“When you can be on the same ship without flinching every time you see one another!” Mia yelled back, and the ship erupted in cheers.
“They’re gone,” someone said.
“Finally, we get a break,” another voice chimed in.
I hadn’t realized we’d been that bad. I glared at Bastian. Well, he’d been that bad. I wasn’t the problem here.
The wave rode us farther away from the ship. Driscoll smiled and waved like we were taking a vacation. Leoni stared at us withdetermination in the set of her shoulders. The water washed us up onto the little sandbar as the ship sailed away. I grunted, sitting up and looking next to me at Bastian. Unbelievable. They’d left us. I was officially alone with the pirate lord.
Chapter Forty-One
We both struggled to our feet, sand covering us, crusting our hair and faces. The sun burned the top of my head, and I groaned.
“We need to get some shelter.” I squeezed the water from my hair, which was now undone and tumbling down my back.
Bastian dug the spyglass out of his drenched coat and looked through it out at the sea. “Damnit. They’re bloody leaving us. Sailing away to who knows where.”
“Yes, Bastian, did you not hear anything they said? They clearly planned this. Now can we please get out of the sun?”
He stuffed the spyglass back into his coat, shedding it and gesturing toward the cluster of caves. “After you.”
I rolled my eyes at him and stalked away.
“Oh, that’s really mature,” he called after me.
“Mature.” I whirled around so he almost ran into me. “You want to talk about mature? You are a grown man who kissed me and then hid away for the last week.”
I couldn’t even look at him. I spun on my heel and continued toward the little caves on the edge of the island.
We ducked into a small one, the ground smooth, the walls and ceiling glittering and dark.
Bastian’s heavy boots thumped on the ground behind me, but I didn’t turn, suddenly feeling so, so tired. I crossed my arms and rubbed them, wet and cold now that we stood in the shade.
“We wouldn’t be in this mess if you weren’t such an idiot,” I said over my shoulder.
“An idiot?” Anger laced his words. “No, we wouldn’t be in this mess if you would’ve just listened to me. I told you to not come after me. But of course you do the exact opposite of what I say.”
My fists clenched tight, nails biting into my palms as I turned. “You are not in charge of me. And as I already explained, you’re my best shot at saving my brothers, so no, I didn’t listen. I didn’t stay away.”
I failed to mention the other reason I came after him—it wasn’t just that I didn’t stay away. I couldn’t stay away. Not from him. But I would not be admitting that right now, not when his gaze was so full of ire and wrath.
Water dripped from my hair to the ground, and my clothes were plastered to me. “The crew isn’t letting us back on the ship until we fix things between us. So I suggest you start apologizing.”
His jaw ticked. “And what am I apologizing for?”
I wanted to tear out my hair. “Have you not listened to a word I’ve said?”
“It’s hard to listen when all you’re doing is screeching at me.”
My mouth dropped open, and I stepped closer. “I meant what I said in that hedge. You’re a coward, Bastian Lore. You’re not just hiding from me now. You’ve always hid. You hid parts of yourself from me the entire year we were together.”
He flinched.
“And now, even when I know the full truth of your actions, you still hide.”
“Because I’m trying to protect you,” he burst out. “Why can’t you understand? I never should’ve bloody offered you that deal in Apolis. I didn’t mean to. It slipped out when the guards were dragging me away from you. Because I was afraid I’d never see you again. So I yelled that I could help you find your brothers, knowing you would come find me, knowing you would take the deal. I didn’t expect you to try and drown me first, but...”
He stepped closer, every inch of his body coiled tight. Water droplets clung to his hair, and his wet shirt stuck to his skin, almost transparent, showing the hard ridges of his body, the outline of the tattoos underneath.
