Page 35 of Traitor Witch

I sit up and pull some power from Opal as I whisper a hasty prayer, summoning a breeze of salty sea air through the window to hopefully get rid of the smell of my arousal. Pushing off the bed, I right my clothes with shaky hands. My legs are still quivering with the force of an orgasm made ten times stronger by fantasising about Rysen when the knock comes again, louder this time.

I murmur a cleansing spell to erase any lingering evidence and head for the door.

“It’s the tuna twins,”Opal warns me as my hand hovers over the handle.

I hesitate.

Cas and Nos are probably the most approachable of the five pirates and that makes them the most dangerous. It’s easier to watch my words around the obvious threat of Rysen, Val, and Kier, but the twins sneak under my defences.

“Lady Solar?” I can’t tell which twin is speaking, but the voice is quiet, almost worshipful.

I clear my throat, pull open the door just a crack and peer out. “What is it?”

The twins are standing awkwardly together in the hall outside, their eyes trained on the tiny crack I’ve made.

“Are you okay?” Cas’s voice is so soft, like he’s afraid of spooking me. “We heard Rysen got a bit rough with you.”

I snort, but cover the sound with an unconvincing cough. I open the door a little wider, checking to see if the damned fae is lurking before I reply.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. I was just… meditating on the Goddess’s divine nature.”

It’s a bad excuse, but it’s the sort of shit I’ve seen Solars do day-in, day-out at the Solar Temple, sitting on cushions, silently contemplating murals of the sun. I tried it once, I only lasted fifteen minutes, and for most of that time, I was wondering what was cooking in the kitchens downstairs.

The twins don’t know that, though, and their ears redden as they stare at their feet.

“Sorry we disturbed you,” Nos mumbles.

“When you’ve finished, would you like to come up on deck and see the ocean?” Cas asks, obviously not about to give up. “We could give you a tour of the rest of the ship.”

I wipe the grimace off my face before it can form. “Thank you. Perhaps after dinner, when I’ve finished my prayers.”

Or never. Never is good too.

Cas stiffens at my rejection, hands fisting at his sides, but as much as I feel bad for turning him down, the thought ofgoing on deck and seeing nothing but miles and miles of water makes my pulse race and my gut churn with apprehension.

I go to shut the door, but Nos slips his fingers around the wood, preventing it from closing.

“Nilsa, our beasts can scent your fear. No one on the ship will hurt you, and Rysen is guilt-ridden for the way he treated you earlier. None of us expect you to keep feeding him if you don’t want to. Just come up on deck, hang out with the crew. It’s not good to shut yourself away like this.”

“I’m not afraid.” My denial is instant. “Just busy. Solar witches spend a lot of our lives in solitary prayer.” Being a lone-wolf isn’t normal for a Lunar witch, but I’m sure I’ll adapt until I clear my name. “And I’m a witch of my word; I said I would feed the entire crew and I will.”

Nos’s fingers retreat just a little but it’s all I need to close the door between us.

“If you ask me, they just want in your pants.”Opal has somehow squeezed through the gap and back into my cabin and immediately sets about jumping up onto my desk where she starts batting at the ring which I took from the body of my High Priestess.

“Leave that alone,” I mutter, snatching it back up. “I’m still looking at it.”

That’s a lie.

I’ve deliberately avoided both the ring and the athame since I came aboard, but there’s no putting this off any longer. Not if I want to clear my name.

The chain is fairly ordinary, silver—which rules out the killer being a shifter or a vampire—but otherwise unremarkable. The gold ring is plain as well, with only a small flat face embossed with a crest I don’t recognise.

But it’s a lead. Someone must know who it belongs to.

I have a clue. Now all I have to do is follow it and pray itdoesn’t turn out to be a dead end. I grab the chain in my fist, pull a tiny bit of magic from Opal to fix the broken link, and loop it over my head so it rests between my breasts with my Lunar pendant, securely hidden beneath my clothes.

With the ring out of the way, I stare down at the athame.