Chapter 28
W e all just sat there for a moment, nobody saying a word. Each of us processing everything that happened. There’s so much pain on Jasper’s face and stress and worry on Arielle’s. I want to get mad for everything Arielle caused but I don’t know that I would do anything differently if I was in her shoes. I think I finally got her. All the hard exterior protecting the woman inside that loves so deeply that she would go to any extent to keep him alive.
Jasper like most men these days has his fun with lust but has never loved one, not truly. But he treasures his friendships, the chosen family. He, just as I, was really close to Ace. I can only imagine the amount of betrayal he is feeling, he saw it first hand as our crew were murdered or captured. He saw the betrayal and was all alone in it. We have seen people rot in the alleys, even seen our friends lose their lives to sharks, a sword, or an angry ocean. But we have never met a battle we couldn’t overcome all together and that stems from the trust we shared.
Caspian is just sitting up against the back of the boat staring up at the stars. His facial expression remains blank but his eyes show his truth. He is just as lost in his thoughts as the rest of us. I think in a sense, we are lost in general.
The cold night breeze picks up and everyone reacts to the sudden chill. Goosebumps cover every inch of my body and I see Caspian’s lips shiver. Jasper pulls out a blanket from the first bag and offers it to share with Arielle. She just looks at the blanket and up at him.
“Thank you.” she whispers but she looks confused. Jasper is an amazing soul, even if she tried to kill him. He has so much kindness and always thinks of others first.
“Of course. Just keep that sword over on that side of the boat.” Jasper jokes. We all let out a light laugh. I stand up and walk over to Caspian who still looks as cold as before.
“Lay your legs down straight.” I demand in my best sensual tone. Truth is, I’ve been thinking about getting him alone since he died on me. Since the realization hit that all this time, little by little, he was taking small pieces of my heart and in death he was taking it all with him. Caspian looks at me and grins.
“As you wish.” He responds with one eyebrow raised. Curiosity flowing through him. I sit down in his lap, pressing my chest up against his, my arms wrapped around him, and resting my head on his shoulder. I can feel his heartbeat speed up. He wraps his arms with the cloak around me allowing our body heat to warm us up.
“What’s our next move?” I ask in a soft whisper.
A large sigh escapes from him. “Well, a hand job would be a great Segway.” He jokes. I roll my eyes and chuckle. So dumb!
“You know what I mean.” I respond still smiling.
“Yeah, I know. I think what’s best for us all is to get some rest and figure it out in the morning. But Arielle needs Russel, so that will be where we should start.” He suggests and then lets out a large yawn. He’s right, after the last couple of days, we are exhausted. I allow my eyes to close and listen to the sound of the water rolling into each other. The storm and sky are finally calm allowing us to end our night with some peace.