Page 48 of By the Flames of Her Fury

“Starke…” I gently squeezed his hand and tried to pull away, but he held fast.

“We make a good team, V,” he insisted. “Haven’t you ever wondered if there’s something more between us than this?”

I licked my lips, panic rising at his touch. “Please, don’t do this,” I whispered.

His grip tightened, blue eyes deepening. “You must know how much I care about you.”

“And I care about you, Starke.” I finally extricated myself from his grasp. “As a friend. Which is why I don’t want anything to change.”

“Maybe not right now. I know you won’t rest until you find Mortep. But you need a life, Vera. You need something to live for when all of this is over.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and the contact sent shivers of discomfort rolling down my neck. “I think…I think I could help you find that, if you’d only give me a chance. If you’d picture a future after this absurd pursuit.”

The strained tension snapped. “Absurd?”

He sighed. “That’s not what I⁠—”

“No, that's exactly what you meant.” I moved to the side, forcing him to step backward. “I know this doesn’t make sense to anyone else, but after everything I’ve told you, I thought you’d understand. I need this, Starke.” My voice rose, shaking with both anger and hurt. “This isn’t some—some absurd chase. This is the only thing that wakes me up in the morning. The only reason to keep trying at all.”

He reached for me again, but I flinched, ignoring his attempts to stop me as I turned toward the door. “Vera, please,” he called. “Let me⁠—”

The door slammed open, and Karye burst through. “We’ve spotted something, Captain,” she said breathlessly. “An approaching ship.”

Awkwardness still hung in the air, but the news seemed to bring Starke to his senses. “Friendly or not?” he asked quickly.

“Unclear,” Karye responded. “We sounded a horn salute, but they didn’t return one.”

Starke’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. With one last glance at me, he nodded to her. “Fine. Let me see.”

He strode after Karye, and I followed close behind. I expected sunlight when we stepped onto the quarterdeck, but the skies had darkened considerably since morning. Thick clouds loomed overhead, gray and heavy. A flash of lightning streaked in the distance.

Sure enough, an unfamiliar ship sailed the foggy blue waters on our starboard side. It was close enough that I could see small figures dotting its deck. Its hull was badly damaged, its sail so tattered I couldn't make out a crest.

“Load the cannons,” Starke instructed Karye. “We’ll fire a warning shot. See if they change course or answer.”

“Yessir.” Karye tipped her head, then barked the command at the crew.

I cleared my throat. “Do you really think they’d⁠—”

“Go below deck, Vera.”

My mouth snapped shut. “Excuse me?”

He averted his eyes. “Go back to my office,” he repeated. “This could turn hostile.”

I scoffed. “And leave the rest of you to⁠—”

“Don’t argue with me.” A clap of thunder accentuated his command. He stepped closer, nose only a few inches from mine. His eyes were heated, both with anger and something else. “You’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t envision a future with me,” he bit out, “but I still intend for you to have one. Get to my office, now.”

My nostrils flared as I met his challenging stare. But when the other crewmembers noticed our standoff, I forced myself to take a deep breath. I didn’t want to cause a scene here. With one last glance at the approaching ship, I spun on my heels and marched back through the cabin doors.

22

Everett

SIX YEARS AGO

Ikept waiting for her to walk back through her cell doors, but Songbird was still gone.

Mortep took her three days ago. I didn’t know why they were so interested in her; it wasn’t something she liked to talk about. I knew she had grown up in Scarven’s mansion as what I assumed was the daughter of a servant or council member or something. But as eager as Mortep seemed to be about her, the more I wondered if I didn’t know the full story.