Chapter 20 #4
Rowan hated disharmony among the crew, and after the third time he’d heard a report of David muttering slurs about both pirates and the lovers they took, Rowan had sent him to work the bilge pump as punishment.
Of course, being given the grossest, dirtiest job on the ship had only made David hate them more.
Ultimately, Rowan had decided to release all the captives as soon as possible and be done with the whole ordeal.
With questions about Zanta and Nia crackling through his brain, Logan had forgotten all about it.
“I’ll mention it to him when he gets back,” Logan said. “But I don’t see why not. This port is as good as any to drop off unwanted guests.”
Robin nodded. “I’m guessing I shouldn’t tell David ahead of time.”
Logan clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically “Best not get his hopes up. Rowan has a lot on his mind, especially with what I’m about to tell him.”
Worry furrowed Robin’s brow. “Anything I can help with?”
Logan tried to smile up at him, though his stomach still churned with unease. “Let me worry about it for now.”
“If you say so.” Robin left, and Logan hurried to Rowan’s quarters.
The room was empty, his captain nowhere to be seen.
Logan wondered if he had heard the same information Logan had.
Though if the Kraken’s Fury being anchored out in the harbor was any indication, Rowan would be distracted by yet another marital drama with the Demon.
Logan resumed his pacing, boots thumping from wood to rug to wood again as he crossed the room, circled the table and chairs, then did it all over again.
Beneath the windows, Rowan’s bed was messy and unmade, as always without the Demon there to straighten Rowan’s unorganized habits.
It seemed especially messy today, and Logan decided not to wonder whether that was due to Fox spending nights here.
He didn’t want to make incorrect assumptions again.
Instead he worried about everything else.
Rowan didn’t know about Nia, nor about John and Logan asking Zanta to stop in Roseforte for them.
Which meant Logan might have to tell him about the true nature of his relationship with John.
There really was no way to avoid it if they wanted to find Zanta.
He wanted to help Nia too, but wasn’t sure how without taking a detour to Roseforte, which was sure to be crawling with enemies.
Rowan would have a plan. Rowan always had a plan.
It felt like he’d been pacing for ages when the door of the captain’s quarters opened and Rowan sagged against the doorjamb, before spotting Logan and quickly straightening up.
“Did you find something?” Rowan asked, closing the door behind him. He looked exhausted, eyes red-rimmed and a few shallow cuts and scrapes on one side of his face.
“What the hell happened to you?” Had he gotten in trouble for asking questions in the wrong place? Or… “Did the Demon do this to you?”
Logan reached up to examine the already scabbed over cuts, but Rowan batted his hand away. “It’s nothing.”
“That’s not a no.” Logan followed him to the table, where Rowan slumped into one of the chairs. He leaned his head against the wooden back and looked at Logan sidelong as Logan fidgeted.
“It’s fine. It was consensual. Got a little rough, that’s all.” He seemed not to have the energy to feel embarrassed over telling Logan this, though Logan felt his own face heat. “I’m not hurt, Logan. So don’t worry about it.”
This did not make Logan feel better. He trusted Rowan to take care of his own business, but Rowan had a blind spot when it came to his husband. He subjected himself to things he would never accept from anyone else.
“Rowan—”
“Drop it. Tell me what you heard about Zanta.”
Right. Zanta. And Nia, and everything else. He dropped into the seat across from Rowan, bolstering his courage to potentially tell Rowan his secret and how it related to their search for Zanta.
“Roseforte was attacked by mercenaries or privateers. The Talvans suspect Marran involvement and have mobilized. They’ve set up a blockade, so we’re not going south any time soon.”
Rowan sat up, interest sparking in his blue eye. “Go on.”
“The Monsoon was apparently seen fleeing during the attack.” He should have just spilled all the information right there, but embarrassment held him back.
Rowan frowned. “She was in Roseforte? That place is crawling with military, why would she—”
“It’s because of me!” Logan blurted. Rowan just raised an eyebrow, so Logan continued, a flood of words pouring out all in a rush.
“When I went to Roseforte to hunt down Cyrus, I ran into John, and we slept together.” Rowan leaned forward further, eyebrows climbing higher.
Logan had never been able to keep anything from him, least of all when he gave Logan that demanding look.
Even as kids, there had been no secrets between them, and suddenly Logan realized the pressure he’d been putting himself under by keeping this from his best friend.
Logan soldiered on. “But, uh…it wasn’t just us. We also slept with a woman named Nia.”
Rowan made a sound that was half disbelief, half laugh, a slow grin breaking across his face.
“John and I have been occasionally fooling around since, but we visited her again last fall when we went to gather information on the Trinity. And, ah, John and I decided to give her a gift, but we didn’t know when we’d be able to visit again, so we gave the gift to Zanta because she was going that way anyway, and I think that’s why the Monsoon was in Roseforte so… ”
Logan’s words finally failed him. Oh gods, why had he let John talk him into letting him carve their dicks out of wood to give to their sometimes lover just because she’d said she would miss them?
He prayed Rowan wouldn’t ask what the gift was.
His face already felt like it was bright red, and if he got any more embarrassed, he might keel over dead on the spot.
Rowan was grinning mischievously at him from across the table. “Logan, you dog you. How long has this been going on?”
Logan felt his ears turn even redder. “Since before I lost my hand,” he mumbled.
Rowan’s expression sobered at that, but amusement still lived at the corners of his mouth. “And is this affair serious?” he asked innocently.
“I care about them greatly as friends,” Logan replied. The only way he was going to get through this was just answering Rowan’s questions without thinking.