Page 56

Katrina

The Smuggler’s Inn was in the heart of the Triad quarter, accommodating all stereotypical criminals and pirates who needed a place to hide. Crowded, dark, old, smelling of stale ale, body odor, and debauchery. It wasn’t necessarily the place I liked to hang out, but in this area, we didn’t have a lot of choice. My face was known among Ju’s men, and I would be a great catch for Emperor Ju. If I were caught, Batara would find out I was still alive, and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

There was no denying my insecurity walking in this time, pulling my hood back up. Normally, I burst through the doors, Hurricane and Typhoon flanking me while Gage took the front. Zuri and Moses had my back, Polly and Dobbs trailing in after, making people shrink back in fear. The absence of my crew stabbed the truth in my gut, driving me forward. Reminding me why I was here with Croygen, working with my enemy instead of killing him.

Croygen came up behind me, his presence nipping at my skin. Biting down on my lip, I ignored how my body responded to his nearness, how thin the line was between wanting to strangle him and wanting him to push me up against the bar and make me come on that wicked tongue of his.

I shook my head at that last thought, recalling how close he kept me to him the whole way here. The audacity he had, treating me like some girl he could order around, helpless and unskilled, not an equal partner or a feared pirate in my own right.

Yet how fast he stepped in front of me, guarding me…

No, Kat. I hissed at myself.He treated you like a child.

“Two Yamazaki 12 Years Old whiskeys,” I ordered at the bar, heading for a table by a window as the rain poured down. Croygen lifted an eyebrow as he took a seat, making sure he could see the entire room. “What? Has your taste changed?”

“No.” He leaned back in his seat, pushing off his damp hood and retying his hair back. “Just surprised you knew that.”

“You used to share a bottle with my father every time you returned after being in this area.” For some reason, I couldn’t look at him as I recalled a memory. “I remember I was almost ten. You and the crew went whoring while my father stayed to watch the ship. You came back with a bottle, smelling of perfume and covered in hickeys.”

Croygen’s gaze felt heavy, a force that pulled mine over to his. He watched me boldly, peeling away the layers of my walls, seeing way too deeply.

“That bother you, Kat?” His voice was so low, it vibrated through me. Thankfully the waitress dropped our drinks on the table, taking my focus off him. Downing a swig, the rich whiskey burned the back of my throat, sliding into my chest. Yeo made sure he had the best black-market items in his section, the only area in which you could get alcohol.

“Answer me, Kitty-Kat.”

My head jerked to him. He knew he could get my attention by calling me that.

He leaned forward on his forearms, his long fingers sliding around the rim of his glass. “Did it bother you I came back smelling of other pussy?”

“Fuck off,” I grumbled, taking another sip, my body flaring with heat. At that age, it had been innocent jealousy, a little girl’s crush. Now violence stormed up my thighs, churning in my stomach with intensity.

A cheeky grin tugged at his mouth, his tongue sliding over his lip after taking a huge gulp of his drink, his gaze never leaving me.

This man was intense, his power hard not to fall under no matter how much you fought it. No matter what he had done to you. No matter how he destroyed your life.

“Tell me about you and Yeo.”

“Why?” I brushed my hair behind my ear, leaning back in my seat. “Does itbother you?”

“It might.”

His answer startled me, the glass pausing at my lips. I lowered it, glancing away. “We were both on the rise up in our careers. Xiao, the last Triad leader, was making things difficult for me. He didn’t respect women, nor was he willing to work with a woman pirate. I eliminated him so Yeo could take his place. Something which benefited us both. Now I have someone who will forever be in my debt.”

“Damn,” Croygen scoffed. “Little did I knowKatzewould turn out so ruthless.”

“There is a lot about me you don’t know.”

“So it appears.” He took a drink, his gaze fixed on me the whole time, my core pulsing under his watch and the aura he exuded.

Were we flirting?

I jerked my head to the side, scanning the crowd. “Who are we looking for?”

“Don’t worry. He’ll find us.”

I inspected the pub, low murmurs and bursts of laughter permeating the small room. Some women stood in the corner, clearly here toentertainfor a price. Each time I came, it got seedier and more crowded. A multitude of people searching for a way to dull the harshness of life, to find an escape from the endless suffering of Ju’s stranglehold. Drinking away the idea that they probably once supported Ju’s claim to the throne, happy that Shanghai would be independent, a stronghold against the West and against fae leaders. Only they became the very thing they feared they would—victims of an extreme fascist regime.

“I am curious.” Croygen played with his glass, spinning the inch of liquid left in it, waiting for my full attention.