Daughter of the Pirate King - Tricia Levenseller Page 0,41
movement. Somehow he manages not to make anything hurt more than it already does. He’s very gentle with me, holding me close to his chest. I think I’d rather have my head dragged on the ground, but I haven’t the power to move.
He carries me into his room, shuts the door, and lays me on the bed. An instant later the manacles are off, and I gasp at the pain the removal causes.
“Shh,” Riden says soothingly. “I know, Alosa. Just a moment. I’ll put something on that. Stay here for now.”
Where would I go? I can’t move.
He’s drifting around the room, looking for something. “This would be easier if you hadn’t moved and broken everything.”
I open my mouth, but I think something similar to a croak rather than words comes out.
“What was that?” Riden asks.
I cough and try again. “I think I remember kicking something under the bed.”
He sighs before dropping down to his knees.
“Here’s something, I think,” he says.
The bed dips as he sits on it. He puts his hands under my arms and hauls me up.
I hiss through my teeth.
“Sorry. Almost there.”
I’m sitting in his lap, my back pressed against his chest. His head cranes around my neck to see my hands while he puts some sort of salve on them.
“Oh.” I sigh in contentment.
“Bet that feels better.”
He lets the salve stay on my wrists for a few minutes before applying some more. Then he wraps bandages over my raw, ripped skin.
I try to think only about breathing. Not the pain or ache. Just breathe. Riden’s done. Yet he continues to sit here, holding me. It’s quiet for some time.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea he’d let you hang for so long.”
“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who suggested hoisting me up there.”
“It was a means of persuading you to do as the captain wanted. I expected you to agree to the chores before the rope was even hung. You weren’t supposed to be stubborn.”
“You should have known better,” I say.
“Yes, I should have. I’m truly sorry.”
For some reason his apology frustrates me. Levelly, I say, “If you’re sorry, that means you want forgiveness. Is that what you’re asking for?”
He’s silent. I speak again before he can answer. “If you want forgiveness, that means you want to make things right. And if you want to make things right, that means that you don’t intend to put me in harm’s way again. So, if you are saying you’re sorry, I don’t think you understand what that entails.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he says.
“Of course you had a choice, Riden. You just had a hard one. And you chose the easy option, which was to do nothing.”
“Easy? Do you think it was easy for me to watch you? Seeing you up there, knowing the pain you must be in, it … it made me feel—it would have hurt less if I had been the one hanging. I hated myself for what happened. And the only way I could punish myself was to force myself to watch you in pain. That was my punishment.”
Riden starts stroking my hair. I’m tempted to let the conversation drop, to sink farther into his embrace and sleep. But despite how he’s taking care of me now, I’m still furious with him.
“What a nice sentiment,” I say. “But words only mean something when backed up with actions. Even if all you say is true, you’re too cowardly to ever do what you want to do. And it seems to me that until you break away from your brother, you won’t be able to do anything at all.”
The hand at my hair stills. “That’s rich coming from you. You’re serving a tyrant, a man who basically has control over the entire world. We’re pirates. Not politicians. Our sort weren’t meant to rule. There needs to be order so we can disrupt it. If there’s no order in the first place, then where does that leave us? The world has changed in recent years. And you’ve chosen to help it change. Not for the better. Our choices are to die out or join the pirate king. Why do you serve Kalligan? So that Papa will love you?”
“You don’t know anything about me or my father. You should stop pretending otherwise. Now, let me go.” I try to pull away, but he holds me more securely.
“No.”
“Let me go. I don’t want you touching me. You disgust me.”
“Lass, you’re too weak to force me. Let me take care of