WILL

Controlling my temper as I was led away from the smirking pirate captain was like trying to catch smoke in my hands. His smooth, smug voice saying my name haunted me, an infuriating echo as I sat in the room they gave me.

I’d half expected to be thrown in the brig; though Captain Valkyrie seemed content enough to keep me aboard for now, I thought it would be in a makeshift cell barely large enough to turn around in. The room I occupied was small, clearly intended to be shared as there were several beds built into the walls. Still, it held the same opulence as the rest of the ship, with crystal light fixtures and plush carpets protecting a gleaming wood floor. I would have been fascinated to stare out the bank of windows along the far wall if it weren’t for the surly man standing next to my door.

Valkyrie had demanded my room be guarded ‘inside and out’, and I wasn’t the only one unhappy with that. It made sense; trusting an engineer alone in a room would be a mistake. But as my guard and I swapped distrustful glares, I considered the probability of getting past him.

I was saved from the inevitable beating that would come with any attempt; the door opened, and I knew I didn’t stand a chance against two of them. The grumpy man who glowered at me with hard brown eyes I would risk, but the woman who had helped capture me seemed far more formidable.

“I’ll take over from here, Carter,” Cordelia said, a tray of food in one hand as she gestured for the man to leave.

Carter gave a heavy sigh of relief as he pushed away from the wall he had been lounging against. “Good, thought I’d lose my mind watching the little rat stare into space,” he said, shaking his head as he stepped past her.

“I’m sure the captain appreciates your diligence,” she responded, and something in those words sounded like a warning. The man’s mouth shut quickly, and there were no more complaints as he hurried to leave.

I watched her silently as she shut the door before turning to me. Her steps were light as she crossed the room, setting the tray down on the small table tucked against the foot of the lowest bed. “Nothin’ fancy, but it’s food, and I reckon you must be starving if you spent the night running for your life.” There was a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

I didn’t trust it, staying where I sat on the lowest bunk. My gaze lingered on the food, wondering what they would have slipped into it.

She sighed, rolling her eyes as she placed a hand on her hip, looking at me with incredulity as if she could read my mind. “Believe me, if the captain wanted you dead, he’d make much more of a spectacle.” She jutted her chin out towards the food, signaling for me to eat it as she tossed her braid over her shoulder. “You’ll get a good lashing if that plate doesn’t go back empty. Just eat it.”

“I feel like I’ll get one anyway,” I muttered, but I shifted to the end of the bed so I could pull the tray into my lap. She was right, it was nothing fancy—stew and bread—but it tasted good, which was a surprise; a welcome warmth after my dash through the freezing night air.

She stood there for a minute, watching me before she pulled up a chair and sat down. She looked at the door briefly, leaning in as she asked with narrow green eyes, “Are you really an engineer? The captain will find out if you’re lying. He’s not bluffing.” Her voice was serious, a sense of warning in her words.

I sighed around the food, looking up at her wearily. “I could prove it to you, but I doubt he’d trust me enough to let me do that.”

“No, he probably wouldn’t,” she agreed, watching me carefully.

I could tell she was suspicious, adding, “Why would anybody lie about being an engineer? It would be inviting much worse threats than the arrogant brute who captains your ship. What’s the worst he can do?” I muttered the words as I looked down at the food, chest tightening as I remembered the captain’s glistening blue eyes watching me sharply, his hand on his weapon. It was hard to shake the sense of fear, knowing death was smirking in my face; I could act cavalier, but I knew every moment on this ship would be flirting with disaster.

Cordelia’s face was grim as she didn’t meet my eyes, twisting at the gold rings adorning her fingers. “You should be careful who you make your enemy,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“I’m not aiming to make enemies,” I responded, pushing the food away from me with a grimace as I placed it on the table once more. “My only concern is surviving; it’s your captain who seems to be at odds with that goal.”

I watched her face soften, ever so slightly. Whatever she might have said was lost as the door opened abruptly, and we both looked up. The small sense of comfort I’d taken from the food was washed away by the nauseating mix of fear and anger as I realized Captain Valkyrie had come looking for me.

He cut a less striking figure without his throne and room full of treasure. He was dressed more casually than when I’d first seen him; his extravagant hat was missing, as was his long coat. Without the wide brim hiding his face, I could see how attractive he was; he could only be a few years older than me, at most. There was a prominent scar crossing his face, from his eyebrow to the jaw on the opposite side, etched across his nose where the wound had just missed his eyes. His eyes were bright against his jet-black hair as he watched me. He was intimidating even though he seemed disheveled, his clothing slightly askew and his hair ruffled around his face.

I dropped my gaze from him, hands curling in the blankets beneath me, fighting against the impulse to run.

The captain sucked in a deep breath, his broad, muscular chest puffing out for a moment before he let out a sigh, as if he were preparing himself to deal with me. Raising his brow at Cordelia he said harshly, “If I ever catch you gossiping with a prisoner again—”

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Cordelia said quickly, bowing her head.

He grunted, gesturing towards the door as he moved out of Cordelia’s way. “Get on, then.”

She didn’t look at me as she made her way to the hallway, closing the door with a sharp snap… leaving me alone with the captain.

I stared at the closed door, smothering the sense of guilt that she’d been reprimanded for sitting with me. Scowling, I brought my attention to the pirate. “She was only warning me to respect you, Captain,” I said sharply, looking at the food she had brought me. Grimacing, I reminded myself he held my life in his hands, and tried to calm the irate tone of my voice.

“Is that what it is?” he said, slowly taking Cordelia’s seat across from me as he threw his arm over the back of the chair and folded one leg across the other. He smirked slightly, saying, “Well, maybe I can’t be cross with Cordelia after all, since you’ve gone and called me ‘Captain’. That must have been quite difficult for you.”

Hissing out a breath between my teeth, I knew irritation was clear on my face as I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. “I do have a sense of manners, Captain, though you seem to be lacking one.” I forced myself to look at him, trying not to sink to his level. He was goading me, looking for a reaction, and I didn’t need to give him any more reasons to throw me overboard.

“Is that so?” He pressed his lips into a tight line, poorly trying to hide his amusement. There was no longer a smile on his face, a cold, chilling look behind his blue eyes. “Well then, let me ask you in the politest way possible… What exactly can you offer me?”