Page 69 of Ship of Shadows
But sometimes I worried this job took over her entire life.
I nudged her. “Go have some fun, Oni. Dance, drink. Liliath has guards posted everywhere.” I pointed to the guards lining the walls. “You can be off duty tonight. I’m not in danger.”
She sniffed, raising her chin. I pushed her toward a gentleman who gave her a shy smile, his blond hair gelled back, his blue eyes twinkling.
“Go on,” I said.
“Well, I guess one dance couldn’t hurt.” She lifted her skirts, striding toward him. He pressed a kiss to her hand as she curtsied, then he swept her up in his arms and whirled her around. From here, I could see the smile playing at her lips.
I should dance as well, but the one man I wanted to dance with was the one man I couldn’t have.
Liliath and her husband Penn stood near the front of the room, and despite the flurry of activity around them, they held each other tight, swaying back and forth to their own rhythm. She laid her head against his chest, eyes closed like she was savoring the feel of him. They were beautiful together, and a pang shot through my heart. I was happy for my friend. Of course I was. But I couldn’t help the jealousy that arose at what she had with her husband. Something I thought I’d had with Bastian.
“Well, look at you in that stunning dress,” Driscoll said, approaching me. He wore black pants and a blue silk shirt and carried a goblet of wine. “Come on, do a twirl.”
I gave him a look but obliged, spinning around as the skirt of my lilac dress lifted and fanned around me. The straps of the gown hung down around my biceps, exposing my collarbone and shoulders. I’d bought the dress in town earlier today when Driscoll had taken me and Leoni shopping so that we wouldn’t look like “sea rats,” as he put it, at the queen’s wedding.
I stopped spinning. “And why aren’t you dancing?” I asked Driscoll.
He looked at a man who stood across the room. His pale skin was flushed and dark, loose curls grazing his sharp cheekbones. He was handsome, and he spoke with a shorter man with a full red beard, both of them laughing together. “No dancing for me tonight, I’m afraid. My boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend, kind of ruined that for me.”
“I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend,” I said.
Driscoll traced his finger around the rim of his goblet. “We broke up before your coronation. Mutual. Just weren’t right for each other. It happens.”
“Ah, I know what that feels like.” I took a sip of my wine, thinking of the pirate lord. “How can something so good end up being so wrong?” I murmured.
“I don’t think you’re talking about me and my ex.” Driscoll nudged me. “I’m going to hazard a crazy guess that it’s the pirate lord occupying your thoughts.”
I shifted from foot to foot. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have made that about me.”
“Oh no, I want to talk about you.” Driscoll’s eyes danced with delight. “The tension between you two on that horse.” He fanned himself. “Whew. I needed an ice bucket.”
I swatted at him. “Except it’s like you said. We’re not right for each other.”
Driscoll raised a brow. “No, I said me and my ex weren’t right for each other. Now you’re projecting.”
“Well, given that he betrayed me and kidnapped the boys of my court, I think that’s a pretty good projection.”
“Fair point.” Driscoll sipped his wine. “But”—he tipped his cup toward Liliath and Penn, who still swayed together like they were the only ones in the crowded room—“Liliath was able to get past Penn’s betrayal.”
I snorted into my drink. “Bastian is not Penn. He doesn’t steal from the rich and give to the poor. He kidnaps peopleand delivers them to the shadow court, and they’re never seen again.”
“But why does he do it?” I remained silent. Driscoll nodded his head toward me. “Exactly. Nothing about these Lost Boys screams evil to me. They’re keeping secrets, yes, but I think we’re missing something. Something big. You don’t know the whole story.”
“Are you suggesting there’s a good reason for what he’s done?”
Driscoll held up his hands. “I’m not saying that. I’m just saying it’s worth finding out, isn’t it?”
“Except he won’t talk.” I set down my drink on a nearby table. “He refuses to explain anything. He keeps secrets. Not just why he took the boys but how he’s connected to the shadow court, my father’s death. Everything.”
Driscoll wrinkled his nose. “He didn’t have anything to do with your father’s death. You told me everything that sea princess said.”
“No, but he tried to stop me from investigating it.”
Driscoll looked at me like I was an idiot.
I crossed my arms. “What?”
