Page 9 of Blood on the Tide

With the rebellion, with the proper organization, there’s a chance to avoid that fate, to make a change in Threshold for the better. That’s the cause Nox is fighting for. It’s so much bigger than me and my personal loss.

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly through my nose. Nox is a dead end. That leaves very few options. I very much don’t want to have to travel with the vampire for... gods know how long. Threshold is a big place, and even if you’re only counting the permanent islands, it could be months before we find what we’re looking for.

The thought makes my chest hurt.

Belowdecks, I’m nearly to my room when the door opens in front of me. I stop short, suddenly remembering what Lizzie said. She’s feeding. On Poet, apparently, because that’s who stumbles into the hallway.

I can’t help searching her neck for evidence of a bite. There’s nothing. But there is a heavy look in Poet’s eyes of someone well pleased. Her hair is mussed a little and her cheeks are flushed. She catches me looking at her and grins. “I don’t like the vampire much, but I do like her bite. Damn.”

What does her bite do to put that look on your face?

I chomp down on my tongue until copper floods my mouth. Under no circumstances will I ask that question. The less I know about this feeding process, the better. Or maybe Lizzie and Poet are fucking, and Lizzie lied about feeding. Either way, it’s none of my business.

If you’re sailing together for weeks, the vampire will have to feed... on you.

I forcibly shut that thought down as I slide past Poet and keep walking, heading for the kitchens. I’m almost able to outrun the strange anticipation I feel...

Almost.

chapter 5

Lizzie

I’ll die before I admit how pathetically grateful I am to hear the call go up of land sighted. Thank the gods. I crave solid ground beneath my feet instead of the constant rolling of the deck. To see absolutely anything other than the endless blue of sea and sky. I was not made to be a pirate.

On the ship, there’s no escaping all that water. It surrounds us, just waiting for a vicious storm or a particularly determined monster to sink us. There would be no help, no way to escape. Just the depths opening up to pull us down, down, down...

I force myself to stand at the railing, though I’m careful to keep out of the way of the crew rushing about to prepare to go ashore. The weather is nice today, cool with a faint breeze that prickles my skin. I wish I could enjoy it. Instead, my gaze is pulled to the choppy waves, the swells making the ship dip and sway. When I finally return home, I’m going to stay landlocked for a few decades, until my unease of being on open water fades.

The little blot of dark gray become larger as we approach. Viedna. The island the selkie calls home. It’s low and sprawling, the shoreline rocky and bare until it meets the deep green of the low trees. There must be some kind of reef, or whatever it is that causes waves, because they seem to increase the closer we get, crashing violently upon the rocky shore. It’s strangely peaceful.

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.”