When the door slammed open, Kelia's head snapped to the entry as her entire body tensed. Her hand went to her hip, fingers grasping the hilt of her blade, prepared to defend herself if necessary.

But as Drew slid inside, a frown on his sculpted face, her fingers eased from her blade. Her body, however, was still tense. His expression seemed passive, perhaps even annoyed, but she could tell there was anger burning in his dark eyes, simmering like a cooling fire, ready to start aflame at any moment.

"Drew Knight!" Grayson stood from the couch, and Kelia wasn’t sure if he was genuinely excited to see the Shadow or if standing ensured Grayson could defend himself if need be. "I’d hoped I would be able to see you. Judging from the color in your face, I would say you fed. Did you do more than just eat, my friend?" He shot Drew a little wink. "And here I thought you kept the human as a feeder."

"What I do with the human is none of your concern," Drew said, his voice casual.

Kelia didn’t know how she felt about Drew Knight feeding on a human. She knew they kept livestock on the ship for that purpose. But to feed on a human... There was an emotion rolling around inside of her. She could not decipher what the emotion was except that it felt like... disappointment. Which was daft. Drew was a Sea Shadow—he needed more than just animal blood to survive, and he did not feed that often. Considering how he looked when he smelled her blood earlier, he was right to feed. He needed it.

Despite the logic, Kelia could not help but feel as though a knot was tying itself together in the pit of her stomach.

"Emma has already placed your order," Grayson said, taking a step back as Drew swept past him.

Drew forced himself between Kelia and Emma, plopping down on the long couch with no grace. They had to scoot over to their appropriate side to make room for him, but even then, his strong legs were pushed into their thighs.

"You'll receive it no later than forty-eight hours,” Grayson continued, stepping back to where he had been sitting and slowly sliding down himself. "Truth be told, Drew, I was not expecting you after what happened last time… One cannot help but wonder if you've grown...desperate."

Kelia could feel the rigidness of Drew's body in response to that statement.

"Desperate for what, exactly?" he asked. He tried to keep his voice nonchalant, but Kelia could detect a dangerous edge to it. A warning, if she knew anything.

"The last time you were here, you had severed ties with your Queen," Grayson pointed out. "You could not stop talking about it. The only thing you didn't say was who accomplished such an impossible feat. Of course, magic had to have helped you, right?" He winked again. "And then, you vanished. You know, word spreads like wildfire around these parts, especially when it concerns the supernatural. A witch fell into the hands of the Society, you run off and try to save her, but not before enlisting your sister to support your cause. And here I see two witches and a human on your behalf. Word has already reached me that Wendy, who had fallen victim to the Society after rescuing the first witch, is on my island. So whatever you intended to do, you have succeeded."

"What is the point of you bringing up the past?" Drew asked. His hands were on his knees.

Daniella leaned forward in her chair. "How did you know we were witches?"

Emma hissed at her, though her voice was smooth and cool. In fact, Emma did not even look at Daniella. Her focus was on Grayson. Kelia homed in on a slight wrinkle near the corner of Emma's lips, something that was not easily discernible. A frown, it seemed, of suspicion.

"There's a bounty on your head, Drew Knight," Grayson said, ignoring Daniella. "There's a bounty on her head, too."

Kelia swallowed, trying to moisten her throat. Emma. Of course. She was not surprised. Emma was powerful, she and Drew were close. Part of Kelia wished she could reach out and place her hand on Drew's knee, over his own hand, as if to offer him some sort of comfort. They were friends, after all, and that was what friends did. She would not do such a thing in front of this stranger, however. She would not reveal that she cared about Drew the way she did. No one needed to know that. It was not something she even wanted to think about.

"Is that what this is, then?" Drew wrinkled his brow.

His knuckles turn white as he gripped his knees tighter. Did Grayson pick up on that, too? The man was trying to pretend to be suave and careless, but Kelia had the feeling that he was a lot more clever, a lot more cunning, than he came across. And, judging by Drew's reaction, Kelia had a feeling he knew that as well.

Grayson shrugged and glanced down at his fingernails. He frowned at what he saw and, using his opposite thumbnail, began to remove any dirt around his cuticle.

"My island is successful because no one governs it," Grayson began.

"Save for you, of course," Drew put in, an easy smile gliding over his face but not quite reaching his eyes.

“Yes, well, when I provide a quality service that earns me seventy percent of the island's earnings, and I invest that profit back into the island, I do get a say in what happens here,” Grayson said. His hand was still in front of his face, but he popped his eyes up so they could lock on Drew. “The last thing I need is the Queen of the Shadows coming to my little island, searching for her most beloved pet.” His lips curled into a vicious grin. "I would rather take care of the problem directly, so as to not affect my clientele."

"Oh?" Drew raised one eyebrow and leaned farther in the seat, forcing Kelia to cross her legs or else he might very well be on top of her. "And how would you prefer to take care of the problem, exactly?"

"Give her what she wants."

Grayson gave Drew a pointed stare. There was something in it, something unspoken that passed between the two of them. Kelia was not sure what the silent communication referred to, and she knew now was not the proper time, or place, to ask. If Drew felt it necessary to share it with her, she hoped that he would. If not, perhaps she would ask Emma at a later time.

"Do you know what she wants?" The corner of Drew's lips flicked up, but his eyes were still simmering, and his grip tightened on his thighs.

"I think we both know what she wants," Grayson said. A smile was littered on his face as well, though his stormy eyes were as sharp and poignant as Drew's were. "And we both know I have the ability to give it to her. All I would need to do is—”

"What do you want?" Drew asked.

All the power, the charm, the easiness immediately vanished from his voice. The seriousness that replaced it left Kelia cold and slightly startled. She had only heard that voice with Rycroft back on Port George. It was biting, low and dangerous. It was not a tone she was particularly fond of.

"Do you think there's anything you can give me that I cannot acquire for myself?" Grayson stood and walked around the drawing quarters. His shoulders were rolled back, his chin up. He had the air of a gentleman, but there was more to him, something otherworldly. "You know just as I do that whatever I want, I get. All I need to do is snap my fingers, and it is mine. And being on the Queen's good side, even as a Mage, would only benefit me and my business."

Kelia's eyes widened. Emma refolded her hands in her lap. She did not flinch or blink or blanch. Kelia didn’t know if that meant she had already been privy to this fact or if nothing ever caused her to react, but Kelia admired her for it and internally chided herself for being unable to control her reactions. It was something she was constantly working on, something she hadn’t known she needed to do until Drew pointed it out so bluntly to her so many months ago.

"She has no need for another Mage," Drew said. He did not seem as worried as Kelia expected. She wondered if this was a facade. "The few of you there are have already been tied around her bony finger. What makes you different?"

Grayson stopped his pacing directly in front of Drew. His grin widened, reminding Kelia of a shark.

"I'm so glad you asked, Drew," he said, spreading his arms wide. "It has been so long, so long since you've been a favored patron at my establishment."

Kelia dug her own fingernails into the arm of the chair. She should not have been surprised to learn Drew had visited this place before. It was an open feeding location, where he could be who he really was without hiding his true nature, without hiding his desire. However, even she could not help but feel that tug of disappointment in the man—the beast—next to her. She flicked her gaze to the piano in the corner of the room, trying to distract herself to no avail.

What had she expected? He’d been alive for a century. Of course he would get involved in some pillaging, plundering, some illicit behavior. He was a pirate, after all. She just didn’t think she would ever find out about it; until now, it’d been easy to pretend it had not happened.

"Since you left the island to rescue Emma from the Society," Grayson said, "I have been in contact with the Queen more frequently than I would like. You see, when she sends her own, personal Shadows, I lose money because it's important to me to play the role of host. They can feed and fuck whatever girl they want for however long they want as long as they don't kill her. But that means when they get carried away—and entitled beasts always do—my girls are out of commission, which means they can't work for those who will pay, and I lose even more money. I won't even go into detail here about the messes they make and the cleanup and the money I lose when a room can't be used." He sucked in a breath. "The Queen knew you had been here, so she stationed her guards here until you came back. They're still here, even now, and I'm almost positive they've been able to pick up your scent. I would not be surprised if they went to go and tell the Queen now."

Drew let out a dark chuckle. He stood up himself. Kelia watched as he walked with purpose, pacing slowly, each foot leaving a print on the crimson-colored rug.

"You know she wants to Bond with you again, Drew," Grayson said. "And if I give her to you, if I take care of the person who makes you weak, I'll be thoroughly rewarded. Don't take this the wrong way, Drew. You were my best customer. But the Queen is the fucking Queen, mate. I'm sure you'll understand once you're with her again. King of all Shadows, the way she's always wanted you to be. And your precious human will be—"

In a flash, Drew whirled around on the heel of his boot and charged Grayson. Kelia did not even have the chance to blink before Drew hoisted Grayson into the air by his throat. Daniella cringed, clasping her own throat with her hand, as though remembering when Drew had done similar to her after they escaped from Port George.

He squeezed Grayson's throat so he would not be able to use an incantation to restrict his attack.

"I would be very careful how you finish your sentence, mate," Drew snapped.

Emma heaved a sigh. Kelia switched her legs and reached for her cutlass. She turned to Emma.

"You should probably go," she whispered.

Emma blinked once before tilting her head to the side so her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulder.

"And why would you say that?" she asked in a low voice.

Drew undoubtedly heard, but Kelia was not sure if the Mage could pick up the voices, especially not with him so focused on being choked nearly to death.

"Aren't you the one Drew needs to protect?" Kelia asked. "The one who the Queen wants? You are the one who severed his Bond."

Emma opened her mouth, ready to respond, when Drew cut in.

"Mark me, Grayson," he growled. "If you think about turning her in—”

The doors burst open.

"Well, well, Drew Knight." The slick voice belonged to a Shadow, just as handsome as Drew, but there was a darkness attached to him. He had curly jet black hair pulled into a loose ponytail, away from his sculpted face. His clear, blue eyes scanned the room until they locked in on Kelia. "Ah, there she is."

"No." Drew dropped Grayson into a clump on the floor. He did not even look at the Mage. His eyes were solely focused on Kelia before looking back at the Mage. "Emma?"

Emma stood and flicked her wrists. She muttered something under her breath. Ivory piano keys were thrown across the room at the three Shadows that entered the room. One had curly black hair tied back with a ponytail, the second had bloodshot eyes, and the third had a red pendant hanging on his heart held by a gold chain. The piano key thrust so hard that the sheer force propelled it directly into one of the Shadow with the pendant’s heart. The Shadow disintegrated into ash. The other two stood frozen, their mouths hanging open.

Daniella grabbed Kelia's wrist and pulled her from the couch.

Kelia was ready to retrieve her blade. She did not want to run, not when Drew was at risk. Not when Emma was staying behind to help.

"Drew," Kelia said, waiting for her orders. Daniella continued to tug on her wrist, but she ground her heels into the rug, trying to prevent Daniella from dragging her out the door her out the door. "Drew."

Drew did not even look at her.

"Go," he said, his voice cold. "Now."