Kelia felt her lips turn up. “Careful, Mr. Knight,” she said, trying to get her voice to come across as teasing rather than strained. “You almost sound as if you care.”
Drew made a noise that sounded like a grunt and looked away. Kelia did not bother to hide the amused smile from her face.
“While I appreciate the offer,” she told him, “I cannot have you do that. As I said before, finding out what happened to my father is the most important thing to me. I do not care how I do that. But I need to clear his name. He did not take his life. He did not damn his soul. He did not do any of those things. And it is my intent to prove it.”
“That’s very passionate, my dear,” he said, the corners of his lips tilted up. “But you cannot do anything in the state you’re in. If you will not allow me to remove you from this wretched place, at the very least allow me to help take your pain away.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” she asked. She moved her arms so she could rest her ear on her forearms, giving her poor elbows a break from the pressure placed on them. “I think they want me to die down here due to infection. Ten lashes isn’t something you give to the rascals, but only those who truly deserve it.”
All trace of playfulness vanished from Drew Knight’s face. “You received ten lashes?” he asked, his voice cold. “Ten?”
Kelia could not be sure, but it sounded as though he did not quite believe her. “That I know of,” she said in a quiet voice. “Are you surprised?
“Actually,” he murmured. From her point of view, she could see his long fingers curl up into tight fists and his knuckles turned white. “I am.”
Without warning, he dropped to his knees so he was beside her. Kelia did not expect him to be so close to her, did not expect him to want to study the punishment she had endured. However, he placed a tentative hand on her backside, right where the curve of her derrière began, without being lecherous about it. She could not see what he was doing with his other hand, but she felt her stomach get airy and light, like she had birds flapping around in there. She was not certain why she was nervous; all she knew was she was not expecting to ever get close to a Sea Shadow with blood pouring out of her body.
And yet, she was certain he would never try to take her blood. He would never take advantage of the vulnerable position she was in and use it for his own gain. She felt that with every fiber of her being. He was studying it, inspecting the damage done. Looking to see how broken her body was.
“I expected more mind games,” Drew said slowly, his voice clipped. It was almost as though he was not certain how to react, and as such, was talking more to himself than he expected to. “Especially with Rycroft at the helm of this adventure.”
“Is that what you call this?” Kelia muttered. “An adventure?”
“Perhaps that was not the best word to use,” he amended sheepishly.
Kelia’s heart fluttered. She hated how utterly beautiful he was, hated the way his smile highlighted his high cheekbones and made her feel warm and safe and light. These were not feelings she wanted to have with anyone, let alone a Sea Shadow. Let alone Drew Knight. Even so, she could not help but stare at him. His eyes warm and dark, shining like a burning candle as he looked down at her.
“I have something that might help soothe you,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small jar. From what she could see, there was no label, and the material inside the jar was a cream color. It looked homemade. “This is balm that someone close to me made for me in case I was ever injured. It has healing properties that will help you recover quickly.”
Kelia stared at the balm, then cleared her throat.
He chuckled. “You still do not trust me?” he asked. “After everything?”
“I trust you more than I trust most,” Kelia told him before she could stop herself.
“Then let me heal you,” Drew said. “Let me help you feel better. Please.”
Kelia’s eyes widened at the word please, but Drew did not comment on it and Kelia did not expect him to. She hesitated only for a moment before gently biting her bottom lip and nodding her head.
“What is it, exactly?” she asked in a soft voice.
“A balm,” he repeated. “Like I said, there are healing properties in it that will help your wounds heal. It will prevent infection.”
“It won’t remove the scars,” Kelia stated. She hated the bitterness that came from her voice, hated that even as she rested uncomfortably on her stomach, she still had a moment of vanity.
“No,” Drew agreed, his voice almost regretful. “I am afraid there is a good chance you will have these scars for the rest of your life. However, you will still be alive.”
Kelia’s eyes filled with tears, tears she adamantly refused to shed. However, one managed to slip past her defenses so she quickly wiped it away, hoping Drew did not see her moment of weakness. She gave a quick jerk of her head.
“All right,” she said in a tight voice. “Do it.”
There was a pause as Drew opened the jar and scooped the balm into his hands. At this point, Kelia could not see what he was doing and tried not to worry about it. Instead, she closed her eyes and thought about how nice it was to have Drew Knight next to her. He was a trustworthy companion, the only friend who had come to visit her since her imprisonment. Then again, perhaps The Society refused to allow any of her colleagues to come down to see the traitor. The Blood Whore. The Shade.
However, the moment his hands touched her back, she did not care about her reputation. She did not care what people thought of her. She understood the Sightless now, understood why it was almost futile to resist a Shadow when they seemingly cared for a human’s well-being. To be cared for in the way Drew Knight cared for her now was a wonderful thing, something Kelia only understood from her father. And he was required to be concerned about her safety.
Drew Knight, on the other hand, was no one to her. He did not need to be here. He had escaped without being caught by The Society. He could have fled. He could have forgotten about her. She would not have blamed him. Hell, that was what she wanted from him in the first place.
Yet, here he was, in her cell, risking capture all over again simply for the opportunity to put balm on her back and heal her wounds.
She sighed, content of the feeling of the cool material seeping into her skin. She could have fallen asleep right there, with Drew beside her, his hands running up and down her back as tenderly as a lover’s. She nearly blushed at the image of Drew Knight potentially being a lover, then immediately vanished the foolish thought. They would never work.
“How does that feel?” Drew asked, his voice surprisingly husky. She shivered.
The way his voice sounded did strange things to her body. She swallowed, trying not to think too much about it. Instead, her gaze focused on the cold floor beneath her, and she refused to respond until she got a hold of her voice. She did not want to seem like she was one of the many human women who threw themselves at his feet, begging him to slide his fangs into her neck and feed on her. She might have come around to the fact he was attractive and she respected him more than she anticipated, but that did not mean she was a blood whore. She still had some self-respect left, even if her reputation would tell people otherwise.
“It feels fine,” she managed to get out. Despite her attempt to mask her feelings, her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and avoided eye contact. Even so, she could sense he was smirking.
“I’m glad,” he said.
“I’m surprised she’s still alive over there,” a voice called out.
Kelia’s brows shot up to her hairline. Christopher. She had completely forgotten about him. “It’s the Infant who recommended I come find you in the first place.”
“And I take it that’s the incomparable Drew Knight?” Christopher asked from his own cell. “Tell me, has he figured out a way to get past the silver bars?”
“They are not actually silver,” Drew said, keeping his hands on Kelia’s back as he
continued to administer the balm. “The Society can barely afford to keep this fortress up and running. The fact it protects the citizens of Port George from an attack is how they fund their enterprise. But a prison of silver cells is not something in their budget. As such, I let myself in simply by picking the lock.” He glanced over to the right. “I also might have freed the Infant by picking his lock as well.”
There was a pause and Kelia could hear the telling screech of the cell door being pushed open.
“Ah.” Within moments, Christopher came into view and casually leaned against the wall, surveying Drew and Kelia. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
He still had the ring in his hand, almost as if he were afraid to set it down anywhere and wind up losing it. Drew’s eyes narrowed.
“You found the ring,” he stated.
Christopher nodded in Kelia’s direction. “She did,” he said, “and delivered it to me in exchange for information.” He grinned. “Since I am now free, I take it you and I will plan for the next step?”
Kelia closed her eyes, trying to keep up with his quick words, unsure what they meant. Her head hurt too much to try and figure it out.
“What will they think when they realize Christopher is gone?” she asked, prying her heavy eyes open. “Certainly they will be suspicious that the minute I show up, Christopher disappears.”
“They might believe you stumbled upon the fact these cages are not silver,” Drew said.
At this, Kelia stirred. “If the cages aren’t silver, then why didn’t Christopher leave sooner?”
“Sirens—sea witches, that is—created a gel-type substance The Society lathers on the bars of the cell. Each time a Shadow touches it, he or she is burned like silver, and so they assume it is and give up. But it is not. It is, however, a successful deterrent, which means they might believe you somehow freed him. There’s more magic in this society than they’ll ever admit.”
“You’re right,” Kelia murmured in agreement.
“This is why it is terribly important that you leave,” Drew said in a low voice. “Will you come with me?”
Kelia wanted to. She was surprised how badly she wanted to say yes. But she couldn’t. Not until this whole mess with her father was figured out.
“No,” she replied. She offered no further explanation.
She heard Drew sigh. “I should leave Christopher here with you.”
“What?” Christopher practically yelped.
Drew raised his hand at the man, as if to silence him. It worked. “I should,” he continued, “but I cannot condemn him to this fate,” he said, “especially if you choose it yourself, knowing the risks.”
Kelia remained silent. Drew was right. It was her choice to say. Christopher should not have to suffer for her unwillingness to leave while she had the chance.
With that, Drew muttered something about her stubbornness under his breath, then he and Christopher vanished with the mist.
Chapter 26
It took everything in Drew not to throttle Kelia, but one look at the scrunch of pain on her face, at the brutal lines marring her back that would turn into vicious scars, and he felt… helpless. He had no idea how to help her.
After Drew returned to his ship, Christopher at his side, Emma brought him the unfortunate news that there was a hole in his ship. Apparently, their abrupt departure had caused the ship to nick the edge of a rock protruding from the surface of the ocean, and his crew was currently attempting to patch it before too much water filled the ship.
“Where is Kelia?” Emma asked after informing him of the hole.
Instead of answering, Drew tilted his head toward the sky. He let out a growl of frustration. Opening his mouth wider, he let out a roar, cursing his crew and damning everyone on this ship to a watery grave and a fiery hell.
Emma shot him a glare. “Can you desist?” she demanded.
He snapped his head in her direction. His crew was intelligent enough to keep focused on what they were doing.
“Excuse me?” His whisper was dark and deadly, holding a warning.
“We all know why you are frustrated,” Emma said. “You think whatever happened to Kelia is your fault.”
Drew was not one for taking responsibility unless he was directly involved with something. Technically, her injuries were not his fault. Rycroft had tracked her down because some stupid boy had turned her in. There was a silent rage that bubbled up inside of him that wanted nothing more than to find this Slayer and snap his neck. Drew had no reason to elongate pain; he got no satisfaction from torture. He simply wanted the boy to not be alive anymore.
Yet, he could not help but feel a swirl of guilt in his system, as though he was, in some way, to blame. As though he could have done more to ensure Kelia would not fall into the hands of The Society should things take a turn for the worst.
He still didn’t know what that was, but deep down, he believed if he’d only considered this outcome, he would have figured something out.
“I take it she refused to leave with you?” Emma continued.
Drew had to admire her courage. She did not balk at the anger coming off him, did not flinch when he glared or extracted his fangs. She treated him like he was a human.
“Why did you not force her to come?” Emma asked. “You cannot leave her there!”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Drew tugged his fingers through his hair, then stomped the length of the cargo hold. His crew still did not turn to give him any attention, still busy at work nailing new wood in hopes to cover the hole from the water. “She claims it necessary for her to solve her father’s murder.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “She is as stubborn as you are,” she muttered.
“How she even agreed to partner with you, I’ve not a clue.” Christopher crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eye on the hole. “I sent her to you, but I did not expect you to work with someone like her.”
Water started slipping through the hole, despite the progress the crew made.
“Why?” Drew asked. “Because I am a beast?”
To be honest, Drew did not particularly care about his reputation. If people wanted to think he was a vile monster who feasted on the blood of virgins, let them. It made no difference to who he was. He could not let the potential thought of others dictate his own behaviors. However, he could not deny that knowing Kelia had utter faith in him, trusted him, made him feel warm. A feeling he had not experienced in a long, long time.
He sighed through his nose, not bothering to hide his frustration. He should have taken her with him, regardless of what she wanted. He did not feel good about letting her remain with these people who wanted nothing more than to control her, to inflict pain and extract information she might or might not be privy to. Her affiliation with him had put a target on her back, and considering she had fabricated the nature of their relationship, he knew she would be punished even more so than normal.
Why was the bloody woman so damn stubborn? Why did he care so much about one person?
Because it was true, he realized. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Drew did care about Kelia Starling, and it annoyed him to be confronted with the fact. He knew he was loyal. When he made a bargain with someone, his word was as good as the gold he looted from The East India Company.
“I found that, regardless of whether I agree with her,” he continued, his voice soft, “I cannot fault her for her convictions. I cannot fight with her on this. It would be futile.”
“She would have just run back there,” Emma murmured.
Kelia had proven her worth and then some. She had managed to weasel her way under his skin, all stubborn emotional bossiness. She was a fierce fighter and knew how to handle herself with a blade, a blade Rycroft no doubt confiscated, and one Drew Knight could possibly retrieve so he had it in his possession.
A trinket, as it were, to remember Kelia by.
A reason for her to find him again.
Did that make him sentimental? Perhaps. It was a
lot to assume she would be well enough to go in search of her sword in the first place. The two had known each other only for a short portion of time, but Drew liked to think he knew her well enough to know how important her weapon was to her. If she ever managed to escape, her weapon would be the first thing she tried to find.
But for Kelia to be able to find him, and her weapon, he would need to stay. Not that he had not planned on leaving the island before, but now he was adamant about his decision. He could only hope that once she found out the truth about her father, she would escape. That would be harder now, though, because she would surely be placed in the rehabilitation program he had heard so much about.
He nearly snorted at the thought.
“What?” Christopher asked from beside him.
Drew shifted his eyes so he stared at the Infant beside him. He understood Christopher had no idea what to do now that he was safely aboard Drew’s ship, but that did not mean he was entitled to questioning him.
“You thinking about the Slayer?” Christopher shook his head. “Even with the water coming in?”
Drew wanted to lash out. He wanted to bare his fangs, force the Infant to shut his mouth. Christopher was not a bad person. It was not his fault he was now forced to be a Sea Shadow. That burden fell to the East India Company, The Society, and the queen of the Damned.
“You will not speak of her,” Drew managed to tell him in a cold voice.
Christopher was silent for a moment. Drew hoped it was because he was listening to him. However, he knew Christopher. Christopher was probably thinking of a way to speak without frustrating Drew even more than he already was.
“I liked her,” Christopher finally said. “Stubborn as a damn donkey but fierce. Determined. Like a mutt that won’t give up her damn bone.” He shifted his blue eyes so they rested on Drew’s profile. “You told her about the ring?”
“I’m sure you would have,” Drew said, his voice strained. “I told her to talk to you. She needed to see that an Infant is not a ferocious beast. An Infant is actually more human that any type of Shadow.”
Sea of Darkness Page 21