𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 // 𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐯

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞

CHAPTER FIVE

Improbable

     "Saints, I almost didn't recognize you."

Estelle looked up at Sturmhond from where she'd been looking out at the horizon, where the darkened waves met the equally dark sky. She raised her eyebrows, gesturing to her simple greatcoat and furry hat obscuring her dark features.

"It's not a disguise, just to keep me warm," she replied.

"Oh, love, if you needed to keep warm, you could've just asked," Sturmhond said, leaning down to her ear before adding huskily, "My bed has room for two."

She shoved him lightly away, rolling her eyes at his boyish antics. She certainly wouldn't say that she missed his shameless flirting, though she couldn't say that she wished for it every day she was away. That grin of his that was nothing but mischief, it didn't change when the rest of his features changed. The twinkle in his eye when he found something amusing. The tilt of his head whenever anything interesting happened that he wanted to remember.

Estelle took a step away from him when a crew member called out his name. Any rising butterflies were shoved back down her throat on purpose and kept far away from her stomach. It would be dangerous to them both anywhere else. She was a rare, hunted Grisha and he was a prince pretending to be a privateer.

Sturmhond winked at her before turning around to begin barking orders to those awake at this time of night. On the other side of the ship stood Ana, signing quickly and efficiently to Estelle's crew, preparing them for the journey. Many of them had never been on Sturmhond's contraptions before.

She caught Ana's gaze as she finished speaking to the women. Ana dismissed them and joined her captain by the rail.

"I thought that was your job."

Estelle gave her a sheepish smile. "But you do it so well."

"Flattery might work on your fellow captain, but not me. You forget where I come from."

"I could never forget," she replied, nudging her second-hand with her shoulder. "Thank you."

Ana shook her head, but a smirk found its way onto her face. "I take my payment in food and favors. Speaking of, you can pay up now. What is going on between my two favorite captains?"

Estelle's eyes snapped up to Ana's. "What? That's not a favor, that's a question."

"My favor is an answer to a question you've refused to answer for as long as I've known you. Even though I already know the answer, I'd like to hear it straight from your lips."