Page 122

The sun sparkled off the bay water. The cool air had this part of the country deep in autumn, with a hint of winter on the horizon.

My knuckles curled into the wood railing, and I kept my gaze steady on the coastline, feeling a bundle of excitement and fear at once. I couldn’t see them yet, but I knew they were there. Waiting. Watching me sail in like I sailed out of their lives years ago.

“Hey.” I felt Katrina long before her body settled beside me at the taffrail. It seemed there wasn’t a place she went where I couldn’t pinpoint her or reach out and have her come to me instantly.

Like she did me. And I seemed to know when she consciously and unconsciously wanted me to find her.

There wasn’t much of this ship we hadn’t fucked on. And it seemed to be an unspoken competition with Cooper and Annabeth, which I’m not sure I wanted to think about. AB was like a pubescent fae, coming into the fae magic. It hit her hard, which all of us could testify made you horny as fuck. Let’s say she wasn’t so sweet and demure when it came to Cooper anymore, and he was no longer afraid to let his Dark Dweller out with her. It got loud, and there was some property damage between us all.

Scot, Vane, and Zid had to stop a few times at ports to getourenergy out oftheirsystems. I actually think Tsai went to shore last time. That wasdefinitelynot something I wanted to think about.

Hoayu departed us not long after Singapore with triple the payment that would have been customary and a promise of more.

“Thank you, my friend.” I bowed to him. “You don’t know the honor we bestow on you for all you have done.”

“The honor is mine.” He bent his head in return, peering at all of us. “There is a Chinese proverb:An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.” His gaze met mine. “We will meet again.”

And I believed that. Hoayu’s life was threaded through ours now, and I had no doubt we would see each other again. Probably sooner than later. Plus, he was a handy person to have around. Just wished he could drag my whole ship through one of those portals.

“You okay?” Katrina’s hand rubbed down my arm, drawing my attention to her.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Liar.”

“Not sure why you bother asking, then.” I winked at her. We had yet to really learn barriers with each other, to give each other a little privacy, which would come in time. I kept expecting to freak out at not being able to hide my emotions from her. That she would sense the buzzing of my thoughts and feelings. But it didn’t bother me like I thought it would.

“They love you.” She nodded toward the coastline. “They just want you happy.”

I knew that, but I still couldn’t hide the weight I felt creeping back on my shoulders the closer we got. The guilt and heartache of Lexie.

Curving to Kat, I realized a lot of my nerves were coming from her. “Areyouokay?”

“Oh, sure.” She leaned on the railing. “Meeting the family, who, no matter what, will look at me, thinking Lexie should be here next to you, not me.”

“Hey.” I grasped her arms, swinging her fully to me. “That’s not what they will think at all.” My palm cupped her face. “Lexie or not, you were always my future, Kitten.” Her stunning eyes flicked up to mine. “I was always meant to find my way back to you.” I kissed her nose. “Plus, you already know half the family. And they love you.” I nodded back to AB and Cooper.

I still felt her nervous energy, knowing it was Zoey she was most anxious over. She wanted Zoey’s acceptance, knowing how important she was to me and how much her approval meant.

“Is the badass ruthless pirate, Puss in Boots, actually scared?” I muttered against her mouth, my lips grazing hers. “She can drop brutal men to their knees, slice them in half, but is terrified of meeting my family?”

“Give me someone to stab anytime over this.” She folded her arms, pretending not to be affected as my teeth nipped at her lip. “And I can’t cut anyone in half anymore. You lost my boots, remember?”

Scoffing, I grinned against her skin. “I will get you new ones.”

“Promise?”

I lifted my head, sparks dancing in her eyes with the challenge.

Grabbing her face, I kissed her deeply, my tongue curling around hers. “Ipromise,” I rumbled into her ear, her body shivering with desire, feeling my vow settle in right between her legs, where I wanted to claim it later.

“Land a-hoe!” Sprig jumped onto my shoulder, his voice yelling in my ear.

Kat leaned back, laughing.

“It’s landahoy—never mind.” I palmed my face, shaking my head.

“Oh, I get it! You land-a-hoe. That’s your reward when you get there?”