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Yakobba grinned wickedly, slipping closer.
"I'll admit I've never been one to fear the command of a king."
I leaned close, whispering with a sultry breath.
"Yet here you sail, rushing like a fool to do the impossible for yours."
His eyes shifted, something vulnerable filling them. For a moment, it was as if we were the only two on the entire ship.
"I have to Corellis." He blinked, his eyes swelling with an innocence I hadn't witnessed until now. This was the true Yakobba. Not the pirate, nor even the prince. This was him. I closed the gap between us, whispering back.
"Why? Are there no other ways to please the king?"
Yakobba flinched, blinking at me.
"I know you're not after the stone for yourself, Yakobba." I tilted my head. "Why this? Why the stone? When you know Azizi needs it to survive? Surely there has to be another way."
"There is none, Corellis. My mamè birthed the king two soès." He looked somewhere behind me, his voice lowering. "Perhaps once I've brought him the stone, he'll remember more than one still breathes and desires to be known by him. And maybe one dawn, even be loved by him, too."
He finished with his voice so small, so broken, I could feel my own hearts splintering. I placed my hands on his chest, looking up into his eyes. Those storms of steel fell on me, filled with a wound so deep, so raw, it tore open my chest and left me bleeding for him.
"This heist can get you killed, Yakobba," I whisper. "Surely dying isn't worth it."
"If it means he will stop cursing the dawn mamè held me in her arms and showed me to him, then yes, even death is worth it."
Witnessing such a brokenness undid something in me. I wrestled with my shame, frowning at myself. His ringed finger gently lifted my chin.
"What ails you, Ayella of the sea?"
I leaned into him, miserable. I couldn't just tell him the truth. Kianga had warned me to keep my mouth shut. She didn't care what I was, or wasn't, feeling for him. I was not about to tell him the truth. Ever. He'd find out eventually, but by then it would be too late.
I longed for these moments. He never cared if his crew stared while he acted as if we were alone. It made me feel what I'd never felt in all my life. I hated every moment that brought me closer to when this would all end.
"I know how you can get to the palace without having to go through the ports." I swallowed. "King Au'Pearl, and several sea lords, enter and leave by sumaren directly from the Pearl Palace through a waterway only royals use. I have a feeling this is how your family will be brought to the Pearl Palace. I can direct you that way to save time."
"I don't like this melancholy note your voice has taken." Yakobba squeezed my waist, lifting my chin. He was so close I could push up on my toes and kiss him. He seemed to think the same. His eyes darkened, making my toes curl with ice. He took a long, shaky breath before speaking again.
"Maybe not now, but eventually, will you tell me what's wrong?" He touched the spot on my dress right where my hearts would be. "Here." He lifted a hand to touch my temple. "Not here." His lips spread into a crooked smile that made my hearts flutter. "We can't both be broken, Ayella. I'd rather it be me. In every cycle, in every cosm, in every realm, never you. Always me."
"I will," I said around the lump in my throat. "Well, I think I should find Engèli and show him the waterway, yes?"
I slipped out of Yakobba's grip, hating the empty feeling that came with being away from him. I rushed down the steps, searching determinedly for Engèli before I did something stupid. As I found Engèli, I was keenly aware of a pair of steel-blue and silver eyes trailing my every step.
Chapter 21
Entering the Home of the Sea
YAKOBBA
"The portal entry's up ahead."
Engèli nodded, looking at the churning whirlpool in the distance. Corellis stood beside him, shifting from foot to foot. I couldn't help but drink in her beauty. Soon enough, we'd be going our separate ways. I frowned. We ran out of time. With the setback on Ashbone Island, we'd be arriving at Azizi at the same time as the Avariens.
Brushing a hand over my beard, I floated above the quarterdeck overlooking the crew. They were in high spirits expecting the reality of the heist now that we were going to cross into Azizi territory. I could see nervousness pulling their shoulders taut and making their expressions anxious. But they were ready.
"Alright mates, listen up!" I called.
Every head lifted, all attention on me.
