Pirate Lord Page 12

  Roselyn stormed from the bedroom, almost running into the figure outside the door, arm still raised to knock. “Eli.”

  He nodded to the plate he carried in his other hand, “Captain asked me to bring you something to eat, she didn’t think you’d be able to face the galley.”

  “I don’t think I can eat anything.”

  “Well, it helps. Honestly. I used to get seasick too.”

  “A seasick pirate?”

  “I wasn’t always a pirate.”

  “Really, I’ve always been an assassin. So the wise thing for you to do right now would be to step out of my personal space.”

  He smiled – completely catching her off guard – and took a step back, resting the plate on the meet table. “I meant no offence.” Eli folded his arms across his chest, that smile distorting as he stared into her eyes. “What are you doing here Roselyn?”

  “I’m acting as insurance.”

  “Right.” He nodded at the closed meet room doors. “You think you could take on them both if they decided to flee?”

  Roselyn shrugged nonchalantly.

  Eli smiled again. “You think you could take me on?”

  Indignation prickled up her spine. She wasn’t in the mood right now. “Are you threatening me? You might be stealthier than most but you’re no assassin. Make the wrong move and I’ll have a knife in your throat before you can blink.”

  “I wouldn’t advise you to attempt that. I’ve already had plenty of opportunities to kill you. But Lil only told me to watch.”

  “Loyal to a fault.”

  “Says the lapdog.” Roselyn felt her cheeks flush. Eli continued, “I gather you’re used to a game player, but that isn’t me. I’m never anything but completely serious, particularly when it comes to loyalty. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me, and I’ll not underestimate you in turn.”

  ~

  Lily slipped into the bedroom. Roselyn was already tucked under the sheets. She’d propped the bucket next to the bed, but Lily was pleased to see it was empty – she must be getting used to the ship’s bowing already. Lily tried to remain quiet as she undressed and slipped into one of Tristan’s shirts. Then swore under her breath as she tripped on one of her boots.

  “It’s okay, I’m not asleep.” Roselyn stirred and reached across to turn up the lamp.

  Now able to see where she’d thrown her clothes, Lily stepped over them. “Thanks.” She slipped into the empty side of the bed. The sheets were cool, giving her goosebumps. Lily glanced at Roselyn, “Are you feeling any better?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a ship. I’m normally like this for a couple of days and then I’ll be fine again.”

  “Good.” Lily paused, “Well, we’d better try get some rest.”

  Roselyn nodded and turned the lamp back down. Lily felt her settle back into the mattress, then all went still. Lily’s eyes remained wide open. She stared up at the ceiling, listening intently. Roselyn’s breathing didn’t change. Lily glanced over at her, and saw the glint which showed her eyes were still open. Lily sat up, Roselyn mirroring her movement. The lamp was turned up once again.

  “What?” Roselyn eyed her suspiciously.

  “Look, I can’t sleep – you’re a bloody assassin, I don’t feel comfortable turning my back on you, let alone be able to relax enough to fall asleep.”

  “You think I trust you with my back?” Lily raised her eyebrow. “You’re Tigerlily Wolf – you’re nearly as dangerous as I am, if the stories are true.”

  “So what do we do – we can’t sleep in shifts – we can’t both sleep?”

  Roselyn shrugged, and Lily sighed, wrapping her arms over her legs. She watched Roselyn’s attention shift to the scars around her wrists, then back up again. Lily ignored the prickle of discomfort. She was used to people looking at her scars by now. She traced the marks with her nail, glancing pointedly at the tentacle that coiled around Roselyn’s own wrist. “I see you’ve got your own shackles. Tell me about yourself.”

  Roselyn tugged her sleeve down. “What?”

  “Well come on, neither of us are going to trust each other – so we might as well get to know each other. Merek was right about one thing – friendships start with exchanging secrets – so, tell me something no one else knows.”

  Roselyn hesitated, scratching at the sheets with a sculpted fingernail, “I never wanted to be an assassin.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head, “My family lived in a hut in the jungle. My father was a trap maker, my mother made fabrics. I had two younger brothers and an older sister who was already married off. We’d go to market to trade. I’d help out on the stall and keep an eye on my brothers. I was thirteen when Lord Merek came to our town. No one knew he was the Pirate Lord, our town was small enough that we didn’t know about things like that, we were sheltered. Still, I was afraid of him then. I hid myself in the shadows of an alleyway, but he found me. He winked at me. No one could find me when I hid – I didn’t know how he’d spotted me.

  “He approached my parents and I snuck closer to listen. He told them he wanted to send me to school – he’d pay for my tuition. They hesitated at first, but they wouldn’t have been able to afford an education for me. I’d gone to the free school in town a few times and I’d loved it, but then I’d got too old. His offer was too tempting.

  “So, when he left the town, I went with him. I thought at first that he’d lied, but true to his word, I was enrolled at school. I didn’t realise that it was an assassins institute – again, we didn’t know about them where I was from. I suffered much bullying in my first couple of years. I got used to hiding, my natural talents for it honed by training and practice. Stealth was one of my best traits.

  “After a time I embraced it all. I excelled in my classes and passed my final tests with flying colours. I was one of the best they’d seen. Once I graduated Lord Merek came back again, to offer me work. I accepted, and I’ve been his for ten years now.”

  “How long have you been in love with him?”

  Roselyn turned her face away.

  “I’m not wrong, it’s why you do so much for him, isn’t it. Still, isn’t he a bit old for you?”

  Roselyn shrugged, “We’re both adults. You can’t help who you fall for.”

  “Merek doesn’t return the feeling does he?”

  “No.” The admission seemed to bring her great pain – it was clearly something she’d admitted to herself, but never actually voiced aloud. “But I can’t stop loving him.”

  “See – we’re learning so much about each other already.”

  “Your turn.” Roselyn snarled. She’d revealed more than she’d meant to.

  “I’ve already imagined eleven ways to kill you, in graphic detail.” Lily smiled as Roselyn’s expression darkened. “Don’t take it as an insult – I don’t do it on purpose, it’s just the way my mind works. This temper people mention when they speak about me – it’s not just a temper. It’s like something in my mind that speaks to me, that tells me how to hurt people.

  “When I was back at The Harbour I taught myself to silence it, to ignore it. Still, I killed once. My first kill. He was a man I thought I loved, but then he tried to rape me. And before I knew it, I had opened his belly with a knife. I tell everyone I simply stabbed him. But it wasn’t as clean as that. When I joined the crew of The Shadow it became harder to keep the voice quiet, so I gradually gave it more freedom, let it breathe the open air. Now it’s always there, whispering to me, ready when I need to use it. I call it my demon. Perhaps that makes me mad, giving it a name, a voice. But a seer once told me I had to release it, or be consumed by it. I guess I wasn’t ready to die.”

  “Why tell me that?”

  “You had to convince me you had humanity – I had to convince you I am your equal. Now perhaps we will feel at ease with each other enough to get some gods dammed rest.”

  Chapter 11

  Storms ahead

  The rain ham
mered against the planks of the deck. The weather had been good to them up to this point, and it seemed to be making up for the lack of rain all in one go. The wind howled, catching any strips of loose sail and sending them trembling. The sky was dark, the storm seemingly endless. They’d seen it coming a mile off and had made all the necessary preparations before the wind got too strong, so now it was just a case of battling through it and trying not to get hit too far off course.

  They were headed to the nearest pirate port, Crag Rock. They’d already sent out a fair few messages directly from the Pirate Lord’s Island, calls to arms that would reach the majority of the ships in the Pack – the ones that were close enough to reach the Island in good time anyway. But if you ever wanted to find a large group of pirates quickly, Crag Rock, or its larger and arguably more refined sister Crescent Bay, was a good bet. Crag Rock was closer and time was not their friend, so that made the decision simple. What Merek asked was an impossible task. Gathering the Pack was hard enough, let alone doing it in barely a month.

  Lily sighed. They were really in a mess. She gripped the edge of the crow’s nest as the ship titled alarmingly, the spray showering her. Her heart pounded in her chest and her knuckles whitened as she gripped tighter and screamed into the wind.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  She titled her head to see Tristan clambering up the last portion of the mast, swinging himself under the balustrade of the crow’s nest to sit beside her.

  “Anger management!” Lily shouted back.

  “We’re in the middle of a bloody storm and you’re up here shouting?”

  “Join me.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, come on!”

  Tristan rolled his eyes as he stood up, his hand grazing Lily’s as he gripped the rail. His hair was plastered to his face, his beautiful tattoos visible beneath his sodden shirt, the sculpted muscles of his chest and stomach also defined by the wet fabric. His expression was neutral, but there was a spark in his eye that Lily knew all too well. He grinned, sending her heart flipping, and then he turned to the wind and bellowed. Lily met his grin and joined in, their voices mingling with the gale, lost to the waves.

  They shouted until their throats went hoarse, then both collapsed into fits of laughter. Tristan released his grip on the rail, just to wrap his arms round Lily, his chest against her back. His warmth seeped into her, his breath tickling her cheek as he kissed her neck. They both tensed as another huge wave enveloped the ship.

  Tristan shook the moisture out of his hair and rolled his grip on the rail. “Merek can do what he likes. We’re still Wolves. We will always be Wolves.” His breath was warm against her cheek, his voice vibrating through her back.

  Lily gripped his hand in her own and squeezed. It was about all she could manage. He’d just read her mind.

  Tristan let go of the rail and ducked himself back under, climbing back down to the deck. “Come on mad wife.” His words circled up from somewhere below her.

  Lily smiled and leaned out over the edge of the crow’s nest. The persistent wind was tugging at her. She anticipated the next roll of the hull, then timed her leap from her perch. Even Saff wasn’t out in this, preferring to stay in the warm dry meet room. Lily tightened her grip on the rope as she neared the deck, and jumped the last portion, her feet splashing against the sodden wood. Tristan slipped his arm around her back the moment she landed, and they both made their way below deck, where the crew had secured themselves for the evening.

  ~

  “There you two are – we were about to send out a search party!” Stig slammed his huge palm into Tristan’s shoulder, making him falter a step.

  He caught the towel that Lily tossed at him, laughing as she shook her hair out, spraying the nearest crew with water. They grumbled at her, but she just stuck out her tongue. Irena pushed through the crowd and slammed into her mother’s legs. Lily smiled and scooped her up, draping the towel over her shoulders.

  The crew had made the galley rather cosy, candles were burning, casting an orange glow that danced across the walls. The benches had been pushed back and barrels of rum and ale burst open. Plenty of mugs were already filled, and plenty more had already been emptied a fair few times, by the looks of those that clutched them. There was a busy atmosphere, conversations buzzing throughout the room. Were it not for the occasional lurch of the ship, they could have been in any other tavern.

  Tristan flicked the tap of the ale barrel – he couldn’t stomach the crew’s rum, though they guzzled it like water – he much preferred his own supply. He remembered with a pang that his old collection of rum was now at the bottom of the sea. He’d been sure to make a new one with supplies from the Island, but that was safely stowed in the meet room, and he wasn’t too keen on the idea of going back up on deck just yet. He’d barely warmed up.

  Lily plucked the mugs out of Jon and Kris’ hands, giving them a sharp sniff, before being satisfied that the crew had not given them rum. They’d done it before, and the twins had been vomiting for the rest of the night. Tristan had been sure to find out who the culprits were, and make sure they had the job of cleaning up after them under Lily’s watchful eye. He plonked himself down next to Chop, and leaned back against the bench.

  Roselyn smiled weakly as Lily sat beside her. She still looked a little green. The storm had made her seasickness rear its head again, though she’d managed not to vomit so far, or not that Lily had seen. “Avoid the rum – it’s lethal.”

  Lily chuckled, “I know, I bought it.” She glanced sidelong at Roselyn, “Suffering again?”

  Roselyn just shrugged. She looked up as a shadow fell over them.

  Eli nodded to Lily, and sat down. “Captain, Assassin.”

  “I get a title now too do I?”

  He glanced at her, boredom emanating from him, “It wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Not got the stomach for the things I can do?”

  His dark laugh was different than any Lily had heard from him before, “I’ve seen and done a lot more than you could imagine.”

  “Before you two get too deep into the whole who’s more impressive at killing argument – can I just interject?”

  Roselyn and Eli both looked at her.

  “Eli wins hands down Roselyn. And that isn’t a dig at you, I know you’re capable of plenty. But there’s no point trying to match him when it comes to experience. Okay, we’re done here, kiss and make up and everyone’s happy.”

  “What?”

  “Oh I just think you two would make a great couple, you remind me of Tristan and I when we first met.”

  Eli raised an eyebrow, “Have you been drinking?”

  “Not nearly enough yet.” Lily narrowed her eyes, pointing from one to the other, “You can’t deny there’s a spark – I’ve seen it.”

  Roselyn snorted and stood up, “With that, I’m going to bed.”

  “Don’t fall overboard on your way, follow the line I set.” Lily called after her.

  The assassin waved her hand dismissively and pushed her way through the crowds.

  Eli slipped the little flute he carried out of his pocket, polishing it with the end of his sleeve, “What did you say that for?”

  “What did you let her go for?”

  Eli stared at her, “She wanted to go to bed, what was I supposed to do?”

  “For a man who claims to be thousands of years old you’re really clueless.” Irena jumped up onto Lily’s lap, and she allowed her daughter to distract her, if just to let Eli think over what she had said.

  She hoped her prodding wouldn’t set things off course, but she wanted to at least get them thinking about it. Lily hadn’t lied, they’d make a good match, she’d seen the way they looked at each other. But Roselyn was wrapped up in Merek, and Eli, well, Eli was just stubborn, and apparently blind to his own appeal.

  He raised the flute to his lips and began to play, the notes merging with the low murmuring of the conversa
tions in the room. Lily found she was content just to listen to the music.

  ~

  Lily opened her eyes, twisting to glance over her shoulder. Roselyn was still fast asleep, her mouth parted slightly, her hair knotted. She looked so harmless, so fragile. That was her true armour Lily supposed, no one expected her to be the one with the blade at their neck. But to be in love with a man like Merek…to remain in love with someone who used you like a tool. That took a different kind of strength that even Lily wasn’t sure she had.

  The storm had ebbed at some point in the night and the sun breaking through the porthole was bright and clear. She pushed herself up from the bed, stretching her arms high above her head, her fingers brushing against the top of the cot. This room was slightly smaller than the one she normally shared with Tristan, it would take some getting used to, time before she could accept this ship as her new home. With a pang she remembered the sight of The Shadow sinking into the water, the flames that danced on the surface of the waves. She doubted she would ever forget it.

  Irena sat up the moment Lily entered the meet room, but didn’t move from her bed. The boys were both still asleep, their snores in sync with each other. Lily allowed herself a private smile, then held her arms out to Irena. Her daughter rolled herself off of the cot and ran over, laughing as Lily scooped her up. Lily brushed Irena’s wild hair out of her face. That red, it was blazing, like fire. Irena stared at her with those intelligent dark eyes, Tristan’s eyes. Pools of black in her pale, freckled face.