William caught me staring at him and a faint blush swept across his cheeks. He swiped his hand over his face, as if stroking a nonexistent beard. “That isn’t what we need to discuss,” he said, embarrassed.
“Oh. Of course,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure what else he’d want to discuss.
He dropped down into the lone chair in our room and rubbed his hands across his tired eyes. “This is something of a delicate nature. I wanted to wait until I had more sleep, but there's not enough time for that. I have to do it now.”
“Maybe you should rest first.” The dark circles below his eyes were impossible to miss.
He shook his head. “I have to do this.” He paused and cleared his throat, then twitched in his chair. “Things are going to get complicated. In fact, they might get downright ugly.”
I thought back to Edmond's fury and the low morale of the crew and nodded in agreement. “Is there something that you need me to do?”
“Do?” he repeated, looking confused. “No, no, I don't need you to do anything. But if something happens to me, there are some things that you need to know.”
I stared at him for a moment as I let this sink in. If something happened to him? I grabbed the edge of the chair next to me to keep from swaying.
“What would happen to you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. But you need to know.”
“What things?”
He took a deep breath and held it before letting it out slowly. “Do you remember when I told you about how I got those scars on my wrists?” I nodded. He licked his lips before continuing. “You know I was a prisoner in the Manacle, but you don’t know why.”
“It wasn’t for piracy?”
William laughed. He pushed to his feet and paced the room. “No. I’ve only been a member of the crew a week or two longer than you. In fact, I mostly joined to save Clay from himself. I believe in his cause, but I would have helped in other ways. My brother can be impulsive, and at times a complete fool. Which brings us back to you,” he said, stopping and standing in front of me.
“To me?” I repeated, startled. “What does this have to do with me?”
He wasted no time in answering. “Sheridan, I used to be a Hound for the Manacle. I was imprisoned for insubordination.”
My jaw dropped as I soaked in the ramifications of what he was saying. “You’re Orean? You worked for the king?” I thought back to Dorian, locked away in the brig, and wondered how William could have ever fit into that world.
Then another realization hit me and I staggered backwards as if I’d been doused with cold water. “But if you were a Hound then that means you can see through—you, you know . . .”
William nodded. “That's right, Jade, I know who you are.”
Chapter 19
A Hound. William—my William—was a Hound.
Even the witch back in Castleport, Aleah, had known not to trust a Hound. Selfish. Unsavory. Willing to sacrifice anything and everything to hunt down their victim. He’d been sent after me, just the same as Dorian. Everything between us had been a lie. In the end, William was no different than James.
My body reacted instinctively. I threw myself at the door in an attempt to escape, but William was faster. He slammed his shoulder against the door, blocking my exit. I reached down and pulled his knife from its sheath on his hip. My hands were trembling as I backed away from him, the blade of the knife directed toward him so I could strike at any moment.
“I know how to use this.” I gulped, trying to steady my hand. “I don’t want to hurt you, William. Let me pass.”
William held up his hands as he pushed himself away from the door. “I don’t want you to hurt me, either. But I need you to listen.”
I held the knife higher. “Get out of my way.”
“Please, you know me, Jade.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked. “Are you going to turn me in?”
“Do you honestly think me capable of that?”
The truth was, I didn’t know. All I knew was I needed to be away. I lunged at him, positioning the knife near his throat. “Let me out.”
William grabbed my wrist, keeping the knife at bay, and with his other hand, reached into the cupboard, pulled out a pistol, and pressed it against my chest, easing me backwards with a slight pressure. “I’m not very good with blades, but I never miss with this.” I lowered the knife and stumbled back a few steps. He must have seen the fear on my face because he turned the pistol around so the barrel faced him, and handed it to me. “I’ve no desire to fight and even if I did, I’m too tired. So let’s dispense with that and get straight to business.” He slumped into a chair, and covered a yawn. “You have all the weapons now. Will you sit? Please?”
I sat down on the bunk and dropped the pistol next to me.
He gave me an encouraging grin. “That's better.”
“What do you want from me? Blood?”
“No.” He chuckled and rubbed his eyes. “If I was going to bleed you or blackmail you, I would have done it already.”
“So, what was your plan when you decided to wed the Emmía?” My hand tightened on the knife still clutched in my fist.
“No plan.” He crossed his ankles and met my eyes. “I volunteered before I knew. It wasn’t until I smelled your scent that I discovered your secret.”
“But why volunteer at all?”
“When I first saw you, I knew you weren’t what you seemed. You had taken some potion to alter your appearance. When the men started talking about who was to marry you, I knew I had to offer. Others might have made certain . . . demands after you were wed. You appear old to them, but we're far from land, and old or not, you’re still a woman and—” I held up my free hand to stop him, shuddering at the thought of marrying any of the crewmen who had wanted me, remembering their leering eyes. I gripped the knife harder.
“You take my meaning, I see,” William said quietly.
I nodded. “And after you learned the truth about who I was?”
“Then it became doubly important. I couldn't very well let the Emmía marry some fool who wouldn't bat an eye if she were killed. You’re too important.” He leaned toward me. “And it was an honor to marry you.”
“If not to bed me or bleed me, then why?”
He stood and walked toward me, resting a hand on my head. I shoved his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
“You believe everyone is out to exploit you.” He squatted down in front of me, his eyes sad. “I don’t want to use you; I want to help you. I care about you.” Something in my heart stirred at his words. “Which brings me to the other thing I wanted to tell you.”
“I'm not sure I can take much more,” I said wryly.
William sighed. “Maybe not, but I need to say this. Clayton—”
“Does he know?” I interrupted, feeling panicked.
William shook his head. “I haven't told anyone.”
I was almost afraid to ask. “Why?”
“Clay’s actions have been so unpredictable when it comes to you that I couldn’t trust him.”
“That’s true enough.” I bit my lip. “But why would you care what happened to me?”
“Because you're the Emmía,” he said, as if this explained everything.
The call of a gull sounded in the distance.
“So you care for my title.” My stomach suddenly turned sour. No one ever saw the girl, only her magical blood.
“No, I care for you. Being the Emmía is just part of what makes you you. When I found out what he had done, I punched Clayton in the face. Well, I would have, if Lafe hadn’t stopped me. Clayton deserved to be punched.”
“You really tried to punch him?”
“I did.”
“Thank you for trying.” I dropped the knife and collapsed onto the bunk as the tension suddenly left my body, leaving me drained. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I'm telling you because we still have Dorian to deal with.”
> My head jerked up at that.
William smiled. “I know Dorian’s here for you, or at least that’s my guess. And if he's here, that means the Manacle is in pursuit of both you and the medallion. Am I right?”
I nodded.
William leaned back in his chair. “You’d best tell me everything.”
I hesitated, afraid to truly trust anyone. But I was so tired of being alone. I wanted—no, I needed—someone to rely on. And William practically glowed with his sincerity, from his posture to the look of concern in his eyes. He’d known my deepest secret, and hadn’t taken advantage of it. If I could trust anyone, it was him.
“The kingdom has taken my sister hostage,” I said, “and if I don't return with the medallion within two weeks, they're going to execute her.”
William drew a sharp breath and then let it out slowly, nodding as he absorbed this. “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's that kind of evil that made me leave in the first place.”
I startled a little at the use of the word “evil,” but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed accurate, at least regarding the situation with my sister.
“You’d better tell me everything,” William said.
So I did: my flight from the castle, the night in the Wastelands, Aleah, and how Dorian had captured me. “I can’t imagine you behaving like Dorian. Did they ask you to do things like that? Tracking those who tried to escape? Holding their loved ones captive?”
William closed his eyes, but not before I saw the sudden hollowness in them, as if the memories were too much to bear. “At the time I thought it was for the good of the people, but now it fills me with shame.”
The room was silent as I picked at a loose thread on my dress. “Will you help me?” I asked impulsively. “Help me to get the medallion back, help me and Dorian off the ship, so he can turn me in? Will you help me save my sister?”
William stared at me silently with one raised eyebrow. I stared back, my heart galloping in my chest. The silence stretched on until I realized his answer. A lump formed in my throat and I looked away.
“It's all right, I understand,” I said, though the idea of doing it without him was daunting. “You have your duty to your ship. Your blood oath to your captain.”
“I don’t have a blood oath with Clay. None but that which runs naturally in our veins.” William dropped down to sit on the bed next to me. “Do you really think that I'd just let you hand yourself over like that?”
“But my sister—”
“Can be extracted without you having to go anywhere near the royal family.”
I stared at him in shock. “What do you mean?”
“I'm saying that we'll rescue her and get both of you so far away from the Manacle that they’ll never find you.”
I choked back a happy sob. I wouldn't have to turn myself over to the kingdom and be executed. Then reality crashed down on me. “But my blood oath with Dorian. It won’t allow it.”
“We’ll find a way around that; I’ll help you through it. Then you'll never have to do anything for the Manacle again.”
I drew a breath. “You would do that?” William's gave me a solemn nod. “But why? You left the kingdom, so why would you have any loyalty to its Emmía?”
His warm hand took hold of mine and his eyes filled with tenderness. “My loyalty isn't to the Emmía of the kingdom. My loyalty is to you, Jade. Not the title, but the woman who holds it.”
I gripped his hand. “To me?”
William chuckled. “When I lived in the kingdom I watched you, and I saw what you did. I'll admit, you were extremely naïve; the Manacle intentionally shaped all of your perceptions. By all accounts you were exactly what they wanted you to be.”
“Which is?”
“Brainwashed into believing in their foolishness.” My mouth tightened in disapproval and William laughed. “But that's the thing. You weren't quite as brainwashed as they wanted you to be.”
My forehead crinkled. “I'm not sure what you mean. I believed everything they told me. In fact, until I saw what had happened on the Isle of Grey, I wouldn't have believed anything bad about them, and even now—”
William leaned close and put a finger to my lips, silencing me. The touch made my heart stutter. His face was so near mine his warm breath caressed my cheek.
He didn’t seem to be equally affected. “Will you let me finish?” He laughed. “You've always had a slightly rebellious streak about you. I've seen the things that you do when you think no one is looking. Anyone who paid attention could see you were more than a puppet controlled by the Manacle.”
I sat back, so I could think clearly. “I’m not sure what you mean. I worked as hard as I could to do everything that they expected of me. I didn’t want to disappoint the people who counted on me.” Even though I couldn’t see it, I traced where the scar on my palm would be, the place I had bled for my people over the years. “I’ll admit, what I saw on the island was horrible, but that was the act of people a thousand years ago. It doesn’t mean that same evil still runs through the kingdom now. Even if some of the things I’ve learned are awful, I still believe they are good at the core.”
William titled his head, considering my words. “Even while they hold Pearl’s life for yours? You don't fully understand their dark side. You still don't know everything.” I opened my mouth but he spoke over me. “That doesn't matter right now. The point is, you were ignorant, but you were never stupid.”
I shook my head. “Why do you think that?”
“You know how the first day of every month the Manacle opens its doors to judge disputes and entertain requests?”
I nodded, still confused.
“I used to watch you. You were always there, behind the curtains where you thought no one could see you. But I saw you there, month after month, as you snuck out and met some of the petitioners outside to give them extra food or medicine.”
My face blushed in embarrassment. Apparently I hadn't been as discrete as I’d thought.
“You saw that? But I was in disguise.”
William nodded and gave me an indulgent smile. “Yes, but I have the talents of a Hound, remember? It wasn’t hard to spot you. There was one person every month who you did a kindness to, and one of those times you did it for someone who is very important to me.”
“I did? Who was it?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. The deeper I got into enforcement with the Manacle, the more things I saw that I couldn’t ignore. It didn't take very long before I knew that I had to get out, but during those times I would remember you and your acts of compassion. And you did it again, and again, and again.” He rubbed his hand across his face, his eyes once again betraying his exhaustion. “The Manacle didn’t deserve my loyalty, Emmía, but you did. You had the purest heart of anyone in the kingdom.”
“William, I . . . I have no idea what to . . . you’re making what I did more important than it was. Anyone would have—”
“No, not anyone would have. I was there, remember? I saw it. Nobody else ever did what you did.”
The undiluted praise was too much for me and I tried to turn my head, but his finger gently guided my chin back until our eyes met. What I found there made my insides light up brighter than a bonfire.
“Now can you see why I've been so protective of you? I wanted you to know that there is at least one person who's willing to fight for you—one person who isn't trying to use you. You deserve so much more than me, but I’m afraid I’m all I have to offer.”
His words washed over my emotional wounds like a healing balm, filling me with a warmth that I thought I’d never feel again. For the first time in weeks my heart fluttered with hope.
He cradled my head in his hands. “You’ll never be alone again, Jade. I promise.”
He slid his arms around me, drawing me near, so close his breath warmed my skin. I tried to speak, but my words stuck in my throat.
“After you rescue Pearl,” I began, hesitating. “I use
d to think I deserved to die for what happened, but I don’t anymore. And now I want to live. But that means I won’t ever be able to go back to the kingdom again. I’ll be a criminal.”
“Yes?” he asked.
“Would you stay with me? Even in hiding? Even if the kingdom refuses to let me go and sends an endless stream of Hounds after me?”
“If you’ll have me,” he said, his words almost shy.
I gave him a teasing grin. “I just asked you, didn’t I?”
He laughed loud and long. My insides burned with happiness, like I’d swallowed the sun, but then it faltered. “But the people of Orea—I could never leave them to starvation.”
He smiled at me. “Of course not. I knew you would never let that happen. We could send blood to Clay and let him distribute it.”
“Everything is going to be well. Trust me.” His eyes burned with sincerity, flashing in the light so they looked almost silver, just as I had seen in his brother so many times. On the captain it looked threatening, but on William it looked protective.
I stared at William, my husband, and suddenly the word took on a whole new meaning. In my mind I saw the years stretch out ahead of us. William and I building a life together in a new land.
I was on the cusp of loving William. Part of me already did, but I held back, trying to ease into the emotion slowly. James had stomped on our love and I hesitated to experience that type of pain again. William was so different from James, but could I really believe he wouldn’t do the same? Could I trust my heart again? I’d been so wrong before. Was I repeating my mistakes? It was too soon to tell, but we were building something—something precious that linked our hearts together. For now, those ties were as fragile as spun glass. But maybe they could grow stronger. He was kind, handsome, brave, and devoted. What more could I ask for in a husband?
But what kind of wife would I be? I would most likely have to assume the disguise of Sheridan for the remainder of my life. Would he be comfortable having a woman who looked old enough to be his grandmother as a wife? I swallowed at those awkward thoughts.
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