Guinevere's Grail | ✓ [BOOK 2]

~ 11 ~

THE CAPTAIN KEPT LOOKING at Kit, and it was starting to make his skin crawl. It wasn't a bad stare, but it wasn't good, either. His eyes studied him as though he were trying to decipher him, or like Kit reminded him of someone and he couldn't quite figure out who.

He'd been trying so hard not to be paranoid, but this wasn't making it easy. At least he wasn't worrying about Morgana this time, but that was probably because he felt something entirely different whenever he looked at the Unseelie as of late.

"Don't mind him, he's just sizing you up."

Kit was startled by the velvety voice, and he turned to find Mahria standing next to him. She was a good two inches taller than him at the least, and she was gorgeous in the same way Léona was. If he still cared about girls like he used to, he probably would've spent more time checking her out. She was definitely his type, tan, mysterious, and intimidating.

"Does he always stare at strangers like he's seen them before?" Kit asked, eyes lingering on her profile a bit longer than they needed to.

He felt a trace of guilt in the pit of his stomach, but he stomped it out. There was nothing real going on between him and Morgana, he was allowed to look at beautiful women if he so pleased.

Mahria caught his gaze and met it with her own. He didn't look away, even as her slender finger traced along his jaw.

Her voice came out in a purr. "He stares at men who seem like they might distract his crew," she murmured. "Men like you. Clearly, though, it isn't his crew that's distracted."

Kit tossed a glance to the side, and his eyes met Morgana's. The faery's vicious gaze didn't falter, and it filled his stomach with butterflies. He was jealous, and Kit loved it.

"I don't think I'm intimidating Crane," Kit told her. "If he was simply trying to scare me, I don't think he'd study me so hard."

Mahria hummed. "Fair point. He look familiar to you?"

The captain was talking to Eurion, and their conversation seemed pleasant enough, but his posture was rigid. Somehow, Kit knew it had nothing to do with what the thief was saying.

"I guess he does," Kit murmured after some thought. It wasn't a striking recognition, but when he thought about it hard enough, he felt something tugging at him, like faint déjà vu. "But I've never seen his face before. So I don't know why, maybe I'm just tricking myself."

Mahria pulled his face back to meet her own, and he felt something burning in his throat. "Hey, you don't need to worry so much, yeah? If it's important I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. Don't stress yourself."

"Is there any way I can get you saying that burned into my brain?" he teased, cracking his knuckles like he was preparing for a fight.

"I've got something that can help you destress a little, at least for awhile," she murmured, and Kit's eyes went wide. Her hand slid over his wrist and she pulled him towards the mast of the main sail.

Ah.

She gripped the rope, motioning for Kit to follow after her as she climbed upwards towards the crow's nest. Kit didn't exactly love heights, but Mahria was all legs and pretty eyes and he couldn't resist whatever it was she wanted him to do.

The crow's nest was way too high up. Kit found himself clutching the mast and looking down at the main deck like he might die at any moment.

"You're okay," Mahria assured him, taking one hand away from the mast.

"I don't see how this is meant to take my stress away."

She pulled both hands away, then tilted his chin upwards. "Don't look down. Look out."