Page 5 of The Nymph Prince

Hours passed as I swam, and before too long, exhaustion began weighing me down. But then, I saw theCrimson Nightand I no longer felt the burn in my arms or the weakness in my muscles.

All I felt washim.

My joy was short-lived once I saw another ship approaching. It was about the same size as theCrimson, and I looked to the flags to see if I could tell what type of ship it was. If it was another pirate ship, it’d have black sails. The sails were neither pirate nor royal, so it must’ve been some type of merchant vessel. Pirates could’ve commandeered the ship, though.

Finding another burst of energy, I dashed forward in the water, trying to reach theCrimson Night.

Canon fire pierced the air.

The enemy ship was firing! The men aboard ran back and forth, grabbing weapons and readying themselves for the attack. TheCrimsonretaliated, shooting off their guns, as well. Chaos ensued.

Men shouted as they were blown apart by cannonballs. They cried out as they were shot and stabbed. Explosion after explosion sounded off, and I felt worthless.

I couldn’t do anything to help. I was a mere speck in the water as two ships battled it out.

With dread knotting in my gut, I searched for my pirate.Please let him be safe.My prayer went unanswered. He was being taken by two men from the enemy crew, and my heart stopped beating.

They yanked him toward the plank connecting the two ships, and even from my distance, I saw the fear on his handsome face. Why are they taking him? He’s done nothing wrong! An anchor dropped into my stomach as I frantically looked around.

I rushed forward, closer than I should’ve been, but I couldn’t stay away.

The hull of the enemy ship rocked in the water, and I swam until I was right beside it, staring upward at the men as they pushed my pirate forward. His dark hair was short and allowed me to see his face and the tension present there.

His eyes flickered to purple, but then went back to their normal shade.

Had it been a trick of the light?

Everything happened so fast.

A commotion arose. One of the men holding him was pushed off and fell into the water. He was crushed as the ships collided with the force of the strong waves.

Red stained the water before being washed away with the tide.

My pirate had taken the chance to escape, grabbing one of the ropes and swinging back over to theCrimson Night. Uproar occurred on deck, and I hated not being able to properly see what was happening. Some of the enemy crew that had rushed back to their ship took hold of the ropes and swung back toward theCrimson, but many were shot in midair and fell to their watery graves.

A roaring of anger reached my ears, and through the small space in the railing, I saw a red-haired man being stabbed. That was my pirate’s friend. My sadness for the young man was forgotten as a tall, dark-haired man grabbed my pirate and backed-up toward the edge of the ship.

From my spot, I could see them perfectly.

I heard a muffling of voices, but couldn’t make out any words. When a shot pierced the air, and the dark-haired man and my male were thrown off the deck, I ducked beneath the surface. I whined when I saw the blood in the water.

My pirate had been shot in the chest. I was several feet below him, and it felt like my heart was cracking into a million tiny pieces as I watched him bleed out.

For months, I’d followed him, curious to know him better but too uncertain to make contact. And now I’d never get the chance.

Although I was sure he wouldn’t survive his wounds, I refused to let him die alone.

From below, I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my face into the side of his dark hair before pulling him beneath the waves.

2

Alek

Out of all the ways I could die, being shot by the man who’d become like a father to me, out of mercy, didn’t seem so bad. If the enemy would’ve taken me to King James, I would’ve been tortured for information I did not have and then—finally—they would have killed me.

It was unfair to ask such a thing of Captain Flynn, but it was a mercy compared to how I would’ve died. I stared into his mismatched eyes, one blue and one brown, and pleaded with him to pull the trigger.

Fletcher, my greatest friend, screamed for me. I couldn’t look at him. He’d been stabbed because of me.