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This couldn’t be happening—not again.
The way Katherine molded her body against Edward’s—how she pressed her lips to his—was enough to bring every agonizing memory of betrayal to the surface. I should pick up my dagger and end them both.
And yet, I froze in place as time slowed to a standstill, ensuring I bore witness to my downfall. All at once, the captain’s quarters became suffocating. The air was stale and dank. The planked walls of the ship were closing in, trapping me in a nightmare where seconds unfurled into an eternity. Each pulse of my heart was a macabre drumbeat toward my demise. A divine punishment where I lingered in my torment, noting everything in vivid detail.
The slight tremble in her lip.
The sleeve of her shift falling from her shoulder.
The flush of rose on her porcelain skin.
Once upon a time, betrayal ripped out my heart. An event that molded and shaped every hardship I endured. Like a glutton for punishment, I allowed it to happen again. I served her the remnants of my tattered heart on a silver platter, and she devoured me whole.
Regret stuck thick in my throat. I should have killed Edward Teach long ago. It had been some time since I cut ties of loyalty to the man. But the infamous Blackbeard had beenmy captain, a mentor—dare I say, at times, even a friend. I’d foolishly let my sentiments get the better of me.
But Katherine? Her betrayal blindsided me. Was I truly such a fool? The demon inside me roared, a keening cry for vengeance against this woman. The only person who made me feel something other than all-consuming revenge.
I had always believed it was my fate to deliver vengeance to Peter Pan. But had my hubris blindsided me? Maybe it was my fate to drown in betrayal over and over again.
I should have known the Divine would never let me win. I’d been on the threshold of fulfilling my life’s purpose with the object of my heart’s desire by my side. But it wasn’t to be so—not for a man like me.
Teach pulled away from her, a bewildered expression on his face before he collapsed. The sound of his large body crashing to the floorboards broke my spiraling thoughts. Dragging me back to reality like a violent current. Kat stumbled backward, falling to her backside in a huff.
“It worked,” she whispered, gingerly fingering her lips. “It really worked.”
“Katherine?”
“We are truly free. The poison—it worked!” she said as her gaze met mine.
“Poison? What poison?”
“It worked,” she repeated, her emerald eyes foggy as they drifted back to Teach’s limp body sprawled out on the fine rug of the captain’s quarters. Images of the kiss they’d shared only moments before cycled through my mind, driving me mad. I couldn’t make sense of it all.
My vision flared red as I reached her in two quick strides. I dug my fingers into her arm as I wrenched her from the floor.
“What in the bloody name of the Divine is going on?” I growled.
“I poisoned him. I did it for you.”
“How?” The question came out through gritted teeth, barely keeping my temper in check. My love for her was the only thing keeping me from running her through.
“My locket,” she said, gently fingering the chain around her neck. “It contains poison. When I kissed the locket, it transferred to my lips. It was through my kiss that he found his demise.” She straightened her shoulders, holding her chin high with her admission.
“Curious, don’t you think, that you are seemingly unfazed?”
“It was arsenic. I’ve been dosing myself for years, trying to build an immunity. It affects me, but not enough to kill me.” It was then that I realized her words were slightly slurred. I stared at her. Searching her face for the truth. Her pupils were blown out, and she swayed in an effort to remain upright. My hand on her arm was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
“You have to believe me. Please. It was the only way. I couldn’t risk you falling to his blade.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. The sound of her sobs filled the silence of the cabin. Her tears melted the anger in my chest. The evidence confirming the truth of her story lay at our feet. She had been his victim, even more so than I had. And the Divine had granted her the vengeance she deserved.
“I believe you.” She let out a wail, and her body sunk into mine as I folded her into my arms. “Shh… I believe you. I wish you would have told me about the poison, but I believe you. I told you before that I’d be worthy of all your demons, and I’m a man of my word.”
I held her for what felt like an eternity. Rocking her on the floor as all the pain she’d endured under Teach poured out of her, dampening my shoulder. I tried to snuff out the jealousy that welled in my gut. Katherine had finally gotten her revenge, while mine lingered like a rotting corpse, deteriorating into something gruesome and unrecognizable. I had to do something soon. I had a date with Peter Pan and my patience was wearing thin.
“Come with me,” I said once her sobs had finally subsided. I grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
“What are you?—”
“I can’t stand to look at him anymore. Let’s rid him from our lives once and for all.”
