Page 107 of Season Warriors & Wolves

I straddled his lap and he groaned at the back of his throat. “Tell me.”

“Say please.”

“Please,” I grit out between clenched teeth.

He grinned, downing the rest of his drink. “I’ve found a way to sail us through the Sea of the Dark.”

“You have?”

“Yes. Triad has already gone to overlook the ship being fortified with Adriatian steel. Already tested, it won’t melt from the contact with the acid waters further in, but no more than about five of us can go because of the weight it has added. I spoke to Cai earlier today. We will need him to steer the ship with wind since there is none inside the eudemon space, and he agreed.”

“He did?”

“Mhm. So did Mal. He’ll lead us towards life.”

Oh. “Why did you wait to tell me?”

“I didn’t want it to keep you awake, but now that I think about it, it might have actually helped you sleep.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked, his nose nudging mine. “Are we still arguing? Or can I have my cuddle now?”

“Say please.”

“Pretty please,” he murmured, kissing my mouth repeatedly. “Please, hm?”

Chapter twenty-four

Black Knight to E5

Snowlin

There was no other way to cross the Sea of the Dark to the underwater city of Hellas besides by ship—though a ship wasn’t a way either, because no one had actually managed to reach the other point without paying the price.

No matter how much Kilian had insisted he went alone, I refused. If we were to pay a price like the rest, we’d pay it together. And besides, I might be the only one who Golgotha might let speak to him. He was known to be a prideful god.

Mal jumped from the ship deck and dusted his hands together, glaring at my sister who was shifting from one foot to the other while she stared ahead at the gurgling, dark storm hurdling above the bizarre waters.

“Her fascination with odd things sometimes scares me,” I said.

Kilian pointed an accusing look at me. “Does it now?”

“Unbelievable,” Mal murmured.

Kilian lifted his gaze up from the map to him, already knowing what he was going to say. “There is no wind in this sea to stir us, brother, and you know it. She will guide the ship.”

“It could have been anyone else.”

“They all backed away when she volunteered,” my husband said with some humour, glancing at my little sister. “She’s got a way with words.”

“Sure,” Cai said, shaking his head as he came to join us by the ship. “Words. Men are bloody fools. Fools for girls with pretty eyes, dark hair and the most ominous sense of humour to exist.”

My sister looked between all the men, confused, before she got dragged to the ship deck by Cai, showing her around and explaining to her which sail they needed to push for the ship to stir in the direction we wanted it to go.

Nia stepped before us, handing me a little sachet of foul smelling herbs. “Blood bark,” she explained, giving the rest of the entourage one too. “Macaria sourced me some of the plant and I mixed it with white rue to hide your scents from eudemons, like what we used for our Nimbus when they flew over this area to lure them inside Adriata. The creatures might think they hate your taste until they smell your magic.”

“Hope you packed a bigger one for my muffin,” Mal said, throwing my friend a teasing glance. “His attitude fucking stinks. One of them tentacle things might want to snog it out of him.”