Page 62 of Tik-Tok

“North,” Tik-Tok called. She stumbled to his side, wiping her hands down her ruined dress. “What happened while I was tracking down my father?”

“I told you. Salt followed—”

“No.” He inhaled deeply, readying himself. “Spare me no details.”

The Isle of Phreex was a paradise—all sandy beaches and lush meadows with a picturesque mountain range—but the inhabitants were another story. The kinglet was an arrogant prick and the females loved luring males in, hypnotizing them until they went mad. There was also a large steam machine with one wheel that rolled around the island, crushing buildings and terrorizing fae. Then there were the different groups of cutthroats, like the Brotherhood of Failings, who wouldn’t hesitate to snatch newcomers.

Respen used tobea member of the Brotherhood. The eight—now seven—males were outcasts who’d found somewhere to fit in. With each other, they had a family and a home, but they remained the bane of the island. What unsupervised younglings wouldn’t cause trouble? The brothers simply never grew out of their mischievous ways. All except one.

Tik-Tok had met Respen by chance. A dice game in a tavern, the stakes, a challenge meant to be nothing but good fun. When Tik-Tok won, he had dared Respen to do something exclusively for his own happiness. Something Tik-Tok figured was open-ended enough not to piss off the Brotherhood so he could restock his ship and get the fuck out of there.

But he’d decided to join Tik-Tok’s crew instead.

Respen assured Tik-Tok they would still treat him like family.The Temptresshadn’t sailed back to the isle to test that theory, however, since it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Tik-Tok stood beside North at the ship’s railing, watching fishermen go about their business as if a pirate ship hadn’t cast their pier in shadow. Their cargo of sea life was only a cover for something more nefarious—trafficking fae or stolen goods, perhaps even dealing with dark magic. Tik-Tok knew fellow pirates when he saw them. Their confident strides, the not-so-casual way they avoided fae who belonged to a different ship, and the gentle way they set down certain crates. No one took that much care withshelled nuts, if the stamps on the boxes were to be believed.

But somewhere beyond the pier, amid the uneven, chaotic rows of thatched buildings leading up to the three-tiered palace, was Echo. Fighting for her life, and that of her child, with Respen by her side.

“She’ll be okay.” Tik-Tok spoke to himself as much as he spoke to North. “Respen has an extremely skilled healer in his circle.”

“Shouldn’t we go into town instead of waiting here?” North asked.

Tik-Tok shook his head. “Respen’s friends blame me for his leaving. While they can forgive him because he’s family, I’m agood-for-nothing pirate.” He forced a small smile and winked. It was better to stay on the ship and avoid any potential disasters. “Dax will bring us news when he has it.”

North nodded, keeping her gaze outward. “And you?”

“What about me?” He leaned his elbows onto the rail, stretching forward to peer at the water lapping against the side of the ship. It needed repairs after Salt’s attacks and the journey through the portal, but not here. The damage was small enough, thanks to the magic wards he’d commissioned years ago, that it could wait until they reached a safer port.

“Are you okay? You haven’t said a word about what happened in the other world.” She paused and his silence filled the air between them. “I told you everything, but you didn’t even mention to me that you’d turned Salt to stone.”

“Bastard deserved it,” he murmured. “Attacking my ship like that.” Tik-Tok couldn't bring himself to give a fuck that his old captain was dead.

North lightly set her hand on his forearm. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“I’m fine, my star.”A lie.Soon, she would be gone from him too, and it might be the thing that finally broke him. After losing so much, emptiness consumed him, and North was his only flicker of hope. He would need to extinguish any trace of it now before that spark spread. If he didn’t, if he let it grow, the pain of losing her would destroy him. “My siblings are avenged, and my father lives no more.”

“You killed him?” She squeezed his arm a bit.

Tik-Tok shifted his eyes to meet her inquisitive gaze. “You could say that.”

“Wh—”

He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. Afinalkiss. “I don’t want to talk about death now. Not while Echo is fighting against it and I’ve lost three of my crew on the way back through the portal.”

“We can talk about it another time.” North looked up at him when he remained silent.

“Someday,” he agreed, and his heart weighed heavily in his chest. The time he and North had together was almost over. Her family expected her to return home—sheexpected it. He’d given his word. “If the wind ever blows us into each other’s path again, I will tell you.”

North’s face paled, her grip tightening. “What do you mean?”

“As soon as Echo’s well enough, you’re going home like I promised.” He pushed up and away from the railing. “I need to rest. Wake me if Dax returns with news.”

Without waiting for North’s opinion on the matter, he walked away. Each step took more strength than he felt he had. What he truly wanted was to bring North along with him, settle into his bed with her nestled beside him, and sleep, long and hard. His life’s mission was complete, but instead of feeling vindicated, a … hollowness filled him. Numb. And the only thing he could imagine replacing the new emptiness with was North.

But he didn’t want to be selfish. Even though he’d never cared about that before.

Unlike Tik-Tok, North had a family who loved her and wanted nothing more than her safe return. And she loved them too. Far more than she could ever care for someone like him. What could he offer her—or any other female, for that matter? Life on a ship wasn’t meant for everyone. It was more than that, though. A male needed a purpose, no matter how small, and his purpose was finished. How could he drag North aimlessly around with him as he searched for a new one?

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