Page 28 of Ship of Shadows
My teeth clenched together. “You look fine to me.”
“That’s sweet of you.” He flashed an arrogant grin. “But if I’m going to sneak you into the shadow court and steal from it, then I’m going to need to be at my best. So just tell me where you hid the pixie dust, and then we can be on our merry way.”
Leoni and Driscoll shot each other nervous glances.
I straightened. Here went nothing. “I hid it a bit... far away.”
Bastian cocked an eyebrow. “Define ‘far away.’”
“In the earth court.”
“Fucking hells.” Bastian pounded a fist on the desk. “The fucking earth court? How did it end up there?”
“Liliath has it,” I answered cooly.
His eyes bulged. “Liliath? As in Queen Liliath? The one who just defeated her stepmother and took her court back? That Liliath?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty badass, isn’t she?” Driscoll said, smiling in fondness. He must’ve missed her, just like I would’ve missed Leoni had I left her behind.
Bastian shot him a look that could incinerate a man on the spot.
Driscoll cleared his throat. “Right, not the best time to sing the praises of the woman who has the item you want and probably also hates your guts. Actually, she’s my best friend, so I have it on good authority that she does, in fact, hate your guts.”
That made Leoni let out a snort.
I wondered if I should reveal the other part of it: that not only did Liliath have the pixie dust, but that she’d used some of it. Well, her husband had. No, no, he couldn’t know that part.
“How in the fuck are we going to get into the earth court and get the pixie dust from Queen Liliath?” Bastian threw out his arms. “That’s going to take days, if not weeks.”
Outside the window, the skies were still gray, the waters calm, sloshing up against the boat. I wanted to get out of this cabin and into the fresh air, inhale that salty sea scent I loved so much.
I took a deep breath. “Well, luckily for you, she’s getting married in a week’s time, and I just so happen to have an invitation to her wedding.”
Driscoll raised a finger. “And did I not just mention I’m her best friend? Am I invisible? Can no one hear me speaking?”
Bastian snorted, attention fixed on me. “And you think you’re just going to stroll into her wedding with the pirate lord of the Dark Seas on your arm?”
“What makes you think you’ll be on my arm?” I asked through gritted teeth.
Bastian shook his head, a few strands of that black hair falling over his forehead. “You think I’m going to let you go alone? No, love. That’s my pixie dust, and I’m going to get it myself. But I don’t think Queen Liliath will exactly welcome the pirate who sold dark magic to her stepmother, the same dark magic that sent her court into ruin.”
I thought about everything that had transpired between me and Liliath. How she’d shown up at my court just months ago, asking for asylum when really, all she and Penn had wanted, unbeknownst to me, was that pixie dust. She’d used me, lied to me, stolen it from me, brought an infamous criminal into my court and hid his identity—and yet, I’d forgiven her for it all.
“Yes,” I said, “she will.”
“Bollocks,” Bastian spit out.
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” I snapped. “You either want the pixie dust or you don’t. I’m not you, Bastian. I don’t betray those I lo?—”
I cut myself off as a small gasp escaped Leoni’s mouth. Bastian’s jaw clenched, and my face flushed. I might’ve stopped myself, but everyone had known what I was going to say, including the pirate lord. We’d never officially said it. I’d felt it in the way he’d looked at me, made love to me, spoken to me, but the words had always felt too scary to say out loud.
I agreed with Leoni. I’d rather walk the plank than deal with this.
Bastian looked away, showing off that exquisite bearded jawline, a jaw I somehow wanted to punch and trail my fingers across at the same time. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll trust you.”
I stepped closer. “But I still don’t trust you. So I’m going to need assurance that once I give you that pixie dust, you won’t just drop me in the middle of the sea and sail away.”
“Bloody hell.” Bastian rubbed his jaw.
