. I spent hours either trying to make her laugh or trying to soothe her, willing to do anything so she didn’t feel pain anymore.

The ship creaked when we hit the main ocean, breaking against the waves as we made our way out of the canal. My gaze got lost in the backdrop of the stunning water glinting off the lowering sun. The ocean had a way of calming me instantly and making me feel I was right where I was supposed to be. Getting lost in the view, I didn’t realize a good chunk of time had passed.

I suddenly noticed how quiet she was. My head lowered as I realized my fingers were still threading her hair. Oxygen sucked through my nose. Kat’s bright yellow and green eyes unabashedly stared at me, bare chest and all, as if she had been watching me for a while.

I pulled my hands away from her and cleared my throat. “You’re awake.” I shifted away from her, standing up. “Feeling better?”

Her intense gaze stayed on me, her tongue sliding over her dry lips. She took a few seconds before she nodded.

The moment she did, something clicked in me. The irrational response I had earlier shifted to her. I wanted to attack and scream. All the fear I had been holding curled into fury, bubbling up my spine, singeing and melting away all my humanity.

“What the fuck did you do, Katrina?” My shoulders rose along with my voice. “You are so fucking lucky Scot recognized what was happening to you!” I motioned out my door. “Otherwise, you would be brain dead right now!” I started to pace. Weak, she struggled to sit up. “Did you make a fuckingpromise,Kat?”

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