Page 16 of Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms #2)

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“ Something stupid?” Jai repeated in outrage.

Priya grinned, but there was no humor in it. “ Aye . Something stupid.”

“ If I had found that note, we wouldn’t be here!” He didn’t care that his bellow had likely caught the crew’s attention. As his anger dissipated, he saw a strange light in Priya’s eyes. “ Or maybe I would.”

“ Take a look at what we’ve accomplished. We rule this river. The Viper is the fastest and largest of the Masters ’ fleet. No one can stop us.”

He didn’t like the person who stood before him now. He wanted to be as far from Priya as he could get. “ We’re in the business of selling our own kind.”

“ And there are those who pay well for them. Very well.”

“ How would you know?” he asked, though he was afraid he already knew the answer.

Priya rolled her eyes. “ Don’t pretend you don’t know. I’ve saved up a nice sum for us. And I know you’ve enjoyed your power.”

“ I did what I had to do. I would’ve gladly died rather than hand over others.”

“ I knew you wouldn’t bend. I warned them of that.” She briefly looked away. “ It was my idea for them to use me. I knew you’d do anything to keep me safe.”

Jai was going to be sick. He wanted to bellow, hit something, run. Hurt her. He wanted to harm Priya as he hadn’t with any other living soul.

She continued, unaware of his thoughts. “ You were made for great things. You just needed someone to get you in the right place.”

He looked down at the silver around his wrist that bound him to the Masters . Everything suddenly became crystal clear. “ You’re with them.”

“ I tried to tell you once. I’ve hated keeping this from you, but I knew when you saw the rewards we could reap and felt the power commanding this ship gave you, you would know that you’d found your place alongside me.”

“ My place ?” He knew his place, but it wasn’t with her. Unfortunately , he had to keep that to himself. He gazed out at the water and spoke the only true words he could. “ I love this ship.”

Priya moved closer so their arms rubbed together. “ The Viper is yours for as long as you want her.”

“ How can you have such sway?”

She shot him a smug smile. “ We wanted a better life. I found us a way to achieve it.”

“ By ?” By the gods, he could barely ask the question. But he had to know. He needed the answers to everything so he could figure out his next move.

“ The specifics don’t matter. What matters is that you’re finally on board. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever be.”

That was when he knew his freedom had never been waiting for him. It had all been a ruse. If he joined the Masters willingly, he would be as free as he would get. If he refused, he would remain as he was or they’d kill him. His thoughts of sailing away from Shecrish dissolved like vapor.

Jai had to be careful. Priya would scrutinize his every word and action. He forced his lips into a smile. “ You could’ve told me the truth. We share everything.”

“ That isn’t true, is it?”

The bite in her words, along with the coldness that swept through her yellow eyes, warned him to be careful about how he proceeded. “ I’ve always told you everything.”

“ You kept your little romance with Arya a secret.”

The confirmation didn’t make him feel better. How could he have lived side by side with someone for most of his life and not see who they really were? Was it because he hadn’t wanted to see it? Or was it because she was so good at keeping secrets? Maybe it was a little of both.

“ I told you about her,” Jai replied. “ I told you everything.”

“ Don’t . Lie . I hate when you lie!”

Jai had seen Priya’s temper before, but it had never been turned on him. Not like this. But he wasn’t going to stop. He couldn’t. There was another truth he had to know. “ What do you think I’m lying about?”

“ You wanted to leave with her.”

And there it was. The only way Priya could’ve known that was if she’d stolen the last two letters he’d left for Arya . “ I wanted to meet away from the house so no one would see us. We weren’t leaving, Pri . And if we had, I would’ve told you.”

“ So I could tag along?” she asked acridly.

“ It’s irrelevant. We weren’t leaving.”

“ You would have, had you gotten her note.”

He was fast losing his patience. “ I would’ve made sure both of us were away from that house. As for after? I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

“ You were thinking with your dick. You gave me no choice but to make the decision for us.”

Glacial fingers of indignation and disdain tore into him, icing his heart and withering anything that came close to feelings of affection for his former friend. The person he trusted most in the world had betrayed him worse, hurt him more deeply than anyone could have.

Jai curled his hands into fists and dreamed of slamming them into her face. He wanted to hurt her, destroy her. But he couldn’t. This was no longer just about him. It was about Arya , the human, the crew, and even the cargo.

He had walked through the last few years with blinders on, pretending he wasn’t destroying lives, that he wouldn’t have to pay a penalty eventually. All to keep Priya alive.

She had allowed him to believe that. She had continued the charade, lying to him over and over. He had bought all of it, believed every word. He hadn’t thought to question her or any of it.

And all the while, the one responsible for every anguished second was at his side. Priya , who had kept his anger for Arya at the forefront, who reminded Jai often that Arya was the one who had caused them such pain and agony. That Arya had chained them to the Masters . As retribution, Jai hadn’t hesitated to abduct Arya to put her in the very position he found himself in.

Jai choked on the depth of his gullibility. Was Priya that good, or was he so wrapped up in ignoring the gravity of his sins that he’d ignored the signs? He might never know.

But he would no longer be complicit. It all stopped now.

Priya had stolen his freedom, his life, and any hope he had for happiness. There was still a chance for the others. But he needed to be careful. As much as it galled him, he had a part to play right now. There was suspicion in Priya’s eyes as she watched him. He couldn’t give in too easily, nor could he push back too rigidly.

Jai faced forward again. “ So , you made the choice for both of us.”

“ You’re angry.”

“ What did you expect?”

“ How many times, as children, did we dream of the big houses and fine clothes? Of being able to purchase anything we wanted? Go anywhere we fancied?”

He smiled because it was a fond memory. Maybe one of the last. “ Many .”

“ I once promised I would find us a way. I kept that oath.” She moved even closer, their shoulders brushing as she stood beside him. “ There will always be someone to do this job. Why not us? Why can’t we have everything we dreamed of? Give yourself some time to think about what you’ve learned. Everything you could ever want is right here, waiting.” Her voice lowered as she added, “ Me included.”

Jai didn’t shift away, though he wanted to. He had never thought of Priya in the way one thought of a lover. And he never would. “ You’ve been free to come and go all this time, haven’t you?”

“ I have.”

“ And the beating you just took?”

She laughed softly, her fingers trailing along his arm. “ You didn’t know the truth yet. I had to make it believable.”

“ It was that.”

“ I liked how much you cared.”

He licked his lips, becoming more sickened by the moment. “ You really let them hit you and cause such injuries?”

“ A few strategic hits and a little acting, along with waiting long enough that you would be certain I returned injured was all it took.”

Was nothing real? But there was something—no, someone —who was. Unfortunately , she was locked below. Getting to Arya would be even more difficult now. It would take meticulous planning.

“ I have such a great life planned for us,” Priya continued. “ I’ve been talking you up to the Masters for years. They are impressed by you. They’re even considering making you their fleet commander. That position comes with its own rewards.”

“ Why would I want to command what they’re directing already? If we keep taking elves from Shecrish in the numbers we are, someone is going to notice.”

Priya grinned as she nudged his shoulder with hers. “ The new fleet won’t be on the river.”

An icy chill spread through Jai’s veins. Shecrish had water everywhere. Rivers , lakes, waterfalls. Both Above and Below . The Ever Reaching River cut through the plateau Above , but many parts were inaccessible to anyone, much less ships. The Lotus River was the only one suitable for vessels. Which meant the Masters were thinking of the very thing he had contemplated—the seas.

“ I see that pleases you,” Priya said.

He made himself meet her gaze, doing his best to appear calm when he was raging inside. “ It’s a wide world out there. No one knows how big the seas are or what we might find.”

“ Imagine how much fun we’ll have finding out together.”

He would rather enter a wraith cave. “ What size fleet are we talking?”

“ Not sure yet.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, her smile still in place. “ We’ll be the first to strike out and see what we find. We’ll be mapping things for the Masters . Our names will be around for thousands of years to come.”

“ Cap’n ?”

Jai was relieved when their discussion was interrupted. He turned to the second mate. “ What can I do for you, Anil ?”

“ It’s the patches, sir.”

Priya started forward. “ I’ll help out.”

Jai touched her arm to halt her. “ I’ve got it. You should get some rest.” Bile rose in his throat when he reached out and touched her cheek with his fingers.

She walked away with a smile, and Anil led the way below deck. Jai glanced toward the cargo hold where elves were collared and slumbering. They would remain that way until they reached their destination.

“ Sir .”

Jai swung around to find that Anil had paused for him to catch up. As soon as Jai saw the patch, he realized what had gotten the second mate’s attention. They were about to go through some rough water that could loosen the patches and potentially take more lives. Jai might not have personally abducted those in the cargo area, but he was part of the problem. And since he wasn’t freeing them, the blame could be laid at his feet.

“ Everything good between you and Priya ?” Anil asked as they worked. He glanced at Jai . “ It’s just not normal to see you two bickering.”

Jai shrugged and held the new board in place as they used magic to reinforce it. “ Just working a few things out.”

“ Is it true you have earned your freedom?”

Jai shook his head. “ We both know there’s no such thing from the Masters .”

Once the patch was fixed, Jai decided to check the other two, just to be safe. They looked satisfactory, but he didn’t like the idea of a patch at all, especially not where they were headed. He decided to bolster them with magic, and Anil helped.

“ Hope is sometimes all we have left, Cap’n .”

Jai looked at the second mate. The Dark Elf carried a few scars. He’d never asked if Anil had gotten them from the Masters , or before. Jai met the elf’s yellow eyes. “ I’m in a foul mood today. Don’t listen to me.”

Anil lifted his arm to look at the silver locked around his wrist. “ Maybe hope is an illusion.” He dropped his arm to his side and walked away.

Jai followed him a few moments later. He wanted to go to Arya , but he wouldn’t. Not now. Priya would expect that and would likely be waiting. He climbed the stairs to the top deck and took over at the helm.

Then he began planning.

He would have to be careful and meticulous. While he had come to know his crew over the years, that didn’t mean he trusted them. Especially now. All this time, Priya had worn a silver bracelet that kept all of them bound to the Masters and unable to get away, but it had been a decoy. Just one more thing she’d used to trick him into doing what she wanted.

His friend didn’t care about him. It was all what she wanted. Her wishes, her desires. She was no better than the Masters .

Not once had he witnessed any deceit from Priya . Then again, their trust had been built over the years. He hadn’t been looking.

But he was now.