She is so still; I would think I was seeing things if the water from her chair didn't ripple around her torso. “That’s how you became a pirate?”
I shake my head, my gaze distant as I stare straight ahead. “Yes. The onlychoiceI was given was to stay in my destroyed house with the mutilated bodies of my parents or go with him.”
Helena breathes, her inhale sharp as she touches my cheek. The contact feels like an electric shock. “Your mother’s name was Madeline.”
I realize what I revealed a moment too late. I blink, “Helena, I—”
“Is that why you reacted so strongly when you found Conrad trying to rape me?” she swallows, her voice low. “You gave me her name. Madeline. And I had no idea at all. Erik, that... I’m so sorry.”
I turn away so that she can’t touch me, and I drop my head into my hands. “I think that’s when I realized I couldn’t do it. When I saw Conrad standing over you.” I rub furiously at my eyes. “How do you think I was trapped into a life debt?”
“I-I don’t know...”
I say sharply, “I saved one of the women your brother was going to use for his pleasure and then dispose of.”
Helena actually gasps.
“Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t know he was a monster,” I glare at her.
“I was glad when Nathaniel killed Henrick. I’ve never told anyone that before.” She sits up straighter, but a storm rages in her eyes.
“Then how can you—you, who of all people, has lived a life just as helpless as mine— how can you sit here and tell me that we all have a choice?!” I yell.
She tries to stand up and then splashes back down. “How dare you—” she starts.
I held up a hand and cut her off. “I see you, Helena. I see what you’ve been given, and you deserve better. What your father wanted was wrong, but this isn’t just about me. If I chose to say no, my entire crew would be punished. There are… people that I help. People that rely on the services I provide.”
She tugs at her hair, her cheeks red as she shouts, “I was wrong!”
I freeze. Her chest is heaving, her eyes wide as she continues, “I was hurt and betrayed, and I was—am—wrong.”
I stare at her. Words have escaped me.
“You make me so frustrated. I can’t think straight anymore. I’m relieved to see you, and yet I’m so mad that you did this. I’m furious with my father. Did you know he killed my mother?”
I blink. “No.”
“As long as we’re dishing out screwed-up backstories, you should know I can go toe to proverbial toe.” The color has returned to her face, and the purple flush on her skin looks lovely.
There is something intoxicating about this moment. I scoot closer. She looks so beautiful, so vulnerable, I can’t control the passion roaring in my veins. I cup her cheek. I mean to be soft, but I need her to look at me.
“How about we don’t? How about we… help each other for once? I’m tired of fighting you. You know everything now, and whether I stay or not is your choice.”
She reaches up, her webbed hand touching my wrist. She melts into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed while she pants.
“I don’t know. I already saved your life.” Her words are labored, and they stab me straight in the heart. I drop my hand away, and she flinches.
Snarling, I push myself off the couch. “I will be one of the many villains in your story, then,” I say. I’m halfway to the door when she stops me with her voice.
“Wait,” she cries out.
I freeze.
“I’m a villain, too,” she yells. Her voice is awkwardly loud like she doesn’t know what she will say next. “In my father’s story, I am the villain. I let my brother die.”
I don’t move; I just listen.
“There will be people with incorrect ideas about who I am, who you are. Seeing you walk away… I can’t do this. Don’t leave me.”