Silver Tongue Devil (Devil in the Deep Blue Sea #1), page 10
My mind flickered to a group of people half a world away, knowing every day they waited for my return. Almost five years had passed since I sailed off. I had missed Wyatt’s first steps, his first words, his first day of preschool. But I couldn’t bring myself to go back; the reminder of all we had lost was too much. Though no matter how far I sailed, Lexie’s blood still stained my skin. The memory of her dead body in my arms still haunted me. The nightmares still woke me up screaming, as if it was happening all over again.
And not once could I prevent it.
The half-strighoul, half-seer called Zeke was the one who murdered her. A science experiment born in Dr. Rapava’s labs, made with Zoey’s viable eggs, created a whole new unnatural species. Almost invincible, smart, powerful, strong, they were still out there somewhere. Creatures who shouldn’t exist.
One day I would hunt Zeke and all the others down.
“Captain?” Scot nudged me, snapping me back to the present. “What are your plans for her?”
“I don’t know yet.” Rubbing my head, I let out an exhale. “Though I can’t release her.”
“So, we’re gonna keep her prisoner?” Zid sat up. “We can have pets now?”
I glared at him, shaking my head.
If older Kat was anything like her younger self, she was stubborn, determined, and would not give up until she got what she wanted—which seemed to be my death. Letting her go would only land us right back here, and there was a good possibility she would succeed next time.
“She’ll stay a prisoner until I figure out what to do with her. Right now she’s not my first concern.” The whole reason we were even in the east was to reestablish ourselves here, making it known the Silver-Tongue Devil was back and ready to claim his title again. “Did anyone hear anything in Singapore about this PIB or The Revenge?”
I knew The Revenge belonged to this infamous PIB and her crew. As I took back the Caribbean, all I kept hearing were larger-than-life myths about her. How her bodyguards would tear you into bite-size pieces. With only the heel of her boot, she could make you mincemeat, killing hundreds of men, including well-established ruthless pirates. Her first mate was the best sailor in the world. And how she could seduce, fuck, and rob better than I ever had.
Okay, I was man enough to know that was what bothered me the most. I mean, I worked decades for the reputation. No one had come close, but now it was being taken from me?
It was an outright challenge.
“Several people claimed they saw the ship in port a day ago, but the one they swore it was now flies the emperor’s insignia,” Zid replied.
“The crew?” Scot asked.
“Disappeared,” Vane piped up.
“If Batara took it, the crew is dead,” Zidane stated, his fingers twirling around a blade, looking half-bored as always.
“We came all this way and got dressed up for nothing?” Scot scratched at his red beard with a snort.
My mind kept wheeling around as they continued to talk about what they heard, prickles tapping at the back of my neck, crackling over my skin. Something didn’t add up to me.
“We still need to make our mark. But in the absence of this Captain PIB, we can easily gain control. Make sure the Somalia pirates know who is boss.” Vane tossed the peas aside, blood still crusting his swollen nose.
“Aye, right,” Scot declared in response to Vane.
“Fools.” Tsai’s voice popped my head up. “And people think I’m the blind one.” Her white gaze went right at me. “Pussy right in your face and you guys still can’t find the clit.”
“What the fuck, old woman? Why do you think the women keep coming back?” Vane spouted out. “I know exactly where it is!”
“Do you? Seems to be sitting right on you and still you’re all oblivious.” Tsai spoke directly to me, a twitch in her lips. “Puss and her boots…”
Oh. Holy. Shit.
The jacket, the boots… a pussycat down in my brig.
No fucking way.
“I want to be a pirate just like you.” A memory stirred into my head. She was no older than five or six.
“Just like me, huh? How about you become an even better pirate?”
I jolted for the stairs. The need to confirm what I already knew had me running out of the galley. Darting inside my chambers, I went straight to where I had put her items. My old, long leather coat, worn from time and sea salt bleaching, it appeared like a patchwork of skin.
Sucking in, I grabbed the boots hidden behind the door, my fingers fumbling as I touched the heels, seeing the blades hidden in them.
“She’s supposed to be as beautiful as she is deadly… I hear the coat she wears is from the skin of all her dead enemies and the boots she has can slice people in half.”
“Captain, what’s going on?” Scot came into my room, Vane and Zid right behind.
“Fuck.” I dropped the boots, pushing past them, beelining for the brig. It had been in my face, but I hadn’t let myself see the connection. To me, she was still Katrina. Katze. Kitty-Kat.
Not my rival.
Not the one I came here to challenge. To eliminate.
My bare feet padded loudly on the steps to the cell, my men trailing after me, no doubt feeling my anxiety, not knowing my past had collided with my present.
As I walked down the stairs, Kat stood, her muscles locking up. She seemed to sense my mood as well. My narrowed gaze went over her, seeing her in a whole different light. It was there all along. I hadn’t let myself even consider it because of who she had been to me. The young, bold-as-brass little girl who used to play and sword fight on my deck with Killian. Who used to look at me with stars in her eyes. I had let my ego dominate, not allowing me to see the woman before me now. Who she grew up to be: a fighter. A seductress. Smart, clever, powerful, and strong. The most feared pirate in today’s age.
The same one who wanted to kill me.
“So, Katze.” I strolled up to the bars, my head tilting to the side, my gaze roaming down her body. “Or should I call you Puss in Boots?”
Chapter 9
Croygen
Her upturned eyes grew wider as she tried to swallow back her gasp. Her yellow and green irises went horizontal for a moment before she reined in her emotion.
It was all the answer I needed.
“You think I wouldn’t figure it out?” Even without Tsai’s push, I would’ve eventually. “I want to say I’m shocked, but really I think I’m proud.”
“Proud?” she repeated through her teeth, her lids tapering on me.
“You have made quite a reputation for yourself. The Caribbean is abuzz with rumors and tales about this infamous Puss.” I leaned even closer. “Her skills in sword fighting and thieving have made her the most feared pirate in the east. Why wouldn’t I be proud? I am the one, after all, who taught you everything you know.”
My crew let out sharp inhales, unaware of our past connection. Scot had been with me the longest, but he joined me after Kat had left.
Kat folded her arms, her smile curling her lips. “The greatest teacher I’ve ever had, the one who taught me to be the pirate I wanted to be. The person I wanted to be.” She moved close to the bars, our faces only an inch apart. “Was Master Yukimura.”
A low scoff pushed me back with amusement, my head shaking. “Haven’t changed, have you, Katze?”
“Haven’t changed?” She arched up her brow. “I’m nothing like that idealistic, naive girl I once was. You know, the one who used to be enamored with you. I wised up to that childish folly the moment you threw me away.”
My jaw gritted at the disgust in her tone. The hatred. Because I deserved it. But in no way would I let her know that.
“Not enamored with me? Really?” I countered, lifting my eyebrow. “You’ve just spent the last few centuries trying to become the best pirate out there, am I right?” I gripped the cage, my face even with the bars, showing her how the metal didn’t affect me. It did, but not like others. I had spent so much time being held prisoner by Dr. Rapava, being injected with goblin metal, tortured and tested on, that I had developed a higher tolerance than most. I was able to touch it and be around it much longer than other fae.
“All because of me. Every thought and breath has been about me. Dreaming about me, practicing what you’d say when you finally saw me again. Tell me I’m wrong, Kitty-Kat?”
“Dreaming about killing you.” She swung her hand forward, her nails shifting into longer claws. I leaned away, a laugh bubbling in my throat.
“You had your shot, and you hesitated.” I licked my lips, my mind going back to the feel of her straddling me, the fierceness in her eyes. “You won’t get the chance again.”
“So sure of yourself, aren’t you?” She seethed. “The moment you look away, the moment you let down your guard. I will take everything you took from me. My fath—”
The sound of heavy feet pounding on the stairs distracted me, cutting off whatever Kat was saying. Corb ran down, his eye wide, his deep grunts filled with alarm. Cyclops could make sounds, and their grunts expressed a lot in tones, but they couldn’t speak. I had taught everyone our own version of sign language to be able to communicate. His fingers formed a signal.
“Somali pirates?” Zid exclaimed at the same time the sound of machine guns pinged off the side of the ship.
“Fuck!” My feet were already racing for the stairs as Kat yelled for me.
“Let me out! I can help.”
For a moment, I debated. She was an excellent fighter, but I didn’t trust her. She could easily turn a gun on me instead.
“Where am I gonna go? Join them?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you,” I clipped, rushing for the stairs.
“Croygen!” Her voice grew fainter as I ascended up to the deck. “You fucking asshole!”
The buzz of battery-operated boats hummed around us like bees. Their boats were tiny and low-tech, but they made up for that in quantity and sheer determination. The Somalis had nothing to lose. Most of them understood if they went out, they most likely wouldn’t come back. Their own lives or those of others were of no consequence to them. They were pitiless and cruel, overwhelming you like cockroaches.
“Cover the starboard side!” I ordered, pointing at Zid and Vane since the pirates had gotten too close to bother with cannons. Twenty or more boats swiftly surrounded us, blending in perfectly with the ocean in the dawn light.
Times had changed since the mid-seventeen hundreds, but many of the ships out now remained the same because technology had gone backward, falling into the times before electricity, cars, and computers. King Lars had a team of scientists, engineers, creators, and wealthy donors working on getting products to function in this new magic-boosted world, but not fast enough.
We were sitting ducks.
The pirate’s automatic guns tore into the wood of the ship as they sped closer, the front ones already prepping to toss their hooks and board my ship.
Scot, Corb, and I covered the stern and port side of the ship while Tsai went behind the helm, maneuvering us away from the attack. The woman may be blind, but centuries of experience made her the best at what she did. The woman had a photographic memory and could recall every inch of this ocean. She knew the alignment of the stars in the sky at any time and place, and she knew when a storm was coming by the smell of the air.
With such a small crew, it was easy to be overwhelmed. My reputation in the Caribbean had stopped anyone from coming after me, but they had no such honor here. All probably way too young to even know who I was.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blasts fired in the morning air, my adrenaline pumping as, one by one, I shot every soul who tried to get close to my ship. They were relentless. Their buddy would fall dead next to them, and they’d be covered in his brain matter, but they’d shove him aside and take over what he could no longer do.
“Captain! There are too many!” Scot barked down from me as dozens more clumped around, metal hooks flying up to catch onto our balusters. He fired his gun and sliced at any rope attached to us at the same velocity.
Dread slid down my throat, knowing he was right. The precious seconds I wasted reloading my gun cost us.
“Hold down for a moment!” I yelled back to Scot, darting for the mainsail. No motors meant we were entirely dependent on the wind to move. The breeze was light this morning, but I hoped it would be enough.
“Tsai? Be ready!” I dropped a sail, watching the wind catch in it. It wasn’t a fast escape, but it was a lot harder to board a moving ship. We drifted forward, forcing some of those down below to fall into the water or to try to keep speed with us.
I could only leave it in Tsai’s hands to get us out of here.
Gunfire and yelling throbbed in my eardrums. I was unaware of the bullet slicing through my arm until the searing fire touched my nerves, jerking me around.
A handful of pirates had scaled up from the bow, climbing onto the deck and shooting at us.
It was like my past came back to life, the day that haunted me. Recalling the screams, the smells, the taste of black powder and sea salt on my tongue.
The day I lost everything.
I would not let it happen again.
Anger flared up, my brain shutting down and switching into attack mode. Yanking my sword from my belt, feeling the magic, the legend of Black Beard hum through it, I let out a warrior cry, defending my home, my family. I had also been taught by Master Yukimura when I was a boy; the man had been part of the Han dynasty in 206 BCE and had later mentored Genghis Khan.
He was another I lost that fateful night, causing more guilt to weigh on my shoulders.
Twirling and spinning, bullets bounced off my blade as I moved toward the intruders, none of them understanding the skill or admiration of fighting with a sword. Back in my day, whether you lived or died, there was honor in it. The one with the most proficiency won. It was the way of the fae for a long time until the worlds came together; now fae were picking up human behaviors. Lazy and easy. Guns took no expertise or brain power. Just point and kill.
My blade swiped down and sliced up, bodies falling, but more and more came—an endless parade of desperate people trying to stay alive in this new world. To be the one to come out on top. Or at least survive another day.
The warmth of their blood squirted over me, along with the spray of ocean water, as our speed picked up. My men defeated the raiders, a sense of pride and hope billowing in my chest as we beat them back.
Vane punched up his arm at our clear win. Some of the boats drifted away from us, their batteries not powerful enough to keep up. “That is how you do it, am I right?” He knocked into Zid’s shoulder. Zidane, of course, looked neither happy nor displeased. The man was the coolest I had ever met under life-threatening experiences. And we had many of them.
Using my sleeve to wipe the blood off my face, I motioned for Corb to toss the dead bodies over. “Nothing like a pre-breakfast attack to get the heart pumping.” I shook my head.
“Uh, Captain?” Scot spoke from his place on the port side, his attention on the water.
“Zid, how about cooking us up some of your fritters and fried plantains?” I pointed to him. They all took turns on kitchen duty, but Zidane was by far the best cook, pulling in skills from his Jamaican roots.
“Captain!” Scot’s voice rose, and I jerked my head toward him, my light mood dipping at the anxiety on his face.
Running up next to him, I took in the sight. Dread lumped into my stomach, my adrenaline spiking up again.
A few boats continued to follow us, too far to shoot at them. That alone wouldn’t have been alarming if it weren’t for the two men in the front boat. They held a whale harpoon gun. One large enough to take down a sperm whale. They could sink us if they hit right, tearing into the side of the ship.
The sound of its release punched through the air, howling to us in a blink.
Like the arrow had driven through my own skin, I felt it crack through the hull, the harpoon digging into the belly of my beast. Right where Kat would be.
The metal embedded under the wood, connecting the pirates to us. Other boats grabbed onto the rope, pulling themselves closer.
“Fuck!” I shouted. “Scot, come with me. Everyone else, shoot these motherfuckers!”
Scot and I barely hit a stair as we raced down to the hull. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, finding the glint of the harpoon in the wall only feet away from Katrina’s cell. Air gushed from my nose in relief at seeing Kat was unharmed.
Our eyes met across the room, hers reflecting what little light we had in the dim room. “You okay?”
She nodded as Scot and I headed straight for the harpoon, the metal claws cutting deep into the wood, making it a great anchor.
“How the fuck do we get it out?” Scot searched around for anything to help us.
My own gaze hunted the room for an object, my brain trying to come up with a plan.
“You have to cut it out,” Kat spoke up, and I turned my head to her. “It’s like a tick. It will keep embedding itself unless you remove it.
“You mean cut a hole in my ship?”
“You already have a hole in your ship.” She gestured to the harpoon, a trail of water seeping in.
“We will flood,” Scot snipped back.
The sounds of gunshots popped off as the pirates got closer.
“Not right away.” Kat rolled her eyes as if she was done with our stupidity. “At least then you won’t be taken over by pirates and lose your whole fucking ship. I’ve dealt with these things before. Trust me.”
She was right. We had to cut it out. But I had nothing that could be used to remove it.
“Do you have dynamite?” Her stunning eyes met mine through the bars, glowing brighter than usual. There was no denying Kat was devastating. One of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
“Are you feckin’ serious, lass?” Scot’s arms went out. “Dynamite? You want to sink us right here?”
“Yes. Dynamite.” Her gaze stayed on me like she was communicating a deeper meaning, the word triggering something in our past.
