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“You have a ship. Get yourself to your precious throne,” Rythos challenged, jutting his chin towards where the pale oak ship from the Hells rolled gently over the waves next to us.

“Astaroth cannot track you. For some reason, you’re a black void to him. And luckily for us, anything close to you also ceases to exist as far as Astaroth is concerned.” Helion flashed him a wicked grin. “Congratulations, Commander. Your miserable existence finally has a purpose beyond killing my wife.”

“Helion,” I warned, which only made his grin widen. A low warning growl vibrated through Rythos’ chest, shadows crawling up the barrel Helion sat on as if they wanted to devour him from the inside out.

Helion flicked his hands, letting flames ignite in his palms and lick up his forearms and the shadows shrieked backwards.

“Stop it, both of you,” I commanded.

Helion had said that the only way to save Rythos would be to kill the one who made him. Perhaps fixing the throne worked the same. I figured using an imbued dagger to slit my throat and bleed over the throne ought to correct both wrongs. Not so long ago, I had begged for death simply because living hurt too much.

Now I didn't want to die.

That was the cruel fucking joke.

I wanted this.

Long nights and terrible jerky. My brother laughing. Solas calling me sweetheart. Rythos' arm around my shoulders and even the irritating warmth of Helion’s hand in mine.

All that was missing from our strange little circle was Caelum's stern glares and Cerilla's laughter. Even if I still hadn’t worked out my exact feelings towards her, I could admit that I missed the friendship I had once thought we had.

I’d found people that made me feel like I was home and perhaps that was precisely why my life was finally worth giving.

“I assume you know which direction to set sail in?” Rythos’ voice rumbled against me, and I sank further into his side as if his voice could pull the tension from me.

“I can sense home from anywhere,” Helion said with a sharp nod. “The others will follow on Hell’s ship. They prefer their isolation.”

“Raise the anchor,” Rythos commanded towards Aldric and Solas. “At the slightest sight of rough sea’s-”

“We cower below deck, yes, we know,” Aldric cut him off, earning him a smile from Rythos and a surprised laugh from me.

Rythos’ amusement drained a moment later, stilling as if sensing something no one else could. He cocked his head to the side and looked towards the other ship. “Cerilla is onboard, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly. As much as I wanted to share his anger, I couldn’t. “But… I think she was trying to help you.”

Rythos went rigid beneath me, answering with nothing more than a grunt.

Aldric had already crossed to the enormous wooden wheel, throwing his weight against one of the spokes to force it into motion.

“Your sister rather enjoyed her stay in the Nether,” Helion drawled. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she was the first person to take Astaroth’s cock in the last century. Perhaps that’s why he let us escape.”

The thought left something cold curling in my stomach. If Astaroth had truly let us leave, then our escape had never been an escape at all.

Solas pressed his lips together into a tight line and stood slowly, taking a moment to stand over the top of Helion. He grinned up at him in open challenge.

“Solas,” Rythos growled, leashing his own anger. “If you hurt him, Lyra will suffer.”

Solas gritted his teeth and turned his back to us, boots thudding against the planks to join my brother.

“Solas and Aldric will get the ship ready to set sail and then take turns sleeping. You will take the wheel.” Rythos stood, pulling me with him until Helion’s hand slid from mine. “I will take over from you at dawn.”

“And what will you be doing while I am steering your ship?” Helion quipped.

Rythos pulled me flush against the hard planes of his body and laced his hand up the back of my neck, gripping my hair and tilting my head upwards. He leant down, breath fanning across my face, dark eyes drinking me in with a need that made my stomach flutter in anticipation.

“Burying myself in your wife,” he growled before his lips pressed against mine. His tongue licked along the seam of my lips, and I opened my mouth to him without hesitation, dragging my tongue against his in long languid strokes that set fire to my core.

“Look at me.” Helion’s voice threaded through my mind and my eyes snapped opened to instantly meet his heated gaze.