Page 36 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
For another instant he stood there, lithe and tall, looking like a prince of the sea, with his eyes fixed on her, and only her.
Mai’s heart turned into a fast, feathered thing, a bird skimming the waves, mesmerized by the elegant glide of the shark below the surface.
Then Rake walked off-stage, and she released a pent-up breath.
The grip on her elbow tightened, and Feral swung her around. “Where did Flay find him?” His keen gaze bored into Mai’s. “Where? Do you know?”
“I—we—we didn’t—we weren’t on board for that part,” stammered Mai.
Feral smiled, harsh and bright. “I dislike it when people lie to me. Especially beautiful, intelligent women.”
Mai stiffened. “I’m not lying.”
“Oh, but you are, little scientist,” Feral murmured. “You’re hiding many things. But I believe we can help each other. I don’t want my little brother crawling about in the soapsuds, sobbing and scouring my deck. I’d like to see him place in the top three and keep his ship, for our family’s honor.”
“But the penalty was your father’s decree. Surely he cares about family honor, too.”
“My father is distracted and frustrated by many things of late. And when he loses his temper, he tends to forget the broader view,” Feral said. “Flay isn’t a favorite with the other captains, but they won’t appreciate seeing one of their number reduced to a deckhand simply for being late on his route. The more often my father loses his temper and bestows harsh punishments, the more discontented his other captains become. Since this fleet is my inheritance, I have a stake in its survival. I’d like to help, Mai, but you have to let me. And you can’t tell anyone about our arrangement. My brother won’t let me assist him openly. This is the only way I can do it. Through you.”
An offer and a challenge. Mai felt as if both hung before her, suspended in the liquid light of the ballroom.
She didn’t answer him at once. She watched the next few champions parade across the stage—the favored ones, most likely to win. A man with the lower half of a serpent. A fighter who could contort herself into strange shapes. And then the announcer said, “The champion of theAscendant, for Captain Feral.”
A man strode onstage—slender, with a wide chest and crisply carved muscles, oiled to catch the light. His skin was a deep gold, traced with delicate black tattoos, and from his shoulders flared immense black wings, flashing hints of purple as the feathers ruffled and shifted under the stage lights.
A Sky-born.
A real, live, winged person.
Mai’s body thrummed with excitement, and her heart hammered so fast she thought she might faint.
Behind the Sky-born walked another man, holding a thin chain attached to a collar around the champion’s throat. With a surge of his beautiful body, the Sky-born slave leaped off the stage, beating his gigantic wings and sending a rush of wind across the audience. He pulled two small wooden daggers from his belt and spun them expertly, tossing and catching them, slashing at the air. A warrior, then, with superior skill and training, as well as the advantage of flight.
“Perhaps you do have cause to worry,” murmured Feral in Mai’s ear.
The Sky-born landed again, his handsome face grim as he nodded to the crowd. He did not look panicked or eager to flee. Perhaps Feral had promised him some reward in exchange for his willing participation in the Meridian Games. Feral seemed to be just as skilled at bribing compliance as he was at forcing it.
When the winged man left the stage, Mai managed to draw a deep breath.
Feral’s Sky-born was the last of the champions, holding the place of honor in the rankings. He was the one to beat.
The gaslights over the stage dimmed, and couples began to dance again, while other guests clustered to talk excitedly about the champions.
In her gut, Mai knew she had no choice. She had to give Feral what he wanted. She needed full access at the university so she could create the weapons Flay would need to win. And they needed Feral’s inside knowledge of the Race route as well. Their stakes in this contest were higher than those of any other ship in the fleet.
Feral’s motives seemed reliable enough. He didn’t want Flay to win, of course, but neither did he want the fallout if Flay should lose and the Magnate should carry out his harsh decree. Feral wanted his brother to place as a runner-up. An acceptable outcome.
Mai couldn’t see any way for Feral to double-cross her with a few weapon designs. Even if he could have them built and installed in time, even if they worked to perfection—why should she care if he destroyed other competitors with weapons of her making? As long as he wasn’t targeting the crew of theWind’s Favor, did it matter?
Perhaps a secret alliance with him was the way she could achieve both her goals—Flay’s victory in the Meridian Games, and the satisfaction of her own thirst for knowledge.
“I believe you are right,” she said, lifting her chin and meeting Feral’s eyes boldly. “Working together could be beneficial for both of us. But you have to vow not to use anything I give you against theWind’s Favoror her crew during the Games.”
Feral nodded, holding her gaze. “I can promise that.” His hand spread across her lower back, pressing her hips against him. The sudden contact made her gasp and send a bolt of excited panic through her.
He bent his head, his lips angled over hers, his breath hot on her mouth.
Someone behind Mai cleared his throat.
