part0029

The Isle de Sangre was surrounded by a blanket of mist. There was an eerie quality to it that sent a shiver sliding down Drew’s spine. It looked just as he remembered it—small and unassuming, surrounded by water. The only island that allowed Sea Shadows to walk on it during the day. He wished he had his ship. He would feel more comfortable manning the Wraith instead of this mere boat.

From his position at the helm of the ship, he could make out the speck of land, though in his mind’s eye, he could see it as though his ship was docked at the shore. He shuddered. He did not want to remember it. If anything, he wished he could erase it from his mind completely.

“The sun is going down,” Wendy said. “We could attack now. Take them by surprise, since you both would be able to walk the island.”

Kelia looked up at Drew. She must have felt Wendy’s suggestion was sound, but if she was looking to him, that meant she would only act on his command.

Knowing Kelia, that wasn’t because she felt the need to obey him, but because she understood that he knew this island like the back of his hand. He had lived here. He had escaped from here.

Only he could guide them in this situation.

“We wait,” he told her.

Wendy frowned. “Why wait when we have the advantage?” she pushed. “Strike now. She could be bathing or getting dressed. The Shadows guarding her could be doing other things. Let us—”

“I know the Queen,” Drew interjected. “I know she is waiting. She probably has her own small army waiting for us. We wait. Assess the situation.”

“I can break Emma’s wards,” Wendy said. She brought her hands up, flicking her wrist as though she was trying to gain control of the wind. “I can try to do it now so—”

“Stop,” Drew said.

“Emma’s wards?” Kelia asked. “What are you talking about?”

“She doesn’t know?” Wendy took a step back from the bannister of the boat. “How could you not tell her?”

“I had other, more pressing, matters to concern myself with,” Drew growled.

“Emma is the one who magicked this island,” Wendy said to Kelia. “The Queen has this island because of Emma.”

Kelia blinked once, then twice. “Why would she do such a thing? Did she not realize what she was doing?”

Drew curled his hands into tight fists, trying to release his anger at the memory as he unfurled them. As angry as he was at what she’d done, he also knew there had been no malice intended by the earth witch.

“I do not believe she understood the consequences to her actions,” he said. “At the very least, I know she regretted them greatly. I would not be surprised if that guilt she lived with, hidden behind a cool exterior, was one of the reasons she saved Wendy.”

“She would have done it for any one of us,” Wendy pointed out. “If we break her wards, we can finally set her free—”

“She is free,” Drew snapped. “Her wards will be broken, but Emma is gone now, and there is nothing that can done about that. We must move on.”

“We can’t move on just because you say so,” Wendy snapped back. “Some of us actually allow ourselves to feel, Drew. We need time to mourn.”

“Time is not something we possess at the moment,” Drew said. “If you want to risk your life because you need to feel things, go right ahead and do so, but don’t be surprised if you die during your mourning period.”

“You’re an arse.”

“And you’re pathetic.” He rubbed his face with his palm and let out a frustrated growl. “Our focus now is breaking the wards. And not just on some whim,” he added, leveling his gaze at Wendy. “We remove them the right way.”

Wendy arched a challenging brow. “And how do you suggest we do that?”

Drew huffed. He wanted to do what they had done the last time they had been here: shoot fireballs at the island and set it on fire. However, he expected the Queen to have learned from her mistakes. In all honesty, he did not think Daniella would be of any use now. The Queen would prepare for fire. He did not know if the East India Company might step in and help or if she had the resources to solve the problem herself. Either way, he needed to get clear on what he was going to do.

Daniella stepped onto the deck from the staircase below, ascending from the storage room. “Do you think she knows we’re here?”

“Of course she knows,” Drew said. “She knew the minute we were a tiny dot on the horizon.”

“And yet, she does nothing,” Kelia murmured, crossing her arms over her chest.

Drew tried not to stare. Since being with her as a Shadow, it was as though a whole new feeling came over him. He thought he had been in love before, but now… It was hard to accurately describe it. His heart’s only purpose was to beat in time with hers. That was it. He was not happy if she was not happy. And more than anything in the world, he needed to ensure her protection.

Death today was a guarantee.

Before Kelia, he had not been truly living. He would say that the last century until she came into his life had been a waste, but without those hundred years, he never would have met her in the first place.

“Why?” Kelia pressed. “Why hasn’t she done anything?”

Drew blinked, as though suddenly waking from a daze.

“She waits for us to make the first move,” Wendy guessed, though her tone indicated that she was not asking a question.

“More like she’s waiting for us to walk into a trap,” Drew corrected. He stepped to the bannister and leaned over. Even his sharp sight could see nothing of consequence. “I would not be surprised if—”

Something sharp pricked Drew just underneath his ribcage. He let out a pained cry and turned to see the arrow that had grazed his side now sticking in the floor on the other side of his ship.

“It was a trap!” he exclaimed, turning in a slow circle until he set eyes on the Wraith . “Those damned Sirens! We never should have trusted them.”

“No,” Kelia said. “I do not think Bethany and her Sirens are behind this."

The trio squatted lower to remain as much out of sight as possible. More arrows soared to land on the boat, but with the ex-crew shooting blind, none of the arrows hit them.

Where was Bethany and her Sirens with the other boats? What were they waiting for?

Wendy ran, still crouched low, to the other side of the boat. An arrow whizzed past her leg, but missed, before she could duck behind one of the ship’s walls.

And then Drew saw the boats surrounding the Wraith . He furrowed his brow. Despite his heightened eyesight, he could not make out what was happening.

“They have Bethany’s boats!” she exclaimed, stealing another quick glance over the edge of the boat. “From my vantage point, I can’t see if she is in need of assistance, or if she’s behind the betrayal.”

Kelia dashed over to Drew. He clutched his knees, bent over at the waist. His eyes burned with tears, and he kept trying to catch his breath, but he was unable to breathe in.

“There are only three Sirens moving the boats,” Wendy said. “I think I can see four, maybe five Shadows total. It looks as though some Sirens are assisting the crew.”

He braced himself against the pain to take a quick look.

He knew Shadows from his crew would want to turn him into the Queen. He knew some were more eager to betray him than others. But he did not realize Horace, Juan, Will, Hector, and Kane would do so as well. He assumed they wanted freedom from the Queen just as he did, which was why they wanted to join his crew, even knowing who he was, even knowing it was a risk.

Drew was a goddamn fool for trusting them.

Kelia turned to look for herself. “Is that…?”

“Aye,” Drew said again. He did not need to clarify. She was most certainly referring to Horace. The two had gotten close when she was on their ship. The fact that he was not only betraying Drew but Kelia as well was enough to anger him.

Daniella ran in a crouched position over to Drew and dropped by his side, out of the line of fire.

“What do we do?” she asked. “Do we know if Bethany is behind it?”

“I thought so at first…but I don’t think she is,” Drew murmured.

“What makes you so sure?” Wendy asked.

“Because we’ve discussed the terms, and I trust her word,” Drew said. “And I trust Kelia’s judgement.”

Her gaze snapped to his, her expression conveying so many emotions all at once: pride, happiness, surprise.

If only she knew it was his judgment that should be called into question. If only she knew what was going to happen to him if he was lucky enough to survive their upcoming encounter with the Queen.

“The Sirens?" Wendy asked. “You trust their word?”

He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat and forced his attention to his sister. “They are not following her orders,” Drew said. “Kill them all.”

Daniella snapped fire on her fingers. Wendy raised her hands and took control of the wind. Kelia backed up slowly, positioning her body in a way where she was ready to pounce. Meanwhile, the boats sailed closer. They appeared to be out of arrows, at least.

He clenched his jaw and waited.

“Drew,” Kelia said in a low voice. There was a question in her voice. She did not need to elaborate anymore. He knew her well enough to know what she was asking.

“Yes, all of them. Even Horace.” He was too angry to think straight, too angry to calm himself down. “And if you can’t, stay on deck. I will get my ship back.” He whirled around so he could meet her eyes. “This is exactly the reason we train hard. Why Shadows require a black heart if they are to survive. Because human nature transcends even death. The fact that you question an order even now—”

“That was not my intention,” Kelia snapped.

“Then what was your intention?” Drew asked. The Wraith and the boats were getting closer. In a few moments, they would be close enough, where the Shadows would be able to leap from the ship onto Drew’s boat. “As I figured. You aren’t ready.”

“Ready?” Kelia stomped closer to him. “You think because I hesitate in killing our friends—”

“They are not our friends, Kelia.” He lowered his gaze toward her. “We have confirmation that they have betrayed us.”

“What confirmation?” Kelia asked, throwing her arms out at her sides. She reminded him of a young girl rather than the woman he had just been with. “The Sirens went to retrieve your ship. The Shadows on that ship could have been waiting for us. Maybe they were the few who hadn’t betrayed us.”

“You’re being a child!" he snapped.

She flinched at his words. Drew instantly regretted them, but he did not take them back. How could he? After everything he said, after the point he was trying to make, taking the words back would make them moot. And he could not have that. Not when it could mean her death.

“Stay in the cabin,” he ordered. “I do not want to have to worry about you.”

He flicked his wrist dismissively. He knew she hated that, and he hated himself even more for using it against her. It was a slap in the face. He knew this. Yet, he did not care.

And apparently, nor did she care for his dismissal. She remained firmly planted at his side as his ship sailed closer.

In minutes, the Wraith would be here. He cracked his knuckles before gripping the mast of the boat. There was no helm, no wheel for him to steer. The vessel he was on was much smaller than his ship. He would be glad to get rid of it.

Thunder crashed overhead. Drew did not even flinch. He dug his nails into the wood and relished in the slight pain.

Closer the ship came. Closer still.

Drew purposefully ignored Kelia, who refused to go into the cabin as he had commanded. Part of him wished she would just trust him without question. Another part of him was glad she pushed back, asked questions, and didn’t take anyone’s word. It kept her curious and determined for the truth—two traits he loved about her.

She paced up and down the deck, her eyes never leaving the horizon.

God, he wanted to protect her from everything. But he also wanted her to understand through personal experience that life as a Shadow was tremendously, and tragically, different from being a human.

When the ship was a few paces away, a Shadow threw the anchor overboard.

“Well, Drew,” Horace hollered from the bow of the ship, cracking his knuckles as he did so. “So we finally find you. I must say, you had me worried.”

“Worried?” Drew cracked a smile. “And why would that be? You know I never die, even when I probably should.”

“Unfortunately for us.” He glanced over at the Shadows on his left and then the Shadows on his right. “Should we do this the hard way or the easy way?”

“What are you going on about?” Drew rolled his wrist, circling his hand as though to hurry Horace along.

“You know.” Horace walked toward the bow of the ship. If Drew really wanted to, he could run across the deck of the boat and land on Horace, ripping him to shreds in mid-air. “The Queen wants you. And we are here to deliver you to her.”

Without warning, she lunged into a run. She had no idea what she was doing, but hearing the words spill out of his mouth, she knew she had to act. Perhaps Drew, Wendy, Daniella, and Kelia herself would have been apt at handling the threats. There were only five of the other Shadows after all.

But Kelia did not want to wait. She did not want to linger. She wanted to eliminate the risks as they came.

She landed on the ship just in front of Horace. He blinked in surprise. Kelia did not give him time to do anything else.

“Kelia!” Drew shouted from the boat. “Kelia!”

She ignored him, instead placing both hands on Horace’s face and twisting his head so the bones in his neck crunched. Then she rammed her hand into his chest, found his heart, and squeezed. She did not even bother bringing it out of his body. She just wanted him gone .

Horace gasped. His eyes went wide. And in an instant, he combusted, his ash coating Kelia’s hand, arms, chest, and face.

Guilt pooled in Kelia’s stomach, but she hardened against the emotion immediately. Horace was going to take Drew away from her. She would not feel guilty for stopping him, even if he was close to her.

Before she could wipe away the ash covering her body like war paint, Kelia was knocked from behind to the ground. She barely had time to register that someone else had just attacked her. In a quick roll, she turned to her back and used her legs like a shot to kick the Shadow off of her before jumping back to her feet with inhuman speed.

A streak whirred by, and Drew was off the boat and onto his ship. He ripped the Shadow off of Kelia, giving her enough time to catch her wits before the third Shadow attacked.

This time, Kelia held her bearings and dodged a blow. She swung back and managed to knock him down. He grabbed her ankle, knocking her backward, and she grunted as she fell back to the deck.

The Shadow stood with one foot over her, ready to stomp down.

Water sprayed on Kelia, and she flinched. One of the Sirens had jumped from the ocean to help her. Or help them. She couldn’t be sure which, but her question was answered when the Shadow fell into the water and ash shot up like a whale shooting mist out of his spout.

Kelia turned to look at Drew, who just finished killing another Shadow himself. Hector…gone .

Drew’s gaze reached her eyes, as though he wanted to ensure she was okay just as she had done with him.

“You’re angry,” he said, coming over to her.

“Yes,” she agreed.

The two remaining Shadows were tussling with Sirens. Screeches and hissing filled the air. Kelia should have been more concerned about who was going to win, but she didn’t care.

He closed the distance between them. “Why would you do something so—”

“I was going to say crazy.”

“They were going to take you,” Kelia said. “I couldn’t have that. Also, I was angry at you. I couldn’t exactly snap your neck, so I thought I would do it to someone else.”

“Lucky me,” Drew murmured. His lips curved up, his eyes sparkling. “I have my ship back.”