Page 44 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

“The bird?”

“No, the darkness.”

“Besides the giant sea monster trying to eat us, you mean?”

“It didn’t want to eat you.”

“How do you know? Are you a Lusca expert now?”

She glared at him. “No, but I have a brain and two eyes. It’s called critical thinking. Maybe you should try it.”

He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he demanded, “All right, genius. What did you see with these eyes of yours that convinced you I wasn’t about to become the creature’s next meal?”

“It let you go.”

“Let me go?”

She nodded emphatically. “You were just drifting down deeper into the darkness. If the Lusca wanted to eat you, it would have plopped that fat head of yours straight into its mouth.”

The proof that she was not only alive but very much well had him feeling giddy. He couldn’t help but goad her further, enjoying this exchange far more than he probably should, given that they were shipwrecked, without supplies, and potentially all alone in unfamiliar territory.

Ronan made to stand, holding out a hand to help her up. She accepted it warily as he said, “Perhaps it merely hunts for sport.”

“Sport?”

“You know... catch and release?”

She shook her head, but her lips twitched with amusement. “You’re impossible.”

“That’s hardly the worst thing you’ve called me.”

They shared a smile, the breeze picking up and lifting the ends of their hair. For a full heartbeat, they weren’t shipwrecked, stranded, or even enemies. They were just a man and woman savoring the undeniable chemistry between them.

“Shadow—” Before he could finish his sentence, a shout rang in the distance, drawing their attention to the far end of the beach.

“Ahoy!” A man shouted, waving his arms and sprinting in their direction. “Ahoy there!”

“Is that...”

“Bronn,” he confirmed, recognizing the quartermaster.

“Oh, thank the darkness. Last I saw, the ship had split in two, and I worried there wouldn’t be any other survivors.”

The pirate looked rough for wear, skin smudged with all manner of dirt and grime, one shirt sleeve missing, and several holes peppering his trousers. It was a sharp contrast to how he’d last seen him. “Thank Nereus you’re alive! I never thought we’d see you two again,” he panted.

“We?” Ronan asked, locking onto the word. “Are there others here as well?”

He nodded, looking solemn. “Only three of us so far. The captain, Jagger, and I. Well, and Buttercup makes four, I suppose. Plus the two of you now.”

“The others?” Shadow asked, hesitant.

The look Bronn leveled her with spoke volumes. “No way to know. But I wouldn’t lose heart just yet. The crew of theRevengehas a way of surviving. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already launching a rescue mission to come find us. Well, Cal, at the very least. A crew needs a captain.”

“Do you happen to know where we are?” Ronan asked.

“If Tiny were here, he could tell us. The man could identify an island as easily as a freckle on the back of his hand.”

Ronan was fairly certain the minotaur had no freckles to speak of, but since that wasn’t the point, he didn’t bother.

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