Chapter 6

6

Plans never worked out as they were supposed to. Something always went wrong. It might be minor, but it happened. Someone took a wrong turn, dropped something, forgot something. It happened. Always . But not this time.

And that made Jai nervous.

He walked the top deck, pausing to speak to crew members before moving on. Priya had the helm. He should be in his quarters resting or doing one of the hundred other things waiting for his attention. There was something about coming face-to-face with your enemy that busted through carefully constructed walls erected to keep the past out.

It was all around him now. Everywhere he turned, he saw her, smelled her. Felt her. Soon , he would banish her forever. Once he handed Arya to the Masters , he would excise her from his thoughts. And his heart.

How had she remained there? His hate should’ve cut her out long ago. It had only taken one look into her eyes to feel the pull, the desire. It had been as thick and heady as the first time they met. No amount of loathing or revulsion could dispel the hunger that burned in his blood for her. Even now.

She was closer than she had been in ages. Just below his feet. The wind that brushed his cheek was like a caress. Like her caress.

Jai stopped at the ship’s bow and put his hand on the wood, gripping it and shoving thoughts of Arya’s lips and supple body from his mind. The vessel remained steady, its heading true. It had held him during storms and carried him through danger. It was his home. And he had brought his adversary aboard.

Jai remembered the first time he’d seen The Viper sitting in the secret harbor. The ship had been named after the extinct creatures that used to terrorize the river. It was imposing, solidly built, sleek, and fast. Her name alone inspired fear in Dark Elves , regardless of whether they ventured onto the Lotus River . If someone didn’t see the name on the hull, all they had to do was catch a glimpse of the figurehead at the bow—an enormous snake head with its hood extended, mouth open, fangs showing, and the long body curled as if ready to strike.

Jai had walked the deck alone. He had touched every part of her, promising to care for her if she took care of him and the crew. And The Viper hadn’t let him down.

Standing at the bow as the ship cut through the water, it felt like he was riding upon one of the ancient river serpents toward a new destiny. He had held onto hope of revenge for so long that it seemed almost too good to be true that it had finally come to pass.

He had searched for Arya for years. Not as thoroughly as he would’ve liked, but as much as he could on his downtime—which was only a day or two. He’d had no coin to his name, but that didn’t stop him from scraping together enough funds to hire others to look for Arya until the money ran out. Then he would do it all over again. Deep down, he had known he would locate her eventually.

After so many attempts and near misses, he finally had her. And it had been easy. Almost too easy. But who was he to thumb his nose at a gift?

Arya’s eyes flashed in his mind. The fear and confusion he saw there was like a gut punch. Then he remembered where he was and what he had endured.

Jai turned on his heel and strolled down the other side of the ship. The water was calm, the winds easy. He lifted a hand to Priya and headed to his quarters. He wasn’t the first to captain The Viper and he wouldn’t be the last. Each one left something behind when they moved on, whether in death or in other ways.

He closed the door behind him and locked it with a bolt and magic. No one would enter without his permission, but he always barred it. He faced his chamber. Bookshelves were on the left, various trinkets among the stacks of books. His bed was to the right. Directly before him was an ornate desk atop a blood-red rug with geometric silver accents along the edge and at the center. Behind the desk was a wall of windows. He had stared out them many times, dreaming, hoping. Praying .

Jai read every book in his quarters twice before trading for new ones. He had already offered up a bauble to the bookshelf long ago. The Viper was the first real home he’d ever had. He wished he could take her with him when he left, but she was someone else’s property. He could fashion his own Viper , though.

He sank onto the edge of the bed. He would say farewell to the ship soon. He’d once confessed to Priya that he believed the ship would be his final home. Mostly because he hadn’t expected to live for as long as he had. Part of him had longed for death in the early days. It’s what made him take such risks. Yet , he still stood.

In a matter of days, he would walk off The Viper for the final time. Someone else would take the ship back up the river to collect more cargo and keep the process going until the Masters stopped or moved on.

Jai lay back on the bed, one arm under his head. He didn’t trust the Masters . They may have promised him freedom, but no one would force them to keep their word. He was skilled and competent at delivering cargo, and this was a business to them—a highly successful one. Would they willingly let him go? Probably not. But he was prepared for that.

He snorted. He was turning into one of them by calling his people cargo . It was time he got out before he lost the last bit of his soul that remained.

Arya , on the other hand, was just beginning her journey with the Masters . He didn’t know what they planned for her, and he didn’t want to know. Maybe they would kill her. Perhaps they’d torture her. Maybe they’d enslave her. Once she was in their custody, that would be the end of the elf he knew. She was, even now, their property. She had caused trouble.

And they always retaliated.

Jai frowned as he heard a bang from below. He swung his legs over the bed and stood to listen. It came again. Soft and barely detectible. There was nowhere for Arya or the human to go, but desperate people did desperate things.

“ I’ll kill her myself if she hurts my ship,” Jai muttered as he stalked from his quarters.

He hurried below, the banging growing louder as he approached the cells. His frown deepened when he realized it wasn’t coming from Arya’s chamber. Jai looked through the window into the human’s prison to find her moving from wall to wall and banging on it with the side of her fist like a madwoman. She drew up short when she saw him.

“ Help her,” the human said, pointing into Arya’s room.

Jai wasn’t in the mood for games. He turned, intending to return to his quarters, but paused beside Arya’s door to peer inside. She was on the floor, the top part of her twisted so she lay on her stomach. Her arms were near her head, her face in his direction. The blood coming from her mouth had him throwing open the door.

“ She struck Arya ,” the human said through the wall. “ I heard it. I’ve been trying to get Arya to wake up since.”

Jai dropped down beside Arya . An angry, ugly bruise was already forming on her left cheek, the purple and deep blue marring her gray skin. He studied her for a long moment, watching her chest rise and fall steadily. Then he stood and walked out, locking the door behind him.

“ Hey !” the human called. “ Aren’t you going to do something?”

Jai took the stairs three at a time. He didn’t slow until he was back in his quarters. It didn’t matter to him if Arya provoked Priya . He certainly didn’t care if Arya was unconscious because of it.

It didn’t matter.

He didn’t care.

Jai closed his eyes and repeated those words until he could almost believe them. Now he understood why Priya had been so concerned with them finding Arya . He hated her, but there were still feelings there.

And that could be dangerous for all of them.