The Lost Fae (The Twisted Crown #3) - A.K. Koonce Page 0,30

to keep his jacket on. There is still a slight nip to the air on the lower deck, but almost all of the crew had made their way into the small space. Their shared body heat warms the room significantly.

Why do I have the feeling you won't get a lot of sleep tonight? I think, lifting a foot and poking at Lincoln's mattress.

The bed groans as he rolls and dangles off the edge. His hair dangles down and I tug on a strand just for fun. His tongue swipes out over his upper lip before he responds.

Why do I get the feeling you're going to snore like a wild beast tonight?

Wow. Really hitting me with all these insults today. I clutch my chest in feigned offense. You better stop or I'll start falling even more madly in love with you.

Ziko winks and disappears back on his bed. Oh, so you can dish it and take it? Huh?

I suppose so. I shrug even though he can’t see me. Must have been all those years of trauma that gave me this great sense of humor. And I don't snore. I add for good measure.

His cackling laugh shakes the bed. Clutching the blanket in my hands I roll toward the wall and snuggle in with a smile on my face. His laughter ends but his mind still swirls around every moment of joy we'd shared today.

It's pleasant enough that I close my eyes and drift to a peaceful sleep, where I don't snore at all.

A bell rings and startles me awake. I gasp and move from my bed in one swift movement, careful to avoid smacking my head off Lincoln's bunk. Outside the small window, boulders turn into rocks that turn into pebbles that fade to sand. The sea doesn't froth as it meets the shore’s edge, but instead shatters into thousands of shards of ice.

And the sand doesn't really look like sand... it's all snow.

My breath fogs up the glass as I breathe heavily with excitement. One step closer to finding our way out of The Lost Court.

"Linc--" I start, turning around only to find that his bunk is empty.

Fear, unasked for and wild, makes my body go stiff. My mind searches for the tether between us that remains intact and reveals the view of the shoreline from up on the top deck. I smack my knees off the bedframe and snatch up my jackets from off my bed. I stomp up the stairs, fastening every button I have up to my chin until my breath is stolen by the cold.

My attention roams past the busy crew members, finally landing on Lincoln. He stands with his arms tight across his chest, nodding along while Captain Beatrice talks. As if he feels my eyes on him, his gaze shifts toward me.

I brush down my hair with my fingers and walk calmly to the pair. Beatrice pauses the conversation as she notices me.

"Well, if it isn't the snarling monster from under my bed." Lincoln bites his tongue drawing my attention straight to his full lips.

“I hope that nickname doesn't stick." I shrug, pushing my hands into the deep pockets of the coat.

Captain Beatrice gives me a curt nod. "We're ready to head in toward the queen's home whenever you are." She looks me over from head to toe, one brow lifted as she waits for my response.

"Oh, like now?"

Her chin dips.

I run my hands over my coat and look down at my body. I mean, I have both my jackets, shoes, and... yes, I did indeed remember to put on pants. I suppose there isn't anything else I would even bring with me. So, yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. My wings are tucked tightly against the undershirt where they poke out of the fabric, staying warm by the coats I’d layered over them. They twitch slightly as I rack my brain for any reason I would not be ready.

"Well... let's go."

"That's the spirit." Lincoln pats me on the shoulder.

Captain Beatrice Ann is already in motion. She hollers out to her crew and points toward the shore. Without her by my side carrying on that absolutely fascinating conversation, I look out to the waiting shore. Snow, unmarred by footprints or animal tracks, meets the slush and ragged edge of ice at the sea. It extends in a long valley, dotted only occasionally by patches of evergreen trees.

Lincoln and I stand still as pirates storm past us to their Captain and the edge