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Chapter 18

Kai reached up, brushing the palm of his hand against my cheek while his other hand kept a death grip on his sword. I wanted to stay buried in his embrace longer, but he lifted my face from his chest.

His gaze brushed down the length of my body and then settled back on my mine. "Are you hurt?"

"No." I exhaled.

His fingers slid to the back of my neck, urging me to return to the safe cocoon of his strong arms. I pressed the side of my face to the hollow of his neck and felt his Adam's apple bob in his throat. I lifted my gaze and followed his to the statue of Medusa. Something flashed across his eyes. Anger? Hate? I couldn't tell, it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He glanced down at me, his gaze snaring on the locket around my neck.

Kai lifted his hand like he intended to touch it but then dropped his hand to his side. "Let's get out of here."

I nodded and went to collect my discarded sword.

"Where did you get this?" Kai's deep voice rumbled, shaking me to my core as he motioned at my borrowed sword.

My run-in with Flynt replayed in my head like a dirty nightmare.

"I found it on deck," I lied.

Kai reached across me, plucking the sword from my hand. "Flynt would never leave his sword on deck."

"Who says it's Flynt's sword?" I countered. It looked like any other blade to me. How could Kai possibly know it belonged to Flynt?

Kai flipped the sword upside down, pointing the hilt in my direction. My stomach knotted when I saw the scribbled markings on the handle that clearly spelled FLYNT.

Kai stepped toward me, brushing the hilt of the sword against my collarbone in a threatening but tantalizing manner. "Now I ask again, sea demon. How did you get his sword?"

I breathed deeply, remembering his threat of what he would do to me if I used my siren song on him or his crew. I bit my bottom lip but stopped the second Kai's pupils dilated, focusing on my mouth. My blood turned to liquid fire as he stepped into my personal space.

"Don't lie to me," he warned.

I stood up straighter, refusing to back down to him. "I will not take the blame for his actions. I would have never used my song on him if he had kept his hands to himself."

When Kai's upper lip curled into a snarl, I stepped back. He latched onto my wrist, tugging my body to his. My body quaked at his nearness, but I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or his proximity.

"What…did…he…do?" Kai gritted out each word like it was poison on his tongue.

Without thinking, I raised my hand, brushing my fingertips across the small cut at my throat caused by Flynt's blade. "He…" I paused, unsure what to tell Kai to keep his anger at bay and, most importantly, keep him from punishing me.

Kai's attention zeroed in on my neck, and he ripped my hand away. His rough fingertips danced across my skin with such gentleness that it broke out in goosebumps.

"He did this?" Kai seethed.

I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat as I caught the almost unnoticeable twitch in Kai's jaw. "Yes."

"Flynt will pay dearly for this. I promise you that," Kai said through clenched teeth.

I stood there, too stunned to speak, blinking up at him. Was Kai directing his anger at Flynt for his trespass, not at me?

Kai stepped closer, making my head dizzy with his tantalizing scent of salty sea air and masculine spice. His swirling blue irises bored into mine, threatening to drown me in those deep pools.

He reached up, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, urging me forward until our breaths mingled. "Do not ever do that again…" The pressure on my neck increased, but not painfully so. In truth, the deadly grip enthralled me. "In the future, if you leave my ship without my permission, the punishment will be severe."

My heart threatened to take flight from my chest as Kai lowered his face to mine. I didn't move. I couldn't. He was going to kiss me, and the bad thing was I desperately wanted him to. When he pressed his lips to mine, my world exploded. He was gentle and caressing at first, like he was savoring my taste, but the longer we stayed locked together, the more passionate he became.

An electric shock coursed its way through my body, and I went weak in the knees. Kai tightened his grip on me to keep me from sliding to the cavern floor in a puddle of mixed emotions. If this were my punishment, I would jump ship again at my next chance.

Kai pulled away, combing his fingers through his dark hair as he looked anywhere other than at me. "We need to get back to the ship."

I stood in stunned silence as he walked out of the cave. I don't know what hurt more. The fact that I had allowed Captain Blackheart Kai to kiss me or the fact that he so quickly dismissed me afterward. I swallowed my bruised pride and slowly followed him out of the cave. Thankfully, he was a few paces ahead of me, so I did not have to face him at the moment.

We followed the winding foot trail through the lush forest back to the lagoon. The closer we got to the water, the stronger the necklace pulsated with power. I reached up, clenching the locket in my fist. Having something this powerful against my flesh made my skin crawl. I had no idea what this thing was capable of or what it might do to me.

My heart came screeching to a halt when something hissed in my ear. With sluggish movements, I turned my head to see one of Medusa's wicked snakes hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. It was so close that I swore its forked tongue brushed against my cheek.

I gasped as a blade flew toward my face, slicing the head of the serpent from its body before it had a chance to strike.

"Keep moving," Kai snapped, disappearing through the foliage as quickly as he appeared.

Something warm and wet slid down my face. With shaky hands, I reached up and wiped at the substance. My fingertips were stained crimson. A tremor ran down my spine just thinking of the blood splattered across my face. I picked up my pace and did not stop until I reached the lagoon.

Kai stood with his back to me in front of a dinghy. He turned toward me, and the expression on his face betrayed his impatience, so I quickly stepped into the small boat and sat down. Kai pushed off the shore and began to row us back to the ship.

I leaned over the side of the boat, dipping my fingers in the cool water, and then splashed my face to remove the offending blood that had started to dry on my skin.

I squirmed as Kai watched my every movement with calculating eyes. "How did you defeat that beast?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at Kai's harsh tone.

My gaze flicked to him. "She's not a beast, and I didn't defeat her. She gave me the necklace."

"Gave?" Kai scoffed.

"Yes, gave. She sacrificed herself to save the inhabitants of the Seven Seas." I watched Kai for any hint of emotion, but as usual, he was unreadable. "Does that surprise you?" I pressed the subject.

"No," he said, barely above a whisper. "She spared my life once."

A heavy sensation settled in my stomach, and unspoken questions scorched my tongue, yet Kai turned his back to me as he rowed against the tide. His actions left no room for doubt—he was done with the conversation. I bit my lip to keep the words within that jumbled on my tongue.

As we approached the ship, someone threw down the rope ladder. Kai seized it and signaled for me to go ahead, while he steadied the swaying boat. I quickly brushed past him and scurried up the ladder. I swung one leg over the ship's railing, and Cael promptly lifted me, setting me down gently on the ship's deck.

Cael's eyes rounded as he stared at the locket around my neck. "You did it."

I gripped the locket, feeling self-conscious as all eyes turned to me. "In a manner of speaking."

Kai bounded over the railing, and I watched as he scoured the ship, searching for something—or someone—in particular. His muscles tensed under his flowing, half-opened white shirt when his gaze landed on Flynt.

"I have something that belongs to you." A clear threat rang in the hollowed edges of Kai's statement. Flynt retreated a step as Kai pulled Flynt's sword from his belt.

I reached out, brushing the fabric of Kai's shirt. "It's over."

Kai glanced down at me, and I saw a chasm as empty as the depths of the sea. I took a step back. The anger swirling in his irises was paralyzing, unlike anything I had ever witnessed.

Flynt's gaze shifted to me, and his lip curled into a snarl. "It's the siren's fault, Cap'n! She bewitched me with her song and stole my sword." Flynt's eyes were wild with hysteria as he laid all the blame at my feet.

I kept my mouth shut. I had already said too much, which unknowingly landed us in our situation.

Kai tossed Flynt's sword to the deck. The metal blade hissed as it scraped across the wood. "Pick it up," he said through clenched teeth.

Flynt glanced at the sword and then back to Kai. His face turned ashen, and beads of sweat gathered on his brow. Flynt snatched a sword from another crew member's scabbard and held it protectively before him. I didn't miss how the blade trembled in his hand.

Kai began to circle Flynt with calculated precision. "I believe my instructions were clear. I said not to touch the woman."

Flynt's movements were quick and jerky as he shifted to keep eye contact with Kai. "She's no woman. She's a sea demon." Flynt spat in disgust.

Kai's lip curled upward in a threatening and unsettling way, revealing his pearly white teeth. "No one gets to call her that but me."

The dark rasp of his voice sent goosebumps spiraling down my arms. Kai was out for blood. He struck out with such speed and agility my mind could hardly process his movements. Flynt barely had enough time to raise his sword to ward off Kai's blow. Cael shoved me protectively behind him as the two opponents shuffled across the deck, locked in a deadly dance.

Kai was cunning, swift, and ruthless with his attacks. Everything about him was perfectly orchestrated to deliver lethal doses of fear into his enemy's bloodstream. If Kai's blade didn't kill Flynt, I was sure he would fall over dead from sheer fright.

The clanging of sword against sword reverberated deep into my bones until I feared I could stand no more. A gasp was wrenched from my lungs as Flynt landed a lucky blow, slicing into Kai's forearm. Kai's blood splattered across the wooden deck as he deflected the next attack. The urge to jump in between the two men was nearly suffocating. I took a step forward, trying to wriggle my way around Cael's broad form, and then froze in fear when realization dawned on me.

I fell back, gripping the railing of the ship to keep upright as the weight of shame pressed heavily against my shoulders. What drove me to put myself in harm's way by using my body as a barricade between the two warring males was the same thing that had driven me into Kai's arms after Medusa's death. I cared for him. Kai was like a phantom crab. He had easily passed through the walls I built around my heart and had burrowed deep within.

A tear slipped from my eye, caressing my cheek as it fell to the deck. How could I betray my family and my people by caring for the one human determined to end all of us?

Kai parried Flynt's blow, and my heart leaped to my throat, lodging itself there when Kai ran Flynt through. Flynt sputtered and swayed before his lifeless body landed against the deck with a loud thud.

"Clean this mess up," Kai growled, wiping the blood from his sword on his black pants.

He turned to face me, and Cael quickly stepped out of Kai's way as he moved in my direction like a predator. Kai gripped my arm, pulling me along behind him in the direction of the stairwell that led to the lower deck. Everything within me cried to escape his grip, but I shoved that part of me into the recesses of my mind and allowed him to pull me below. I could still feel the anger rolling off him like waves in a squall.

Kai opened his cabin door and gently pushed me inside. I stared at him as he stalled in the doorway, unable to say or do anything as more tears gathered in my eyes. Kai reached up, lightly brushing his knuckles across my cheek. His tender touch enticed more tears until they dripped from my eyes and onto Kai's fingers.

"You're safe now. Go lie down and get some rest." Kai's baritone was firm but laced with concern.

He ever so slowly pulled his hand away from my face and shut the door behind him. Once the door was closed, I heard the unmistakable sound of the scuff of his boots as he walked back up the stairs. I flung myself onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow, using it to stifle the sounds of my heart tearing apart.

As I lay on the bed, the weight of guilt settled over me like a suffocating fog. The image of Kai shutting the door and the echo of boots fading away stirred a haunting realization. He had killed one of his own crew members with disturbing ease, a reminder of the darkness that clung to him—a darkness I found myself drawn to.

Horror clawed at my insides, not just for the life he had so easily taken, but for the countless others he had ended as the feared Blackheart Kai, killer of sea creatures. The allure of his strength and the chilling reality of his deeds collided, leaving me torn between the attraction that drew me to him and the horror of the blood on his hands.

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