Pieces of Jade (Pirates of Orea) (32 page)

“That’s true enough.” I bit my lip. “But why would you care what happened to me?”

“Because you're the Emmía,” he said, as if this explained everything.

The call of a gull sounded in the distance.

“So you care for my title.” My stomach suddenly turned sour. No one ever saw the girl, only her magical blood.

“No, I care for
you
. Being the Emmía is just part of what makes you
you
. When I found out what he had done, I punched Clayton in the face. Well, I would have, if Lafe hadn’t stopped me. Clayton deserved to be punched.”

“You really tried to punch him?”

“I did.”

“Thank you for trying.” I dropped the knife and collapsed onto the bunk as the tension suddenly left my body, leaving me drained. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I'm telling you because we still have Dorian to deal with.”

My head jerked up at that.

William smiled. “I know Dorian’s here for you, or at least that’s my guess. And if he's here, that means the Manacle is in pursuit of both you and the medallion. Am I right?”

I nodded.

William leaned back in his chair. “You’d best tell me everything.”

I hesitated, afraid to truly trust anyone. But I was so tired of being alone. I wanted—no, I
needed—
someone to rely on. And William practically glowed with his sincerity, from his posture to the look of concern in his eyes. He’d known my deepest secret, and hadn’t taken advantage of it. If I could trust anyone, it was him.

“The kingdom has taken my sister hostage,” I said, “and if I don't return with the medallion within two weeks, they're going to execute her.”

William drew a sharp breath and then let it out slowly, nodding as he absorbed this. “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's that kind of evil that made me leave in the first place.”

I startled a little at the use of the word “evil,” but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed accurate
, at least regarding the situation with my sister.

“You’d better tell me everything,” William said.

So I did: my flight from the castle, the night in the Wastelands, Aleah, and how Dorian had captured me. “I can’t imagine you behaving like Dorian. Did they ask you to do things like that? Tracking those who tried to escape? Holding their loved ones captive?”

William closed his eyes, but not before I saw the sudden hollowness in them, as if the memories were too much to bear. “At the time I thought it was for the good of the people, but now it fills me with shame.”

The room was silent as I picked at a loose thread on my dress. “Will you help me?” I asked impulsively. “Help me to get the medallion back, help me and Dorian off the ship, so he can turn me in? Will you help me save my sister?”

William stared at me silently with one raised eyebrow. I stared back, my heart galloping in my chest. The silence stretched on until I realized his answer. A lump formed in my throat and I looked away.

“It's all right, I understand,” I said, though the idea of doing it without him was daunting. “You have your duty to your ship. Your blood oath to your captain.”

“I don’t have a blood oath with Clay. None but that which runs naturally in our veins.” William dropped down to sit on the bed next to me. “Do you really think that I'd just let you hand yourself over like that?”

“But my sister—”

“Can be extracted without you having to go anywhere near the royal family.”

I stared at him in shock. “What do you mean?”

“I'm saying that we'll rescue her and get both of you so far away from the
Manacle that they’ll never find you.”

I choked back a happy sob. I wouldn't have to turn myself over to the kingdom and be executed. Then reality crashed down on me. “But my blood oath with Dorian. It won’t allow it.”

“We’ll find a way around that; I’ll help you through it. Then you'll never have to do anything for the Manacle again.”

I drew a breath. “You would do that?” William's gave me a solemn nod. “But why? You left the kingdom, so why would you have any loyalty to its Emmía?”

His warm hand took hold of mine and his eyes filled with tenderness. “My loyalty isn't to the Emmía of the kingdom. My loyalty is to you, Jade. Not the title, but the woman who holds it.”

I gripped his hand. “To
me
?”

William chuckled. “When I lived in the kingdom I watched you, and I saw what you did. I'll admit, you were extremely naïve; the
Manacle intentionally shaped all of your perceptions. By all accounts you were exactly what they wanted you to be.”

“Which is?”

“Brainwashed into believing in their foolishness.” My mouth tightened in disapproval and William laughed. “But that's the thing. You weren't quite as brainwashed as they wanted you to be.”

My forehead crinkled. “I'm not sure what you mean. I believed everything they told me. In fact, until I saw what had happened on the Isle of Grey, I wouldn't have believed anything bad about them, and even now—”

William leaned close and put a finger to my lips, silencing me. The touch made my heart stutter. His face was so near mine his warm breath caressed my cheek.

He didn’t seem to be equally affected. “Will you let me finish?” He laughed. “You've always had a slightly rebellious streak about you. I've seen the things that you do when you think no one is looking. Anyone who paid attention could see you were more than a puppet controlled by the
Manacle.”

I sat back, so I could think clearly. “I’m not sure what you mean. I worked as hard as I could to do everything that they expected of me. I didn’t want to disappoint the people who counted on me.” Even though I couldn’t see it, I traced where the scar on my palm would be, the place I had bled for my people over the years. “I’ll admit, what I saw on the island was horrible, but that was the act of people a thousand years ago. It doesn’t mean that same evil still runs through the kingdom now.
Even if some of the things I’ve learned are awful, I still believe they are good at the core.”

William titled his head, considering my words. “Even while they hold Pearl’s life for yours? You don't fully understand their dark side. You still don't know everything.” I opened my mouth but he spoke over me. “That doesn't matter right now. The point is, you were ignorant, but you were never stupid.”

I shook my head. “Why do you think that?”

“You know how the first day of every month the
Manacle opens its doors to judge disputes and entertain requests?”

I nodded, still confused.

“I used to watch you. You were always there, behind the curtains where you thought no one could see you. But I saw you there, month after month, as you snuck out and met some of the petitioners outside to give them extra food or medicine.”

My face blushed in embarrassment. Apparently I hadn't been as discrete as I’d thought.

“You saw that? But I was in disguise.”

William nodded and gave me an indulgent smile. “Yes, but I have the talents of a
Hound, remember? It wasn’t hard to spot you. There was one person every month who you did a kindness to, and one of those times you did it for someone who is very important to me.”

“I did? Who was it?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. The deeper I got into enforcement with the Manacle, the more things I saw that I couldn’t ignore. It didn't take very long before I knew that I had to get out, but during those times I would remember you and your acts of compassion. And you did it again, and again, and again.” He rubbed his hand across his face, his eyes once again betraying his exhaustion. “The Manacle didn’t deserve my loyalty, Emmía, but you did. You had the purest heart of anyone in the kingdom.”

“William, I . . . I have no idea what to . . . you’re making what I did more important than it was. Anyone would have—”

“No, not anyone would have. I was there, remember? I saw it. Nobody else ever did what you did.”

The undiluted praise was too much for me and I tried to turn my head, but his finger gently guided my chin back until our eyes met. What I found there made my insides light up brighter than a
bonfire.

“Now can you see why I've been so protective of you? I wanted you to know that there is at least one person who's willing to fight for you—one person who isn't trying to use you. You deserve so much more than me, but I’m afraid I’m all I have to offer.”

His words washed over my emotional wounds like a healing balm, filling me with a warmth that I thought I’d never feel again. For the first time in weeks my heart fluttered with hope.

He cradled my head in his hands. “You’ll never be alone again, Jade. I promise.”

He slid his arms around me, drawing me near, so close his breath warmed my skin. I tried to speak, but my words stuck in my throat.

“After you rescue Pearl,” I began, hesitating.
“I used to think I deserved to die for what happened, but I don’t anymore. And now I want to live. But that means I won’t ever be able to go back to the kingdom again. I’ll be a criminal.”

“Yes?”
he asked.

“
Would you stay with me? Even in hiding? Even if the kingdom refuses to let me go and sends an endless stream of Hounds after me?”

“If you’ll have me,” he said, his words almost shy.

I gave him a teasing grin. “I just asked you, didn’t I?”

He laughed loud and long.
My insides burned with happiness, like I’d swallowed the sun, but then it faltered. “But the people of Orea—I could never leave them to starvation.”

He smiled at me. “Of course not. I knew you would never let that happen. We could send blood to Clay and let him distribute it.”

“Everything is going to be well. Trust me.” His eyes burned with sincerity, flashing in the light so they looked almost silver, just as I had seen in his brother so many times. On the captain it looked threatening, but on William it looked protective.

I stared at William, my husband, and suddenly the word took on a whole new meaning. In my mind I saw the years stretch out ahead of us. William and I building a life together in a new land.

I was on the cusp of loving William
. Part of me already did, but I held back, trying to ease into the emotion slowly. James had stomped on our love and I hesitated to experience that type of pain again. William was so different from James, but could I really believe he wouldn’t do the same? Could I trust my heart again? I’d been so wrong before. Was I repeating my mistakes? It was too soon to tell, but we were building something—something precious that linked our hearts together. For now, those ties were as fragile as spun glass. But maybe they could grow stronger. He was kind, handsome, brave, and devoted. What more could I ask for in a husband?

But what kind of wife would I be? I would most likely have to assume the disguise of Sheridan for the remainder of my life. Would he be comfortable having a woman who looked old enough to be his grandmother as a wife? I swallowed at those awkward thoughts.

“William, when you look at me, what do you see?”

He looked confused. “I see you.”

“No, I mean, do you see an old woman, or do your abilities let you see me as . . . as myself?”

“I see
your true self. I can see your glamour, but I can also see past it, to the real you. But it wouldn’t matter. If I only saw your disguise, I’d still see a strong, beautiful woman.”

“You see me as strong?”

William nodded, smiling a little as if my question amused him, and I felt a fire ignite through my body. This man had done so much for me.

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him, his hand immediately wrapping around me. I sunk deeper into the embrace. He nestled into my hair and sighed. For a few beautiful seconds, everything was perfect.

Then the door to our room flew open, a thunderstruck captain at the threshold.

William and I froze in our embrace. The captain seemed frozen as well, and for a moment the room was silent.

The captain’s mouth opened and I held up my hand. “Captain, please save your witty remark for later.”

I cleared my throat and pulled away from William, walking towards the door with my head down, a blush creeping up my neck. The captain caught my arm before I reached the door and I winced as he squeezed it.

“What were you doing to my brother, witch?” the captain demanded.

It was all I could do not to laugh at his horrified expression.

William leaned casually back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. “Shove off, Clay. We’re newlyweds. You enter without knocking at your own peril.”

I gaped at William.

The captain held his stomach and sputtered. “William! Are you seriously saying that you . . . that you'd willingly . . .”

“Don’t ask question you don’t want the answers to.”

The captain let go of my arm and was beside William in three strides. “There's something wrong with you. She’s cast a spell on you.”

“Indeed she has. I love her, Clay.” The corners of William’s mouth tugged up as his brother’s expression darkened.