Page 37

Draevyn

A frigid shock tore Draevyn from his haze of unconsciousness.

Eyes flying open, he jolted awake, his chest heaving as ice-cold water dripped down his face and hair, soaking into his clothes.

A tightness formed in his chest as he gasped for air, but the ropes binding him tightly to the mainmast made the act nearly impossible.

“ Fucking Irah !” he bellowed, taking in rapid breaths.

His blurry vision cleared, revealing the ragged onyx deck of The Night Wraith . He slowly lifted his head to find the sky above was a grim, swirling gray, matching the waters below—both appearing restless and unwelcoming.

The sounds of malicious chuckles caught his attention, and he took notice of the crew—all of them grinning.

“Rise and shine, Draevyn Rowe!” Her voice cut through the headache throbbing beneath his eyes, and the memories of all that occurred rushed back to him.

A vision of glowing teal eyes, razor-sharp fins, and venom-tipped talons digging into his flesh flashed. And then he recalled nothing but darkness.

Draevyn blinked the water from his eyes, the salt of it stinging them as his muscles ached, struggling against his bonds. His eyes were locked on the very ones that now haunted his mind, only now they appeared normal—human, even.

But he took in the sight of Esmyra, maybe even for the first time, really looking at who stood before him. And he realized there was nothing human about her at all.

She was a snake hidden in the grass, waiting to strike.

“The prince looks cold,” Jak stated. “Shame we ain’t got a cozy fire for him.”

“An even bigger shame he can’t light one himself,” Esmyra cooed, and laughter rippled through the crew, their eyes gleaming with amusement.

Draevyn’s lip curled in disgust as his eyes drifted to his bound hands, still clamped between the velsinyte cuffs.

He clenched his jaw, trying to steady his breath, his mind racing for any chance of escape, but the ropes held firm. A smirk formed on her face as he lifted his stare to hers.

“You play dirty,” he growled, his voice low and cruel.

Esmyra gave him a quick wink. “The dirtier, the better. It’s more fun that way.

” Draevyn blinked at the words, but then she took a step up to him as she brought her lips barely an inch from his cheek.

“I’m so glad you’re awake. We’ve got a long journey ahead, and unfortunately for us, you will be coming along. ”

“And what journey might that be?” he snapped.

“A journey you’re not privy to,” Jak barked from behind her. “Not after you attacked her at your first chance of freedom.”

Esmyra smiled, and her eyes remained on Draevyn as she called over her shoulder, “Now, now, there, Jaky. The Phoenix has only shown his true colors. And when someone shows you who they really are…” Her lip curled back as she cocked her head to the side.

The pupils in her eyes narrowed into the thinnest of slits, making Draevyn’s heart slam against his ribs. “You believe them.”

Draevyn’s nostrils flared, but he couldn’t find words to speak.

Esmyra leaned up on her tiptoes, delicately draping one of her arms over Draevyn’s shoulder. He suppressed the shiver that begged to ravage his body from her touch .

“And you best believe me ,” she continued. “For next time, I’ll let my venom consume you from the inside out.” She backed away from him, taking her place next to her first mate.

“I was right that night we met, Draevyn Rowe. You are much more brutal than you claim to be. After all, I showed you kindness when no one else would,” she echoed what he’d spoken to her the night his ship sank, making his jaw clench.

“But you mistook it for weakness. This is your only warning—there is nothing weak about me.”

Who was this woman? Esmyra was a creature of myths—a siren of the sea. So, how and why did she live the life of a pirate?

She was challenging him, and he hated that he was incredibly intrigued by it.

“Apologies, Esmi,” he said, a tiny grin forming.

“ Captain ,” both Esmyra and Jak snapped in unison.

His eyes narrowed in on Jak. It was clear there was much more to her first mate than just undying loyalty.

Draevyn cleared his throat. “Apologies, Captain,” he corrected himself.

“Now, am I entitled to receiving information for what you lot have planned for me? Or are we just sailing the seas in hopes my father will come to my rescue? If it’s the latter, let me spare you the time you’re wasting. He won’t give a damn.”

“So it would seem,” Esmyra grumbled, placing her hands on her hips. “Do you see the isle behind me?”

Draevyn moved his gaze over her shoulder. “Indeed,” he said through clenched teeth, not having a clue where they were.

“ That is your daddy’s doing. We’re in search of the lost kingdom of Maerinys or anything left of it.”

Draevyn’s jaw popped open, and he couldn’t help the breathy laugh that slipped out. “Listen, love.” She lifted a brow at the nickname he gave to nearly every woman. “I’m sure he promised you all your share in the gold he’s expecting you to retrieve for him, but?—”

“I no longer have interest in whatever we find down there,” she cut him off. “My only interest is to rescue my captain from the likes of your father. You just happen to be collateral damage in case he goes against his word.”

Draevyn huffed a hate-filled laugh through his nostrils. “Then it appears I’m here for the ride.”

Esmyra’s otherworldly eyes looked him up and down skeptically, likely because he was suddenly being cooperative.

It appeared that no matter where he wound up, he was destined to be someone’s prisoner.

Whether it be trapped beneath the suffocating hold of his father’s command, or now a true captive of one of the most feared creatures of Rymelle’s legends.

“Right,” she barked. “Listen up, you lot!”

The crew snapped to attention, their grins and jeers gone as they focused on her every word.

“We’ll be splitting into two groups. The first half of the crew will guard the entrance and our exit route of the isle, along with The Night Wraith .

The second half is with me,” she said, her gaze locking onto Jak, and he gave her a curt nod.

“We go in, look for any gods-damn thing we can trade for Cyrus, and then we get the fuck out of here. Aye?!”

“Aye, Captain!” they boomed as they dispersed, speaking amongst one another on who would be where.

She turned back to face Draevyn as he watched her through narrowed eyes. Surely, he would remain on the ship, tied to the mainmast as he was now.

“Cut him loose, Jak. I want the lifeboats headed for the isle in ten minutes,” she hissed before stalking toward her office.

Jak’s glare nearly burned a hole in the side of Draevyn’s face.

Draevyn offered him a mocking, closed-lip smile. “Have I done something to you?”

Jak scoffed. “Consider yourself lucky that my captain insists keeping you alive guarantees the return of Cyrus. If anyone else attacked her, they would’ve found themselves sent to the depths. If not by her, then by one of us.”

Draevyn knew he shouldn’t speak his next words, but he didn’t give a damn. “Captain or lover?” His head tilted .

Before he could blink, Jak’s fist struck his cheek, violently jerking his neck. The taste of iron filled his mouth as blood dripped from his bottom lip.

He was about to take it as his answer before Jak spoke once more. “It appears what they say about you is true.”

“And what might that be?” Draevyn huffed, spitting blood at Jak’s boots.

“That the Phoenix has never had a friend in the world. Nobody to care for him—guard his back. Though why would a fire-wielder need such things, I suppose?” Jak’s grin was wicked as he unsheathed a dagger from his boot before slicing through Draevyn’s bindings.

“I would imagine it must be lonely. And truthfully, I don’t give a damn that it is. I can already see it in your eyes, Phoenix .” He spat the nickname with disgust. “You see her as a monster. I’m the person who’s made sure that’s not what she becomes. A friend .”

Jak reached out and gripped Draevyn’s arm, heaving him into his chest before whispering, “Cross her again and I don’t care about the consequence. I will slit your throat myself, even if it means letting Cyrus rot.”

A moment later, he was shoved in the direction of the lifeboats.

The soft creak of oars echoed across the calm water, mingling with the distant cries of gulls, as half of the crew rowed a pinnace to shore.

Draevyn watched Esmyra as she stood at the prow of the small boat. Her silhouette blocked the blinding sun as her long coat fluttered in the light breeze, revealing flashes of weapons at her hips. He was confused about why she bothered, considering she was a weapon herself.

Her dark hair tumbled in loose waves down her back, but her eyes—those cold, predatory eyes—were fixed on the isle.

Draevyn sat in the middle of the pinnace, bound and bruised. His throat was dry, lips cracked from salt and thirst, but his mind was sharp with rage, his flames begging to burst to life.

The island’s jagged outline was unwelcoming, appearing as if no life had ever lived on it. But it was the captain who held his attention, not the island. She hadn’t spoken to him since Jak threw him into the pinnace, her silence more terrifying than any threat.

Yet here, now, she stood calm and poised, as if she wasn’t conducting this search for the lost kingdom out of spite or duty to a king she loathed but from fear for her captain’s life.

That had also confused him. Pirates were known to have an “every man for himself” code when it came to survival.

Yet, this crew broke into Castle Lephyrin, plotted to blend in with the crowd, and kidnapped a gods-damn prince to get a member of their crew back.

Captain or not, Draevyn assumed everyone was replaceable—even the captain of The Night Wraith .

Perhaps Jak wasn’t lying regarding his feelings for Esmyra, and what he felt for her was only platonic. Perhaps it was the real captain who held the siren’s heart, and that was why she was entertaining his king’s proposal.

The oars continued to dip into the water, pulling them closer to the shore. Esmyra’s voice cut through the quiet, low and commanding. “Hold fast.”

The rowers halted, lifting their oars. The pinnace glided to a slow stop, rocking gently in the shallows.

Esmyra turned then, her gaze finally falling on Draevyn.

There was something unreadable in her eyes, a cold calculation mixed with something far darker—like a shark circling beneath the surface.

“Hope you don’t mind getting a little wet,” she said right before she leapt out of the boat. The splash of her boots echoed above the waves.

Two burly males moved toward Draevyn, dragging him to his feet. He lifted his bound hands to put space between them and himself. “I’ve fucking got it,” he huffed before stepping out of the small boat and following after Esmyra.

Draevyn's eyes widened. He’d never seen anything like this island before. It was crafted of rocks and jagged stone, as if they were stacked by the gods and molded as one.

His eyes narrowed on Esmyra’s back as Jak and the others fell in line behind her. “Are we in the right place? Perhaps the sea level is off and this is but a marker in the water, not an actual island.”

Esmyra’s steps halted, and she reluctantly turned to face him, a scowl forming on her face.

He squinted from the sun as he scanned their surroundings. “’Tis no life here, Captain .” He hoped she sensed his mockery. “Perhaps you should invest in a proper compass.”

The edges of Esmyra’s lips curled up in a subtle, false smile. “Well, it’s good we’re not looking for signs of life. Would you not agree, Draevyn Rowe?”

He sucked on his tongue as he watched her, not enjoying the way heat rushed to his cheeks every time her sultry voice spoke his full name. “What is it your lot say?” His brow kicked up. “Aye?”

This time, her lips lilted a tad higher, as if she wanted to chuckle. “Aye,” she echoed with a subtle dip of her chin. She turned away from him and began to climb over sharp-edged rocks and boulders, moving deeper into the isle.

“Keep up, Phoenix,” Jak called over his shoulder. “It would be a shame if you slipped and cracked your skull.”

The veins in Draevyn’s neck strained at Jak’s taunting as he watched them follow her, trying to do so himself, but his bound hands made it significantly more difficult to keep his balance on the slick stone.

He had never worn the velsinyte cuffs for such a long period before, and not only had it snuffed out his powers completely, it also seemed to make him weaker.

Esmyra raised a hand, and the pirates fell silent, halting as their eyes locked on a massive rock formation ahead.

The entrance to a cave yawned before them, half-hidden by crusted seaweed and the shadows of the cliffs.

It was an unassuming place, but there was something about it Draevyn couldn’t place, a weight in the air that made the hairs on his arms rise.

“This is it, gents,” Esmyra announced as she turned to face them .

“You’ve been here before?” Draevyn asked. “How are you so sure?”

Jak pressed his lips in a tight line. “I hate that I agree with his question. This is truly where you went that day?”

“Aye,” she answered proudly, placing her hands on her hips.

“How long ago were you here?” Draevyn asked.

Any hint of the amusement she held a moment ago fell from her face. She waltzed up to him and lifted herself onto her tiptoes. “It was the day you attacked The Night Wraith and slaughtered my crew,” she spoke softly into his ear.

Draevyn ignored the chill that ached to run along his spine as he locked eyes with hers. “Was only returning the favor, love.” He winked.

She flashed him her teeth before turning on her heel and stalking back toward the opening of the cave.

“Mind your tongue, Phoenix. Or I’ll cut it out of your skull,” Jak growled, twirling a dagger in his hand. But Draevyn only shrugged away the threat; the more he watched their dynamics, the more he realized Esmyra’s word was law among their crew.

Jak could spit any threat he wished, but unless his captain gave the order, the first mate’s hands were as tied as his own.