Chapter 1

Chapter One

Hari

C old bit into the soles of my feet from the sea-soaked wood. Squinting, I tried to make out anything in the hold, but darkness encroached on all sides. My wrists ached, rubbed raw by the coarse rope wound too tight around them.

The low murmur of voices over thudding boots seeped through the ceiling above me. I opened my mouth to cry out for help, but my words died on my tongue, dry under woven cloth. I whipped my head back, trying to free my jaw from the gag, but it was too late; the footsteps receded. The first people I had heard in hours were gone as fast as they came.

How could I have been so stupid to end up in this situation? It had happened so fast: the screams of pirates, their banging drums. Then a clash of swords on my Prince’s ship, so much bloodshed, and I was captured far too easily. Gods only knew where he had been taken.

A door behind me creaked on rusted hinges, and a shiver climbed my spine. Light steps grew louder, and a memory of being walloped over the head with a harpoon flashed through my mind. I willed my body to stop its trembling, and leaned my head back against the post that I was tied to.

Shadows danced across the walls as a lantern rounded the corner first, followed by a muscular outstretched hand. “Are you causing trouble down here?”

The stubble of his beard scraped my wind-chapped cheek, and he sauntered around to stand in front of me, planting a fist against the mast above my head. My breath caught in my throat at the dotted tattoos around his fingers that wrapped up his bare forearm, disappearing under his sleeve. Black ocean waves cascaded over his collarbones, and a Kraken tentacle curled around his neck.

“You have a choice,” he spoke again, and I finally found his eyes, the sky-blue of them piercing into me. I quickly looked away, fixing my gaze on the tattooed skin of his neck.

I cleared my throat. “Is this where you tell me to choose whether to walk the plank or die by swordpoint?”

He chuckled. “No, the plank is mostly a misconception.” He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. His open shirt pulled back to reveal more of his tattooed chest; a great black flag covered his heart, and the fin of a blue dragon flexed with his muscles. “Every captive has the choice to join the crew… or die.”

“And if I refuse either?” I asked. “Take me back to Prince Dorian.”

“That is clearly a choice for the latter,” he said with a smirk.

Rage licked up my stomach at the smugness in his expression. I twisted my wrists, trying to free myself. The binds were knotted far too well to have any hope of escape.

“Why should I entertain this? Who are you?” I breathed.

“Orion, Bosun to Captain Veshak. And, well, you saw what my captain did to yours. I imagine no one wants to be gutted like a fish. I assure you that drowning is less pleasant. My recommendation is to accept the offer of life–”

“No!” I yelled over him.

A shadow flicked over his face. Orion reached out, his fingers grazing over the planes of my cheek. “Forget about your prince, he is due to die, anyway. Train as a privateer, with me.”

I shivered against every effort to hold myself still. The skin of his fingertips was raw over my skin. I breathed deeply and dropped the wall around my emotions, letting them swirl wildly through my mind before I latched onto the strongest available: empathy. As his hand moved down my face, I pushed that feeling forward, willing it to seep into his skin, letting my magic spark across our contact.

“Forget about Dorian and join me. I will provide anything you need,” Orion murmured.

His words laced through my mind, pulling something deep within me. I felt the urge to look into his eyes and gritted my teeth against the effort of resisting his offer. The walls around me slammed down.

“Go fuck yourself,” I spat.

His head snapped back, eyes narrowing. A beat passed between us before he spoke again.

“Why are you loyal to your prince?”

A flush crept up my neck at the question. I didn’t know how to answer.

“Do you serve him? His crown?” Orion asked.

I jerked my chin down against my better judgment, then shook my head. “He is my best friend.”

“Does a best friend require constant assistance? It seems there is more. You resist as if he holds the very air you breathe.” Orion’s eyes flashed and I gritted my teeth.

“Bite your tongue!” I snapped.

“Oh! You care for him as more than a friend.” He paced away before turning back. “The prince has not asked after you.”

My thoughts raced over one another. He had to be lying. Of course Dorian would ask for me. He needed me. He loved me. Maybe not quite as I loved him, but it was still love.

“I think he controls you, instead of caring for you.” Orion leaned back, flexing his knuckles before shoving his hands into his pockets. He grinned, flashing sharp canines. “I am a patient man. I will wait.”

He scooped up the lantern and left, leaving me in darkness.

Though I remained tied to the pole, food eventually came by way of a different crew member, and I was handfed. A different man brought each meal, each drink of wine. As they offered me a bite of rice and came close to grazing a finger against my lips, I dropped the walls around my magic, but each was too careful not to touch me.

I held no empathy for pirates—or privateers—whatever they wanted to call themselves. Dorian’s father had labeled them many things. They were called ‘evil’ but continued to put off killing me. They were called ‘callous’ but offered me three square meals and a steady supply of wine each day.

Even our royal navy did not treat prisoners so well.

I don’t know how many days passed before he finally returned.

“He’s asked for you,” Orion said as he rounded the corner. “‘Hari!’ he cried out, and you weren’t there. But don’t worry, my captain consoled him with a story. He is quite easily distracted.”

My head snapped toward him, and I strained against my bonds. “Take me to him,” I begged.

“You have a choice to make first.”

“Never,” I spat.

“It’s not hard. Join me or die. The crew moves freely. Prove that I can trust you, and you’ll see him once again.”

I stilled my struggle and glared at Orion through my lashes.

“What are you holding out for?” Orion asked.

Looking into his eyes made me dizzy, so I watched the lamplight flicker.

“Dorian, always,” I admitted, then froze.

Why would I say such a thing?

Orion stepped in close, letting the glass light he held fall to his side. He crooked a finger under my chin and pulled my face to look into his eyes. A heartbeat passed. I shoved the rage I felt deep down inside and summoned every ounce of empathy I could, shoving it out through my skin.

As I met his bright gaze, my magic faltered.

Something fell away inside me, and Orion's eyes widened. The emotion I willed him to feel fell back, rebounding, and I was filled with equal measures of fury and lust.

Orion yanked his hand back, his jaw slack, and stumbled back.

Angst, trust, and then need shoved their way to the forefront of my mind, and I was left gasping for air. A wave of rage overpowered everything I felt—my emotions weren’t my own. I threw my head back against the wood I was tied to and gasped against the onslaught. It took everything I had to slam the walls back around my magic.

Orion’s hand traveled over his face, through the thick curls falling over his forehead, he tore at the button at his collar and finally cleared his throat.

I swallowed hard, tracked the tremble in his fingers to where he pinched the bridge of his nose, and I finally understood.

“Mantrik?” I gasped. “You have magic?”

He nodded, steadying himself. “Obviously, Hari.”

“But your eyes are not of Mantrik. You look like a human,” I pressed, leaning forward.

In the years since I had discovered my magic, I had never had someone overwhelm it so fiercely, had never felt such pushback. It was… intoxicating.

“Does it matter if I look like I am Mantrik? I am,” Orion said, his composure regained. He watched me with an appraising look. “Half this ship is.”

I swallowed hard, turning this news over in my mind.

Was this ship run just like the kingdom? Was the only choice to trade my service to the crown for service to the ship?

Orion’s brows lifted, and a smirk played over his lips. “You look as if you have had an incredible revelation.”

“Is everyone on this ship a captive?” I asked.

“The only captive is your Prince. He is quite comfortable in the brig.”

Orion stepped in close again, his hand raised, not quite touching my face, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. I sucked in a sharp breath, ready for him to strike me. Fury lit under my skin. I almost wanted him to.

His eyes fixed on mine, he licked his lips. “You can be as free as the rest of us,” he said, low. “Look into my eyes, let yourself feel what I give you.”

I leaned in, closing the gap between us. His eyes widened, and the pull I felt when I looked at him intensified.

“Forget about everything else, leave your past behind. I have all you need,” he murmured. “Join the crew, and I’ll even allow you to take dinner to him.”

“I will,” I said. My voice was hoarse, and he grinned, flashing those sharp teeth again.

He moved quickly, releasing my bonds. The ropes fell to the ground with a loud slap. His hands gripped my biceps in a moment, his gaze boring into mine.

The intense need filled me as his breath tickled my nose, and he spoke in a whisper over my lips.

“You belong to the ship now.” His voice wrapped around me, enclosing my mind like silk on skin. “You belong to me.”

His mouth pressed to mine, and I leaned into his kiss, his tongue parting my lips. Our deal was sealed. No matter what else happened, I knew I was his.

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