I grit my teeth and lean in, propping one foot up on the bench next to Swift as I tower over her. A satisfied smirk curls over her lips, but I can’t let that throw me if I’m going to make her understand just how pissed I am at her. “You almost got us both killed,” I start, yelling right into her ear. “If you had just listened to me instead of rushing off at Santa Elena’s whistle, we could have kept Bao in the water, and you’d still have taken the ship.”

I draw back, searching her for any sign of guilt or worry or any of the things I want her to be feeling, and for a second I think I see it in the glint of her eyes as they wander. Her expression shifts, and I can see her on the cusp of spitting something out, see the gears in her brain churning as she tries to process this information.

And for a split second, just when the light shifts, I stop seeing and start noticing. I notice the muscles in her jaw pulse as she bites her lip, notice the curve of her collarbone where her tank top has shifted, notice the imprint of teeth on her earlobe.

Something lights inside me.

It’s not like with the girls I’ve dated at school—no, she’s too much of a disaster for anything like that. She’s a pirate. But there’s a hunger in Swift, and maybe it’s just my trainer impulse that makes me want to feed it for a moment.

Then her attention flicks back to my eyes. “When an all-call goes out that we’re about to hit a bucket, I’m at the captain’s side no matter what. If I’m not there for her, I’m as good as dead anyway. It’s your job to save my skin when the beast is concerned.”

Moment’s over.

“Also, you’re dripping on me,” she adds.

I push away from the bench and catch Code’s eye. He sniggers, taking another swig from his bottle. “C’mon, have a stringlet or something. You need to relax, girl.”

“No thanks, my life’s a living hell already,” I snap back at him. “Swift, I’m sleeping belowdecks tonight. Bao needs to be observed after today’s ordeal. No need to come get me.”

She shrugs, her hungry eyes roaming over the crowd of pirates. “Was probably going to need the room to myself tonight anyway.”