Barnabas gave a small bow, and the four of us left the back room as the troll continued riffling through his new riches.

“Do you have to look so excited?” Fallon said in a monotone voice as we all headed toward the tavern exit.

“Oh, don’t begrudge me for it.” Barnabas waved his hand.

“Begrudge you for what?” I asked as we stepped outside into the cool night. I was twisting my hands, because our lead for Jakub was officially gone, and who knew when the next one would arise.

“To what awaits us, my dear.”

Fallon groaned, and Kaillen just shook his head.

“Am I missing something? What awaits us?” I asked while I wondered why nobody else was looking concerned that Jakub had escaped.

Kaillen hooked an arm around me and propelled me toward the boardwalk.

“Why, the adventures on the high seas, of course,” Barnabas replied as his eyes gleamed like amethysts in the starlight. “Fallon gets seasick, so he’s never been much of a fan, but if Jakub is escaping via the sea, then there’s only one way to catch him.”

My eyes widened. “We can still catch him?”

Fallon groaned. “Yeah, on a boat. We get it.”

I nearly squealed. “Oh, that’s right, you said you have a ship here!”

“Indeed I do.” Barnabas waved toward the ship at the end of the boardwalk. It was a sleek vessel with a myriad of sails. “Tala, meet the only lady I’ve ever loved.”

I stared at the inscription on the back of the boat and burst out laughing. Barnabas hadn’t been kidding. The name of the boat was indeed, The Only Lady I’ve Ever Loved.

A twinkle formed in Kaillen’s eyes. “I hope you don’t mind sailing?”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 19

The nighttime sky loomed above us as Barnabas’s ship sailed through open water. We’d sailed so far out to sea that I could no longer see land, which meant the night sky dominated the view.

During the day, the fae lands’ sky was a pale green with white and pastel-colored clouds, but at night it was a sea of black with luminous stars, three moons, distant planets, and a strip of the cloudy galaxy. It was even more beautiful than earth’s night sky.

Barnabas stood at the helm of his ship, singing quite boisterously, while Kaillen had planted himself at the bow. My mate’s shoulders were tensed as he conducted whatever sorcerer mojo he used while hunting.

“Southwest!” Kaillen called over his shoulder to the vamp. “Angle us slightly to the south.” He closed his eyes, his nose lifting again.

“Aye-aye, matey!” Barnabas veered the ship to the portside, and the sleek vessel cut through the water like a shark.

I approached Kaillen tentatively. His brow was furrowed, his eyes closed. A part of me wondered if I should disturb him or not, but I was so intrigued by his hunting skills that my feet moved of their own accord.

Even though I approached him silently, my wolf’s skills coming in handy as the ship rocked beneath my feet, he still reached out a hand for me while his eyes stayed closed.

My fingers threaded through his, my wolf rumbling in contentment at the contact. A low answering vibration came from Kaillen through our bond, as though his wolf had a similar response.

I sighed. Even though our wolves had thoroughly taken over in that way, I was coming to accept it.

“Am I bothering you?” I asked quietly. “I don’t want to mess up whatever you’re doing to find Jakub.”

Kaillen squeezed my hand, his palm warm and rough. “You could never bother me.”

Smothering the warm feeling that statement provoked, I stood silently at his side as he continued channeling his magic into hunting Jakub-Dipshit.

The wind flapped the sails as the vessel rolled beneath my feet. While I’d never spent much time on the open water, despite living on Lake Michigan, I was coming to realize I enjoyed it.

A heaving sound came from the back.

“Poor Fallon,” I murmured, glancing over my shoulder to see the fairy leaning over the railing. My own stomach became queasy listening to him. It was the fourth time he’d retched. I’d tried to help him earlier, but he’d been so stoic and had dismissed my concerns. Now, though? I had a feeling maybe he’d changed his mind.

“Be right back.” I squeezed Kaillen’s hand as my mate’s brow furrowed again.

“South more,” he called to Barnabas over the singing.

The vamp winked at me when I passed, his baritone song pouring from his lips like he’d been made to sing at the Sydney Opera House.

I ventured toward Fallon, as the ship dipped. Salty wind caressed my cheeks, and the night sky shone like a dome above us.

When I reached the fairy’s side, I extracted a potion from my belt. “This will help. You should really take it.”

The fairy wiped at his mouth, his complexion ashen in the starlight. He eyed the potion warily. “What is it?”

“A potion I try not to leave home without. It’s one of my own remedies to be used when any sickness prevails. It won’t make you immune to the sea forever, but it should help for the next forty-eight hours.”

His eyebrow quirked, and I could tell he was trying to look nonchalant and tough, but he totally just looked sick and miserable, and judging from the green tint that had entered his complexion, he was also about to hurl his guts out for the fifth time.

“You don’t have to take it, but I’d advise you to.” Especially since we had no idea what lay ahead if we caught up to Jakub.

He took the potion and uncorked it before sniffing. “Is there pallfenroot in here?”

“Yep, it’s one of a few fae ingredients along with a few from earth, but it also has a hefty dose of magic added into it that does the trick.”

He gave me a side-eye. “And this won’t make me sicker?”

“No. It’ll make you better. Promise.”

He let out a breath when another wave rocked the boat hard, then downed the contents in one swallow while holding onto the railing. He made a face, as if he were going to throw up again.

“Sorry.” I twisted my hands. “Did I forget to mention that the taste isn’t pleasant?”

He gave me a weighted look. “It’s repugnant.”

“You’ll still thank me in a few minutes.”

I turned before the fairy could respond, knowing he probably wanted to compose himself as the potion took hold.

I made my way back to the helm where Barnabas was in his glory days as Kaillen had called it.

The vamp’s animated singing hadn’t abated. If anything, he was singing louder. I swallowed a laugh when I actually listened to the words.

Oh, the earth we sail, and the waves we tide.

She’s got big tits on those swells we ride.

We thrust and pull o’re the water’s tithe.

And dream of our lovelies as they writhe.

“Is that a song from your sailing days?” I tried to keep a straight face when I reached him.

Barnabas grinned, his fangs shining like silver as he paused his song momentarily. Kaillen stood at his side, having apparently abandoned his position at the bow. My mate shook his head in exasperation. “Don’t encourage him.”

But if the vamp heard him, he didn’t let on. Facing me fully, his hands stayed on the ship’s wheel as he grinned. “Oh no, that’s not one of me sailing ditties from the years past. That’s one I made up on this fine night as we venture yonder across this vast realm. Argh!”

“Barnabas, enough already.” Kaillen pinched the bridge of his nose, and I swallowed another laugh.

“Are your songs always that perverted?” I asked when the ship dipped into another swell.

“Oh, most usually. I do fantasize regularly about women’s breas—”

Kaillen slapped a hand over the vamp’s mouth. “My mate doesn’t need to hear about your wet dream material.”