Fortune of Emerald and Salt (Seas of Marecult Duology Book 1)

by Monroe Wildrose

"I saved that girl's fingers, but I have neither the means nor the time to save them all. I cannot lay awake at night worried about the things I did not do. I can only be content with what I had the means and opportunity to change." I spotted the door and moved toward it.

I dove back into the water behind, reveling in the coolness of it against the sweat of my skin. I swam quickly, only coming up for air when I reached the side of the ship. The crew had lowered a rope ladder for me, and I started climbing. I stopped midway, pushing my wet hair out of my face. I looked back at the pier and saw my opponent and the other man he had been with earlier standing on the edge of the dock. The second man was looking at the first sternly, but the man paid him no heed. He held my gaze instead. I gave him as graceful a bow as I could manage and blew him a kiss. I watched as he held his hand up in a gesture to catch it. I laughed at him before climbing up the rest of the way.

"To you, it's a kiss stolen from a pirate, and to me, it's the dawn."

"No matter," he said, no doubt seeing the hesitation in my face, "I can live with a single moment of dawn."

“I knew you'd be the death of me."