Page 80 of Fearless

I spin on my heel, nearly tipping over when the ship bucks beneath us. But there he stands, hands shoved into pockets nearly as deep as the dimple peeking out at me. Damn him.

Damn him.

With the way he’s looking at me, I might have just mumbled the words out loud. Nothing and no one has ever devastated me more. Not the sand, the sea, the slow brush of Death’s hand. Because maybe, just maybe, he is the most ruinous thing of them all.

He shrugs off his coat to reveal a fitted black shirt. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Those words seem to stir something within me, a fleeting memory muffled by several glasses of champagne. The fragile thought shatters with the chattering of my teeth. “And h-how am I looking at you?”

His responding grin has blood rushing to my numb cheeks. He steps close, swinging the coat around my shoulders before tugging it closed. I watch his mouth form a response I never get to hear.

“Oi, that was quite the storm last night!”

I barely know the man, and yet, I recognize his voice from across the ship. Turning, I find Torri trudging toward us, long hair knotted at the base of his neck. “But she pulled through,” he continues, running a hand over the chipped railing. “Though, I fear this is only the beginning. The Shallows will not continue to be so kind.”

I clutch my books tightly beneath Kai’s draped coat. If it was kindness the sea showed us last night, I’m not sure I’ll live long enough to see land.

“Cheer up, girl!” The captain laughs at whatever it is he sees on my face. “You only need to last four more days. And then, well, the trip back, but we won’t concern ourselves with that just yet.”

He finds that funny as well and continues his chuckling all the way to the helm. I turn back toward Kai, giving him an exasperated look that never fails to make him smile.

“What was it you were about to say?” I ask, curiosity momentarily grabbing hold of my tongue.

He seems to ponder this as his gaze drifts out over the water. “Nothing I haven’t said before.”

And that is the only answer he offers before extending a hand to me. “Now, put me to work. These books need to dry before you read one to me tonight.”

I huff in amusement before placing one of the damp covers in his awaiting palm. Flipping open to a particularly crinkled page, Kai holds the book into the wind. I do the same, my teeth chattering beside him.

We must look ridiculous, leaning against the rail and holding literature in the air. I almost laugh at the odd picture we paint, but the view of rushing water around us steals my frigid breath away. The horizon stretches in every direction, nothing but a rippling blanket of blue.

“Do you ever wonder if there is anything else out there?” I ask, my words nearly snatched away by the wind’s cold fist.

Kai flips to another page. “Well, other than the myths?” He shrugs. “I’m not sure.”

“The myths?”

His brows lift. “Have you never heard of Astrum? The birthplace of shadows and the death of a great love?” He recites this as though I should know the phrase by heart.

“My father”—I nearly stumble over the word, now knowing the truth and mystery behind it—“didn’t waste his time teaching me myths. In fact, he barely had time to educate me on things that actually do exist,” I finish with a pointed look at the prince.

“Of course. Yet, he had time to read you a story about…” He thumbs through several pages of the book between his fingers. “A horse with fangs and—”

“That’s enough,” I laugh, snatching the book from him.

“Shit, no wonder you’re afraid of horses, Gray.”

I roll my eyes. “You were saying? About Astrum?”

Kai throws me a grin before flipping open another damp book. “Well, many people believe Astrum existed long before Ilya. There, they live in a constant state between dawn and dusk, thanks to the separated lovers—the sun, Solis, and the moon, Luna.” He continues despite the skeptical look I give him. “Shadows are precious there. They are a power that can be stolen.” I startle when he snaps the book shut. “You know what, I bet the captain has a copy.”

A hoarse laugh falls from my mouth. “There’s a book about this?”

Kai’s already set a steady pace toward the captain’s quarters. “Of course there is. Torri likely has one because every sailor does. They are always looking for the city, hoping they can be the first to find it.”

I shake my head at his back. “This is absurd.”

“You live in Ilya, home of Elites, and you think this is absurd?”

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