The pirate life is hard, but there are times it’s also free. A big part of me will always belong to the ocean, to the freedom, to the family I created, but the other part of me desperately seeks life on the land. A life where I can just be me. But I have no doubt that if that day were to come, I’d miss the ocean. It would be hard not to.

“Where’s Dimi?” Livvie asks, stopping beside me.

I’m sitting on the edge of the stream letting my feet run through the water. The moment I hear her voice, I sigh. She’s a bratty, annoying woman, and there is absolutely no reason I can see that Dimitri could find anything about her interesting. Except maybe her boobs.

“How am I supposed to know?” I mutter.

“He’s been gone for hours.”

“And?”

“Well, you’re always following him around.”

I roll my eyes. I’m not getting into this with her. I know what she’s doing and I’m not going to play that game.

“Well, I’m not with him so go and find him yourself.”

She huffs and walks off. I sigh in pure relief. Three seconds with that girl has me wanting to stab my own eye with whatever blunt instrument I can find. I turn my focus back on the cool water when I hear shuffling beside me. I look over my shoulder to see Luke. God, I just can’t escape.

“Where is Dimitri?”

“What the hell am I? An information center?”

He raises a brow, shaking his head.

“I don’t know!” I cry, throwing my hands up. “I haven’t seen him.”

“He’s been gone for hours, no one can find him.”

I stand, growling. “I’ll go find him, because it seems awfully clear to me none of you are going to do it.”

“I just thought you might know. I’m not going to look for him.”

I shake my head with a loud, exasperated sigh. “Why ask then?”

“I told you,” he says simply. “I thought you might know.”

I shake my head, stomping off into the thick, damp trees.

“Where are you going?” he yells.

“To find your boss.”

“He probably doesn’t want to be found.”

“Too fucking bad,” I mumble under my breath.

I begin to panic when I’ve been searching for two hours and there’s no Dimitri. Granted, he could be back at camp and calling a search to find me now, but I can’t risk that. I’ve reached the cliffs, after searching everywhere else for him. The sun is going to set in a matter of hours and it’s getting cold. I take a deep breath and steel myself before climbing up and over the rocks.

I press my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun so I can get a better view. Then I see him. He’s sitting on a rock, head dropped, leg raised on a rock beside his foot. I’d say he was just sulking until I see that he’s got blood on his leg. He’s hurt. Without giving it a second thought, I rush toward him. It takes me a solid ten minutes because of all the rocks.

“Dimitri?” I say when I reach him.

He turns and looks at me; he looks shocked for a second. Like he expected someone else.

“Didn’t think you’d be the one to show up,” he mutters.

I knew I should have been a mind-reader.

“Everyone else was going to let you have space—aren’t you lucky I’m smart enough to ignore them?”

His pained blue eyes meet mine, and he reminds me of a broken, sore puppy. He looks so . . . God, so depressed. I kneel down beside him and stare down at his leg. He’s got a deep gash that’s still bleeding quite well. His ankle is bruising too.

“What happened?”

“Slipped.”

“Well, thanks for the detailed explanation. Can you walk?”

He looks sharply at me. “Would I be sitting here if I could walk?”

“All right, smart ass,” I say, my voice sarcastic. “If you want my help, you better stop being so rude or I’ll leave you here.”

He doesn’t answer for a second.

“What the hell is someone your size going to do?”

I stand and put my hands on my hips. “I’ll have you know I’m quite explosive. I might be tiny, but boy do I bang—”

His lips twitch and when I realize how my words sound, I flush.

“I mean, go off with a bang.”

That wasn’t any better.

Now he’s nearly smiling at me. God. So beautiful.

“Wh-whatever,” I stammer. “Are you going to let me help you or not?”

“We’ll never get back to the camp in time,” he points out.

“Maybe, but sitting up here is stupid. You’ll freeze.”

He stares at me again. “What’s your plan?”

I tilt my head, shocked that he’s actually going to let me help him.

“Well, firstly, I have to put something on that gash. Which means you’re going to have to let me touch you.”

His body stiffens. “Hurry it up,” he manages to grind out.

I nod and think about the best thing I can put on his leg. He needs to stop the bleeding. I stare at what he’s wearing. Jeans, boots—well, one boot now—and a tight black T-shirt. I’d love to tell him to take that T-shirt off but I’m wearing something far more logical. A long—ish—dress. I lean down and press my fingers around on the ground until I find a sharp rock, then I shove it into my dress, tearing it. Once I have a small tear, I use both of my hands to rip a strip off.