Page 27 of Ship of Shadows
We entered the captain’s quarters. I stopped short inside, and Driscoll bumped into me. I quickly stepped out of the way to make room for everyone but couldn’t help letting my gaze wander around the space.
I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this. The room was tidy, no clutter, not even a speck of dust. A desk stood against one wall, a map of Arathia, the Dark Seas, the human lands beyond, plastered to the wall over it. A few pens lay on the desk, all in a neat row with parchment stacked in a pile. Windows lined another wall with a perfect view of the sea. He had his own private tub and toilet in the corner. I gulped. And there was his bed. Where he slept. Where he did... other things.
Suddenly, I was in a different place, a different time. We sat together in our favorite little cave, secluded and cut off from everyone else. He’d just taken me, rough, in the sand. Then again up against the smooth cave wall. Afterward, we’d lain in each other’s arms while he’d stroked my hair and told me of the long nights at sea, nights where he’d do nothing but think of mewhile stroking himself. In that very bed with its simple straw-filled mattress and thin linen sheets.
Now I was thinking about his cock.
This had been a very, very bad idea.
“Princess?”
My gaze snapped from the bed to Driscoll.
I cleared my throat, hoping no one could see the flush crawling up my neck. “Yes?” I asked, voice far huskier than I’d meant it to be.
“Uh, well.” Driscoll scratched his head. “The pirate lord asked you a question.”
Bastian stared at me, those dark eyes simmering like he knew exactly what I’d been thinking about.
I bit the inside of my cheek, then straightened my shoulders. “My answer is no.”
At this point, I just assumed that I’d disagree with whatever the pirate lord said.
“No, you’re not okay sleeping belowdecks with the rest of the crew?” Bastian opened his arms wide. “Well, that leaves only one other place for you.” He tipped his head toward his bed. “Well, there’s also room in the quartermaster’s cabin with Kara and Mia, but I don’t know if they’ll be so willing to share. Not like I am.”
Damnit.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Leoni stepped in front of me.
I placed a hand on her arm. “I simply misunderstood the question. Yes, sleeping belowdecks is fine.”
He clapped his hands together. “Wonderful.” He eyed my sapphire chiffon, still soaking wet and stuck to my skin, and... I looked down... showing my hard nipples. Perfect. “And when we next dock, we’ll find you more appropriate attire for a pirate ship.”
Driscoll raised his finger. “Question. Do we have a clothing budget? I prefer silk or velvet.” He gestured to his body. “Wool just gets so itchy.”
Bastian looked at me. “Is he always like this?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can we move on to more important topics? Like rescuing my brothers from the shadow court?”
“We’re not rescuing anyone until I get my pixie dust, love.”
“Stop calling me that,” I said at the same time as Leoni said, “Stop calling her that.”
I shook my head. “And what do you mean? That wasn’t our deal!”
He leaned against his desk, those long legs stretching to the floor, one boot crossing over the other. His back rested right next to the gleaming gold spyglass, its handle brown and smooth. How many times had Bastian pulled that spyglass from his coat and pressed it to my eye, telling me to look up at the stars.
Second star to the right, he’d said.That’s our star.
“We didn’t exactly have time to hammer out the terms of our deal,” Bastian was saying, “now did we?”
My fists curled as I shook the memory away. “We’re getting my brothers first. Then you get the pixie dust.”
“I’d love to sail straight to the shadow court and sweep your brothers away. But there’s a few reasons why that can’t happen. First of all, getting in and out of the shadow court with your brothers is going to take a lot of planning. Planning takes time. Not to mention, we’re going to need their shadows, which have almost certainly been ripped from them. They cannot leave the island without them. I don’t know where the shadows are kept. If I did, believe me, I’d have?—”
He stopped himself and took a deep breath, and I wondered what he’d been about to say.
“We need time, is my point. Also, I don’t know if you remember that I’m sick? I’m not getting any better without that dust.”
