Page 52 of Tik-Tok

Tik-Tok spat blood onto the deck, his cheek stinging like a motherfucker, and slowly turned his gaze to his old captain.A punch to the face?He felt slightly offended that Salt hadn’t done something more damaging. Pack a bit of magic into the fist, at least. “Feel better?” he sneered.

Salt lunged at Tik-Tok but a strong wind blasted him sideways. He landed flat on his back beside the rail.

From above, Dax called, “Parlay, ya old coot.”

Tik-Tok snorted in amusement and stalked toward the prone male. He crouched beside him and lifted a brow. “I have one deal to offer. Take it or leave it.”

“Leave it,” Salt growled, sitting up.

“You haven’t even heard the terms.” His smile was cold as ice. “There’s an open sea portal on the other side ofmyship. We’re going through it and you’re not going to stop us. In exchange, when we return, I’ll agree to fight you to the death. Get this whole sordid thing over with once and for all.”

“A portal?” Salt barked, the sound ending on a disbelieving laugh. Then, when he met Tik-Tok’s steady gaze, he sobered. “You don’t have an elemental on board causing the whirlpool?”

He gave a small, mirthless chuckle. “I betrayed you, Salt, but did I ever lie to you?”

Salt spat in his face. “No deal.”

Tik-Tok stood, forcing his rage down, and wiped the saliva from his cheek. He hadn’t come so far—betrayed Salt at Celyna’s bidding to gain a ship and a reputation—to fail now. Calling on his magic, Tik-Tok pursed his lips and pushed the rough-edged power outward. Gray immediately crept over Salt’s sun-darkened skin, locking bones in place, solidifying organs. He gasped, the sound a mix of shock and fear, and the stone froze his old captain’s expression in place. Eyes narrowed, nose wrinkled in disgust, revealing anger that Salt’s voice hadn’t.

Ah, hell.Salt couldn’t attack him now, but if Respen returned him as a statue, the crew would blowThe Temptressinto a million slivers. If they dropped him overboard, he would eventually return to flesh and bone when Tik-Tok was far enough away for the magic to fade … and then he would drown before ever seeing the sun again. There was bad blood between the two fae, but not even Salt deserved that torment. The entire feud was Tik-Tok’s fault, so the least he could do was give the male a clean death.

“Take him back,” he told Respen, flicking a hand at the stone fae.

Respen didn’t hesitate to obey, but there was a distinct line of confusion between his brows. His confusion was fine. It was his silent trust in Tik-Tok that sent a twinge of gratitude through his chest. Moving behind Salt, Respen grabbed his stone shoulders and used his magic to whirl them both away.

The moment they disappeared, Tik-Tok looked to Dax. At some point, while the two captains spoke, he had climbed down from the crow’s nest. Tik-Tok’s shoulders slumped slightly. “They’ll sink us for this,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Then why take him back?”

Tik-Tok groaned, unsure if it had been the right thing to do. “Because if he doesn’t return, or if we start sailing away with him still on board, his crew will catch up. They won’t dare follow us through the portal—Salt’s too superstitious about them. Let’s hope seeing him that way startles the crew enough to make them turn around completely.” The wind stirred and Respen reappeared, alone.Shit.That was fast—not that his first-mate would’ve stuck around for the fallout after dropping a stone Salt at their feet. “Sail into the portal.Now.”

Everyone on deck fell deathly silent. Dax, staring at Tik-Tok as if he’d misheard, Respen opening and shutting his mouth, and Echo and Cyrx frozen in shock where they stood at the helm. Another blast of white light lit the air, then aboomsounded, and a brutal crash of magic hit the side of Tik-Tok’s ship. The waves lifted the vessel on sudden swells, shaking it like a youngling’s rattle. Wood creaked beneath the sea’s force and Dax was flung into Respen, taking them both to the ground.

“The portal!” Tik-Tok shouted. “Go!”

Echo spun the wheel so fast that when Dax blew wind into the sails, the ship jerked to the side. Tik-Tok gripped a rope circling the mast, keeping himself steady, at the same time a small shriek came from his quarters.

Fuck. North was awake. If she came out now, there was every chance she would fall into the portal—alone and without a ship to keep her from drowning. Celyna hadn’t been specific enough about how North would be lost. The simple act of opening it could’ve pulled her in when the magic had lifted her from the ground, or was it something afterward that sent her tumbling through?

The knob turned slowly. Tik-Tok lurched forward, struggling to remain upright and shoved the door inward.

North stumbled back into the cabin wall, pale and wide-eyed. “What’s going on out there?”

“We’re going through the portal,” he said, slamming the door behind him. “Salt found us … if we don’t go, he’ll sinkThe Temptressand everyone on it.”

“I can control the water if you need my help against him,” she said, holding onto the heavy furniture as it began to slide across the room.

“I don’t care if you can break the ocean in half.” He felt around the door in search of the handle. “Stay here, no matter what you hear.”

North’s head whipped toward him. “I can help.”

“If you leave this room, North, I swear—” He found the handle, opened the door and slipped sideways through it, pausing before the last step. “I’m sorry, but I told you there’s only one outcome I’m willing to accept.”

He shut the door with a thunk and held on another moment as the ship rocked, tilting precariously on its side. His boots slipped out from under him, sending him skidding across the deck. Echo caught his metal arm through the spokes of the wheel before he could careen into the water.

“Brace yourselves!” Cyrx bellowed.

As if it would make a difference.Tik-Tok gripped the wheel, nodding his thanks to Echo, and held on tight as the ship entered the edge of the spiraling water.

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