A Game Of Changing Tides

Chapter Twenty

1868, the First Witch's Island

The second time Adelyn woke, it wasn't by Nikolai's hand. Instead, it was to Nina kicking her ribs. With a groan, Adelyn stirred, frowning at the woman who towered over her.

Though she didn't feel well-rested, Adelyn definitely felt better than she had the day before. Nikolai had only kept her awake for an hour or so, and then he'd decided her constant yawning and eyes drifting closed were too much for him to handle. He'd walked her back to her spot on the sand with her head on his shoulder.

The kiss, though far from forgotten, had not been mentioned in the full hour after it had occurred. Adelyn had yet to decide whether that was good or bad. A part of her wanted to ask what that meant, if it had meant anything at all, but a bigger part of her wanted to pretend it hadn't happened so that there was no risk of her making a fool of herself. Jewels and lose coins, those were her thing, but kissing boys?

She knew absolutely nothing about that.

"Up and at 'em, sleeping beauty." Nina taunted, ruffling the hair on her head. "Time to go on an adventure."

Adelyn got to her feet, running her hand through her hair. Sand was caught between many of the strands, and the salt water had curled it in a way that looked messy, but without clean water or soap, there was nothing she could do about it.

Nina scowled, looking out at the ship in the water. Adelyn wondered if the three men that had stayed aboard had managed to patch up the hole that the beast had chewed in the lower deck.

"We're setting out in a minute."' Nina said, holding a banana out to her. Adelyn's eyes went wide, and she snatched it in a manner that was almost wild. Nina laughed.

Adelyn sat idly, eating while everyone else got ready to leave. Knives were brought out, sheathed to people's hips and slid into their boots. She felt bare when she realized she had no weapons. Her pack was slumped over next to her, still wet from the day before. The sharpest things inside it were the buttons on her blazer.

Reluctantly, Adelyn swung it into her shoulders. Immediately, her back felt damp.

Closer to the water, Nikolai and Xavier spoke in hushed tones. Adelyn couldn't hear a word that either of them said, and that bothered her. With his eyebrows scrunched together, and his eyes hard, Nik looked serious. It was a look he wore less than often, and Adelyn wasn't sure what to make of it.

Nik pulled a small parchment from his pocket, handing it over to Xavier in a way that wasn't meant to be seen. Curiosity picked at Adelyn yet again, and she felt the urge to know what was on it. It was an urge that could not be denied.

When Nikolai stepped away from Xavier, she moved in. He nearly walked right into her, lost in his own head. He let out a laugh when his feet stumbled, stopping and looking down at her, "Morning, thief."

"Morning," Adelyn replied, nodding her head towards Xavier, "what was that about?"

Nikolai's face took on a puzzled expression, as though he hadn't a clue what she was on about. He shrugged, "Just chatting. Us men do that sometimes, you know."

"Looked serious." Adelyn commented. He was being strange; secretive. After years of having been told never to trust a pirate, even once by Nik himself, Adelyn didn't like it. Not one bit.

Nikolai laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a hollow sound. "No, no. We were just talking about the ship and how she may need a new paint job. It looks like the 'S' in Siren is rubbing off, and Iren's Beckon doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

Adelyn hadn't known Nikolai to be such a good liar. It made her feel strange to know he was fibbing, looking into her eyes as though it were nothing. Still, she forced herself to stay quiet. If Nikolai wouldn't tell her, she'd figure it out on her own. He'd said it himself: she was a thief.