Page 1 of Sea and Sky
Chapter 1
Theblindfoldwasanice touch.
Thunder clapped in the distance. The ship rocked and swayed in the choppy water. Kyler was so used to the ocean’s swift mood changes, he hardly noticed. In fact, the movement and accompanying groan of wood was comforting.
His current irritation was towards whoever had knotted the damned blindfold because they caught his long hair in it. The itchy, rough cloth hung over his nose. With every breath, it wiggled, tickling his top lip.
He sat against a wall, legs bound from knees to ankles. Arms behind his back, he shimmied, trying to loosen the rope. The knots barely budged. With each twist, the rope burned against his wrists and forearms. Luckily, he was flexible, otherwise the harsh angle of the binding could have popped a shoulder out of its socket. He’d gotten out of worse, though right now he couldn’t think of any. There was also the fact that he had gotten himself captured on purpose, so he couldn’t complain.
Despite the impending storm and the fact he was tied up, all Kyler could think about was how close he was to buying his freedom. Captain Vex had agreed that if Kyler got him a thousand silver coins by the end of the summer, he’d be free. Kyler didn’t know what caused the change of heart in the vicious pirate, but he’d rise to the challenge. He had to.
Even though Kyler was technically a pirate’s captive, he was given certain liberties. Captain Vex had discovered mer got sick when kept from the ocean for extended periods of time. He no longer kept Kyler on a tight leash. No, for the last twenty years, the binding spell embedded in his right palm did well enough to make Kyler do Captain Vex’s bidding.
Kyler didn’t know how long he worked on the coarse material keeping his limbs confined. He wished for a drop of seawater. It wouldn’t take much to shift his hands to the webbed and clawed weapons they were in his mer form. Finally, the left side loosened, and he pulled free.
Lifting the blindfold—yanking out strands of his golden blond hair as he did—Kyler found himself in the captain’s quarters of the ship. Exactly where he wanted to be. It always had the best treasure. And smelled better than below deck. Without the blindfold obscuring his ability to smell, the room had a hint of lilac and rose alongside the fresh scent of the ocean. More pleasant than other ships he’d been on, Captain Vex’s included.
He got to work freeing his bottom half. The task went quicker with the ability to see. The knots were easy to pick open. When he thought of how someone bound his bare legs, his cheeks warmed. He wasn’t a prude, but he liked having a choice in the matter of who saw what.
Bouncing to his feet, he rolled his shoulders, shook out his hands. Anything to bring the feeling back to his numb limbs.
His eyes darted around the dark cabin, looking for anything to grab. Each flash of lightning through the enormous windows at the stern gave him a moment of light. A crystal chandelier jangled from the ceiling. Silk drapes with glittering jewels waved over the boxy bed bolted to the wall. Gold frames containing obscene paintings of naked women tilted on the walls. He rolled his eyes.
Pirates. All the same.
When they took him, the sky was clear, but now the sea was choppy from an oncoming storm. He clung to whatever stable surface he could grab. His goal was the ornate captain’s desk on the opposite side of the room. It could have a treasure map. Or a purse of gold.
Another bolt of lightning. Kyler’s stomach dropped. Someone was at the desk. The man clapped and flame jumped to life in the oil lamps around the cabin at once.
“Caught ya, boy, though I’m disappointed. Thought you’d be scaley all over.” The man wore a sly grin and propped his booted feet on the desk. His horns went back from his temple before looping around his ears, allowing him to wear a captain’s hat, unlike most dragon shifters whose horns rarely allowed for hat wearing. The uniform he wore was black and blue wool, which would be hot in the summer heat, but the cabin was comfortably cool. Probably magic.
Showtime.
Kyler straightened his shoulders and gathered his golden hair over his shoulder. Dabbing his tongue to his lips, he ran a hand down the front of his oversized hand-me-down shirt that dragged past his knees. Barefoot, pants-less, tall, and slender, he did not appear formidable, and he knew it. “Why would you think I’d be scaley all over?”
The man at the desk cocked his brow. Taking his time, he drew a knife from his belt and picked under his dirty nails. “You’re one of them elusive merfolk. Ain’t no one seen one of you in decades.” He pointed the knife at Kyler and waved it along his body.
Kyler crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to fist his hands. “I don’t know where you came up with that story. I’m just a man that got swept away. Thank you for the rescue.” He turned toward the door.
But the dragon sprang from his chair. He got to the door first, slamming his hand against the thick wood before Kyler could reach for the latch.
Kyler’s heart pounded. The man was his type, in the thick, muscled dragon shifter way. It was time to use his skills of seduction.
Dropping his head, Kyler lifted his eyes demurely, looking at the captain from beneath long lashes. “What’s your name?” Taking a step closer, Kyler walked his fingers up his chest, but the man caught his hand.
“Captain Farol.” The man barked out a laugh. “But you’re trapped, boy.”
Kyler rolled his eyes. Why did everyone have to call him boy? He was at least… twenty-four springs old. Give or take a few. He wasn’t entirely sure, to be honest.
The ship lurched, and Kyler stumbled back, catching himself on the bed. The obscene paintings were now tasteful images of naval ships.
Fucking barnacles.
The ship was under an illusion. It wasn’t pirate; it was military. His heart pounded faster.
This was bad. Very bad.Terrible.
“His Majesty’s been looking for a mer, and I’m the one that found you.” The ridiculous pirate accent Captain Farol had used before was gone. “I’d hoped it’d be me. Merchants and pirates talk, you know, big gossips once you get them drunk. None too happy about your little damsel in distress trick. All surprised when you stole their best stuff, then left. The best part of the tales was when you hit the water your backend turned into a fish.”
