Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert
Author:Katee Robert [Robert, Katee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Published: 2023-11-07T00:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 19
Bowen
I NEVER HAVE BEEN A MAN WHO QUESTIONS HIS PURPOSE. When I woke up on the deck of the Crimson Hag, I might as well have been a newborn for all the history I brought with me. Ezra became something of a father to me, and the Cŵn Annwn Council my gods. Never to be questioned, always to be followed with a devotion that was more than earned. Or so I thought.
Nowhere in that worldview is there room for lies.
I still donât understand why the villagers here didnât report the deaths. Once a beast takes a human life, theirs is forfeit. Except â¦
âWhat are you thinking about so fiercely over there?â Evelyn trails a single finger over my chest. Sheâs draped half on top of me, her body loose and sleepy.
âI didnât realize you were awake.â True to our word, we had sex for hours before passing out sometime in the dead of night. Judging by the angle of light coming through the windows, itâs close to midmorning.
She snuggles closer until I put my arm around her. Itâs very, very cute. âThatâs not an answer.â
I want nothing more than to roll her onto her back and lose myself in the pleasure of her company for a few more hours. Even if I do, these thoughts will still be waiting on the other side.
I sigh. âWhen humanoid people end up in Threshold, theyâre given the same choice we gave you. It doesnât matter how they got here or what kind of person they are. They can join or die.â
Evelynâs finger stills. âYes?â
âThose we deem monsters donât get a choice. Every time weâre called in, itâs after a death has occurred ⦠or so I thought. What if weâve been butchering them simply for the sin of wandering where they shouldnât?â
She props her chin on my chest, her green eyes serious. âWould it matter?â
The question stings. âOf course it would matter.â
âBut it doesnât matter for the human-adjacent trespassers. Why would it matter for those you decide are monsters?â
Sheâs not doing anything but echoing my own thoughts, and I still have to fight the ingrained urge to argue. It was so easy to do when I thought my position was unassailable. When I thought I was right. âIt matters.â
âYour laws have never been fair, Bowen.â She kisses my chest and gives me a sad smile. âI think I understand a little better where youâre coming from. Your ship was your family. Theyâre all youâve ever known.â
Her sympathy grates. It feels too much like pity. âEzra, the last captain, was essentially a father to me. But Iâm too aware of the power imbalance between me and the crew. I donât know if âfamilyâ is the right term.â
âFor what itâs worth, Iâm glad you had him. Itâs awful to be lost and adrift in the world without someone to anchor you.â Her expression goes contemplative. âBut that doesnât mean he wasnât perpetuating a corrupt system. In theory, laws are supposed to keep the peace and be fair, but Iâve never found either to be true.
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