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His cape fluttered gently behind him, making him look more like a living king than a dead one. The intensity of his gaze didn’t falter, showing me the same white-hot flames he’d exuded when we last spoke. “I do not deceive you, Lily Rothschild.”

“You just want to keep me here?—”

“I don’t need to keep you here to get what I want,” he said. “The bond has been broken by blood.”

The sails were dropped, and the masts were turned. The tide had risen, and the galleon began its slow progress over the incoming waves as it headed out to sea with the moonlight the only illumination and the stars our only company—besides the God of the Underworld.

“Drop anchor,” he said simply. “Heed my warning before it’s too late.”

The galleon continued to inch farther out to sea, leaving the safety of the shore and moving to open water.

I turned to the crew. “Lighten the ship. Drop our supplies. We need to reach the Southern Isles at breakneck speed.”

No one questioned the command. “Aye, Captain Rothschild.”

His eyes flashed in rage. “Speed will not save you?—”

“Be gone.” I turned back to the man who tried to command me like a servant, who tried to treat me like a possession. “You try to intimidate me with your presence, but I won’t be intimidated. Haunt me like a ghost, but I will not cower in fear. Your words are poison, and I will not drink it.”

I moved down the deck to the stern and took the wheel from one of the crew. I guided the galleon out of the treacherous terrain,avoiding the rocks so we wouldn’t be shipwrecked once again. The waves here were minimal, as if even the sea didn’t want to touch this place. The wind traveled to the north, almost the opposite direction we wanted to head, so we wouldn’t return to the east as quickly as we’d come here.

The crew started to dump all unnecessary supplies into the sea, a trail of barrels and chests sprinkled like breadcrumbs behind us. If the journey was good to us, we would be home in two days. All we needed was water and a few scraps of meat to make it.

My eyes flicked back to where the God of the Underworld had been a moment ago, but he was gone. He’d finally left me in peace, sheathed his threats and his lies and disappeared like the living phantom he was.

The sea breeze moved through my hair, cold and smelling of salt, and it blew away the fear that had gripped my throat since we’d arrived at the island. Once I returned home, I would confront my father—and warn him.

“Ahoy!” Carl called from the crow’s nest. “A fleet of ships from the north!”

I continued to steer the ship and turned into the waves at the right moment how my father had taught me, cutting down time where we lagged in the sea. My fingers tightened on the handle, and I looked to the north but saw nothing but darkness.

But my eyes focused hard on the horizon until I saw it.

Torches.

That asshole was telling the truth. “Extinguish all the torches.”

The crew ran around the ship and doused the flames with cloths, submerging us into darkness except for the moonlight.

Why did it have to be so bright?

I wanted to speed ahead and avoid their path, but the moonlight would reflect off the masts once it struck at the right angle. “Raise the sails.”

They ran around the deck as the ship rose and fell on the waves, as the deck shifted left and right because we lost all our momentum almost immediately. I kept a straight face, but my stomach was in a million knots.

If they saw us, we were fucked.

As if I expected him to appear with an evil grin just to say I told you so, I looked to my right and waited for him to appear.

But he didn’t.

He’d said he could pursue me everywhere, but perhaps that had been a bluff.

All the sails were raised, and the crew went idle, unsure what to do except wait for the ships to pass. In silence, we stood there, watching the fleet of ships slowly inch closer on the dark horizon, the light of their torches growing brighter as they approached.

I rested my arms on the railing as I stared over the whitecaps that gleamed in the starlight. My heart was steady, but my adrenaline was potent. We could fight a ship or two, but if it was more than that, we would be outnumbered and sunk to the bottom within minutes. I was used to putting on a front just forbeing a woman, but now I had to put it on as a captain, as the leader of men who were just as scared.

The ships drew closer. If they didn’t notice us, they would continue to pass to the west. By the number of torches I could see, there had to be at least ten galleons. That meant there should be a few hundred men…or thousands.