Page 55 of A Reckless Indulgence

The blood that she can see now. His wound has begun to heal, but there’s no mistaking the mark she left on him. It tugs at the pit of her stomach. His sharp teeth worry that spot on his lip when he notices her. He looks unsure if he should approach. When he does, he leaves more space than usual between them. “Thought you’d be holed up in the cabin again.”

“We’re about to make port.”

He shakes his head and leans on the railing beside her. The back of his shirt is so low that she can see the spikes along his spine, his skin completely covered in scales. “We’re not making port. We’re picking people up.”

It takes a moment for her to tear her gaze to where he’s pointing. In the water below, two barrels float on their sides. Out of their holes sprout two upright broomsticks with a sun-bleached sheet stretched between them. Painted words are scrawled in red across the fabric.

No Whores!

No Drink!

No Sinners!

A commotion begins on the ship. Crew members call back and forth, taking their positions and turning the vessel toward a nearby island. They’re 200 yards from land, but they don’t move any closer. It’s like the Indulgence is curling in on itself, sails retracting before all the frosted lanterns go out.

The air is so still and quiet that Lyx jumps when there’s a heavy splash into the ocean. “Anchor,” Cav murmurs.

After a moment, the clanking chain grinds to a halt. The Indulgence drifts in place.

Lyx peers through the dusk. On the island, there’s no sign of a port. No houses along the beach. No torches in the town center. Not even a candle in a window. The island seems completely isolated, save for a line of barbed barriers along the coast. Tall wooden fencing wraps around the island, plastered with signs that match the one they passed.

Something moves on the coast. Lyx lifts a hand over her eyes to see better. A section of wooden boards breaks away from the fence. It slams to the ground, covered by a large shape that appears from the forest. It looks like a giant grab scuttling along the beach, but when the shell topples into the water, she realizes it’s a rowboat carried by half a dozen people making their escape.

On the far side of the island, torches flare to life, casting light over a much bigger group. Even from this distance, Lyx can tell they’re angry, shouting and sprinting toward the small boat.

Everyone is dressed in the same cultish robes, a bland shade of beige that stands out against the dark. The escapees clamber through the shallows, hoisting and shoving each other inside their dinghy. The second group descends, torches bobbing when they wade into the water. One man snags the collar of a rower, but the others kick him away, digging in their oars and paddling with all their might.

A round of cheers swells on the Indulgence. Music kicks up on the forecastle, and the lanterns flare to life again. The rowers shout and wave as they draw closer, tying their boat to the ship before they climb the ladder to come aboard.

It’s a celebration. Everyone on the Indulgence welcomes them, but Lyx’s mouth fills with a sour taste. Why does their triumph feel like her defeat? Her throat aches.

The ship begins to move again. The newcomers are sweaty and panting and smiling. They’ve made it. They’ve escaped their torment and found the open arms of the Indulgence.

Lyx feels hot with an envy she can’t explain. “Do they owe you something now? For aiding their escape?”

“No,” Cav says carefully. “We just give them a ride to the next port. Give them a place to start over that isn’t so…controlling.”

Lyx’s teeth scrape the inside of her cheek. Everything inside her is volatile, like a wick has been lit, but she doesn’t know where it begins or ends. Why is she full of such resentment?

Maybe because all they had to do was wait for their rescuer to arrive, and now, they’re free. No strings attached. She can’t imagine that. When she needed help the most, who was there for her? Only Tidus, prepared to snap a lock around her throat. When she leaves this ship, he will still be the only one there. There is no savior. No one to wipe her slate clean.

For the briefest moment, her mind wanders into places it shouldn’t. What would have happened if the Indulgence had found her instead? If Cav had returned to her? If she’d spent the last two years with him instead of trapped under Tidus’s control?

There’s no point in wondering. That understanding numbs her until she can breathe again. The Indulgence did not appear to her. Cav did not return. Tidus has her song. This is her reality.

When she surfaces from her thoughts, Cav is still watching her. His eyes pour into her like he wishes he could do the same, diving past the scales and scars until he reaches the bottom. She isn’t sure what he’d find. She isn’t sure what she’d want him to see.

The tension from last night still hangs between them. She shouldn’t feel it. She shouldn’t feel anything, but simply being in Cav’s presence stirs up emotions she still doesn’t know how to name. She tilts her chin toward the newcomers. “Do you entertain them? Now that they’re free to do as they please?”

By now, the group is coming down from the thrill. A few of them are giddy with shock. Another looks sick, but all of them are being distracted by the crew passing out mugs and offering fresh clothing.

Cav settles back against the taffrail. “Usually, I do, but lately, I think I’ve lost my touch.”

She can’t help but laugh, despite herself. There is no world in which Cav is not infuriatingly, disarmingly charming. “Maybe you just need someone who can properly appreciate it.”

The words feel strange in her mouth. Almost…complimentary. Her throat aches in a way wholly different than she’s used to.

Cav’s lip quirks, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Is this your way of getting rid of me?”