“Does he do this kind of thing a lot?” Tony asked.

“Define ‘a lot.’”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. “This must be very stressful.”

“Not as stressful at it is for the pirates inside. He is slaughtering them in there.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Tony said.

“I know. Thank you for caring. It is stressful, but I picked him, and I have no regrets.”

We sat quietly for a few moments. The cruiser was almost completely submerged now. Only a corner of the hull protruded above the waves. The sea around the wreck churned, as the local wildlife realized there were delicious meaty bits inside.

Sean was a good swimmer. I held on to that thought like a life preserver.

“I spoke to my dad,” Tony said. “We are more popular than the Super Bowl. Everyone is watching.”

There would be more excitement tomorrow. “Did he have any advice?”

“He says we’re doing great. He’s surprised we haven’t killed a Dushegub yet.”

It had become my personal goal to get through this mess without losing any of the guests while they were on the inn’s grounds, Dushegubs included.

“Two more challenges left,” Tony said.

“Yes.” The talent challenge was next. “Do you think he will hand out roses tomorrow at the elimination ceremony?”

Tony cracked a smile. “We can only hope.”

A bright red flash announced another explosion. I sighed.

“Do you want me to go help him?” Tony asked.

I shook my head. “It’s a matter of trust. I have to trust that Sean wouldn’t take on anything he couldn’t handle.”

Tony nodded, rose, patted my shoulder, and walked away.

Five minutes later I dropped the void field and watched human Sean climb up onto the balcony. He was wet from head to toe, but otherwise uninjured. He straightened and grinned. I put my arms around his dripping body and kissed him. His face was cold, but his lips were warm, and he tasted just as I remembered. He squeezed me to him. Gorvar whined, circling around us.

“Sorry,” Sean breathed into my ear.

“That wasn’t cool.”

“It was a little bit cool.”

“No.”

“Admit it, you were impressed.”

I shook my head.

He laughed and there was no better sound.

19

When we last left our fearsome innkeeper duo, Sean had taken down the pirate vessel that attacked the inn’s branch reaching out to the planet of Kolinda. But mysteries remain: how did they know that Gertrude Hunt had a door leading to the planet and where it was? What was their motive? Who is the pirate prince masquerading as one of the candidates? Stay tuned to find out. Maybe.