Page 6

Siobhan

When all is said and done, Nox’s plan truly is brilliant in its simplicity. Lizzie, Maeve, and I conducted a three-person assault on the Crimson Hag that damn near sank the ship and their formidable crew along with it. With Nox and their elemental magic in the mix, victory should be a sure thing.

But Morrigan isn’t Miles. She isn’t like any of the other captains in the C?n Annwn. She isn’t like anyone else in Threshold…except me.

My younger sister, whom I haven’t seen since the fire that killed our parents and was supposed to kill me, the better to clear the way for her ascension to power as the last remaining member of our family still standing. If she’d known I was alive, she would have hunted me through the realms until she stood over my dead body, sure that she’d finished the job.

After we save Bastian—if we’re even able to pull it off—Morrigan won’t stop coming after us until every single one of us is torn to pieces.

I know what Nox said about despair, but I can’t stop myself from worrying as each day brings us closer to the rendezvous point.

“Stop moping. It’s unbecoming of a leader.”

I look up as Lizzie drops down next to me. She watches the crew move about with narrowed eyes. “Nox knows what they’re doing. I’m aware that Morrigan is scary, but so are we. So buck the fuck up and put that intimidating persona back in place to inspire courage in the crew who are about to risk their lives for your cause.”

As pep talks go, it’s not particularly good, but after a few days in Lizzie’s presence, I’m inured to her particular…charm. “I’m not moping. I’m plotting.”

“Looks the same from where I’m sitting.” She stretches out her long legs. “It goes without saying that Maeve will not be involved in any efforts to retrieve your little boyfriend a second time.”

I follow her gaze to where the redhead is currently engaged in an animated conversation with the witch, her hands moving rapidly as she speaks. “Does she know that?”

“We’ve spoken about it,” Lizzie says stiffly. “By the time we reach our destination, I expect to be victorious.”

At that, I twist to look at her. She’s glaring at the deck as if it insulted her personally. I don’t know what it says about me that Lizzie in a foul mood amuses me greatly. “Does she know you intend to murder your way through Morrigan’s crew? You know how Maeve feels about murder.”

“Don’t be smug.” She shrugs stiffly. “With stakes as high as they are, she’s willing to waive her determination to save every lost soul who crosses her path.”

Love is so strange. It changes a person, and watching it happen in real time is admittedly odd. I can’t help but think of all the ways I’ve changed since Bastian and I started our relationship. I want to say it’s all been for the best, but now I wonder.

When you’re happy, it’s so easy to make excuses to remain safe . Even at the cost of others’ lives.

I shake myself and push to my feet. “Nox has the ability to incapacitate the crew by restricting blood flow to their brains. You can turn their own blood against them. It’s a good plan.” There will be crew members who have shields their magic can’t penetrate, though, and that’s what I’m worried about.

“Yes, it is.” Lizzie watches me closely. “And it doesn’t require your presence on that ship.”

“Gods, not you, too.” I’ve had to sit through lectures by Nox, Bowen, and now apparently Lizzie about how the head of the rebellion shouldn’t put herself at risk.

As if I haven’t been at risk from the moment I was born. As if that risk hasn’t increased exponentially now that I’m supposed to be dead.

But that’s not something I can say, not without explaining why I take the C?n Annwn’s perversion of the originals’ vision so personally. A problem to deal with later, one we won’t have to worry about if we don’t successfully save Bastian from being brought before the Council.

The mood on the deck shifts, and I know without looking that Nox has emerged from their cabin. They don’t say anything, but they don’t need to. Their energy draws the crew’s spines straight and makes the people want to please them, to say something to make them laugh, to bring a smile to their sharp mouth.

Even as I tell myself not to look, I can’t help twisting in their direction. It’s like turning to face the sun. Damn it, I can’t let my continuing attraction to them muddy the waters. There’s a reason I’ve kept my distance from them over the years, and it’s not just because I fell in love with their ex.

If Bastian distracted me from the ugly parts that come with being leader of a rebellion, then Nox would have made me careless in a truly dangerous way. They are the kind of person the unwary can get lost in, and if I’d like to think I would never allow that to happen, the temptation to simply live for myself and no other…it’s stronger than I want to admit. My entire life has been in service, first to my parents and then to the rebellion. I can’t stumble now.

No matter how exhausted I am.

Even now, I’m having a hard time not going to them, not leaning on their strength the same way I did in their cabin a few days ago. I remind myself I am Siobhan, leader of the rebellion, and I cannot afford to falter…and yet I crumbled when it was just us.

I crumbled, and they didn’t make me feel worse because of the weakness. They simply met my despair with a plan of action that has a solid chance of being successful.

They look particularly good right now, with their head held high and their crimson coat trailing behind them in the wind of our passage. Their pale skin seems made for the color, but I’d love to see them in anything but the hated bloody tone that represents everything wrong in this world.

Someday…

“Well, I can’t fault your taste.” Lizzie rises. “I’m serious, though, Siobhan. Trying to bully your way into that rescue attempt when we have an entire crew of people willing and capable of being successful is a silly, reckless thing to do.”

It’s a sign of how rattled I am that I actually snarl at her. “Since when do you actually consider yourself part of a crew?”

Lizzie doesn’t blink, but her eyes flash crimson, a sure sign of her irritation. “I’m not Nox or Evelyn or even Bowen. I’m not going to argue circles with you. If you try to join the rescue attempt, I’m going to knock you the fuck out.” She turns away. “It doesn’t matter if you see me coming. You can’t do a damn thing to stop me.”

My fingers shift, claws shooting past my human skin. “Try to knock me unconscious and you’ll see exactly what I can do.”

“Children, children, let’s not fight.”

I didn’t realize Nox was approaching until they slid between us. They don’t flinch away from my claws or Lizzie’s deep red eyes. They wear a small mocking smile, but their gaze is unrelenting. “Lizzie, this is my ship, and I’ll thank you not to give orders to the people aboard. You’ve stated multiple times that you’re only here for Maeve, which puts you outside the chain of command. Go find something to do.”

Lizzie hesitates long enough that I think she might be spoiling for a fight, but then she shrugs and tucks away every bit of tension in her body. She smiles, flashing sharp canines. “Sure thing, Captain .”

Nox waits for the vampire to walk away before they turn to me. “You’re not coming, Siobhan. We can’t risk you.” They hold my gaze. “In fact, I don’t even want you on deck starting tomorrow morning. We’ll be close enough that we’re bound to run into other ships. Most of them don’t know what you look like, but it’s still too big a risk.”

I take a step toward them—and bounce off an invisible barrier between us. “Nox,” I say quietly. “Are you shielding against me right now?”

“No.” Their smile doesn’t dim. They point to the side, leading me to look to where Bowen stands, his attention on us. Nox shrugs. “Your claws are still out. It’s making my crew nervous.”

Their crew.

Lizzie technically may not be part of it, but it’s clear she is still more a member than I’ll ever be. There’s no reason for that realization to hurt. I chose not to sail with a crew of my own. It leaves me the ability to move swiftly without the need for votes or protests. The lack of a crew means less chance of people dying simply from being in my presence. It means there’s less chance of my identity being tortured out of people. It’s a good thing.

It just doesn’t feel like a good thing right now.

I take a deep breath, and then another, doing my best to calm down enough to retract my claws. Most shifters talk about their other half as a separate personality inside them. That’s not how I work. I am me, whether in human form, beast form, or something else altogether.

“Fine. I asked for your help, so I’ll follow your lead. Even if it means hiding.”

“Good girl.” Their lips quirk when the insinuation in their words makes me blush. “Now, I think we can both agree that you’ve sulked enough. I have a task for you.”

Nox

Several days later, we reach the sandbar right on schedule, catching sight of a trio of ships with crimson sails well before the sun sinks below the horizon. I study their positions. The Bone Heart will be the center one.

“You know what to do, Eyal,” I murmur.

“Take us over to say hello.” Eyal matches my tone, his sure hands easily guiding the ship in that direction.

The deck of the Audacity is mostly barren. It would be odd if there weren’t any crew members around, so we have a few strategically cleaning the deck on the opposite side of the ship from where Evelyn has drawn her circle in preparation for the attack.

Lizzie lounges against the stairway leading to the upper deck. The only indication that her relaxation is a lie is the tension in her shoulders and her breathing coming a little faster than normal. The vampire might be able to decimate a small army with her power, but she’s terrified of the sea.

It really just goes to show that she’s smarter than she looks.

I nod at Eyal and then turn to Poet. “While I’m gone, you’re in charge.”

She shifts. “Don’t look at me like that, Captain. I have no interest in your job.” She jerks her chin toward the sails. “We have the alternatives ready to go. We just need the opportunity to change them out.”

“Good.” I roll my shoulders. “Are the others ready?” Three ships are about what we expected. It’s a testament to Morrigan’s reputation that the other two have anchored far enough away that I can’t identify them on sight. It means they’re close enough to assist in a pitched sea battle, assuming all three are in motion, but they’re too far away to help easily tonight.

With the trios currently getting ready to launch a secondary assault on each ship, they won’t be able to help at all. Our goal isn’t to sink them, only to dismantle their ability to give chase.

As much as I hate the C?n Annwn and the horrors they enact, it doesn’t change the fact that the first horror they carry out is in their recruitment. Most of the other crews are filled with people who just want to go home. Some end up embracing their new, bloody life. Most wither away and die before their time. A tragedy either way, and not one I want to contribute to if there’s any other choice.

Morrigan’s crew is the exception. She doesn’t allow anyone on board who hasn’t volunteered, and even then, she has more volunteers than slots to fill. It’s why her crew is the best of the best—and it’s why I have no problem eliminating any of them .

With that in mind, I turn to the vampire. “This won’t be like last time. Most of them will have shields.”

Lizzie shrugs. “So bring the big man and have him toss those with shields into the sea.”

I open my mouth to tell her that Bowen needs to remain in reserve, but she’s right. When you have telekinetic power on the level he does, he wouldn’t even need to get past a single shield. He could just rip the ship apart and scatter the crew. “We’ll save that for after Bastian is safe. If he drowns in our rescue attempt, we’ll never hear the end of it from Siobhan.”

“Siobhan. Right. You’re definitely not still stumbling over his name every time you say it.” Lizzie rolls her eyes. “I’m not a fool, Nox. You obviously have history. Is it going to get in the way?”

I clamp my mouth shut to keep from snapping at her. Lizzie is a predator right down to her bones. Giving her even a hint of weakness won’t end well. “You have nothing to worry about.” I motion for her to head to the agreed-upon spot on the deck where we’ll approach the Bone Heart , and I cut around the stairs to where Bowen lingers with Evelyn. He’s never far from her side these days, but he rarely gives me reason to complain. The man is a machine.

“Bowen, new job.” I wink at Evelyn, which makes him growl under his breath. He’s so easy to rile. “Our priority is getting Bastian off the ship. If we fail, I want you to rip it to shreds.” Lizzie has a point, and I’m not one to cling to a faulty plan when there’s a better—and less dangerous—option.

He flinches. “People will die.”

“Not people, darling—Morrigan’s crew, murderers and monsters to a person. But if you’re so worried about unnecessary death, be careful when you’re dismantling their ship.” I pat his shoulder, but I can’t quite make myself continue the facade of carelessness. It’s getting harder and harder to wear this particular mask. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if there was another option. We need all the advantages we can manage in order to have even the slightest chance of escaping. Otherwise, it’s likely that we’ll face heavy losses.”

Am I being emotionally manipulative? Absolutely. Bowen is a paladin in a pirate hat, and his code of honor is honestly exhausting. Add to that a healthy dose of guilt for being part of the problem for so long and he’s ripe to question every single order I make in an effort to negate harm.

I can’t afford another argument with another strong personality on my crew. We’re out of time.

Help comes in the form of the witch pressing her hand to his arm. “Bowen, you’ve told me yourself the stories of the horrors Morrigan has perpetuated.”

He hesitates but finally nods. “I’ll do it. If you fail, I’ll dismantle the ship.”

“Thank you.” I turn to Evelyn. “Wait until my signal to put the shield up.”

Her green eyes are alight with anticipation. How these two ended up together, I’ll never understand, but she’s good for him. I suppose he’s good for her, too, what with reining in her more chaotic impulses. Evelyn grins. “Can’t wait to see what you decide to make your signal.”

“You’ll know it when you see it.”

“Oh, I have no doubt of that.”