He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck and it sent a chill down her spine that made her move a step away from him. Her reaction seemed to just amuse him more. “No, nothing about this place is interesting to me.” She said, her tone sharp as her eyes narrowed.
“Liar,” He taunted as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He continued walking ahead and found them an empty table in the back.
Rolling her eyes, she followed the rest of the group. She went to sit in the seat furthest from him, but he took her arm and pulled her into the seat closest to him instead. She grumbled in annoyance as she sat, deciding this time not to fight him.
Ari and Tomas took the seats on Nikolas’s left while Reid took the seat on her right, leaving the seat across from them open for whomever their guest was. “How long until they show up?” Reid asked. It was the question Ember knew they were all asking in their heads.
Nikolas shrugged, not seeming the least bit worried. “She didn’t give a specific time, but it shouldn’t be long now. She probably already knows we’re here if I know Blu. Probably saw us the second we walked in.”
As if summoned, a figure suddenly approached the table in a cloud of cigar smoke. Ember noticed the three pirates around the table all tense up, their hands all simultaneously moving for their swords that lay at their sides. They seemed on edge, except for the captain. In fact, he welcomed the creature to take the seat across from him. The hooded figure said nothing as they took the offered chair.
“About time you showed up,” Nikolas said, grinning ear to ear as if there was no need for worry or panic.
Ember looked at him in disbelief before she turned her attention to the mysterious new arrival.
Her eyes shifted to the glove covered hands and immediately realized they belonged to a female. If the small female sized hands didn’t give it away, her face would have as she lowered her hood. In contrast to her name, her hair was not blue but instead it was a few different shades of green. It was cut short, almost pixie-like. She had a small earring on the end of her eyebrow and her brown eyes were anything but dull.
Her nose was crooked, showing signs of not healing from a break properly. The sight of her blue lips startled her. Though, it made her wonder if it was her natural color. As she removed her cloak, Ember took in her clothes. They were far nicer than she expected them to be.
“If your pretty little pet is done undressing me with her eyes, shall we begin? I’ve got other places to be, other people to hustle. I’m sure you do as well, Captain.” She said, her eyes darting to Ember before shifting to Nikolas.
Ember was quick to open her mouth, but Nikolas was quicker. “You know why I asked to meet. I’ve got the coin you asked for in return for the information I need.”
Watching as he pulled a small pouch from his pocket, Ember closed her mouth and kept silent. Was this said information relating to how to break her curse? Her gaze shifted around the table, noticing that only Reid seemed to know what this was about. Ari didn’t look confused, but she could see the curiosity playing in her eyes.
Tomas excused himself from the table, offering to buy a round for everyone. He wasn’t supposed to hear whatever this conversation was about, she realized as he went to the bar and put in his order. His eyes scanned the room as if keeping watch for any signs of trouble. He was here to play bodyguard.
Ember’s attention returned to the table upon hearing the devious chuckle that came from this stranger when she collected her coin. “I do. Though, a night with your right hand will get you better details. My mind’s a little foggy tonight.” She taunted, her eyes shifting to Ari, much to Ember’s surprise, instead of Reid.
Nikolas went to argue, but Ari touched his arm to stop him. Her spine straightened, her smirk curling on her lips as she crossed her arms. “We both know you couldn’t handle a night with me. You couldn’t before, I doubt time has changed that. Just give us what information we came for and you get to leave with all your fingersand toes.” She said lowly, smiling as if they were having a pleasant conversation, though the venom in her voice said it was anything but that.
“You’re nothing but talk, Ariella. I’m not afraid of you.” She all but growled back.
Ember gasped in startlement when a knife suddenly appeared, trapping Blu’s hand to the table. To Blu’s credit, she didn’t cry out, but Ember knew that had to hurt. Ari looked smug as she released the handle of the knife and sat back. “Do not
underestimate me again, Blu. You will regret it.” She warned, her eyes narrowed.
There was clearly more history here than Ember knew, but she had a feeling it was every bit as messy as everyone else on this crew was. The more that bits and pieces were revealed to her, the more she wanted to know.
Her body cringed as Blu pulled the knife out without so much as a noise. Her eyes narrowed on Ari for another lingering moment before shifting to Nikolas. “My memory seems to have cleared up suddenly.” She said, flashing him a tense smile.
“Suddenly, I’m sure. Well, get to it. What do I need in order to break the curse?” Nikolas asked, waving her on as if he was tired of all this stalling.
Reid offered her a rag to tie up her wound. As she wrapped her hand, Blu’s eyes shifted curiously between Ember and Nikolas. “Her curse, or your brother’s? Try to be specific, Captain.” She taunted, clearly finding more amusement in this than she was supposed to.
Ember’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Not only because she seemed to know exactly who she was, but because of the mention of his brother. So, it was not a lover he was trying to save, she was right about that much. From the sternness playing on his face. She knew he had not wanted that bit of information revealed. At least not to her.
“I know they’re connected. To break one would break the other.” He said, his eyes only shifting to her briefly.
“So how do we break the curse?” Ember asked, having lost her patience.
Blu’s gaze snapped to her with annoyance. “Pretty playthings should learn their place and not talk when they’re not spoken to.”
Ember felt her face heat in embarrassment.
Her attention turned to Nikolas when he suddenly stood and unsheathed his sword, pointing it directly at Blu’s heart. “You’re stalling. Why?”
Blu didn’t look phased, let alone even nervous there was a sword directed at her. She almost looked bored as her gaze lifted from the steel in front of her to Nikolas. “The bastard paid me more.” She said with a shrug.
“Captain,” Tomas warned as he pushed through the crowd. “Behind you!”
Before Ember could process what was said, Reid suddenly yanked her up and away from the table. Her eyes raised in time to see another hooded figure about to strike. “Nikolas!” She screamed, stumbling as Reid moved her out of the way.
Nikolas turned in time to block the attack, using his strength to shove his attacker off.
Ember gasped as the man fell back, hitting the ground roughly as he skidded further across the room.
“Reid, Tomas, get her back to the ship. Ari, make sure Blu doesn’t go too far. She hasn’t answered my questions. Get to the ship as soon as you get it.” Nikolas ordered, sparing his crew brief glances.
“I’m not leaving you here alone,” Ari argued.
Nikolas grinned as he watched his attacker with amusement. “I think I can manage.”
He was having fun, Ember realized. He saw this as an amusing game, and not a real threat against his life.
As the attacker climbed back to his feet, he chose to lower his hood. Ember felt her heart plummet into her stomach.
It was Asher.
Ember suddenly found herself struggling against Reid’s hold around her. She couldn’t let Nikolas hurt him again. He may very well kill him this time. How Asher was even walking and here, she had no idea. All that mattered was that he was here and he was alive.
“Don’t kill him!” She pleaded though she wasn’t sure who to.
While Asher was her friend, maybe mo
re than that if she was being honest with herself, Nikolas was the key to breaking her curse. She needed him alive, she needed them both alive.
Nikolas made the mistake of looking over his shoulder. “Get her out of here, Barrow!”
Asher took advantage of the distraction and lunged. Before his blade met flesh, Ari managed to block it in time. Gritting her teeth, she shoved him away far enough to give them time to recover. Nikolas was quick to take charge as he moved around her. “Get Blu. That’s an order. I’ll be fine. I can handle the bastard prince.” He said as he blocked the next attack.
Ember couldn’t see what was happening after that thanks to Reid and Tomas as they all but dragged her out of the tavern. She could hear shouting coming from back inside, but it sounded no different than the noise she’d heard when they first went in.
“We have to help him! Asher trained with the royal guard. He’s not some idiot farm boy with a sword. Nikolas won’t be able to beat him.” She pleaded, worried for both men as she struggled to get free.
“The Captain can handle himself. Believe me, you’re helping by not being in there to distract him. We need to get back to the ship before we’re spotted. I doubt the Prince came here alone.” Reid said as he pulled her along.
“You’d be right. I see palace guards on either end of the street. This won’t be an easy trip back to the ship.” Tomas said as he checked both directions.
Asher had brought guards with him? After finding out what they did, was he insane? Though, maybe he didn’t have the choice. If her father had sent him to retrieve her, he’d have no choice. Still, she knew if she was brought back to the palace, she would be as good as dead. There would certainly not be second chance at breaking her curse. Her father would lock her up tight and throw away the key. She’d be lucky to see Cassius or Asher even once before the wedding.
Reid pulled her into a side alley, hiding them in the shadows until they could figure out what to do. Tomas wasn’t far behind. “We’ll have to split up. It’ll look odd if they spot her with both of us. If by some miracle they don’t recognize her, we have a better chance if we’re not in a group.” He said quickly, sticking his head out just enough to check and make sure the coast was still clear.
“And if they do recognize me? What then?” Ember asked, pointing out the obvious flaw in his plan.
“Then we make a run for it and hope to God we make it to the ship alive.” He said, his eyes flickering between the two. “Tomas, go left. We’ll go right. When you get back to the ship tell Ana to get the ship ready to leave. As soon as the others are back, we’ll have to leave quickly.”
Overwhelmed and panicked, that was how Ember felt. Her heart was racing, but there wasn’t time for her to panic. She had to be strong if they were going to make it back to the ship in one piece. They didn’t have time for her to worry. They were risking their lives to keep her safe. The least she could do was not have a meltdown before they succeeded in doing that.
Reid and Tomas shared a sad exchange of glances before nodding. This was their goodbyes in case something went south, she realized. Ember felt the guilt hither heart, knowing they wouldn’t be in this mess if not for her. Asher wouldn’t be inside fighting Nikolas, and Ari… she wasn’t sure what Ari would be doing, but she knew she wouldn’t be chasing down Blu.
This was all her fault.
“You can blame yourself later once we’re on the ship. It’s time to go, princess.” Reid said, his tone stern as he held out his hand.
She didn’t bother to correct him. Instead, she took his hand and nodded.
It was time to run.
Chapter 11
The back streets were darker, though in this case, it worked in their favor. Unfortunately, it also made things harder for them too. Thankfully, Reid kept his hand tightly wrapped around her own as he guided her from one street to the next. He knew these streets better than she did, she’d just have to trust him not to take her in the wrong direction after they had left Tomas a few minutes ago.
Ember did honestly hope that he would make it back to the ship in time to warn everyone else. Glancing over her shoulder all her eyes retained was darkness, but she knew what they had left behind. Nikolas was back there fighting against Asher, and Ari was getting information out of Blu. Ember knew she didn’t want to know how the pirate would manage to do that.
She stil l couldn’t believe Asher had found them, but then again was she really that surprised? When her friend was determined about something, he made it his mission to get it done. The question that remained in her mind, was if his mission to find her was more about keeping her safe or to get revenge on Nikolas. He didn’t even look at her, didn’t even acknowledge she was there. It made her stomach twist and she knew she didn’t want the honest answer to her question.
Did she want him to win his fight with Nikolas? On a normal day, of course, but this was no normal day. Nikolas held the key to saving her life. Asher and Cassius didn’t know about needing certain key items to use during the ritual to break her curse. They didn’t even know where it needed to be performed either. Nikolas did, or he would as soon as Ari was done getting answers out of Blu. As much as Ember didn’t want it to be true, she knew she needed the pirate captain if she was to survive past her wedding night.
“We’re almost there,” Reid whispered. Her attention returned to the task at hand. Getting back to the ship without being caught by the royal guard, who no doubt was out searching for her. That was what she needed to focus on, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, thinking about Asher and Cassius would not help her with the current situation. It would just distract her, and distractions would get Reid and herself killed.
She just had to believe Nikolas could handle himself against Asher.
Reid slowed to a stop as he reached the end of the building. The docks were in sight finally. Just a few more feet and they were home free. “This is too easy.” He whispered. His eyes narrowed as he searched for something that wasn’t there.
He thought this was too easy? Was he joking? Did he realize how hard her heart was beating against her chest? Did he know she was dehydrated and only fed enough food to keep her body going these past few days? She wasn’t allowed to stretch her legs unless you counted pacing her small cell. Her legs burned like the fire in hell from running in this heavy dress. Her stomach was in twists over her worrying about Nikolas and Asher, and her hair was a mess. Nothing about how she felt right now felt easy.
“Speak for yourself.” S he huffed as she caught her breath.
Reid shook his head, holding his hand up as a sign to be quiet. “Something’s not right here. Stay in the shadows and stay quiet.”
Looking over his shoulder, she tried to see something they were missing. He was right, she supposed. This was too easy. If she were Asher and she was trying to capture a pirate, she would have blocked off the dock. No one enters or leaves, but there sat the entrance without a trace of any guard in sight. Reid was right, something was wrong about how easy this was.
As Reid let out a birdlike whistle, Ember’s eyes widened. When he got no response, he held his hands over his mouth to project his whistle. Was he insane? He was going to give away their position.
Just as she was going to ask him what the hell it was that he thought he was doing, a faint whistle responded back. It was a secret call between the crew, she realized. “The crew on the ship is fine. They haven’t been caught. My guess is because your bastard prince never saw the ship. He’s probably looking for the boat Nik took from him when he grabbed you.” He whispered, his eyes never straying from the street.
“So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to the ship.” Ember said impatiently as she moved to go around him.
“Wait,” Reid hissed.
Before she could react, his arm wrapped around her and yanked her back before she could step into the lit street. Her back hit his chest just as soldiers came into sight. They had someone else with them she noticed as the guards pulled someone between
them forward.
The two watched as the man struggled between the two soldiers, but she and Reid were too far to hear what was being said. Ember felt like her breath was caught in her chest, her heart racing as she watched the interaction.
“No,” Reid gasped.
Before she could question his reaction, she watched as the three men stepped under one of the lit lanterns, revealing each of their faces. One of them was familiar. From the wild red hair on his head to the scar he had down his jawline, she knew that face.
It was Tomas.
Her stomach dropped, her body flinching in Reid’s arms as one of the guards punched Tomas hard enough to knock him off his feet. “We need to help him.” She whispered, guilt hitting her just as hard as the guard hit him.
“He knew the risks. All I need to do is get you back on the ship.” Reid’s tone was cold, though she could see it broke him to say that from the sadness lingering in his eyes.
Tomas was his crewmate, his friend. She was just a job to him. A job they couldn’t risk for anything, she realized. Even for someone he no doubt considered his family.
“We can’t just stand here and watch them beat him. There must be something we can do, please.” She said, though she didn’t know why she was pleading.
But then she knew exactly why. It was guilt.
Reid didn’t budge, but she knew he was conflicted. He needed to get her on that ship, and if he could, he would possibly be able to save his friend in the process. Getting her back to the ship was his first priority, but saving his friend?
Unfortunately, it was not.
She wondered if this was how Asher felt when he was in a similar position with his brother and herself.
With another glance over her shoulder, she saw he was trying to think of a plan of action to achieve his task. He suddenly spun her around to stand behind him. Finally releasing her, he hunched over to stand at her height as he gripped her shoulders. “When I give you the signal, I want you to run as fast as you can toward the ship. You don’t look back. Don’t even think of trying to help me or Tomas. You get yourself on that ship. Ana can protect you from there. Do you understand me?” He whispered harshly, his fingers digging into her shoulders.
The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1) Page 10