Page 106 of Daughter of the Dark Sea

She squeezed her eyes shut against his words. They were painful to hear—to acknowledge. “We’ll be together throughout all of it,” she murmured back. “We’ll survive.” Together, until they went their separate ways. She bit her tongue, holding back the words. A mountain of secrets clawed up her shoulders, hooking its claws into her mouth and stretching her pained smile.

For a moment they stood, breathing in each other’s scents, using each other’s strength to steady themselves. She breathed through waves of memories, reminding herself it wasBlaketouching her. His hand fell to her throat, his thumb brushing her thin skin, and her pulse fluttered beneath his touch, her nerves flayed.

Kora whispered in awe into the quiet of the med bay. “We went into the Mist.”

He withdrew his head “So . . .?”

“Jack said the Mist was controlled by a man—”

“Don’t believe a word from thatpirate,” Blake’s gaze darkened. “Magic doesn’t exist, Kora.”

“What happened with the Mist was unnatural.” She stepped back. “Almost as if it chased us.”

“It’s just the weather,” he sighed. “It doesn’t mean anything. Shaurock Sea always has bad storms, you should know this.”

He glanced at the space between them, and she averted her gaze from his sharp stare. His jaw ticked in response as she clutched her body, shoulders hunching inwards. A chill swept through the room and she shivered.So tired.She wassogods-damnedtired.

“What are you saying? Do you believe in magic now? Do you believe the word of pirates?” Blake spat the final words out and she flinched at his tone.

“Ahem.” Erick filled the leaning doorway of the med bay, and Kora sagged with relief as he stepped into the room, his warm eyes narrowing on Blake’s rigid stature.

“Commodore,” Blake bowed, hiding his clenched fists behind his back. “We’re just—”

“You’re dismissed,” Erick waved a hand, his eyes frosting. Kora turned her head away at Blake’s incredulous stare.

“Apologies, Commodore . . .” Blake’s throat bobbed. “If I have done anything—”

“Marwood, don’t make me repeat myself.” Erick’s hand rested on his sword’s hilt. “I’d like to be alone with my daughter.”

Kora closed her eyes again, pressing her lips together to prevent them from trembling. She distantly heard the door shut, and her legs gave way as she sunk to the cot. Erick sat across from her, the adjacent cot creaking under the weight of his dark armour.

“I’m sorry . . .” her voice cracked.

“What are you sorry for?” Erick frowned. His sodden green cape sprawled across the rickety cot, and water dripped onto the wooden floor. The consistentdrip, drip, dripsoothed her enough to speak.

“I-I froze. I failed. I let them board my ship, I let them . . . they . . .” She hung her head in her hands as emotions bubbled to the surface. “Galen returns and I . . . I can’t . . .” She gasped as tears sprung in her eyes, cascading down her freckled cheeks. Great, all she did now was cry. It wasexhausting. “I don’t understand!”

He placed a gentle hand on her knee and his warmth radiated through her clothes, all the way to her bones. His wavyhair hung limp, and the grey strands were stark against the darkness of the med bay.

“Theron is safe. Talk to me, Kora. What happened?”

“The Mist. I . . . we went into it.” A shuddering breath wrecked through her. “Well, more like the Misttookus . . . swallowed us whole. It was so strange. It made me feel so . . .sad.”

She hadn’t been able to get the male human voice out of her mind since, where it repeatedly circled like water down a drain, the voice swirling around and around. Who was he? Did she know him? Why did his voice make her want to cry? Make her want to scream. Make her want to cleave the Mist in two.

“What did you see?” Each of Erick’s words were clipped.

“Nothing . . .”

“Did you hear anything? Was anyone there?”

She frowned as he leaned forward, his hands gripping her forearms urgently, pulling her hands from her face. “Kora, did youseeanything?”

“What? No—there was nothing.”

“Are you sure?” He searched her face, his warm hands tightening, the sensation causing anxiety to flare deep within her. “You can tell me.”

“Yes! Let go of me!”