by Kaye Draper
She turned her head and smiled at me. "Because I love you," she said, in answer to my question. "And you also come with all the hot boys."
I grimaced. "They are only hot when they keep their mouths shut."
She laughed. "Oh, I don't know about that. I've seen how much you like to argue."
I heaved a sigh. She caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. "You're worried about something, my gryphon."
I let out a short, bitter laugh. "Oh, gee, what could it be?"
She shook her head, rolling on her side to face me. "Besides the mage. Something's been on your mind for a while now. Since before we got Oisin back."
I pushed down my panic and rolled my eyes. "Again, gee, what could it be? My fae being tortured nearly to death and drained of his memories and magic? My fox going missing and almost tying himself to his fucking clan for eternity? The mage I didn't even know was mine suddenly taking off? You pick."
She frowned at me, but she let it go. "If you say so."
I sighed. Damn it. If my life would fucking calm down for five fucking seconds I could maybe figure out how to deal with this new problem I felt growing every day. But right now, I had other things to deal with.
Kai snuggled closer, tucking her head on my shoulder. "This ship is much nicer than the ones in my pirate days," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Oh?" I said.
"Yes." Her voice was almost gleeful. "There's a fully functional bathroom…with a bathtub!"
I closed my eyes and groaned. "Gods."
She chuckled. "You liked it and you know it."
I ran a hand over my face. I was not telling the kraken I'd enjoyed her live-action tentacle porn. She'd never let me out of her clutches. "Shut up."
"I liked it too," she said, pushing up to waggle her eyebrows at me. "You know, not all of my tentacles are regular tentacles."
I put a hand over her mouth. "Shut up."
She bit me and I drew my hand back so she could lean forward and kiss me. "Make me."
A wave of nausea hit me again and I realized I probably had puke breath. "Not now." I sat up and bolted for the nearest door which, thank the Gods, proved to be a little half bath with a toilet for me to heave into.
Kai's laughter followed behind me. "Landlubber!"
Chapter 7
I was forced to admit, being on the damned boat wasn't so bad once we were away from the crowded African ports. I still missed the bookshop and my home—my territory—but I was surprised at the deep need inside me to do whatever I had to do to get Halstad back.
I didn't even know the guy, not really. But, like the others, something inside me screamed that he was mine.
White's—oh, I mean Black's—boat was sleek and business-like. But I was surprised to find he had an awesome little lounge area in one corner of the deck, complete with comfy chairs and fairy lights. It was the perfect place to sit as the sun went down. The nausea calmed down a little bit in the evenings—didn't ever fucking go away completely, but it calmed down—and I was able to sit with the others and look out over miles of dark, shimmery water.
I never thought I'd ever travel this far. My own clan came from Prussia, originally, but my branch of the clan had been in America for hundreds of years. I'd never traveled much—gryphons tended to be territorial. And now with my alpha bullshit, and this fucking nesting thing I was doing…well, I never thought I'd see the Indian Ocean, that's for damned sure.
I watched as one of Orion's crew strolled along the deck, looking out across the waves. He wasn't human, but none of them were. Funny, how the incubus just happened to have so many friends who knew all about traveling by water. And what a coincidence that they all happened to just also work for White.
Such bullshit. I didn't even know why White was trying to pretend he wasn't helping me.
Orion joined us, waving a hand to fan his face. He still wore his leather gloves and his hair pulled forward over his face. His high collar covered his neck right up to his jawline. I don't care how fucking hideous he thought he was, it was way too hot for so many damned clothes. I was currently in a tank and shorts. Kai had on one of her flowy dresses. Even Oisin was dressed down, in a pair of light linen pants and a t-shirt.
I watched Orion watch the guy pacing the deck. Sure looked like a guard to me…. "Are you expecting some sort of trouble?" I asked around a sip of cold water. Everyone else was drinking some sort of fruity wine concoction. But no alcohol for me and the nausea beast.
Orion flicked his blue eyes to me, then away over the open water. "Probably not. Just a precaution."
Kai grinned. "Pirates," she said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes. Why the hell was she excited about that?
"Pirates?" I said stupidly. "Like for real, pirates?"
I knew the very real threat wasn't actually corsets and flowy shirts, but it still sounded ridiculous to my American sense of the world.
Orion shrugged. "Apparently it's a hotspot. Though most of the action is further north."
I really wished I had that alcohol right now. I wondered if it was worth the risk for a couple shots. "And you didn't think to say anything about this? Why the fuck are we being forced to take a boat when there's actual fucking pirates out there?" I gestured around us, at the rich-boy's toy we were currently floating on. "Doesn't this kind of scream 'come steal me?'"
Orion huffed. "I hardly know what appeals to pirates, Miss Lionheart. But don't worry. This little darling isn't just a pretty ride."
I knew he was talking about the boat, but there was a purr in his voice as his eyes followed the movements of the guard. Well, fuck. That guard was kinda good looking. And our guide here was a starving incubus who refused to feed himself. I sighed. "Are we going to have to listen you fucking the help all night long?" I asked, making Orion choke on his wine.
He glared at me, but his cheeks were flushed. "Don't be absurd."
I laughed, but he stood, eyes averted. It was really no fun picking on someone who was so overly sensitive about things. "Hey, I'm only teasing," I said quickly. I grinned. "Fuck the crew all you want."
He set his wineglass in the little tub that served as a sink and headed toward the front of the boat, away from the guard who patrolled the deck. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Lionheart."
I frowned after him.
"You really shouldn't tease him," Con said, reaching over to nudge my shoulder. "It's a sore subject."
I glared at him. "And you know that how? Just what is your deal with Derek fucking White and his secretary, anyway?"
Con heaved a sigh. "It's really not my secret to share. Especially if you're just going to use it to torment Orion."
But he knew he wasn't going to get out of it that easy. Now we were all staring at him expectantly. "Spill, I demanded."
He flushed. "It's just the muffins."
I raised an eyebrow. "What about them? You won't even let the rest of us try them—like they're poison or something."
Con smirked. "Oh they're poison alright." He considered for a minute. "Maybe I should let Oisin have some. Then I wouldn't be late to work four days out of five."
Oisin laughed. "No one forces you to get distracted, darling."
I snorted. Oisin was famous for getting Con involved in revelry right when he had to leave for work.
Suddenly things made sense. "You're giving Orion something to kill off his sex drive?" I said in horror.
Con shrugged. "It's just a little spell, some herbs to make things more bearable for him."
I laughed. My human was selling anti-Viagra to demons. Priceless.
The human witch shoved me again. "Shut up. And seriously, Gesa, don't let him know you know. Poor guy is so embarrassed as it is."
"Isn't that…dangerous? Doesn't he need to, you know, feed?"
Con shrugged. "I really didn't ask."
Oisin smirked. "Con, you're blushing."
I rolled my eyes. "That reminds me, fae…speaking of secrets, what made you suddenly decide
to be all noble and come with us to retrieve your sworn enemy?"
Oisin sipped his wine and looked out over the water, as if he were completely unconcerned. "Do you think there are pirates out there watching us right now?"
I growled.
Hisashi huffed a laugh. "Oisin. You promised. Tell her. No more secrets, remember?"
The fae gave the fox a pissy look that made me laugh. "Where is the loyalty?"
Hisashi shrugged, but his lips twitched. "Hoes before bros."
Con guffawed. "I think you've got that backward, there dude."
Oisin's emerald eyes glittered as they met mine across the dim light on deck. "I was wrong, you were right. Happy?"
I crossed my arms and glared back. "No. I'm not. If you think I'm going to accept that bullshit and not ask for details, you're wrong, fae. I know how good you are at hiding things. Talk."
He tilted his wineglass back, draining it before slamming it down on the table. "I learned not all mages are purely murdering assholes. End of story."
Hisashi shook his head at the fae as if he was disappointed in him. "It's really that hard for you to admit how wrong you were, isn't it?"
For a minute there, I almost felt sorry for Oisin. It probably was super hard for him to admit he was wrong. The poor guy still felt off-kilter, I knew he did. He was just really good at pretending everything was fine. Admitting he his judgment was off would just be one more sign of weakness to him, especially when he was still feeling vulnerable.
But I didn't feel sorry for him for long. Oisin crossed his legs, put an elbow on his knee and placed his pointed chin in his hand like a bored king speaking to the peasants. "The man is a marvel, a saint, a bloody fucking glorious angel come to earth just to fuck gryphons and save babies." He gave me a bitter grin. "How lucky for you."
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. "Fuck you fae. Why are you so pissed off about this? Newsflash, even fae princesses can be wrong sometimes, your majesty."
Hisashi watched us, his magic swirling around him in rising mist. "Uh. Guys. This is really pissing them off."
I raised a brow at him. "Them?"
Oisin sat back with a disgusted sigh and waved his hand, giving Hisashi permission to go ahead and ruin everything. Like the fae was the boss of everyone. The asshole.
"I've been seeing ghosts," Hisashi said softly. Then he quirked one corner of his pretty mouth at me. "Specific ones. Two fae. The owners of the eyes Halstad is currently borrowing."
I swallowed. It was one thing to know that those pretty, freaky eyes weren't his, but another thing entirely to know there were actual fucking people out there watching him wear the stolen parts. "Uh," I said intelligently.
Hisashi nodded.
"He said it before," Oisin muttered. "That the eyes belonged to his best friend. Turns out it was his best friend and the best friend's sister. And they gave them to him. He didn't take them. The fae considered him an honored part of their family."
I gaped at him. "What?"
Con shook his head. "What do you mean? How did that even happen?"
Oisin sighed. "That story isn't mine to tell, I'm afraid. But the fae have petitioned me as their ruler to fulfill a life debt for them. So…lucky me. I get to make sure the asshole comes back to you alive and more or less in one piece."
I stared at him. "Seriously?"
He lifted one graceful shoulder in a half shrug and refilled his wineglass, clearly deflecting. "Shut up gryphon, let a king be a king. Gods."
I stifled a smile. Whatever he had learned from these ghosts, Oisin was seriously regretting being such an asshole to Halstad. I could see him covering his ass with his spitting and hissing. It was just another mask.
"Sure, princess," I said with a snort.
I was about to say something else when the guard yelled something and went running across the deck with a gun. More shouting started from the other crew members.
Orion came pelting out of the control room. "Pirates," the incubus said, his silky voice full of some strange, nervous energy.
There was a weird rumbling, sliding sound and I ran to the railing and looked down to find fucking guns winking at me in the low light. Gods, White was such a…demon. Who put guns on a houseboat?
Right about then, I was really glad I'd made friends with a cold, heartless crime lord.
An older, ratty-looking boat was pulling up alongside ours. This one wasn't a houseboat. It was longer and flatter, more like a military vessel, but in pretty shitty condition.
Kai joined me at the railing. She snorted a dismissive laugh when she saw the guns. "Oh really. That's so not necessary."
There was a shout from the other ship, and a man waving what looked like a fucking rocket launcher appeared out of the dark.
"Just have Orion get our vessel away so the currents don't drag it under with theirs," Kai said, clapping a hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. I gaped at her as she pulled off her dress, winked at me, and jumped overboard.
Fuck.
I mean, I knew she'd be fine. But some part of you still freaks the hell out when one of your lovers jumps off the side of a fucking ship in the middle of the dark ocean while you're about to be attacked by pirates with grenade launchers and—was that…yep, fucking automatic rifles.
Really. I wondered about my life choices sometimes. Where had it all gone so wrong?
"Kai!" Con shouted, rushing to my side. Glad I wasn't the only one who was a little startled.
"She'll be fine," I reassured him, my own voice a little high and shaky. "Kraken, remember?"
I grabbed Con and yanked him down behind the railing as something came hurtling our way in the fading light. "Down!"
A heavy, metallic thud had me glancing over my shoulder to see an honest to the Gods fucking grappling hook dragging across the deck. Hisashi crawled to me on hands and knees as a rattle of gunfire peppered the now empty deck. "Where's Kai?"
I pointed to the water. "Gone."
He nodded. His power rose around him in wispy tendrils and he grinned at me with sharp canines exposed. "Let's see them focus through this."
He sent out a wave of magic, and I could hear the whispering voices of the otherworld. Someone on our ship shined a spotlight on the other vessel, so we could see what to aim at. I watched the milling figures on board startle and slap at things that we couldn't see. The guy with the grenade launcher dropped to his knees and started muttering what sounded like a prayer.
The water around the boat started to bubble as something writhed under the water. The boat rocked, reminding me I hadn't puked in a while. I swallowed hard as I gripped the railing.
White's men crept around in a low crouch, all bristling with guns. I liked how the asshole said he wasn't going to get involved, and yet he sent a small army.
Of course, my own gun was down below in my room. I considered shifting. I could do more damage that way. But it was hard to crouch down and slink in that form. I'd be a big 'ol winged lion target.
Hisashi sat with his back against the railing and heaved in a breath. "Gods. Been a while since I let it out like this. And…since I was anchored."
I put a hand on his shoulder as he panted. "Don't overdo it. It's not like we don't have other weapons."
He flashed me a smile and we both turned to watch long, thick tentacles roil out of the boiling water and start to wrap around the pirate ship. Men screamed in terror.
Then, they all fell silent.
I watched in shock as Orion slunk out of the shadows by the cabin. He'd taken off his shirt to make room for his big, leathery bat wings. Incubus magic slithered out to wrap around my body, making me shudder. Gods. Why the fuck was he so afraid of his own powers? They were amazing.
He paced past me and Hisashi, pausing to toss a wry, wistful smile at the fox. His caramel colored hair ruffled around his curling horns, lifting in the soft night breeze. Long claws tipped his fingers, and a spade-tipped tail whipped behind him as he walked. Even in this form, he was scarred. Whatever ha
d been done to him had to have been brutal to linger like that. When he reached the open deck, he took a few running steps and launched himself into the air.
The incubus landed on the pirate ship as the shadowed crew stared up at him in awe. Someone moaned. Orion began to glow. He opened his arms and drew in energy from the pirates, pulled hard, literally sucking their souls out of their bodies without even touching them.
I gaped at the sight before me. Con fell against me and I realized he was shaking. Fuck. Orion was about to drain us all.
I grabbed Con as Oisin reached us, sliding silently out of the shadows holding his glowing fae blades. "Below deck," he said urgently. "I'll fetch the incubus before he completely loses it."
I panted against a wave of sexual energy that made me want to just stop everything and fuck someone. "Sure." I shook my head as I watched Kai's tentacles wrap up and around the pirate ship. "Wait. Kai said something about moving the boat. Currents or something."
Oisin hissed. "Of course. If that thing goes under, it could drag us along." He pointed at the grappling hooks that had been attached to the boat. "We need those off gryphon. Now."
I don't know how he focused through all this orgasmic air, but I was glad he managed. He was probably used to it. I didn't want to even imagine what a good old-fashioned magic-soaked fae orgy felt like.
I joined Oisin and Hisashi, and between their magic and my muscles, we managed to disconnect the hooks and toss them over the side. We weren't a minute too soon. The other boat started to groan as it buckled, the hull crinkling like paper.
Oisin leapt up on the railing, banished his swords, and jumped. He landed on the other boat with fae grace, not even stumbling as the surface he landed on changed angles. He ran to Orion, where the incubus stood in the center of the boat, his eyes closed, smiling as he drank in every soul on board.
My heart clenched as my fae stumbled, going to his knees. He pressed on, though, his mouth open in a silent gasp of pleasure as he rushed the incubus, slamming into his chest and knocking him out of the euphoric feeding haze with his momentum and a blast of fae magic.
