I wished he would touch me. Ground me to the dock so the feeling of the restless sea inside me would calm. But there was a distance between us that hadn’t been there before. And I wasn’t sure how to close it.

I climbed the ladder and when I reached the top, Willa was standing before the helm, staring apprehensively at Clove. But he was entirely uninterested in her, finding a crate at the bow to sit and prop up his boots.

When she looked up at me, her face was twisted up, her mouth hanging open. “What are you wearing?”

I looked down at the frock, mortified, but before I could answer, a wide smile spread her lips. The scar on her cheek glistened white. I dropped over the railing and she threw her arms around me, holding me so tight that I could hardly breathe.

She let me go, leaning back to look at me. “It’s good to see you.”

I nodded in answer, sniffling, and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it. My eyes burned at the show of affection. I’d missed her. I’d missed all of them.

Footsteps pounded below and a moment later Paj was coming up the steps, Auster behind him. He was missing his shirt, his long, shining black hair spilling over his shoulders.

“Our bad luck charm is back!” Paj called to the open door of the helmsman’s quarters as he crossed the deck toward me. “And she’s wearing a skirt!” He clapped me on the back hard, and I stumbled forward into Auster’s arms. His bare skin was warm as I pressed a flushed cheek to his chest. He smelled like saltwater and sun.

Behind him, Hamish was glowering at Clove from where he stood in the breezeway. “What is he doing here?”

“Come for a cup of tea.” Clove winked at him.

Hamish tipped his chin up at me and then at West. “You’re late. Two days late.” The set of his mouth was grim.

“Things didn’t exactly go as planned,” West muttered.

“We heard about Zola,” Paj said. “People on the docks have been talking and yesterday someone came to tear apart the Luna.”

“Bastard got what was coming to him.” Willa huffed. “Where have you been?”

“You can tell us later.” Paj started for the helmsman’s quarters. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Willa nodded, moving toward the mainmast.

“Wait.” My hands clenched into fists inside the pockets of my jacket, and when I felt West’s eyes on me, I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to see his face when I said it.

But he cut me off, stepping forward to face the crew. “There’s something we have to do before we go back to Ceros.”

“West—” I grabbed hold of his arm but he pulled away, turning to Paj.

“Set course for Yuri’s Constellation.”