24. Midnight Visit

Ilie awake, staring at the ceiling. Too many worries circle in my head. Gregory. The mage's tome. Cassandra Marie.

Felicity.

When the soft knock sounds at my door, I worry it's one of the ship's boys coming with bad news about Gregory. Last I checked on the mage, he'd taken Soleil's experimental concoction and was sleeping. But why else would someone call at this time of night if not for sickness or attack?

I pull on a pair of trousers but don't bother with a shirt, hurrying to the door and opening it with more force than I intend.

Startled, Felicity takes a step back. Her eyes widen when she sees my state of undress, her gaze roving over my torso before she rips it back to my face. She bathed when we returned to the ship, using my cabin while I waited on the main deck. The dirt is gone, and her hair is clean. She wears it down now, a sleek sheet of auburn silk that falls to her waist.

She looks innocent—untouched by the cruelties of the world. She wears tan trousers paired with the white shirt she borrowed from me. The garment is far too large on her, falling to mid-thigh, the sleeves bunched at her wrists. Seeing her in it, paired with the raw appreciation on her face, warms me.

"Felicity," I say, my voice gruff.

"Did I wake you?" she asks quietly.

"No." I usher her inside, knowing the night watch has already seen her. My men might gossip amongst themselves, but they won't share the rumor beyond the Serpent.

She turns to me once I close the door. "I slept for a while, but then I woke, and…"

"I did the same."

Avoiding my eyes, she sits at my tea table. "I can't make this a habit."

"Visiting me in the middle of the night?" I smile.

"Visiting you at all." Cutting me off before I can respond, she says, "I'd like to come with you to see the dragons."

"So you can steal the journal?"

Irritated, her eyes flash. "I want to see how the female is healing."

I take a seat opposite her at the table. "All right."

"If Lukas is right about the treasure's location, we'll never retrieve the journal. You know how dragons are about their hoards."

"They might relinquish the journal in exchange for our help, but I doubt they will part with their gold."

She presses her lips together, thinking hard. "Will King Marcelo send dragon slayers to kill them for it?"

I'm quiet for several seconds. "It's possible."

"Tiago was present when Lukas made his announcement. How do we retrieve the journal and lead him to believe the treasure was paltry and not worth his king's time?"

"I'm not sure. But first, we must see if the dragons truly have the treasure. It wouldn't be the first time Lukas was wrong."

"Do you think he might be?" she asks, her voice hopeful.

I think about it for a moment, weighing the evidence. "Not this time, no."

"You'll protect them, won't you?"

"I'll do my best."

She studies me, her expression going pensive. "Swear to me you'll keep them safe?"

Knowing she might not like my answer, I say, "Some things are out of my control. I cannot make a promise that's larger than I am. Otherwise, the real promises I make have no meaning. I swore I would save the dragon from the cave, and I did. I swore I would save you, and I'll do that, too. And though I cannot vow to keep the dragons safe from the Milindrian militia, I swear I will try."

She contemplates me and rises from her chair. I think she's going to leave, but she rounds the table and sits on my lap. I welcome her, draping my arms around her back.

"I don't like it when people make me promises," she says. "But I like yours."

Sensing she's not done, I stay quiet.

"I don't like people expecting things of me," she continues, "but I want you to lean on me as I've been leaning on you." She meets my eyes in the dim magelight. "And I don't like it when people touch me, but…"

I swallow, affected by her nearness. "But?"

"I like it when you touch me." She sets her fingertips on my shoulder and slowly, softly drags them over my chest. "And I like touching you."

"Felicity," I say, my voice strained.

"I don't know how I'm going to stay away from you for two years," she murmurs.

I catch her hand before she can drive me mad and turn it over, kissing the inside of her wrist. "Then don't."

"Davyn…"

"I won't try to dissuade you, and I will respect your decision. But please know, the wait will be torture for us both." I kiss her again, a little farther up her arm this time.

"Will you grow tired of waiting for me?" she asks, breathless. "Will you move on to someone else?"

"No."

"Will you resent me?"

I chuckle at the absurd notion, pushing back her sleeve to continue up her arm. "Never."

She lifts her other hand to my neck, stroking my skin gently. "What will our lives together look like, you think? Paint me a picture that I can tuck away in my heart."

I close my eyes for a moment, lost in the sensation of her hands on my skin. "I see the sea. Traveling aboard the Serpent. Exploring port cities, probably scouting a bit because I cannot seem to escape it."

She laughs softly. "Do you want to?"

"Not really," I admit. "It's in my blood. And with you by my side…becoming captain of the Serpent doesn't seem so daunting."

"What else do you see?"

"A family. Children." I kiss the inside of her elbow. "Happy chaos. Fights, too, most likely, especially if they inherit your temper."

"I don't have a temper," she protests, laughing.

I drop her arm, cradling her cheek in my palm. "I love it when you laugh. I swear I will make you laugh every single day, selfishly, just so I can hear it."

Her eyes soften, and she pretends to cringe. "That's horribly sentimental, Captain."

"I love you." I stroke her cheek. "And I will wait for you as long as it takes. I will take it as my punishment for not coming after you, for being a fool and letting you go."

"You're not to blame for my decision, nor the course my life took after we parted." She draws in a deep breath. "And I love you. Still."

I close my eyes, soaking it in.

She takes advantage of the moment and presses her lips to mine, kissing me softly. I smile against her mouth, drinking in the moment, letting it give me strength.

"Do you think your family will like me?" I ask her when she pulls back.

"They'll be enamored with you," she says. "Amis will probably drive you mad, following you around like a puppy, wanting to learn everything there is to know about sailing. Gladia will be shy." Her face shadows. "And Mabel…I'm not sure. We've been apart most of her life. I don't really know her."

"Soon, you will be together, and you will be able to make up for all your lost time."

"She looks the most like Mother," she says, speaking of her parents for the first time since I've known her. "It's a little painful for me, if I'm honest. I miss her. And Father and Grandfather."

I go still, afraid I'll spook her if I move, and she'll stop talking.

"The rest of us took after Father with his red hair and temper."

"Tell me about your parents, Felicity."

She slowly exhales, preparing herself. "Grandfather raised my mother single-handedly. I don't know anything about my grandmother, whether she died or abandoned her family. It didn't matter."

"Father worked as a member of Grandfather's crew. He and Mother fell in love, and when they were old enough, they were married. We lived at sea, aboard Grandfather's ship. We were…so happy. Then Father died, washed overboard in a storm. A few months later, Mother died in childbirth. Grandfather hired a nurse to care for Mabel when she was a baby, and we…survived. Broken, but finding joy as the years went on. Until even that joy was stolen."

"And your grandfather's property? His estate? The money he made during his life?"

"It went to his brother. They were partners. Apparently, it was wrapped up in their business."

"And his brother didn't take you in?" I demand, not realizing she had any other family.

"His wife didn't want us." She blinks a few times. "The local magistrate, who was friends with my uncle, decided I was old enough to become the head of our small family, and that was…that."

I clutch her against me, holding her because I have no words. My anger swells, the injustice a bitter taste in my mouth.

"You are my family, and I am yours," I vow when I find my voice. "You're not alone anymore."

Felicity is silent, but hot tears wet my shoulder. She nods, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

We stay like this so long, she eventually goes soft around me, and I realize she's fallen asleep. Feeling a surge of fierce protectiveness, I lift her gently and carry her to my bed. She wakes as I pull the covers around her, murmuring protests, but I kiss her lips and whisper, "I'll be close by if you need me."

Then I take Lukas's hammock and find sleep myself.