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He probably didn’t even remember me. If he did, it was a distant memory, something you had to be reminded of, while I lived and breathed him every day. He was the fire in my lungs, the motivation in my veins. I had been planning my retaliation from the moment he kicked me off his ship. And it was nothing to him.

My father. Me. Killian.

We were scribbles in the margins.

Vane grasped my arm, tugging me forward, my gaze catching on Croygen at the helm right before we descended. His feet were wide, his hands on his hips, pushing his coat back away from his body, showing off all the weapons hanging from his belt. His sword, the one Black Beard gifted him was still at his side, reminding me of how many times I used to hold it, pretending to battle foes, and find treasures on the high seas.

My attention went to the smaller weapon above that. My world tipped to the side, my insides feeling as if he just stabbed me with one of them.

On his harness was a gold-hilted dagger, the unique carving and design reflected in the last dying rays of twilight.

I knew it better than anything.

Because it had been my father’s.

“Get comfortable,Bella.” Vane slammed the cage door to the small cell shut, the goblin metal already nipping at my energy. Locking the cell, he clipped the key ring to his belt.

“No food or water, no call to my lawyer?” I glared at him through the bars.

Vane’s smile curved over his face, his eyes light with humor, making him even prettier. He shook his head, nearing the bars. “You’re a feisty thing, aren’t you?”

“Cats have been known to claw and bite.”

“Sounds like a good time to me.” His eyes floated down my barely clad frame, his intention clear over his features.

“Vane, stop stroking your knob and get your arse up here,” Scot bellowed.

Vane smirked, his eyes never leaving me. He didn’t feel threatening, just the type that was driven by sex and beautiful things.

“I’ll return soon,Bella. Maybe you can sharpen those claws on my back later.” He winked before walking away, his body lithe as he leaped up the stairs.

I stared blankly at the dim room the brig was in, deep in the ship’s bowels, the sounds of the vessel and its crew members setting sail far above me.

Of all the ships in all the oceans, I happened to climb onto Croygen’s. The man I had been pursuing since I was a girl. Fate or chance, this was the opportunity I had been dreaming of. Except, of course, it came at the worst time, my oath to Batara weighing heavy in my gut.

My revenge needed to be soon and swift. My promise was already starting to tug on my soul, demanding me to fulfill my obligation the farther I went off course. I had no time to play the long game. I needed to find a way to escape this cage, slice Croygen’s throat, and slip away.

The image of Croygen standing on the quarterdeck, his hands on his hips, looking like the pirate I recalled from centuries past, haunted my memories. The one I would stare at in wonder. Dream about. Scribble notes about in my diary. He was even more intimidating, more dominating, than before because whatever youthful joy he had when I knew him was gone now. As if life had broken him.

Good, I thought. Wearing my family’s heirloom as a trophy was an insult to the man who had been his faithful servant and friend for years. Pirates weren’t known to have true allegiance to people, but in my silly young heart, I believed Croygen was different. That those he let in close were his family.

I was a stupid fool. He had no loyalty to anyone but himself.

He needed to die.

My attention went over the holding cell, my stomach twisting in understanding. I was fucked. The bars on the cage were thick and so close together that even if I could shift, I wouldn’t be able to get through them. Only four by seven, the small cell held nothing I could use, just goblin-painted bars and the floor.

The ship rocked forward, swaying the craft freely as it left the pier. Once again, I left this dock as some kind of captive. Except this time, I had little control over what would happen to me. And if Croygen found out who I was, would he duel me? Kill me outright? I thought I once knew him, what he would do, but this man held no honor. He was capable of anything.

“Those who seek darkness only find darkness.” A woman’s scratchy, accented voice came from behind me, causing me to leap around with a cry.

A short silhouette stood in a doorway at the other end of the room. The figure shuffled slowly toward me. The old woman seemed like she could be a hundred years old if she were human, buried under blankets and shawls until she almost looked hunchbacked. Down in the belly of the beast, it was cooler, but the humidity still sneaked through from outside, yet she still clung to the layers, trying to keep warm.

The small fae woman hobbled up to me, letting me see the details of her face. Round and heavily wrinkled, as if she wore every year of her life, it displayed Asian features. She had only a few teeth left, and her thin gray hair was tied back in a bun. But it was her milky eyes that had me sucking in.

Thick cataracts blinded her completely, turning her entire pupil grayish-white.

“Who are you?” I glanced around, wondering why a ship full of men had this ancient lady tucked down here. “Are you a captive too?”