Avarice of the Sea | | b o o k 1

4: Mistaken

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: C H A P T E R F O U R :

Eyes squeezed shut, I looked away from Avarice and curled into myself, partially regretting kicking him in the family jewels. An eternity seemed to pass before he spoke up again.

"Stand up."

His command was not lost to me, and I was instantly on my feet. I did not dare look at him, at least not until I saw his feet come to stand in front of me. When I looked up at him, I was momentarily disoriented as his hand came slashing across my cheek. Dots circled my vision as I fell back against the desk and leaned a hand on the edge to keep myself from falling. All the stinging on my back and legs went straight to my cheek.

His filthy hand dragged me back to look up at him. His fingernails dug into my skin, and I tried so hard to keep from betraying the pain I felt at that moment.

"Spit on me again, and it'll be yer tongue. We'll see you try'n that again, eh?" he snarled at me. I didn't respond, though my head had a mind of its own and started to nod back.

He reached out towards my neck, and I tensed up as his hands skimmed my collarbone and lifted the chain of my necklace. My family's medallion crest rose up from beneath my dress, and he took care in unclipping it from around my neck. With each passing second, I felt my heart beat rapidly against my ribcage.

"This is quite, lovely, isn't it?" he murmured in starstruck admiration. I stared vacantly at him, completely shocked at the way he dangled it in front of a lantern on his desk and observed the intricate design.

I wanted to tell him where it came from, just to throw it back in his face like I had earlier. I wanted him to know that it was my mother's, one of the few things I had left after they raided the jewelry in my bedroom that long lost, star studded night. All the words were caught in my throat, though, and the only thing I managed to do was bring my hand to my cheek and try and sooth the fire under my skin.

The cat-eyed pirate stood off near the living space, watching the entire interaction with a stoic expression. His dark complexion almost reminded me of Eli's and the other Valens, but his eyes betrayed that he was never, in fact, a resident of Valens.

I jumped at the sound of glass clinking behind me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I discovered Avarice had removed two glasses and was pouring brandy into each. I half expected him to hand the second one off to me, but instead the pirate claimed it and instantly downed half of it. Avarice took a casual sip from his glass and set it on the table. He savored the taste, letting his head tilt back as he swallowed, and then came the sigh of relief. It was wrong of me to think he would let me get away with a slap.

I squeaked and slapped my hands over my mouth when his hand came down on the table, the handle of a dagger stuck in his fist. The blade split the wood, but I saw clearly how he would not have hesitated even if my hand was under that blade.

He stared me down, eyes narrowing as the seconds ticked by. "I did not kill yer mother, girly. Allow me to clear up the air here for ya."

He yanked the dagger loose and tucked it into his belt as he straightened up. "We will not ever speak of her again. Ya won't find a man on this ship who'll say a word. If ya want answers, you'll be gettin' 'em from me, but ya must earn them. Same goes for everyone else. Gotta earn what ya want, understood?"

"What? N-no, I-"

He gave me a pointed glare that I thought better of challenging. "Yes," I murmured.