Page 97 of The Never List
Cold dread slices through me, but it’s quickly whisked away by one warm look from Kal across the room, followed immediately by a scandalous wink from Axl. I focus back on Pierce and shake my head.
“Liar,”I accuse playfully.
His eyes fall to my lips, something more serious shifting within them. “Aren’t we all?”
The playfulness drains out of me in an instant.
Pierce may be my undoing—not only can he read minds, he can control them. Control the very reality around me if he wishes, and he can use that same power to manipulate things. He could flay me where I stand and make me believe I loved it. Even now, his tease against my skin, the ache I have between my thighs, is just a glimpse of his power.
Once again, the desire to come clean with him…with all of them…fills me so much, I can hardly breathe. They’ve turned out to be nothing like I’d expected. Maybe the fear of retaliation is wrong, too.
“Pierce…” I try to make the words come out.
I’m an Ashlander. I’m a demi.
It would be so easy to free myself of the weights around my ankles threatening to drown me in lies.
“I’m—”
Screams ring out from the shoreline, stopping my confession.
We both rush across the ship to where Axl has climbed up the railing, eyes like a hawk across his Sapphire Sea.
Another scream, and I can pinpoint the spot on the shore.
The fishing village.
People are rushing from the market square, scattering like ants from a freshly turned hill. And behind them, lit by soft glowing torches hanging from posts strategically placed along the public gathering area, are shadows of people in gray that I can barely make out.
“Faders.” Axl spares us a glance before he dives into the water.
“Axl!” I call, glancing over the rail. All I can see is his form beneath the water, spearing toward the shore like ashark locked on prey.
The ship shudders, turning too quickly as it adjusts its course for the shoreline.
“Secure the kings!” Number Three of the elite enforcers shouts, ushering Jullian below deck. One, Two, and Four follow with their respective kings.
I glare at Baydel, who seems unaffected as One pushes him toward the descending stairs. “You could help!” I call out. “You’re more powerful—”
He merely shakes his head, then disappears below deck.
Prick.
“They have to be kept safe,” Kal explains, tension in his tone. “Any physical harm to a king would be a declaration of war.”
“And attacking an innocent fishing village isn’t?” I roll my eyes. “Baydel could stop them, hold all the attackers at bay at once so we can question them, figure out how to come to terms or stop them for good.”
Jax’s laugh borders on chaotic, which makes Kal grimace. “That would entail him caring about anything other than his own safety.” Jax narrows his eyes.
“Stay here,” Kal says. “Go below deck with the kings. You’ll be safe there.”
I grab his arm, digging my nails in to keep him with me. I know he’s indulging me. If he wanted, he could already be in the skies, leaving me behind like a weight that would only slow him down.
“You didnotjust tell me to go below deck with the damned kings,” I snap.
Kal’s blue eyes widen, and this time it’s Pierce’s turn to laugh.
“That was feisty, darling,” Pierce says, hovering above us now, sparkling ribbons of emerald light swirling around his body from the palms of his hands, propelling him into the sky. He dips his head, flashing Kal agood lucklook, and then disappears as he soars away.
