“I can’twait to be done with all of this and build a life for us.” He wasat my side. My nipples hardened as his breath poured over my skin.“A real life.”
I crooked myneck, so our lips almost set touched, mine hovering over his.Wanting. Needing.
“Thisisn’t a life?” My breathing quickened, and my heartraced.
Henry’s largehand slid across my torso and held me firmly to his bare chest.“No, not for a child. Not for us.” His lips trailed kisses alongthe naked curve of my neck. “I think we’re due to spend some timeon land. Don’t you think?”
My arms flungaround his neck and he led me to the bed where we fell together.“I’ll go wherever you want, Henry.”
Our palms cametogether, raised in the air above our heads. I admired the way theytouched, they way they fit together so perfectly. Each bump andcurve falling into place with the next. As if we were made from thesame ball of clay and had been separated many lifetimes ago. Hisfingertips caressed the sensitive skin on of my palm.
“First,let’s get to the Siren Isles.” He kissed my mouth. “Then save yourmother.” Another kiss followed by a grin. “Then we shall become happy landlubbers.” Henry’sblonde head dipped, and his mouth was on my skin.Everywhere.
I wrapped abare leg over his stretched-out body. “Sounds like a plan.” My headthrew back and a soft moan escaped my lips. “But, for now…”
His face tippedup and that long-lost devilish grin smeared across it. His blackeyes toying with my heart. “Yes. For now.”
ChapterThirteen
It took no time at all to sink back into myregular routine. Wake up, head to the mess deck. Morning greetingswith the crew. Eat. Hang out with Lottie over tea, and then head upto my post above the stern where I could be alone with my thoughtswhile I watched over the ship. I worried for Benjamin, left behindto deal with the aftermath of the chaos his brother had created. Icould not fail in my mission to return the siren’s heart. Threedays had flown by and we bound steadfast over the deep, openwaters.
I leanedagainst the wooden railing and peered down at my crew. YoungCharlie waved up to me with a big smile as he coiled some ropesinto a pile. John and Seamus, the two deckhands, worked quietly asthey scrubbed the deck. They never spoke much, only when spoken to,and happily did their duties aboard my vessel. I made a mental noteto get to know them better. The first few months of our journey,I’d been so wrapped up and lost in Henry’s struggles that Ineglected the world around me. I’d been endlessly falling into adark pit and forgot that I had people to be responsible for. Tocare about.
Gus emergedfrom a ladder hatch and scanned around, looking for something. Hishead twisted up and spotted me. With a sigh, he bounded up thestairs to where I stood and greeted me with his usual sternexpression.
“Afternoon,” the pirate said.
“Hey,Gus,” I replied. “How is the ship?”
“Excellent. The mended mast is holding up nicely.” He rubbedat his short brown beard thoughtfully. “And, aside from a bit ofeagerness to reach land, everyone seems to be in goodspirits.”
“That’sgood to hear.” I smiled contently and turned back to looking downat the crew. “It’s good to be back.”
He raisedhis eyebrows. “Christ, it’s good to have you back. Things are so much better. ForHenry, as well. Even from before. He’s–” Gus shook his head, notsure how to explain, “It’s as if he’s woken up.”
“Well,that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I asked. “I mean, he was a messbefore I disappeared. I honestly had no idea how it was going toend.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Probably with one of usdead.”
Gus nodded.“Yes, it’s a good thing, indeed.”
We stood therein a comfortable silence, both staring proudly out at our ship. Ourhome.
“Whathappened?” I finally asked him. “After I was gone.”
Gus moaneduncomfortably. “Ah, I don’t know–”
“Please.”
He smacked hislips together in thinking. “Y’know, it’s hard to watch another manfall apart like that.” His fingers gripped the narrow woodenrailing in front of us. “Especially one that’s like a brother. Ifit were anyone else, I would have thrown the likes of him overboardages ago.” Gus shot me a sideways glance then. “But… it’sHenry.”
My mouth turneddown and I nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I know.”
“We spentthree days, sailing around in bloody circles. Looking for you. Or abody. A scrap of your jacket. Anything that told us we were on theright track. But the lack of results sent Henry in a downwardspiral. He carried this guilt over something that had happenedbetween you two, but he refused to speak of it.
Iswallowed hard against the chalky dryness of my throat. I’d been up in the wind ofthe ocean too long and needed a drink, but a part of me knew it wasthe memory of that fateful night when Henry’s strong hands werewrapped around my throat and I had to use my blade to cut his skin.Reliving the thought, the sensation of my sword clashing with hisstill reverberated through my bones. I shivered and lookedat Gus, urging him tocontinue.
“Too muchtime had gone by. We worried you were at the bottom of the oceansomewhere. The crew decided it was time to tell Henry. I went toyour quarters one night to speak with him and found his bodysprawled out on the floor. He’d drunken himself silly. Rambled on some rubbishabout dying. Dying was the only way to forget it all.”
My stomachtightened. “W-what did you do?”
Gus looked atme squarely. “I beat him.”
“Wait.You what?”
“It’s theonly way to get through to a man who’s that far gone. To make himfeel again. The poor bugger was dead weight. I almost feltbad.”
I stared at himin shock. It was startling how Gus seemed to speak from comfortableexperience and I wondered if he’d been in that same situationbefore, and what end had he been at. The poor, drunken, broken one?Or the man kicking some sense into the other?
“Don’tlook at me like that,” he defended his actions. “It worked. Henrybegan to push back. He snapped out of it. Well, enough to agreethat
