“I thank you, cousin.”
Kaylar growled but then let out a long sigh.“Is it true that you bred with your mate?”
“Terri carries my young,”Veral confirmed.
“This is a blessing to our clan, no matter what anyone says. I will see you in seven days. Hold their position there. It would be to our advantage to destroy our enemies from the ground rather than attempt to recover both of you from a ship.”
“Agreed. I will be waiting.”
Their connection went silent without another word exchanged between them. It was no different than other times he spoke to his cousin or any other member of his cursed family. His time with Terri had softened him that he felt affronted at all by the efficient termination. Shaking his head, he leaned forward and drew his food close to him. He was going to need his strength for what lay ahead of him.
9
Terri frowned at Azan as the Blaithari cleaned her claws with a short blade.
“Did anyone not tell you that staring is considered rude among many civilized species?” the female said, boredom heavy in her voice.
“And didn’t anyone ever tell you that picking your nail… uh, claws—beside someone who’s eating is disgusting?” Terri retorted over the bowl of some kind of stewed meat and bland white vegetables.
“You are awfully mouthy for someone I can snap in half with ease,” the pirate pointed out. Her blade, in emphasis, lifted and pointed in Terri’s direction as she spoke.
Terri set down her spoon and rolled her eyes. “Garswal, that would be—what?—the thirteenth time she’s threatened me today.”
“Fifteenth,” the boy answered with a tiny, shy smile.
“Your point, little human beast?” Azan asked, her brow rising.
“Your behavior is predictable. You threaten me to get a reaction. It’s childish. I’ve decided I’m not going to give you the satisfaction anymore.”
“Is that so?”
The Blaithari female leaned forward and grinned, her yellow eyes gleaming.
“Yes,” Terri replied flatly.
She didn’t expect the pirate to lift a foot and kick out her chair from beneath her. It was just hard enough that the chair moved back several inches and jarred Terri. She fell forward with a startled gasp, her chest catching the bowl and splashing the contents everywhere. Stew dripping from her hair and down her nose, she looked up, leveling her nemesis with a hard glare. Bringing one hand up, Terri swiped the liquid from her face.
A low chuckle escaped Azan, surprising Terri. While often malicious or sneering, she had never heard a genuine laugh from the pirate before. The sound soon transformed to a fully belly laugh when Terri flung what was left in the bowl onto the female.
Wiping her own face, Azan grinned at her, her smile, for once, lacking bite. “You may be a soft, helpless little thing, but you have heart. I have to give you that. Not many would dare to throw their meal at me out of fear it would be their last. And in most cases, they would be right. But I like your spirit.”
Terri raised an eyebrow, her expression guarded. “Thank you… I think.”
Azan nodded as she stood and rooted around until she found some small cloths. She tossed one at Terri as she began to clean her face off. She shot Garswal an arch look. “I suspect that you found that entertaining.”
The boy’s laughter continued to bubble out of him freely as he nodded, his typically somber face—often far too serious for a boy so young—split with a wide grin. To her surprise, Azan didn’t lash out at him. Instead, she ruffled his hair and smirked down at him.
“We will just keep this between us, though, yes? I do not want the other pirates to think I will not skin them alive if they try to disrespect me. This instance, I perhaps deserve. I just had to see if I could push the little human into reacting.”
Azan’s smile widened, her attention redirected at Terri as Garswal nodded in amusement and slipped out of her hold. She maneuvered around the table, her movements as silent and deadly as a predator.
“Watching you with the captain and the way you face every threat that constantly surrounds you here with barely a flinch confirmed that you are resilient, not easy to crush. True, you have the Argurma guaranteeing much of your safety, but he is not here to protect you from the little things that could easily happen. I notice all of this. At first, I thought that it might be a fluke, but you never fail. Seeing you stick up for yourself, I have decided that I like you, human. If you are an example of humanity, so strong despite being so fragile, it is a credit to your species. Do not mistake me. If it comes right down to it and I had to choose between the two of us, I would kill you if I must… but I would actually feel regret for it afterward.”
Terri’s brow furrowed. The pirate liked her. “I’m afraid I’m going to need a little more assurance than that. Where exactly does that put us now?”
The pirate shrugged, her expression relaxed and almost bordering on friendly. “It means a truce. I am still an opinionated, crude pirate who would sooner shoot someone than make pleasantries with them. But I will have your back in truth and do my best to make sure that you get out of this alive if I can, and not just as far as it serves that pompous ass Egbor’s interests.”
Terri nodded. “That sounds pretty fair. And what do you want in return?”