Page 85 of Vengeance of the Pirate Queen

“She’s too good to go with you,” Roslyn continues. “She keeps us safe and has an important mission here that you cannot stop. If you need someone to go with you, take me instead. I’m not even supposed to be here. I disobeyed orders. Bad things keep happening, and it’s all my fault. I deserve to die, not her.”

Threydan turns to where Roslyn stands and kneels to her level. I take a step forward and raise my sword, but Threydan doesn’t move. Doesn’t even care that he’s turned his back to me.

“You would die for her?” he asks.

“Yes,” Roslyn answers without question.

Threydan ruffles the hair on her head, and I take the final step to reach him. He stands and turns to me before I can slice him.

“That won’t be necessary,” Threydan says, answering both Roslyn and my threat of violence. “No one is dying. Not Sorinda. Not you. Not the crew. The Drifta needed to be taught a lesson for threatening my plans and my beloved. But I am not here to hurt any of you. In fact, I’m here to help. Once Sorinda agrees to be mine for all eternity, I will personally find your missing crew. Then I will sail you all home on my way to finding the siren charm that cursed me. Sorinda?” Threydan holds his hand out to me, palm up. “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable to talk.”

I can think of a thousand things I would rather do than touch his offered hand, including hacking off my own arm.

But this crew needs me. Alosa’s missing girls need me. I can’t think about just myself anymore.

This is what being a captain means.

“Dimella,” I say.

“Aye, Captain?”

“You’re in charge until I return.”

Threydan raises an eyebrow at those words but doesn’t argue them.

Dimella says nothing for several seconds before finally replying with “Aye-aye.”

I swallow. “Kearan.”

“What?” he says in a voice filled with rage. I cannot see him through all the undead, but I know he’s back there somewhere.

“You will not move a muscle when Threydan calls off his army. Not one muscle. Ifanythinghappens to this crew, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand me?”

As with Dimella, he takes a very long time to respond. Then, “Understood, Captain.”

His acceptance moves something else within me, and I melt just a little, like a crying icicle.

“Philoria, keep Visylla in check.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Everyone else, make the queen proud.”

Then I take Threydan’s hand.

The dead fade back into the trees so quickly, if it weren’t for all the footprints in the snow, I might have thought I’d dreamed them.

Threydan’s fingers thread through mine as he leads me away, and I feel the stares of twenty-three pairs of eyes boring into my back.

Chapter 17

ASSOONASTHEcrew is safe and long behind us, I say, “I’m not running, but I am taking my hand back.” And I pull my fingers from his.

Threydan lets me go, but he follows my retreating hand with his eyes.

“It will take time for you to get used to me,” he says. “I understand that. But I am a patient man, Sorinda. I have forever.”

I rest my hand on my sword hilt, drawing comfort from the hard steel, yet also disgust from the fact that I can’t feel the cold of it. It should be painful to the touch until the heat of my hand transfers to the metal.

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