Chapter 17 Alexios
Alexios
Her mouth falls open, and her ship’s sails deepen to scarlet.
I have never, in my entire life, met a woman like this. And I’ve known a few.
She’s human fire. Rage and passion and strength, in a package that looks like it could be broken so easily. Soft skin, full lips, bright eyes. There’s sadness in them. Such deep discontent.
I’m assaulted by a longing to push her. To find out how far she can, and will, go.
Then I fear I may find out before I’m ready as she pushes herself from the mast.
The red begins to drain from the sails, and magic rolls from her.
“I’m sorry? It sounded like you just suggested that we pretend to be in love. But I know you didn’t actually say that.”
I have to work not to take a step back. “Bassari, if she kills me, I’m taking you down with me.”
“She has no choice.”
“I don’t think this is a woman who responds well to having no choice.”
“Maybe I can get cleaned up, and we can talk?” I gesture at my blood-caked abdomen. Honestly, I’d have broken someone’s nose too if they poisoned me.
“No. Talk now.”
“We don’t have long until sunrise, and I need to get supplies and money from my ship.”
“Epizon!” she shouts, and the huge man appears at the other end of the deck. “Take Lucas and loot everything you can from this asshole’s ship! If it fits in a longboat, take it. Including sail fabric and spare wood. Everything. As many trips as you need.”
“Yes, captain. Erm… Which ship?”
“The Alopex,” I call, keeping my eyes on Lyssa.
“Right,” says Epizon, then disappears.
“There. Now, talk,” she says.
I’m painfully aware that the charm I depend so heavily on for getting people to do what I want didn’t work on her before. It’s definitely not going to help me now.
I’ll be damned if I won’t try, though.
I smile, blood cracking on my lips. “You don’t want people to know about your new weakness, right?”
She growls, and power emanates from her. She’s a foot shorter than me, and I don’t doubt for a second that she could take men twice my size and tear them apart.
“So you need a believable reason for keeping me around all of a sudden.”
“Money. I’ll just tell everyone I let you join the crew in return for funding us.” She says it like the words taste like more poison.
“And the fact that I’m physically right by you all the time?”
She scowls at me, stamps her foot, then looks like she regrets it when there’s a loud cracking noise. “I hate you.”
“Uh-huh. If we make out like we met tonight, were instantly attracted to each other, you invited me to join the crew, and now we’re romantically inseparable, nobody will suspect a thing.”
This time, I see her fist coming.
I’m fast enough to avoid it, but only just, and she catches my shoulder as I swerve. I stumble back, and a genuine grin takes my face.
“It’s more than hate. I loathe you. You physically disgust me.”
“Well, you’re going to have to pretend otherwise in public. And the whole competition is being broadcast.”
Her furious gaze deepens. “How in the name of Hades do you propose we pull off a lethal competition when we’re bound like this? Did you think this through at all? You are going to be the reason we both die, and Hercules lives forever. You are the most selfish, arrogant, greedy—”
I cut her off. “We’ll be fine.”
I’m aware that we probably won’t. This was absolutely not my first choice of ways into the Trials. But right now, I’m not regretting that I’m going to have to spend a lot of time with her. She’d break more than my nose if I told her that, and I’m suddenly tempted to.
“I hope you rot in Tartarus.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
Her furious look turns into one of disbelief. “You actually believe that? That you could possibly do anything that would make me hate you less?”
“Lyssa, I will help you stop him. I swear.”
She glares into my eyes. “It’s Captain Lyssa,” she hisses eventually.