Page 27 of Traitor Witch (The Deadwood #1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

VALOREAN

“ C aptain!"

The voice which rings out behind me is so unwelcome I resist the urge to just sink down into the heart of the ship and hide. The ropes on the deck tense subtly at my irritation, the black flag at the top of the mast tugs angrily against its fastenings, and below me, wood groans.

She even succeeds in slightly wilting the constant boner I've been suffering since Nilsa came aboard.

Fucking Solar witches.

After I've gotten rid of them, I am never, ever letting one aboard my ship ever again.

"Captain Valorean, a moment, please?"

"What?" I snap, turning on my heel to face the second-most annoying woman aboard.

Elsie looks taken aback by my curt response, but only for a second before her damned calm smile returns .

Fucking Solar witch.

Thank gold only one of them is like this.

Elsie is an unflappable, ray of calm sunshine. Positivity and freaking rainbows distilled into witch form.

Nilsa is fire. Destructive, argumentative, and dangerous.

My cock hardens fully once again at the thought of her and I inwardly groan. This damned erection hasn't gone away since she stepped foot on my ship.

More proof that Nilsa is my mate.

Maybe she is.

That doesn't mean she's not lying.

Elsie is still talking, but I don't hear her.

No, my attention is fixed on Titan, climbing the steps to the quarterdeck. Nilsa's damned cat is riding around on his back like she owns him.

Even I have to admit, it is a little funny. A tiny tabby innocently licking its paws on the back of a giant, slobbery mastiff.

Not that I'll ever tell the witch that.

"Hey boy." I completely ignore the cat in favour of petting my new shipmate. His soft ears are scarred from whatever life he had before I adopted him, but he's a sappy thing.

My hand sneaks into my jacket and pulls out a strip of jerky I've been sneaking from the galley.

It's gone before I can offer it to Titan.

The cat just sits there, chewing with a self-satisfied look on her face.

Fucking feline.

I take another piece of jerky out of my jacket, but pull a little power too. A rope sneaks out, wiggling on the deck just enough to distract the cat for just a second so I can spoil my boy.

Of course, he rolls over instantly, seeking belly rubs. The action has the added bonus of forcing the cat to leap to safety or be crushed.

I can't help my smirk.

Serves her right.

Titan's tail thumps against the floorboards happily and I can't help the smile that forms in response. Why didn't I get a dog sooner?

Simple, adorable, and kind of stupid. The perfect companion.

"...so don't you agree we should remedy that as soon as possible?"

Ugh. She's still here? "What?"

Elsie doesn't scowl. Nope, she maintains that happy little smile as if she's genuinely pleased about how rude I'm being.

"I was saying, your boat doesn't have a shrine to either Goddess aboard."

These witches have to stop calling my ship a boat or I'm going to make them walk a plank for fun.

"Yup. There are no shrines on my ship ." I stress the last word.

I don't think Elsie irritates me on purpose... she just... exists. Her unique mixture of na?ve innocence and self-composure just rubs me the wrong way. It's not her fault, but I wish she'd just go away and leave me alone.

I think that about a lot of people.

And I'm enough of a bastard that I won't pretend otherwise.

"Nilsa and I could set some up. Give you all a place to worship the Goddesses," she finishes, still smiling.

I glower at her. "No."

She doesn't need to know there are already shrines to both sitting in the Heart of the Deadwood . Remnants of my parents that have somehow survived all these years .

My mother was the religious one. But I'm pretty sure both she and my father would be turning in their graves over the way I've treated the priestesses since they came aboard.

Maybe I'd be a little more respectful if they weren't both lying through their teeth.

Then I feel it.

The unexpected buzz of another mage's magic combined with a crystal. And it's close.

Too close.

It's been happening every few hours, but never for long enough for me to pinpoint the location.

Whatever it is, it's on my ship.

A chill runs down my spine.

No. They wouldn't be so stupid as to try to separate me from my ship again.

I force aside the instant anger, trying to focus. Titan senses my change in mood and flips back onto his front, surveying the deck with me. His ears are flat against his skull, tail up and alert.

But there's nothing there.

As quickly as it came, the feeling dissipates.

Nothing's changed.

Elsie's still extolling the virtues of shrines on ships to me, completely unaware of whatever's happening.

I'm sure I felt...

I let my senses flow into the ship, looking for any mage-tech that doesn't belong.

But everything mage-tech on this ship was made by me. Painstaking hours of burning my own transmutation circles into crystals to create the lamps, stove, and locks. I've even done a few tiny gadgets to help Nos.

Normally, a transmutation circle burns out after using up all the power the mage who cast it infused it with. But crystals provide a portable energy source, giving mage-tech an unlimited lifespan.

The discovery was one of the greatest finds of all time. It was going to change the world.

Make us the society of the future, with mages at the centre.

At least, that was until the wraiths started attacking everywhere without salt, including the crystal mines.

"Hey, Nilsa!" Elsie's blabbering ceases as she waves down at the witch poking her head through the trapdoor on the lower deck.

My head whips around at the name, my whole body fascinated with her presence despite my best efforts.

Fuck. I hate my reaction to her.

All of my blood rushes south, sending another painful ache to the erection that never disappears. It won't go away until she claims me or I find a way to break the bond.

Neither of which seem to be happening anytime soon.

Even if we weren't mates, she's probably gorgeous enough to have the same effect on me.

But there's something different about the witch tonight.

She seems...dull.

"What's wrong with you?" I blurt before my brain can filter me.

"Nothing, you rude asshole."

Goddess, normally I love our arguments—not that I'll ever admit it—but tonight the heat isn't there.

Under the torchlight, she seems kind of unsteady. One arm is clutched over her midsection and I frown.

"Elsie, can I... can I borrow you for a second?"

She needs a healer?

I'm not concerned.

Not fucking concerned.

The cat abandons her attempts to get back on Titan's back and hops down towards her witch but doesn't leap to her shoulders.

Instead, she winds around Nilsa's feet. Mewing.

Something's wrong with our witch.

Not our witch.

The witch.

The hatch slams shut before I can interrogate her.

But it's not long before Rysen comes flying out of it.

His fangs are bared, his fists clenched and his eyes are practically glowing red. For a second, I think he's going to hit me.

But he doesn't. Instead, he runs straight to the side of the ship and dives overboard.

What the...?

Have Rysen and Cas swapped species?

"It's her time of the month..." Nos mutters, following Rysen out from below deck and heading for the rails. "The blood is...making my beast a little antsy. It's probably affecting him even more."

I know my eyebrows shoot into my hairline at that one.

It takes a lot for Nos to even admit he has a beast.

Let alone admit to it being out of control.

Then it sinks in. "She's bleeding?"

Nos's eyes are pure white, but it's still obvious he's rolling his eyes as me. "Of course she's bleeding, you idiot. It's what females do."

Oh. Oh .

I cringe. No matter how many centuries I've lived, I still can't help but feel sorry for females. I'd rather be burned alive than suffer the way my aunt and cousins used to.

Not that I feel sympathetic towards the witch.

Cas climbs over the side and stops dead.

"Is that—?" His voice is strangled.

"Nilsa's time of the month." Nos shrugs .

Cas frowns, visibly trying to breathe through his mouth. "What the fuck are you all doing up here while she's suffering?"

Nos's secret smile confirms that he's already seen this whole situation before he even speaks. "The wine is in our cabin, top left cupboard by the door and Ry's been hiding a stash of chocolates in his cabin, waiting to surprise her."

Cas turns, but I cough, drawing his attention back to me.

A rope dips into the deck, twining all the way down into the heart of the ship. It opens a drawer in a dresser I've not touched in weeks and pulls out a tin.

When that tin reaches my palm, Cas's eyes widen.

"Are those...?"

"Fae dust sweets. Only give her one and don't tell her they're mine." The words are like acid leaving my mouth.

Nos's eyebrows have risen into his hairline, but he stays quiet.

Kier clears his throat behind me, and the feeling of literal ice down my spine makes me pause.

"It's not your dust. I skimmed some off the top of the cargo a while back. They help me sleep."

The admission is rough, but the ice disappears.

I don't look behind me. I can't take Kier's knowing look right now.

Cas takes the tin, smirking. "So we're getting the little witch high on dust?"

"You're only giving her one. That's not enough to get her high. But it will help with the pain and make her sleepy."

He nods and heads for the hatch, Nos following behind him.

"Trouble sleeping?" Kier asks once we're alone.

For fuck's sake. He would be feeling chatty now, wouldn't he ?

But Kier knows exactly how deep betrayal can cut. The secret scars it leaves on everyday things.

"They came for me when I was sleeping."

It's why I'm not going to sleep properly until Nilsa and Elsie are gone.

Kier nods once. "Same."