Page 6 of Pirate Witch

Something Val confirms when he says: “I’d rather be dead than spend another minute in that bitch’s clutches.”

“Elsie and Reva will have to keep you all on the boundary of life and death for long enough to fool the bargain into breaking,” our mate explains. “They’re both young, but they’re bloody strong witches. I trust them with my life and yours.” She doesn’t add that she doesn’t have much choice.

“Why not you?” Rysen interrupts. “You’re a strong Lunar. Why can’t you do it?”

Nilsa hesitates. “If one of you died, I’d lose focus and put the others at risk. No, it has to be someone with no emotional attachment to any of you.” Her voice breaks slightly, her scent turning sweet with fear.

Our strong, tough-as-nails mate is scared for us.

The shuffling of clothes tells me one of her other mates is hugging her, comforting her in a way Cas and I can’t from our position on the opposite side of the table.

“When you get to Isablis, find Cirio’s ship, theParlance,” Val instructs. “He’ll have a full crew, a loyal one. There’s a chance he’ll be able to contain us long enough for you to break the spell.”

“Cirio won’t know her,” Rysen points out. “He’s a shifter, so he might be able to smell us on her, but if she’s flying, our scent will be destroyed by the sea air.”

Val breathes out, the sound rough on my ears. “Pierce is a vampire. He might be able to recognise your mating marks on her.”

“Cirio would have to be out of his mind to let his precious mate anywhere near a trained Lunar assassin,” Ry argues. “Let alone close enough to examine her neck. You know pirates are a suspicious bunch. Even a letter in your handwriting might not be believed, especially given how far we’re asking him to go for a complete stranger.”

There’s a heavy pause, and I know what they’re all thinking.

Sirens and mages receive marks from their mates on mating rather than giving them, like the other species do, so neither Val nor Klaus will be able to help Nilsa prove she is who she says she is. Kier’s mark will only be visible to other fae, and those are as rare as Leviathans. Cirio doesn’t have one on his crew that we know of.

A shifter’s mark, however…

Cirio is a shark shifter. If Cas and I marked Nilsa, he’d know immediately who she belonged to.

“No way,” Val growls. “They don’t fucking deserve—”

“Nilsa should be the judge of that,” Rysen interrupts.

Our mate is slow to answer. “I don’t follow,” she admits.

“If these two idiots mark you, Cirio will know you’re ours the instant he sees you,” Rysen grumbles. “He’ll have to believe you, because as a shifter, he’ll be able to tell that you’ve been claimed by them.”

“But they don’t exactly deserve the mate bond with you after what they did,” Val finishes. “We can find some other way…”

“I want to speak to Cas and Nos,” Nilsa interrupts. “Alone.”

Kier, beside us, is the first to move. Pushing the bench back, he grabs his bowl and heads out of the room in silence. Klaus follows after a long silence, leaving only Val and Rysen standing with us.

“If you two so much as—” Ry begins, but Nilsa cuts him off.

“I’m grateful for your concern, but I’m more than capable of defending myself.” I hear the gentle peck of a kiss and seconds later, the vampire lets out a long sigh.

“As you wish, little witch.”

His footsteps trudge from the room, leaving only the captain.

“Don’t start caring about my hurt feelings now,” Nilsa snorts. “There must be something on this boat that needs your attention.”

Val ignores her. “Put another fucking fin out of line, and I’ll make you both swim to Isablis,” he vows.

“Understood,” Cas mutters, and I nod.

I don’t hear the captain leave the room, but his scent fades, and I assume he’s disappeared through a wall. He has no idea how disorienting that is for someone like me, but I’m in no hurry to point it out. He’s done enough to make me feel comfortable on his ship.

Our mate leans against the table, her weight making it shift.