Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Nox guides the ship around to the east, skirting the coastline as the surf becomes smoother and less tumultuous. The ship eases between rocky outcroppings, and I pause at the sight of two small pale gray bodies sunning themselves. Seals. One of them lifts its head and lets out a little squeaky sound and, for all appearances, seems to go to sleep.
I don’t have to turn my head to see Maeve standing at the bow, her long red hair streaming behind her in the wind. That damned hair means I never miss where she is on the deck. It draws my eye despite my best efforts.
She still hasn’t agreed to my offer.
I can be a patient hunter when the situation calls for it, but there’s something about this woman in particular that makes me want to push her until I get a proper answer. Until I get the right answer. Because there is only one right answer. Yes.
“Lizzie.”
I don’t look over as Evelyn comes to stand beside me. Ever since she turned down my offer to find a way to bring her home, she’s been treating me like I’m spun glass. It makes me want to set something on fire. Since I’ve promised to be on my best behavior, and Nox would not appreciate fires on their ship, I’ve managed to refrain.
For now.
Evelyn leans on the railing, the wind bringing her scent to me. I can’t quite stop myself from inhaling deeply. Damn it. She turns her head and gives me a faint smile, her green eyes filled with the same bittersweet feeling sprouting thorns in my chest. “You’re going to con the selkie into going after your jewels.”
Of course she would correctly guess my plan. I bite down on the urge to point out that I’m not conning anyone. I prefer a straightforward deal; Evelyn is the one always looking for her next mark. “She hasn’t said yes.”
“She will.” Evelyn waits until I look at her properly to continue. “There are some good people aboard the Crimson Hag. They might have made a shitty decision to vote Bowen out as captain, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to die.”
Ah. So this is why she’s come to me. To beg for mercy for near strangers. I’ve heard what she’s said to Bowen when they talk about the Hag—and what she hasn’t said. Just like I’ve listened to the crew’s whispers about that crew. Those aboard the Audacity don’t like me much, but one of the skills I’ve learned over the years is to fade into the shadows. Not literally. I’m simply very good at dimming my energy until those around me don’t necessarily register that I’m near. Historically, it’s been good for hunting when the prospects are slim.
Those good people aboard the Crimson Hag wouldn’t have stopped the new captain, Miles, from cutting Evelyn to pieces and using her remains to bait the monsters they hunt. She broke their silly little vows, and now not one of them would say a single word in her defense.
And yet here she is, asking me to spare them. “Everyone dies eventually, Evelyn.”
“Not everyone needs to die because you sent them to an early grave.” She tucks a strand of her blond hair behind her ear, and it immediately whips free. “Look, I’m not going to pretend I’ll cry if Miles gets eaten by a mermaid, but Kit? Aadi? Some of the others? They were good to me.”
Damn her for attempting to appeal to my better nature. She should know by now that I don’t have one. “Do you really think these good crew members haven’t been murdering their way through Threshold in the meantime? The last time you saw them, they were chasing down that mother dragon and her kit. They probably killed them both.”
Her mouth tightens. “Don’t do that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But I do. I’m being intentionally cruel. Evelyn is a realist most of the time, but every once in a while she gets these rose-tinted glasses that drive me out of my mind with frustration. People—whether they be vampire, witch, or boring old human—are inherently selfish, cruel creatures. They will always put themselves first, and they will always villainize the things they don’t understand.
Better to strike first and not give them the chance to stab you in the back the moment you turn around.
“Please, Lizzie. For me.”
She’s manipulating me. She’s not even trying hard to cover it up. Irritation flares, and I step away before she can reach out and put a hand on my arm. “Stay out of trouble after I’m gone, Evelyn. If I have to hunt you down and save you again, it’s going to put me in a mood.”
“Gods forbid.” She still has that look on her face, and it makes me want to snarl. She hasn’t gotten soft, exactly, but she’s lost an edge that I didn’t realize I craved until it was missing. Not that this woman is mine to crave any longer.