“Let him go,” Helena says quietly. Her voice breaks through my reverie, and I jolt backward.
“Excuse me?” I sputter, raising my eyes to hers. Surely, I misheard her.
She meets my gaze, her mouth twitching. “King Hades, I ask that you spare this man’s life.”
“The decision was always yours,” he replies instantly. The King of the Daemons steps forward, waving a hand at the male who brought me in here. “Toth’toros, you heard her. Remove this man’s bindings. He is free to go.”
“Yes, sir.”
When my hands are liberated, I rub my thumbs over my wrists. The skin is bright red, and I will definitely have a bruise tomorrow. But it's better to have a couple of bruises than be dead.
“Thank you, Uncle,” Helena says. Biting her lip, she looks between me and her uncle. “If it’s okay with you, can we have some time to talk?”
The King nods, waving a hand at the winged woman. “Of course. Phaedra will show you to a room.”
The Angel turns and flashes a pearly smile at us. “Right this way, please.”
* * *
A few minutes later,Phaedra pushes open a large brass door. Her wings flutter behind her as she turns, her gaze sweeping over us. “I’ll have them send up some water bottles. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable.”
Head held high, Helena dips her head ever so slightly. “Thank you,” she says, wheeling herself into the room. The area is decorated with shades of gray and green, and large furniture modified for Daemon wings fills the space.
Phaedra puts a hand on my arm. Her nose twitches slightly, her large wings tight behind her as she makes a show of studying me from head to toe. “There’s a shower in there, too, in case you were wondering.”
A loud snort comes from inside the room, but when I look at Helena, her face is blank. Everything but her twinkling eyes are impassive.
“Thanks,” I mutter. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Once the Angel has disappeared, Helena comes back to the door. A wry grin spreads across her mouth. “Are you coming, Erik?”
The authority with which Helena speaks is unfamiliar to me. Seeing her, hearing her speak, and watching her step into her metaphorical royal shoes is arousing.
My entire body is tense, like it was the first time we kissed on the ship. As soon as that thought appears, I push it down as far as possible.
This is not the time for feelings like that. Just because Helena spared my life doesn’t mean she forgives me. It doesn’t mean we are anything.
“Yes,” I say. “I’m coming in.”
I pause in the entryway. This is amassivesuite. I could easily fit four or five of my bedrooms in here. My jaw falls open, and surprise must be written all over my face because Helena laughs.
Her laugh.
Her laugh.
I was wrong before when I thought her voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard because her laugh is like when the moon first appears in the night sky. It is rich and boisterous and full of life. It sparks something within me. My muscles clench as warmth pushes away the cold numbness I have surrounded myself with for my entire life. Her laugh takes a sledgehammer to the last vestiges of anger, desperation, and despair that remain within me.
I can feel my entire body rearranging itself to the tune of that sound. No longer am I simply Erik, Pirate of Death, soon-to-be-dead at the hands of the Elite. No longer am I empty. With that laugh, I feel a part of myself that has been so broken begin to knit itself back together. With every passing second, I feel myself becoming more.
I feel.
Right then and there, I know I will doanythingto hear that laugh again. One isn’t enough. How did I live before I heard her laugh? It is full of life. She is full of life. Shebringsme life.
But then her expression is serious once again. “Erik, sit down,” Helena says, gesturing to a gilded couch.
I obey her command immediately, and an awkward silence fills the air. I look at her, and she looks at me. For a very long moment, neither of us speaks. Then we both open our mouths at the exact same time.
“Erik, I nee—”