Page 30 of Queen of Whispers and Mist

“It’s no trouble, Captain.” The bald man expectantly turned to Jagger, who’d yet to say anything but was happily spooning bite after bite into his mouth.

Bronn must have kicked him under the table because his head shot up and he scowled over at him.

“What?” he snapped, surprising Shadow with the harsh rasp of his voice. It was obvious he rarely, if ever, spoke. Bronn jerked his head toward the cook. Jagger’s expression cleared, Buttercup fluttering on his shoulder. “It’s good,” he grunted before returning to his meal.

Cookie’s face relaxed back into a happy grin. Shadow thought it sweet that he cared so much what the others thought about his meal and that they indulged him. With as much time as they spent at sea, having someone with his skill onboard was a blessing, and it was clear they recognized and celebrated it. Shadow couldn’t help but like them. The care the crew showed one another spoke to the kind of people they were.

He started to turn, and she thought he was leaving, but instead Cookie looked expectantly at Ronan, the only one who’d yet to take a bite.

Shadow readied her foot, more than prepared to send a swift kick to the shin his way if necessary, but he needed no prompting. Taking a big bite, Ronan’s expression flickered. She wasn’t sure anyone else would catch it, but there was a momentary flash of panic in his blue eyes.

Worried he might be about to hurt the big man’s feelings, Shadow held her breath, but Ronan forced a smile and asked, “Clam?”

“Aye.”

“Delicious.”

Shadow wondered if anyone else caught the strangled note in his voice.

Cookie clearly didn’t, because he let out a big breath. “Good. Good. Well, I’ll be back in a bit with dessert.”

As soon as he left, she leaned over and whispered, “Are you all right?”

He subtly pushed his bowl away. “Allergic.”

Her eyes went wide. “Ronan—”

She broke off, her mind running wild until he held up the balled-up napkin in his fist. He must have managed to spit the bite out without anyone being the wiser. Shadow felt some of the ice around her heart crack. He could have made a big thing out of it, but instead he’d recognized the vulnerable nature of the cook and protected the man’s pride in front of his captain and crew. That told her more about Ronan than anything he could have told her himself.

He was kind when he didn’t have to be.

Whatever else he might be, Ronan wasgood. She may not know why he’d brought her here, but Shadow had no doubt she was safe with him.

“Do you need me to find you something else—”

“No,” he said softly. “Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your meal.”

She held his gaze, feeling both conflicted and relieved. It was as though she was of two minds. One half determined to paint him as the villain, the other desperate not to.

In this moment, desperation won.

Without looking at him, she slid him her dinner roll. “Eat up. You need your strength.”

“For what? More verbal sparring with you?”

“Exactly. It’s no fun swabbing the deck with you when you’re not at your best.”

He chuckled softly, the sound washing over her and making her belly knot in a way that had her pressing her thighs together. She watched from the corner of her eye until he bit into the roll.

“Thank you,” he said after a beat.

Her heart tumbled at the sincerity she found there, and she almost choked on her wine from the shock of it. Or maybe that was due to the strength of her own as she whispered, “You’re welcome.”

Silence stretched between them, neither one sure what to say when they weren’t actively taking shots at one another. She took another bite of her soup, scrambling for something to talk about that wouldn’t ruin the moment and coming up short.

Thankfully, salvation came in the form of the sailor on her right.

“So, Shadow,” Bronn said, breaking the silence and drawing groans from the rest of the table in the process. “Are you familiar with the story of how our captain acquired theRevenge?”

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