“Ryland!” I moan out his name as I collapse on his chest, both of us breathing heavily. As we calm down, he slides out of me. He kisses my forehead, before rolling us over and leaning over me with a big smile.

“That was a nice wake up call, after you snuck out of bed earlier,” he comments gruffly.

“I thought you were sleeping,” I say. I didn't want to him to know I was sick again, or let him see me that way, so I snuck out of the room and used an empty bathroom.

“Yes, but my body knows when you aren’t next to me, even in sleep,” he says, lifting his hand and pushing a piece of hair off my face. “You look tired.”

“I can’t sleep well, not with everything we know is going to happen soon,” I admit to him, and he kisses me. Just a brief, sweet kiss.

“I will hold you until you fall asleep,” he says, but it’s a demand hidden in a chiding tone. “No one, or no future, will hurt you when you’re in my arms.” His words have the desired effect, and as he lies down next to me, holding me close, I drift off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

“Cassandra, it has been a while,” the sea god’s voice fills my mind, just as I open my eyes to see I'm standing in his cave. I look up at the hole in the cave, the sight of the Storm Sea above, and finally back down to the Sea God who sits on a chair in the middle of the cave, not far from me.

“Why is the Storm Sea the way it is? So dangerous and angry?” I inquire, looking back up at it.

“The Storm Sea was where I was born, and I have a higher connection to it. My emotions control the sea,” he explains to me, and it makes sense why the sea is so angry now.

“Change is coming,” I tell him, and he nods, looking up at the hole where we can see the sea churning.

“You could be so much more, Cassandra, but I see now that the powers of a god were never meant for you,” he says.

“Is that what you tried to offer me once before?” I ask.

“Yes, only you chose love. Gods cannot love; it is a curse we all must bear,” he tells me.

“Why am I here?” I ask.

“I do not want to send you to war, to risk losing your soul. I know what you must do in order to win, do you? You must kill Riah,” he says, his eyes still staring up at the sea.

“Yes.”

“I wish I could save her, but you killing her will send her soul to me. You have my word that she will be safe in the afterlife,” he says, just as he stands and walks over to me.

“You must enjoy what time you have with your pirates, Cassandra,” he says, waving an arm over me, and everything goes black.

I wake up, breathing heavily as I look around at the familiar captain’s room on the ship. I take slight comfort in the light snoring of Ryland as he sleeps behind me. I carefully move his arm off my waist, putting it on his side before getting out of the bed. I pull my clothes on and turn back to Ryland. He looks tired, and I don’t want to wake him up, but I lean over and kiss his forehead, just over his mark. He doesn’t stir, but there is a small lift of his lips, making me smile. I walk out of the room, quietly closing the door behind me and looking up at the sun high in the sky. The deck is full of the people on board, walking around and getting on with the jobs they have. I look around for my other pirates and finally spot Dante sitting with Everly. Dante has a hat on today, likely to protect him from the harsh sunlight. Everly doesn’t seem to care, her blonde hair looks almost white as it reflects the light. I walk over, smiling at the pink kitten snuggled up to Everly’s chest. It has white ears, but the rest is a light pink colour and is so fluffy that I can’t really see its face or eyes. Dante turns towards me, standing up and pulling me to his chest when I’m near.

“Good morning, pretty girl,” he says, and I laugh as he kisses my cheek.

“You found the kittens then?” I ask Everly from Dante’s arms as he holds me to him, and I wrap my arms around his waist.

“This one found me, actually. She was in my bed, and I checked with Zack about her. He thinks she is a runt of the litter as she is so much smaller than the other kittens.”

“Oh no,” I say, feeling sorry for the little one.

“I’ve been feeding her milk and keeping her in my room. Dante and Zack helped me get her a suitable box and food,” she says, stroking the tiny kitten’s head. I smile at her, knowing she has found a friend for life with her new cat.

“Did you decide a name for her?”

“Nala, it means sweet, which I think suits her,” she says and stands up. “I’m going to take her back to my room and keep her warm.”

“Is that Thron?” I ask, pointing at the massive island that we are passing by. It is covered in mountains that reach towards the skies and sandy beaches with a few ships pulled up to them.

“Yes. One day, we will come here, and I will show you my favourite beach. The water is so warm, the sand is the perfect to build castles, and there are little caves filled with gems we could explore. It’s one of my favourites of all the islands,” he tells me.

“That sounds perfect, so perfect, pretty boy,” I whisper, resting my head against his chest, hearing his calm heartbeat as I watch the island.