Page 150 of Liar Witch
The ship is in a much worse state than when Val left it. Thanks to us, and also the pirates who fired on theDeadwoodas soon as it started sailing away. The sails are ripped. There are a few scorch marks here and there, and a couple of holes in the hull from the firefight we had to outrun.
As Val steps on board, he starts feeling the aftereffects of the ship’s escape. His shirt is already bloodstained, but it’s turning redder by the second. Random patches of his hair fall to the ground, only to regrow as the sails mend themselves above us. His immortal healing fixes the ship and his body at the same time.
I groan and drop my head back onto the planks. I don’t need Val to tell me we fucked up. Rysen and Kier and the experience of shoving my own intestines back into my body have made that pretty damn clear already.
But Val’s going to lay into us anyway, because this day can’t get any worse.
We’re spared for a second as Titan barrels into the Captain, almost knocking him off his feet as he tries to lick and slobber every part of him. Nilsa’s cat jumps from his back with a haughty look, streaking back below deck in a silver blur. Almost like she’s embarrassed to be associated with the slobbery mastiff.
I close my eyes and wait for the reaming that’s coming, even as I say a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess that Nilsa’s scent has returned to the ship with him.
Nos groans beside me, and I know he feels just as awful as I do. Probably worse, given the huge, bleeding lump the size of a small melon that’s growing on his skull.
“What the fuck happened?” Val demands, as Titan finally releases him. “We split up, like we agreed, then the next thing we know, you two are bringing the roof down on top of us!”
I groan, bracing myself as I force my body into a sitting position. “Things got out of hand.”
Val’s expression goes from furious to stony in seconds. “Got out of hand, how?” His voice has gone quieter, velvety.
Shit, he’s pissed.
Nos winces and he pushes himself up onto his elbows just as Nilsa finally makes it up the ladder and onto the deck. She takes one look at us and drops to her knees between us. Her hands flutter over the red, healing wounds on my body for a second before she switches to checking on Nos, helping my twin to sit up before giving him the same careful inspection she gave me. For a second, he lets her, but then he shrugs her hands off like she’s burned him.
The hurt in her eyes is hidden quickly, but completely unacceptable.
Evidently, Rysen agrees, because he grabs our mate and tugs her away so she’s sandwiched between him and Kier as Val works himself further into a rage.
Her absence and their lack of trust stings, but I can’t say it’s unexpected. My beast croons for her, but doesn’t try anything. Nos’s, however, lets out an audible growl until the other men shut him up with the scent of their combined anger.
A quick scan of her shows she’s a little worse for wear but otherwise unharmed. Her black hair is bedraggled and matted with sea water and pieces of seaweed I’m not sure she’s aware of, while dark shadows grace the space below her eyes. Of course, my eyes stray to how red and kiss-swollen her lips are, and I can’t help but wonder if it was the Captain or Klaus who’s responsible.
Not that I deserve to know. Shit. We barely deserved her before this, now…
“The pirates drew weapons on us,” Nos begins, shattering my self-pitying tirade. “We were just finishing them off when Cas tackled me…” He grimaces. “I knew it was to get me out of the way, but my beast lost it. He saw it as a challenge. Rysen tried to get me to the sea, but we weren’t fast enough. My beast triggered Cas’s, and before we knew it, they were facing off in a dominance challenge.” He shifts away from Nilsa, and I hate the hurt in her expression. “It was my fault. I wasn’t stable enough. I should’ve stayed on the ship.”
“Gee, youthink? You’re fucking kidding me.” Val groans. “You both need to get your shit together. You’re worse than your twin. Because of you, your mate spent most of her time trying not to get crushed by falling boulders and had to swim to safety.”
I didn’t know it was possible to feel lower than sea slime so many times in one night. I can tell Nos is experiencing the exact thing as he drops his head into his hands.
“It’s a week’s journey to Isablis,” the Captain continues, snagging everyone’s attention. “In that time, you and your fucking leviathans better work out your shit.”
“Why Isablis?” Klaus asks, breaking the awkward silence that follows.
“Tobias let slip that Cirio was on Mirna,” Val replies. The cannons slowly retreat from the circle they’ve formed around us. “There’s only one place on Mirna he has any connection to, and that’s Isablis. It’s where his mate’s nest is.”
He takes a deep sigh and catches the spyglass which drops from a rope above into his hand, extending it and casting a long look over the horizon before he glances back at us. “The Eagle has put a bounty on Nilsa’s head. I see at least a dozen ships headed east. Any one of them could have survivors who saw us with our witch and be tempted enough to report it, hoping for a reward. The moment Catherine learns of the connection, she will order us to bring our mate to her.”
And we won’t be able to do a thing to prevent it. Goddess, can this day get any worse? My head falls into my hands in an echo of Nos. But I can’t stay that way. I shove to my feet, my beast antsy beneath my skin at the thought of being forced to harm our mate.
But Nilsa isn’t cowed. “Let me worry about the Eagle,” she insists. “You guys just focus on getting us to Mirna. I’m going downstairs to dry off, and then I’m going to scry for some answers.” She heads to the trapdoor and Kier follows her protectively. She pauses, glancing back at the two of us. “I’m really glad you’re both okay.”
The instant she’s gone, the air leaves my lungs. I stare after her for a second, but Rysen interrupts my moping.
“Val’s right. You can’t keep this up. Have your beasts at least determined who’s dominant?”
As one, we shake our heads. “Nos got his skull rattled by a falling boulder the size of a small ship and shifted back. My beast forgot all about the challenge and scooped his ass out of there before we both got crushed.”
“Maybe it would be best if you both shifted and got it over with,” Klaus suggests. “If all of this is about ambiguity in the hierarchy—”
