“Ornery? I’ll pretend you didn’t just insult me, darlin’.” He grinned and held out his arms. “Why Beckett Yardley, what’s Jonathon’s little girl doing in a dump like this?”
Beckett threw herself into his embrace. “Better question. What in pirates’ pantaloons brought an old sea dog like you here to slum with us mere mortals?”
“I ask myself that same question every day, sugar. I reckon it was all those rumors about a witch-captain. I had to come see for myself.” He kept Beckett pressed to his side, then held out a hand to me. “Coakley Lore. Buccaneer. At your service.”
We clasped forearms. “Quinn Broomsparkle, Beckett’s, uh, tactical advisor.”
“Tactical advisor? Now isn’t that a fancy way of sayin’ secret weapon?” Lore sized me up, his eyes narrowing. “Just how do y’all know each other?”
Beckett elbowed him. “None of your business, Lore. Quinn’s part of my crew now and that’s all you need to know.”
“Quite a price on the wizard’s head. You’re aware of this, I assume?” He kept his eyes locked with mine.
Beckett huffed. “Yeah, I’m aware. And don’t you get any ideas. He’s worth more to us on our side. Trust me.”
“I do trust you, darlin’. It’s why I’m here instead of my usual stompin’ grounds. But not everyone will appreciate you sheltering the wizard. Captain Tattersall is already planning to flee, and some other captains will follow.”
I didn’t flinch when he called me a wizard, my determination holding me still. “I’ve already said I would leave—”
“You’re not leaving.” Beckett stepped from Lore’s embrace. “We need you.”
Lore harrumphed. “We’ll see.”
Beckett spun on him. “You don’t have to have faith in me, Coakley, because I have enough faith in both Quinn and me. Come on, Quinn, let’s get this meeting started.”
“Now, honey, you know how I worry—”
“You aren’t my dad.” She poked him in the chest. “It would be nice if you’d have a little faith.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “You think I don’t? I sailed from the Prony Peninsula, practically broke my crew’s backs in my rush. I was your daddy’s best friend. I wasn’t in a mind to leave his little girl to face this on her own.”
“Well, guess what? I’m all grown up now.” Beckett stood to her full yet still diminutive height. “I don’t need your help.”
“Sure you don’t, sugar. Even now, y’all have got pirates calculating how they can kidnap your ‘tactical advisor’ and return him to the Council for the bounty. Y’all need someone like me on your side.”
“Then be on my side.” Beckett tipped her chin up.
“You’re an impossible wench, you know that, right?”
“That’s Captain Impossible Wench to you.”
Lore laughed. “You sure are something, honey. Your daddy’d be right proud. I guess the least I can do is stick around and keep y’all out of trouble. I got a notion that’ll be a big job all on its own.”
“My hero.” Beckett batted her lashes, then flipped him off. “Now that we’ve got that settled, we need to . . .”
A slight rustle and then silence. We all turned toward the tree line.
“Y’all might as well come out and stop eavesdropping,” Captain Lore called. “We surely know you’re there.”
A moment later, Zak crept from behind a large palm frond.
“Fine, you caught me.” He eyed Lore up and down, then cocked his hip provocatively. “Now what are you going to do with me, Captain?”
“Zak!” My cheeks burned. “Behave.”
“Only if he’s into good boys.” Zak blew Lore a kiss.
Lore snorted, but Beckett said, “Zak, one more inappropriate comment to Captain Lore and I’ll confine you to quarters. I’ve already told you more than once to stop flirting with my pirates.”
“You’ve told him more than once . . .” I rubbed at the line between my eyebrows that became more pronounced by the day. “Zak, what in the lower realms were you up to when I wasn’t looking?”
“But he’s not your crew, Captain Yardley.” Zak’s lower lip stuck out, and he crossed his arms. “He’s fair game. And I’m not used to going so long without company.”
“Believe me, kiddo, he is my pirate, and you’ll stop harassing him or you won’t see the light of day until we ship out. Understand?”
Wow, talk about staking a claim. Wasn’t too hard to figure out, Lore must be the unrequited crush she spoke of in the archives.
Zak’s mouth opened and closed like a landed selkie. Finally, he nodded.
Captain Lore chuckled. “I’m assuming this is another Broomsparkle?”
Zak glared. “Guilty.”
“A piece of advice.” Lore stepped close, and Zak had to crane his neck to keep eye contact. “You best be careful who you offer yourself to, boy. We aren’t in any port where there’s City Patrol to keep things civilized. Many of these men and women would as soon kill you as fuck you. Maybe both. Most won’t care that you’re underage.”
“Thanks for the advice, Captain.” Zak didn’t sound thankful. Petulant, definitely.
A pirate rang the bell, and Beckett waved us forward. “Time to make our case to fight. Zak, you might as well stay close. Keep quiet. It’ll be stressful enough without you trying to find trouble.”
He opened his mouth, and I slapped a hand over it. “He can do that. Right, Zak?”
Zak glared, but nodded.
As we approached the barrels that everyone now clustered around, Beckett waited silently until she had everyone’s attention. “I know some of ye be planning to flee fer safer ground, and I can’t says I blame ye. However, I been getting messages from the Lower Isle, and things be bad on Islingwall. Real bad. Our loved ones, our friends. The Council be hounding the pirates and their families. They’ve decided to take us down once and fer all. We can’t let them.”
“We could turn over the wizard,” a bulky female pirate called. “He started it all. No reason to fight if they have what they want.”
Lots of cheers of agreement.
“It’s too late fer that, Sally. Ye know the Council’s been harrying us more and more. They see this as a golden opportunity to do away with us. All of us. Wizard or no wizard.”
“We could use the wizard as a bargaining chip,” a wiry pirate shouted. More cheers of agreement.
“Y’all could.” Captain Lore stepped forward. “’Cept anyone who wants the wizard needs to challenge me first. He’s under my protection as well as Captain Yardley’s. All y’all know I’m an ol’ southern isle gentleman, so I take my responsibilities seriously. It’d be a right shame to have to gut any of y’all.” He shrugged like maybe it wouldn’t really be that big of deal.
“Now, Lore,” another pirate said. “Think—”
“And that’s exactly what I’m doing, Tattersall. If y’all want to run and let them witches give chase, far be it for me to dissuade y’all. But they are coming for us, whether or not we turn over the wizard. We all knew this day would come. Well, it’s here, and I for one, don’t intend to curl my tail between my legs. I’m gonna fight them head on, or at least, sneaky, like a pirate.” Lore grinned, and several pirates laughed. “I’m not saying this is ideal. Yet, if we stand together, we at least have a chance.”
“I’ll not be risking my ship.” Tattersall stepped forward, his wild beard and unkempt appearance at odds with Lore’s finery.
“Then don’t.” Lore shrugged. “Only try not to bilge on your own anchor. Y’all will eventually hit a patch where you’re becalmed, and those witches will swoop in and give no quarter. Me? I’d rather go down fightin’, and if I have anything to say about it, winnin’.”
“We have a wizard and a dragon on our side,” Beckett added. “I know ye haven’t seen the beast fight, but he be fearsome and the witches be afraid of him. And Quinn has his own weapons.”
“Where be this dragon?” Tattersall asked.
�
�Taking care of some business,” I piped up. “When we set sail, he’ll be going with us.”
“Yet he ain’t here now.” Tattersall raised his arms. “How do we know he even exists?”
“I seen him!” one of Beckett’s crew called. “He torched the docks and killed a bunch of witches as if it t’weren’t nothing. Be glad he be on our side.”
“Besides,” I added. “If anyone here thinks it would be better to hand me to the Council, you’d have to take me.” I tried to project confidence. “Assuming you’re able, you’d still never make it to back to Islingwall Isle. My dragon would find me. And no matter how far you sailed, he’d find you. Dragons are vengeful creatures, and he’s bonded to me. Just something to consider. I’m willing to stand with you all and take down the Council. They’re corrupt and it’s time they go.”
Several pirates whistled their approval.
“So, it seems to me, that all y’all need to ask yourselves whether to take your chances and hide, or whether to stand and fight.” Lore’s gaze seemed to take in each pirate. Afterward, he bent to unplug the stopper from one barrel and filled his tankard to the brim with a foul-smelling brew before recorking it. “I’m fightin’. What say y’all?”
34
Three days later, Zak burst into the command center hut where I reviewed battle plans with Beckett, Lore, and a few others. The little seagull, Zigzag, made daily trips now, and I corresponded with Two-Toes to get updates on Islingwall. Things were dire. Arrests, beatings, even stonings. The Council of Divine Magic left a trail of broken families and brutalized townsfolk in their wake.
We’d make for Cochfil Cay at first light tomorrow. The island chain had lots of perilous shoals and outcroppings that larger galleons would have trouble navigating. A perfect place to hide our smaller sloops and frigates. We could maneuver and harry the larger ships, retreating when needed. According to Lore and others, it’d be an excellent place for an ambush. As much as I preferred to go head on, we were a much smaller force and needed any advantage.
Zak placed a hand on his side, his breathing ragged. Why he was so foolish as to run in the island heat, I couldn’t imagine. I’d never—
“Twig just crossed through the portal,” he gasped.
“Yesss!” I took off without so much as a goodbye, kicking up sand as I sprinted toward the portal. I dodged around pirates in my hurry to lay eyes on my mate. I skidded to a stop as Twig finished loading two bulky trunks onto a sturdy cart.
Still not seeing me, he dropped a dypari in a young man’s hand and nodded toward another one. He lifted the handle of the wooden cart with ease and waited for them to get a grip on it before letting go. The young men grunted, then took off running, the cart following behind.
He turned, but stopped in his tracks when he saw me, his eyes going dark, his mouth firming.
“You came back.” The air crackled between us, the hair on my nape raising. We stood within a few paces of each other, though it felt like an ocean lay between us.
“You’re my mate. I’m never leaving you. I just had to make arrangements with Bill. He’ll tie up some loose ends and join us.”
“Are you sure? You have a good life in the Elder—”
“Quinn.” He raked a hand through his hair. “For being such a smart guy, sometimes you’re an idiot.”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “That so?”
He took a step closer. “Yeah, that’s so. I don’t know what I have to do so you understand that a life without you is no life at all.”
I took a hesitant step forward. “I feel the same.”
“I know. That’s why you’re so frustrating. Stop trying to protect me from you. I don’t care if you have magic . . .”
I winced.
“. . . I don’t care if you can’t live in the Elder or you want to dye your hair blue like mine or become vegetarian, though that last one would hurt. We don’t need two in our household.” He smiled, took another step closer, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re ridiculous, dragon.”
“No, I’m in love with a stubborn human who won’t face facts.”
“Well, I’m in love with a stubborn dragon who doesn’t know what’s best for him.” Stepping forward again, we were within touching distance. So close, yet not close enough.
“I know what’s best for me, Quinn. I’ve always known. Almost from the moment we met.”
“You’re absolutely sure? No take backs after this. It won’t be the life you’ve become accustomed to in the Elder.”
Twig grinned, his fangs descending. “As everyone knows, I broke the Cairnsdaught Accord. There’s already a warrant in the Elder so that the EBI and High Council can question me. It’s a miracle my father didn’t show up while I packed. I kept waiting. Guess I got lucky.”
“If Bill comes here, he’ll set off the demon wards and give our position away.”
“True, except he’s busy in the Elder for the next week or so. And when he does come, we’ll be in a position where having a red fury on the rampage will be an asset. The time of the dragon is upon us.” Twig smirked.
“You don’t even believe in prophesies.” I ran a hand over my bracer.
“I hate them. I never said I didn’t believe in them.”
“Do you think it still applies now that I don’t have my magic?”
“Has the hammer tried to find another host? Can you still access its magic?” Twig raised a brow.
“No, and yes. Fine, dragon, it still applies.” I took a steadying breath. “I’m going to fight this regime, Twig. I don’t have magic but I can still wield a sword. It scares me, yet everything in me says this is the right thing to do.”
“Agreed. Though you realize you’ll have to kill people? You’ve a soft heart—”
“I know.” I ran my hands over my forearms. “I don’t want to, but this is war. I won’t let anyone hurt you or Zak or Beckett if I can help it. I know that means I may have to do things . . .” I sighed. “To kill people. That’s always the price of war, right?”
“It is.”
“Then I’m willing to pay it.” I put every ounce of conviction into my voice.
He studied me for a moment before nodding. “Quinn?”
“Yeah?”
“I need to touch you. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Me either.” We closed the gap. My arms went around his shoulders as he lifted me. A sigh when our lips touched. I couldn’t say who it came from, me or him. Maybe both. I’d been so foolish to ever think I could live without him. As devastating as having my magic snuffed out proved to be, losing him would be even worse.
I kissed Twig for all I was worth. Pirates carrying today’s catch in large woven baskets catcalled as we passed by. I ignored them. He plowed through the medical hut’s entrance and slammed the door behind us, rattling the flimsy structure.
Twig hugged me tighter and continued toward our bunk. Flopping down on it, we instantly started wrestling with our clothing and with each other, exchanging kisses as we struggled.
We rolled around until I came out on top. I’d lost my trousers though my tunic remained twisted around my neck and one arm. Twig had made quick work of his clothing and lay under me naked. I sat up, straddling him, and pulled my shirt off, dropping it over the side of the bunk.
“I think we should seal the mate bond.” Leaning over slightly, I placed my hands on his shoulders so we’d be eye-to-eye. His eyes went dark with need. We were doing this . . .
“No.”
“No?” Talk about a glass of icy water to the face. “I don’t think you heard me correctly—”
“Quinn.”
“I mean, there’s no reason we can’t be mates now, right? It’s not like it’ll destroy my magic.” I laughed, yet even to my ears it sounded forced. I rushed on. “You love me, I love you. We should—”
“Quinn. Stop.” His eyes were no longer lit with need. Now they only showed pain and sadness.
I leaned back like he’d slapped me. Alrig
hty then. I began to scramble off him, when Twig’s large hands gripped my thighs, holding me in place. I blinked a few times, refusing to break down. I knew he loved me, knew his dragon wanted me, too. Still, I remained too fragile by half and his rejection hurt.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, not meeting his gaze.
He sighed, squeezed my thighs. “You know there’s nothing I want more than to officially mate. My dragon’s fighting for control even now.”
I watched as the skin on his forearms rippled. At least his dragon wanted me. While I could tip his control over the edge, I never wanted Twig to regret our mating. We already had too many regrets between us.
I gripped his wrists and said, “Settle.”
Even without the wizard-familiar bond, his dragon listened, and with a loud growl, stopped trying to push forward. That alone helped reassure me and gave me the courage to give Twig a tentative smile.
“Thanks.” He smiled back, a sweet, lopsided grin that made my heart stutter. “My dragon wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
“So.” The smile fell off my face. “Why don’t you want to mate?”
He sighed again. “It’s complicated.”
I couldn’t help it, I chortled. I mean, Twig was usually the simple one. I, on the other hand, liked to complicate everything.
“Are you saying, you might be slightly more complicated than you gave yourself credit for, dragon?”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Ha ha. Laugh it up. I’m thinking of you, wiz . . . sweetheart.”
“Me? Do tell.” I purposely kept my tone light. He wasn’t trying to hurt me. This I knew and held onto like a lifeline.
“You make me crazy.”
“Yes, you might have mentioned that . . .” His hands rose from my thighs and attacked my waist, tickling me. “Twig!” I shrieked, trying to roll off him, only he didn’t allow it. Too strong to remove his hands so I launched an attack of my own, digging my fingers into his ribs.
He bellowed, yet remained unrelenting in his attack.
His Fairy Share Page 24
