Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Drowning

"What's happening?" Avery asked.

"You're going to the brig on my ship," Theo informed her.

"I can fight," Avery said, "I am useful."

"You aren't a pirate. You are a pirate's prisoner," Theo informed her, "you'll be in the brig, if things go wrong, you're our leverage."

Theo continued to walk but Ava had stopped following. Theo stopped in place and sighed loudly, throwing her head back as she did, "Let's go, Avery."

"Look at me and then we'll go," Avery commanded.

Theo turned around and began walking towards her, a scowl on her face, "You are in no position to make demands."

"Theo, please. You can't give me back to them," she began to back away from Theo, but Theo grabbed her arm, "let me fight. Let me hang at the gallows. Let me rot in jail. I don't care but please, I can't go back."

Theo physically shook her head to keep the words from going too far into her ears, she couldn't let Avery change the plan. She couldn't let her feelings for the girl in front of her ruin everyone else's chance at survival.

"Pray to whatever god you can remember the name of that everything goes well, then we won't need to give you up," Theo said and continued to walk with Avery in tow.

"I know you are angry... That wasn't the way I wanted you to find out. I was going to tell you when all of this was over," Avery continued to speak, Theo was the fool for thinking she would keep quiet, "they told me that Xyra never confessed that she was going to force us to come clean after The Center was defeated. When I told those who visited me, it was the first they heard of it."

"This is a conversation that isn't going to happen, Avery, you don't get to make excuses for yourself," Theo said without breaking their stride.

"I'm not making excuses, I am trying to tell you that I never intended to lie to you forever," Avery's voice was shaking and if Theo looked over, she knew there would be tears, "Theo please, I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know your connection to my father until it was too late."

"You should have told me the moment you found out!" Theo said as she finally stopped and faced her, "you said you cared for me, you should have told me."

"I was scared you would react this way!" Avery had tears streaming down her face as Theo looked over.

"You were being selfish, just like a Vaith," Theo shook her head and kept walking, not even bothering to bring the other girl along.

Ava's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Theo, you said you loved me..." she said in a soft tone, a defeated one, "you were the one that said it and now you won't even look at me."

Theo clenched her fists trying to keep her sadness from getting out of hand, trying to keep her feelings that she still harbored for Ava far away.

"I loved Ava. I loved Red," Theo shook her head and turned back around to face her, "you are not her."

"Nothing has changed," Ava whispered with a frown, "I am not Avery. I am not a Vaith. Theo, I am the same girl you knew."

"I wish that were true," Theo said, matching a soft tone of voice, "let's go."

Theo picked up the pace once again. It was silent for the rest of the journey, Avery didn't dare to speak up again. When they arrived at the ship, Theo didn't even bother to walk her down to the brig. She called over a deckhand and asked them to do it. Theo took a moment to center herself, taking in the sounds of chaos as she willed her heartbeat to normalize from its altered state. Everyone was running and shouting, executing the last-minute tasks needed for a proper attack.