Ashley didn’t follow me over. He leaned in and spoke quickly to those on Jade, presumably giving updates and instructions on my care.

Bending down, his warm fingers found the hand of my uninjured arm, and he lowered his brow to my knuckles. I felt the love he poured into the gesture before he straightened and hardened his expression. Then he drew his sword and raced back across the plank to Blitz.

Neither he nor Priest would return until every man involved in my torture was dealt with brutally and without quarter.

Except Madwulf.

When they found him, his demise wouldn’t end in a few hours or even a few days. They would torture him for as long as they could keep him breathing.

As another surge of anguish battered my body, I stared up at the man who held me, blinking through the fog of pain. Jobah’s dark warm eyes stared back.

Dear God, it was a relief to see him.

Missed you, Captain, he mouthed, carrying me slowly, gently into the companionway.

“You, too, Jobah.” More than I could voice.

The last time he cradled me like this, I was bleeding out from a sword wound in the gut. Too bad my present injuries hurt a thousand times worse. I faced a long, rocky road ahead and wasn’t confident I would survive the battle this time.

Today, Jobah said, slowly shaping his lips around each syllable, isn’t your day.

He was reminding me of my favorite motto.

If I had the strength, I would’ve laughed. But he was right. Today wasn’t my day to die.

Tendrils of determination wound around my chest. For as long as I lived, I was still the captain of this ship. So I put on a tough face and swallowed down my pain. “How…are…new passengers?” The two badly beaten men? The slave ship? Did he understand what I was asking?

His smiling lips created a clear answer. Healed.

Good. Christ, that was great news. My old surgeon, Ipswich, while ever sour and rude, had an impressive success rate with saving people.

As Jobah conveyed me through Jade’s lower decks, a sense of peace penetrated the torment in my bones. I was finally home. If I died, it would be on my ship surrounded by loyal friends.

Dammit, no. I wasn’t going to die. I’d come too far. I had a ship to command, a map to my father’s treasure, and a crew that depended on me. I. Would. Survive.

I must have passed out before Jobah reached our destination. The next thing I remembered was bolting upward in sharp, wrenching pain. It felt as though something was digging around in my broken arm.