Page 37 of A Reckless Indulgence

Heathen steps back. “Keep the tattoo hidden. I don’t want to send the crew into a frenzy when we don’t know anything else.” Her spine is rigid as she moves back toward her desk. “Before you turn in for the night, tighten up guard duty. I’ll quiz the crew on the fire plan. We’ll have to be vigilant for the foreseeable future.”

Cypher’s jaw clenches. After a moment, she moves toward the door.

“And keep me informed of your tattoos,” Heathen calls after her. There’s a meaningful edge in their voice. “Changes, new appearances, anything, I want to know about them. Immediately.”

Cypher’s hand rests on the knob, but she doesn’t look back toward them. Her shoulders twitch like she might speak, but she tugs the door open and slams it behind her.

Cav swears Heathen’s head shakes as she sits. His presence now seems like an intrusion, but before he can back away, Heathen speaks to him. “Keep an eye on Lyx.” When she lifts her face, there’s a suspicion she didn’t wear before.

Cav’s bravado falters. He tries to find an easy smile. “Thought you didn’t care about speculation. Only facts.”

“I care about this ship and the people on it.” Heathen leans back in her chair. “And I believe in Cypher. Her interpretations are rarely wrong. Despite your bickering, you know that.”

Cav presses his tongue against a pointed tooth. As much as he hates to admit what Heathen says, it’s true. He can’t admit that now. He can’t give Cypher’s campaign any more fuel. “That doesn’t mean she’s right this time.”

“It also doesn’t mean she’s wrong.”

“She’s wrong about Lyx.”

“And that’s your unbiased opinion?”

The spikes on Cav’s back flinch. He hasn’t forgotten Heathen’s warning from the first day, but it’s hard to stand up to scrutiny when he fucked Lyx in front of the entire ship.

It doesn’t matter. That was work. That was fun. He knows better than to expect — to hope — for anything more than that. “I will keep Lyx out of trouble,” Cav assures her with as much confidence as he can muster. “You don’t have to worry.”

There’s a flicker in Heathen’s eyes like she knows Cav has gotten in deeper than he can handle, but then, they press their mouth into a thin line and turn back to their parchment. “Yet I always do.”

In the Grotto

Lyx

Lyx almost doesn’t return to the grotto.

It’s clear Cav is playing some game. She turns the memory over in her mind until it’s as smooth as sea glass. No matter how sharp the image of Cav is, her brain grows foggy when she remembers the leaf falling away, the dip in his voice, the look in his eye that makes her entire body clench.

She digs her fingernails into her arms. Focus. He’s doing this for a reason. What is he trying to accomplish? To confuse her enough to keep him alive?

It won’t make a difference. She resolves herself to that, but she still needs somewhere to take out this frustration. Fortunately, the perfect target sails into her territory.

A ship of hunters floats past with harpoon guns at the ready. Lyx makes quick work of them. They’re so easy to fool when she lounges on a rock, pressing her breasts together and kicking up her feet. None of them are prepared for her. There is no wax stuffed in their ears, no chewed plant to make them immune to her song. It’s almost insulting when they succumb to her, leaving behind a spreading stain of blood in the water.

They all taste the same. She can’t convince herself to take more than a few bites of their gamy, stale flesh, so instead, she follows the spoils of their shipwreck to a nearby island. There’s a trunk of dry clothing, an assortment of bottles, soggy books and gold coins, so she dumps what she wants into a bucket and leaves the rest behind.

When she arrives in the grotto, Cav smiles like he’s been waiting for her.

Only her eyes peek above the water. She blows a stream of irritated bubbles and swims closer until she’s obscured by the rocky ledge. She raises her mouth of sharp teeth. “Turn around.”

Damn pirate. It’s like he can’t help himself, leaning forward to get a closer look.

“I said, turn around!” She darts closer to the ledge, heart tumbling like she’s not the predator here. “And shut your eyes, since you can’t follow the rules.”

Sheepishly, he does as he’s told. She wonders if the words, Don’t instruct me, are dancing on his tongue, but he doesn’t say them, so she grabs the bucket floating behind her and climbs out of the waves.

The water droplets on her skin fade along with her siren form. Her most vicious parts retract, leaving behind a palatable human figure. It surprises her that she’s almost relieved that he has only seen her like this. It’s something she’s never felt before, but she can’t begin to examine that. She has work to do.

She deposits the bucket on the bank and stands behind Cav. His eyes are still closed, but he tilts his head back like he’s enjoying the sun. It bares his throat to the wall, delicate and fragile. She could kill him now. One broken shell would be all it would take…

But there’s a more tempting offer. Her skin grows hot, but it doesn’t stop her from running her eyes over him. She likes him like this. When she can almost pretend he’s asleep. When he’s silent. When he can’t see her. When she can look her fill.