Page 69 of Of Magic and Rum
“A sea nymph.” Grinning, I clap my hands together, sending a water spray at Laust’s chest.
Laust lets out a joyous yelp and rubs his hands over the tattered burlap that serves as his clothes, his tail bristling at the watery sensation. He suddenly halts, ears drooping, and he frowns. “Master hurt you?”
The genuine concern in his expression, the way his tail curls around his leg as if he had anything to do with Nøkk’s behavior, has my heart strangling.
Offering a reassuring smile, I rub one of his horn stubs. “Only a little. He’s been taught a lesson, and I don’t think he’lltry it again soon. Besides—” I bump a knuckle under his chin, encouraging him to hold his head high now that hecan. “You’re one of us now, Laust. You need not be concerned about him anymore.”
A jolt of confidence zips Laust’s spine straight, a gleam in his eye, and he snatches the biscuit from the floor. “Right. I go find fluffy horse.”
Laust scurries away before I fully register that the “fluffy horse” is Truffles. Chuckling, I rise in time to catch Duke yawning and stretching his arms above his head. He’s made his way to the helm, lifting his shirt to scratch his round belly, and spits over the ship’s side, settling at the wheel. He spots me and motions me over.
“Morning,” I say, shielding my eyes from the sun blazing yellow and pale orange behind Duke.
Duke coughs into his fist before grinning and curling his fingers around the wheel’s pegs. “Good morning. I see you’ve taken a liking to our newest miniature recruit?”
Sitting on a crate near the railing, I cross my ankle to the opposing knee and stretch my arms wide. “Laust.”
Duke arches a brow. “Bless you.”
I laugh and let my head fall back, closing my eyes and feeling the sun warm my skin. “No, the imp. That’s his name. Given by Ragnar, no less.”
“Bah. Now you’re a pirateanda liar.” Duke lets out a raspy huff.
“It’s true,” Mary’s voice adds, and I let my eyes flutter open. She’s cleaning her teeth with a wooden pick and hops to the helm, joining us. “I bore witness to Ragnar, with no influence from me, name our little cute and ugly.”
“And now it’s a conspiracy,” Duke scoffs.
Mary combs her dark hair before putting on her tri-cornered hat. She flops on the seat next to me, still chewing on the woodpick, and slaps my knee. “Are we making friends with imps now?”
I’ve had acquaintances of all species and sorts, not to exclude satyrs, pixies, and gnomes. But an imp? This is a first.
“Yeah. I’d say we’re threaded from the same cloth. I offered companionship as the only otherfantasticalbeing on board.”
Mary makes atskingsound and goes from slouching to sitting with perfect posture. “I’menchanting. Isn’t that the same damn thing?”
“If by that you mean possessing the ability to disarm a man with a look and three words or less, then I wholeheartedly agree with you, Read,” Jack says, propping a foot on one step. He’s wearing his captain’s jacket, shirt open and billowing in the breeze. My insides are already flipping at the sight of him, but when his eyes meet mine, I’m sugar in the sea.
Snorting, Mary flicks the wood pick overboard. “I’ll take it.”
Jack doesn’t look away from me as he hoists himself to the wheel. “Duke, we’re taking a slight detour. Reroute us in—” Pausing, he holds his hand out to me. “What direction, love?”
Though more of a pet name versus a declaration, the way the word “love” rolls from Jack’s tongue sends my nerves into sizzling static. “Straight east.”
“Due east?” Duke mumbles something under his breath. “That’s more than a detour, Jack. We still need to get further north if we’re going to?—”
Jack shifts his attention to Duke. “Due. East.”
Rolling his shoulders, Duke takes the wheel. “Aye, aye.”
Jack spins on his heel, returning to me with his fingers interlaced behind his back. “You sure about this? All the legends I’m familiar with never make any witch, be it land or sea, something to trifle with.”
The truth? I’mnotsure about it. And he’s right. I’m certain righteous witches exist somewhere in the vast universe, but I’veyet to meet one. Morgana, infamous for her high stakes, is no exception. I hope she’ll have mercy on me.
I urge him to hug me by sliding my arms around Jack’s waist. When he obliges, wrapping those burly limbs to my shoulders and back, I rest my head on his chest, listening to his steady mortal heartbeat. “I’m not sure, no. But I don’t have a choice. She’s the only one I know who can do this spell without us traveling much further off course.”
“Then we know what to do, Annie. But are you sure I can’t come with you? I have to say, the idea of you dealing with another magical sea creep by yourself makes me a tad nauseous.” Jack’s body tenses, and his grip tightens on my back.
“Jack,” I start, peeling back and twisting his shirt within my grasp. “I told you. She lives und?—”
