JAMES
My grip tightens possessively as I drag him closer.
My lips find his and it’s like coming home.
Caspian immediately presses into me, returning the kiss with an urgency I can feel in my blood.
Our teeth clash, tongues dueling—both of us forget how to breathe.
A soft gasp escapes, only to immediately be inhaled by him as he pulls my lower lip between his teeth.
I’m drowning in him and I don’t want to be saved.
Caspian’s hands slide up my chest and it's like being touched by fire. I shove him into the wall, hips pressing against his, feeling his arousal that mirrors mine. I’m painfully hard—from just a fucking kiss.
His hands are in my hair now, shaking with intensity as I drink in every single breath he gives me—he’s like a drug I didn’t even know I was addicted to.
The door opens and we spring apart so violently I’m momentarily disoriented.
We’re both struggling to catch our breath as Harrison steps in with Van right behind him.
Harrison takes one look between the two of us and shakes his head while Van is gaping at Caspian who’s still staring at me—his eyes are black pits, all the blue consumed by lust. There’s no hiding what is still vibrating between us.
“Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, Captain,” Harrison says dryly. “But we’ve sustained pretty significant damage and need to make port.”
Caspian’s eyes are locked on mine. “If I may?” He’s still a little breathless. “The closest port is Foxhollow—”
“Caspian—” Van snaps.
“We can repair the ship and resupply there,” Caspian continues, ignoring Van.
“You can’t be serious,” Van storms. “You’re going to compromise everything!” He steps towards Caspian, demanding his attention. “They’re pirates—”
Caspian drags his eyes away from me. “Some things are worth the risk, Van,” he says, and even though he’s glaring at his quartermaster, I know those words are for me. “Set sail northeast for Foxhollow.”
Harrison looks at me for confirmation and I wave a hand. “Do it.”
“Caspian, please—” Van pleads.
I don’t know what any of it means but Caspian’s face darkens and he strides towards Van.
“Fucking, enough!” He grabs him by the arm and drags him out of the room.
I run a hand over my face and Harrison chuckles. “Welcome to the other side—not that I agree with the person you decided to experiment with but—” he shrugs as I scowl at him and head out into the hallway with him on my heels.
“What were our losses in the storm?”
“Bill and Tom were casualties of the boom,” Harrison says.
“Kahn is also unaccounted for. Several minor injuries. The ship took damage to…” He continues talking as we make our way above deck.
The ship is limping along, barely able to get any speed after the thrashing she received in the storm.
“…We’ll drop all the sail we have. Should be able to reach three or four knots by the time we rig something up.
” He pauses. “Have you heard of Foxhollow?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t.”
Whatever this place is, it’s obviously important and something they don’t want people readily knowing about.
My mind tries to stay on the immediate things that need to get done in order to get us moving, but there’s no denying I’m distracted.
The kiss is fresh in my mind—the electricity of the moment sends a thrill through me.
I’d seen him in the doorway and said fuck it —I was done hesitating.
I can still feel him on my lips, taste him on my tongue.
I stand at the helm, looking out at the horizon and realize I’m about to learn something else about Caspian. My mysterious fox is slowly unraveling his secrets to me—like bits of a treasure I didn’t know I’d been searching for.
Caspian stands beside me vibrating with energy as we watch land come into view.
I haven’t had a moment alone with him to talk about the kiss.
Even though I’m pretty sure I don’t want to talk about it—I want to experience it again—but between making sure the ship could survive the journey here and taking stock of all the damage the storm and battle with Malik caused, I hardly even had time to think about it.
Not that it’s far from my mind, even now, I can feel his presence next to me, like the tide pulling me into him.
“What is this place?” I ask.
I can’t miss the small gleam of pride in his eyes as we drop anchor. “A safe haven, Captain.”
The sun is low in the afternoon sky behind us, sending golden rays cascading across the bay and the beach beyond.
Green mountains burst from the ground behind a large sprawling town situated among towering pine trees.
Large cliffs dominate their left flank with steep, forested slopes on the right making the narrow docks the only accessible point for the town.
A crowd has already gathered at the docks, intrigue over the foreign ship anchoring in their bay.
I see the dockmaster looking on with concern and realize I probably should have lowered the Black before sailing into view.
But the moment our row boat hits the quay, I see recognition in his eyes as they fall on Caspian.
“Fox! I didn’t recognize the ship, sir!”
It’s like his words open the dam and the people gathered swarm around Caspian.
“It’s okay, Ken—this is a special visit,” he says, a fondness in his eyes I haven’t seen before. He turns to the crowd, and with care and attentiveness, greets each person.
Van and Flynt brush past us to join Caspian in greeting the townspeople and Harrison mutters something in surprise at their reception. The three of them are obviously well-known and well-loved here.
Caspian looks over his shoulder, finding me immediately. His eyes are alight with purpose. He beckons to me and as he does, it’s like the attention all shifts, and murmurs rush through the crowd.
When I reach him, he nods towards town. “Come on, Captain, I have something to show you.”
I follow after him. It’s a modest, clean settlement and the deeper we walk into the center of town the more the smells of baking bread and roasting meats waft around us. A pack of laughing children chase a ball as they race down the street, and I step aside to allow them to pass.
I turn back to catch up with Caspian and see him with his head bent close to a vendor.
I miss the conversation but Caspian beckons me to follow him once more.
Caspian walks down a side street that’s just as busy as the main thoroughfare.
Colorful fabrics flap overhead and the stalls are covered with all manner of ribbons, jewelry and beautiful clothing.
String lights criss cross above our heads, filtering soft golden light down onto the evening shoppers.
Caspian stops abruptly in the street outside a storefront.
“I think you should go in there,” he says casually.
I look at him in confusion. “Why?” My voice is a little harsher than I mean it to be but this is weird. I don’t need any ribbons—
“Don’t you need a new shirt or something?”
“Not particularly—”
“Well, I need one—Malik ruined mine,” Caspian says.
“Then go get it yourself,” I grumble.
“Or maybe some boot polish…”
“Caspian, I’m not your errand boy—” I snap.
“Oh my god, will you just go in there? For Christ’s sake—” As we’re bickering, the door to the shop opens and we both turn.
A beautiful woman steps out, adding some ribbons to one of the displays. She laughs at something one of the nearby vendors says and as she turns, the world nearly falls out from under me. I must have made a sound because she looks up—her eyes going huge when she sees me.
I take a step towards her. “ May ?”
“James?”
I’m moving before I even realize what I’m doing, and the next moment she’s in my arms, holding onto me tightly.
“James—what are you doing here?”
“I can’t believe—”
“I thought you were dead.”
We’re both trying to speak at once—saying the last sentence at the same time. I finally pull away enough to really look at her. She’s older obviously but her dark blue eyes, so similar to mine, still have the familiar laugh lines on the edges.
“May,” I say incredulously. “It’s really you—”
I touch her face, convinced I’m talking to a ghost. She laughs that laugh again—the same one I’ve replayed over and over again in my memories, and puts her hand over mine.
“It’s really me, brother,” she says. “Come inside, I’ll make some tea.”
May takes my hand and pulls me inside the warmth of the cozy shop. I sit down in a daze on a stool at the counter and watch her, transfixed, she's really here—I can’t stop staring as she bustles around for supplies.
“What are you doing here, May?” I ask. “How did you get here? ”
I have so many questions. She places two mugs on the counter and comes around to sit on the stool next to me. Her eyes wander across my face and I can see the same disbelief—the same worry I might be a ghost.
“It’s a long story,” she chuckles. “But after the attack, you and mother were—gone,” she says, stumbling over the sentence that was obviously difficult for her to get out.
“Everything was a mess. Once the soldiers left, the town was in disarray—a lot of looting, just not a good place to be anymore. I didn’t know what to do—” Tears fill her eyes and I put my hand over hers on the counter.
“I think several days went by, it could have been longer, time was weird during all of that. I think I was numb to it all and just in pure survival mode. But I remember the day clearly: I saw sails on the horizon and I was terrified the soldiers were coming back. Everyone was. But instead, he stepped off the ship.”
Her attention turns to the front window of the shop. I follow her gaze to see Caspian playing catch with a few of the children out in the street.
“Who came?” I ask, confused.
“Fox,” she says, a fond look taking over her face as she watches Caspian play with the children. “Although, everyone really knows he’s a De’Vero prince.” She whispers to me as though sharing a piece of gossip.