Page 108 of Traitor Witch

NILSA

Cannon fire jolts me out of a fae-dust induced slumber.

The whole boat shakes, and Val's maniacal laughter fills the cabin.

Ugh.

Whoever this is just had to pick today to attack us, didn't they? The day when my gut tries to rip itself out of me and leaves me feeling stabby and emotional.

The fae dust might have blunted the worst of the tearing pains in my abdomen, but it hasn't made me any less of a moody bitch. It also hasn't done anything about the wicked hangover banging around my skull from all the wine.

I grab my dagger and head for the door.

"Ahem... new moon?"Opal's sensible and unwelcome reminder blasts through me.

"They woke me up," I argue.

"The horror,"she retorts, dryly."And just how do you plan tosneak aboard a hostile ship and kill people without any of the pirates noticing?"

Ugh, why does my familiar have to be so sensible?

I sink back onto the bed and grab another chocolate from the box Cas and Nos presented to me last night.

I soften slightly as I remember how sweet the shifter twins were. Nos snuggled me, his warm arm around my middle. My own, personal heat pad. After I banished Elsie and her unhelpful 'pain is the price of the blessing of fertility' speech, Cas broke out the wine and fae dust candies to commiserate.

So much for hoping the Solar witch would heal me.

Another round of cannon fire deafens me and I growl in frustration, leaping off the bed.

"Can you keep it down!" I yell at the ceiling.

Val just laughs harder.

That's it.

I rip open the door and stomp down the hallway towards the hatch. My hangover and period-induced-ire is enough to make me stomp out onto the deck, uncaring of the ocean.

Not that I can focus on the sea with all the drama happening up here.

The planks that make up theDeadwoodare shining like they're made of metal, not wood. They're covered in inky purple transmutation circles, and their new sheen reflects that light so the whole ship has an eerie glow.

Val is at the wheel, his skin marked with the same geometric patterns. Underneath I can see the deep red of perfectly circular bruises which must be the result of all the cannon fire theDeadwoodhas taken. The amount of power it takes to protect both man and ship must be insane.

His magic is hardening the entire hull enough to reduce cannonball blasts to mere dents.

I don't think I ever truly understood how powerful amage Val is until now. Something close to respect forms as the ship rocks under another round of cannon fire and Val just laughs and takes it.

But I shrug off the feeling.

Val might be powerful, but he's still an asshole. Even worse, his glowing makes it impossible to look at him for a long time without sunspots dancing in my eyes. I switch my attention to our attackers' ship to give my retinas a rest.

Only to be confronted by a scene out of a horror movie.

Cas's beast is wrapped around the other ship like a snake. His coils squeeze their hull as the other crew desperately tries to thrust spears through his armoured scales.

How dare they stab him?

Rage boils through me, but I can't see a way across to do anything about it.