Page 10 of Tik-Tok

“Isn’t she?” He scanned North up and down, feeling the tug again. Silver hair that looked softer than a cloud, deep brown eyes, and known to the queen—exactly what the sea witch had told him. It wasn’t her rosy lips, curvy waist, or creamy skin that made his cock twitch. It had been the way she’d risked being turned to stone to shove at his chest. She was a dainty thing, but his attraction to her wouldn’t tempt him to change his plan. He would take her and she would open the portal. Nothing more.

Well, maybe…He couldn’t deny a good seduction. If she found him half as attractive as he found her, having her naked flesh against his could become inevitable.

“Please,” Ozma said with an edge of desperation. “She’s the daughter of Tin and Thelia, the granddaughter of Crow and Reva. They have the allegiance of all four territories so, if I let you take her, they’ll use all of Oz to take her back. Our deal was before she was born, and if I would have known—”

Tik-Tok snorted. If they wanted to chase him down with their armies, let them try. They would need to pass through at least one other country on their way out of Oz, which wouldn’t sit well with the rulers there, then find an entire fleet of ships to reach him.Good fucking luck.

“North has no power,” Ozma continued. “There are other females who meet your requirements.”

“She meets my requirements well enough,” he said with false nonchalance. North was the one—he could smell the magic in her, even if they believed she was without it. The pull he felt toward her was undeniable. Fate had linked them, he was sure of it. “I won’t harm her, if that’s your concern. I may be a pirate, but I’m an honorable male.”

“Honorable, my ass.” Jack stood, clutching their baby to his chest. “Ozma, we can’t…”

“You don’t have a choice.” Tik-Tok was suddenly in front of Ozma, seething. “We made a binding deal for the unborn female in order for you to defeat the Wizard. If you break it, who knows what will happen.” His eyes slid toward Jack and their child in a silent threat. The consequences of breaking a vow were unknown until it was too late, but it was nearly always worse than keeping one’s word. Body parts could fall off, loved ones often met an untimely end, or, of course, your own death. Afflictions were common consequences and the sort that made onewishfor death. “You have an infant to think about now. Denying me isn’t worth the risk.”

Ozma gasped, her gaze darting to Jack and the baby. Tik-Tok could practically see her thinking as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. The indecision and guilt. Her inability to say the wordyeseven though it was the only real option.

“I’ll go,” North said, her voice wavering.

Tik-Tok’s breath caught. He hadn’t misheard, had he? She was willing? Then why the fuck was he still standing there, arguing?

“North, no.” The Queen’s voice was hard and unyielding. “You’re not going anywhere.”

She forced a small smile and squeezed Ozma’s hand. “If anything happens to you, Jack, or Brielle, I would never forgive myself.”

“If anything happens toyou, I would never forgive myself either.”

North eyed Tik-Tok so hard that he felt it in his core.What a bold little North Star.He liked her already.

“He said I’ll be safe,” she reasoned and scanned the room of stone fae with uncertainty. “His word will have to do.”

“I saidIwouldn’t harm you. Same goes for the crew, but no promises on being safe.” He was riling the female, but he couldn’t help himself. With a smirk, he added, “Itisa pirate ship, after all.”

“Do you want me to come with you or not?” she hissed, then looked back to the queen, her gaze softening. “Let me do this for you, Ozma. I’m not angry with you—you’ve been like a second mother to me. The deal you made was to save all of Oz from the Wizard so this isn’t such a steep price. Besides, you couldn’t have known the bargain was about me. And I’ll find a way back home.”

Ozma nodded once.

His smirk grew.She was his. The portal wasmine. “That’s all settled then.”

“We haven’t settled anything,” Ozma growled.

“Blossom,” Jack whispered. “As much as I hate this, there’s nothing we can do right now. You agreed to the bargain.”

“I don’t know how long we’ll be gone,” Tik-Tok said, meeting North’s gaze. There wasn’t a single tear in her eyes as she straightened, and that … intrigued him. The sea witch had told him he needed the female, and now he had her. Besides, she would get used to life onThe Temptress, and nothing she did would thwart his life’s work. “If you want to gather any of your belongings, do it now. Be quick.”

“Don’t hurt them,” North pleaded.

Tik-Tok glanced between North and the rulers of Oz. “Why would I hurt them?” When her eyes flicked to the sword at his hip, he had to bite back a laugh. If he wanted the queen and king dead, he wouldn’t achieve it with a blade—not when they’d both grown so well into their powers. “I wouldn’t waste time arguing about you if I had plans to murder them.”

North hesitated before bolting around Jack’s throne, putting as much space between them as possible, and fled the room. He wasn’t concerned about her fleeing—not when she had already agreed to join him. Had argued in favor of it.

“Now”—Tik-Tok held his palm out toward Ozma—“my ring, please.”

She clenched her jaw, leveling a steely glare at him, and reluctantly held her hand out, fingers shaking with rage. The gold ring he’d placed on her finger was untarnished with time. It had allowed her to share Jack’s power when she’d had none of her own and was the only reason she’d been able to kill the Wizard. Without Tik-Tok, she and Jack would’ve been eaten by those vile fruit-addicted creatures, or met their doom at Oz’s hand. He’d practically given Ozma her crown—temporarily borrowing one of her subjects wasn’t much to ask in return.

Tik-Tok gripped the ring and pulled, but it didn’t budge. “You have to willingly surrender it, Your Royal-ness.”

Ozma closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, seeming to calm herself, then nodded.

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