Page 31

F ucking hells.

Grayson closes the door behind him and I feel the walls of the large room start to close in on me. Seconds ago, I was prepared to run free of this place—free of him and whatever confusion lies between us. And now, he stands between me and the only reasonable exit.

“I was just going to see if Collin had my drink ready.”

Grayson clicks his tongue at me before moving closer. I stand my ground despite the hastened beat of my heart flickering against the skin of my wrist.

“Now, now, I thought we’d overcome this. You shouldn’t lie to me, Rowenya. Especially when you’re so very bad at it.”

My gaze flicks to the door behind him for just a moment, but he catches it. He smiles widely but there is no joy in his eyes—only pure male excitement. “A chase in the night would be delightful.” He steps to the side, giving me a straight line for the door. “I’ll even give you a head start.”

It might be his goading and the game we always seem to find ourselves playing that has me questioning my odds at making an escape and finding a place to hide until Amara and Wells arrive. But it is more likely that the fear of being tied to him against my will has my feet itching to run.

It’s tempting, but I keep them firmly on the ground.

While I know this island like the back of my hand, I would bet my life that Grayson does too.

He isn’t the sort of male to leave any stone unturned, so even if he isn’t aware of the caverns that mark the inner most part of the island, he would make good use of his men and find me eventually.

I try to change the subject. “Where were you?”

“Downstairs.”

I gape at him. “You’ve been here the entire time?”

“Yes,” he says sharply.

“And what of the business you had to tend to?” I narrow my gaze on him, feeling that feather of frustration stroking my spine.

“It was dealt with over a round of Harrick’s finest rum.” He smirks and I have half a mind to throw another dagger at his face. But I refrain as the phantom sensation of his hand around my throat makes my stomach tighten.

“So, it was a test then. You told me you were leaving and left one of your men at my door. Then you ensured that he would fetch me anything I desired while you were away to see if I would use your kindness to make my escape.”

He crosses his arms casually. “To your credit, it took much longer for you to request something from Collin than a few of my men bet on.”

I scoff. “And what did you bet?”

His voice deepens as he says, “That you wouldn’t try to leave at all.”

The silence between us hangs heavy in the air and something like guilt nags at my chest. The feeling grows and it leads me to pull the Serpent’s Key from my coat pocket.

“You almost won,” I say in a hushed voice. I raise the rectangular box and show him the progress I made. “It’s a lot more complex than the puzzle boxes I’ve worked on before. But I think I might be getting close.”

Grayson looks down at the box, then back up to me. His face is unreadable, slipping between the masks he wears with such ease it gives me whiplash. I never know what will influence his demeanor.

“I don’t blame you,” he whispers, taking a step closer to me.

“For what?” I set the box on the bed, not wanting to be reminded of its presence any longer.

“You made progress with the Serpent’s Key.

” He glances toward the open window and I wonder if he thinks I tried that exit as well.

“Your crew will likely make it to Port Solas tomorrow, if my barrelman’s predictions are correct and the wind stays in their favor.

Tonight would have been the perfect opportunity for you to escape and bring the Serpent’s Key with you. ”

The knot in my throat grows, making it difficult to breathe. Why do I hate the feeling that I’ve disappointed him? Why do I care?

“Why have you left me with it?” The question has been clawing at me since he left it in my possession the morning we departed Silvermoon Landing. Any other pirate would have kept it for themselves and only allowed me to work on it in their presence.

“I believe you are the one meant to unlock it,” he states plainly.

“And you trust me enough to keep it.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets. He looks so at ease, but I know the truth of how quickly he could take me down if I were to make the wrong move.

“Trust is a . . . precarious word.” He moves close enough to me that I can smell the subtle hint of rum on his breath.

“I trust that you will do whatever it takes to keep the Serpent’s Key safe.

And I trust that even if you were to find a way to escape this room, I would find you and the artifact much faster than you think. ”

My lips pull downward. “Why chance it when the cost would be so great?”

He brushes a strand of my hair over my shoulder. “I trust that what is meant to be will. And I know that you, Rowenya Stone, are supposed to be by my side when I set my eyes upon the treasure.”

The pink of his scar looks a shade deeper in the lantern light and I find my fingers aching to trace it—to uncover the weight of whatever pain must have etched that wound beneath my fingertips. And so I do.

Grayson’s breath hitches the moment I place my thumb along his cheek.

His skin is smooth and as I near the edge of his scar, I feel the jagged ridges and valleys.

Moving upward to where the scar ends just to the side of his eye, I stop.

Splaying my open palm across his cheek, I look into his stormy eyes.

“What madness have you endured? What creature did this to you?” I breathe.

His eyes flicker with some distant memory, unknown to me, before he reaches his hand up and grasps my wrist. I let my hand fall from his face, but he doesn’t step away.

“A story for another time.” His words are heavy with emotion.

Questions dance on the tip of my tongue, desperate for release. But I keep them behind my closed lips. I’ve already transgressed twice tonight. Grayson has been patient with me. I know this. If I push too hard, it might be the last thing I do.

But there is one thing I must address. The only thing that will change the course of our future together on this journey.

“I was going to leave tonight because the stake I have in Thaeto’s treasure is not enough. As the only person responsible for decoding the Serpent’s Key, I feel I deserve more.” The words are out before I have a chance to think fully about the consequences of speaking them aloud.

A muscle feathers along Grayson’s jaw—the only indication that he heard me as he fixes his gaze on some place out the window. Several moments pass between us and he remains quiet.

“Grayson?” I ask, feeling the pressure of his silence.

When he finally looks at me, the haziness of his eyes has passed like a storm clearing to give way to clear blue skies.

“You attempt to escape tonight with the Serpent’s Key and now you ask for an increase in your share? Tell me, why should I take more from my men to give to you knowing that you would betray them so easily?”

I reel back. “Betray them? They are not my crew. And you are not my captain. If I recall correctly, it is you who stole the key from me , forced me to come upon your ship and solve the puzzle box against my will.”

“You had a choice,” he challenges.

I bark a laugh and turn my back on him, moving to the window.

“A choice? The only other option was to fight you and Blythe at once! Three souls against two crews? What choice is that?” My voice raises and I shift to face him again.

“I already lost one person I loved that night. You think it would have been the right choice for me to ask the only other two people I care for to willingly sacrifice themselves knowing their deaths would be in vain?”

One of the lantern’s candles burns out, casting half of his face in darkness.

“We may not like the paths presented to us, but there is always a choice. Just as you chose to try to escape tonight. You could have easily stayed in this room, built my trust in you over time and then ask me for a larger share of the treasure. Instead, you decided to run.” He moves toward me again and this time there is no hint of the Grayson I’ve seen glimmers of.

There’s only the cold, unfeeling male. “So, tell me. Why should I take what is rightfully owed to my men and give you a larger share?”

The rage I feel from his entrapment makes me see red.

None of this is fair. Not Raven’s death.

Not the prize that was stolen from us mere seconds after her demise.

Not the torment of both loathing and desiring Grayson Tyde.

And certainly not my need to beg him for a share in the loot that rightfully belongs to my crew.

But it is the pirate’s way. To steal and kill our way to whatever end we find worthy of chasing.

It is all I have known and I feel the fatigue of it in my bones.

The need to simply rest for a moment without having to look over my shoulder, waiting to see who might be aiming their dagger at my back.

The burden has grown so heavy, I fear there is an imprint of its weight on my shoulders that will never be undone.

And the torment it has on my heart is the only reason I tell Grayson the terrible truth.

My shoulders sag as I release a long exhale.

“When my father died, it took two days for Red Beard to show up on our front doorstep with a pile of papers indicating my father’s debts to him.

It turns out that the power my father had before he was hung from the gallows was a falsehood.

He possessed countless loans from Red Beard and was in the process of collecting prizes to pay them off.