Silence filled the throne room as Marina flexed her fingers to calm the column of water into stillness. She moved the bowl aside, and the now-quiescent liquid rippled like a common puddle. 

Just where I wanted him to be. Now he’ll give me all the answers I need. She moved carefully so as not to disturb him yet. 

“Oh, dear me! I’m needed to wash our master’s feet!” A poor falsetto drifted through the door, causing Marina’s eyes to roll. 

How could anyone fall for that? Vulcan’s fiery ass! That’s either Cassian or someone with the mind of a rock. 

Lucian shifted. “Did I hire someone who sounds like a dying hag?” 

She thought quickly. “Yes. She’s a new girl you selected from the market a fortnight ago. I’ve come across her before.” 

He looked satisfied with the answer, but before Marina could ask anything, Cassian sashayed a stiff Darius into the room. He plopped down a washing basin, pitcher, and towel, splashing water onto the floor. 

“My lord, your washing-woman is here.” Cassian waddled toward the throne and curtsied in an exaggerated sign of respect. 

She watched, biting her lip to keep from laughing. But then her husband rose out of the awkward curtsy and pulled a pistol from his costume, shooting Lucian point-blank before she could move away. 

“You’ll never touch her again!” Cassian screamed at the dead lord. 

Oh, for fucking Minerva’s sake! Marina huffed. “I had him right where I wanted, Cassian!” 

Cassian tore off his disguise; his eyes turned on her, cold and calculating. “Oh, did you?” 

Marina held his stare until her eyes rolled by themselves. 

Darius swooped in and fiddled with the lock on Marina’s chains. “We need to get out of here. I’m surprised the guards aren’t rushing through the door.” 

She pointed to an alcove behind the dais. “Right. There’s a passageway through here. The servants use it to come and go.” 

“No, it’s this way,” Cassian interrupted. His tone registered no argument, but Marina refused to budge. The throne room’s doors rattled as the guards tested the lock that Darius was smart enough to engage. 

“I’ve been all over this castle,” Marina reminded her husband. 

Cassian glared. “Oh, I bet you’ve been all over.” 

Oh, for Neptune’s ball sack. He had to go there? What in Venus’s virginity does he think I did? Sleep my way around the castle for fun? Marina scowled at the comment. She moved toward the passageway, but Cassian grabbed her and pulled her behind him. 

“Come on, wife,” he grumbled. Darius shot her a look of sympathy, but the door burst open, and she had no time to examine it. Cassian dropped his grip on Marina’s wrist as he engaged the closest guard. Darius took the other one. 

Marina only watched them fight for a split-second. This is ridiculous. Acting like I’m a damsel in distress. I may be a woman, but I had a plan. I don’t need him to rescue me. 

With that thought in mind, an ornate statue of Lucian caught her eye. Picking it up, she smashed it over a guard’s head. The man went down with a loud thud. 

Darius nodded thanks at her, and she did the same for the guard fighting Cassian. 

The enemy hit the floor in a forced sleep, but Cassian scoffed. “I had him!” He threw his hands up and into her face. “I’m supposed to be rescuing you. Not you rescue me.” 

Marina sighed. A thank you would have been nice. “Does it matter right now? We have to leave. Unless you want a direct path to Orcus?” She turned toward the passageway again, but Cassian yanked her through the throne room doors. 

“We’ll never make it this way,” she moaned, but her warning went unheeded. Cassian pulled her forward, forcing her to stumble and do some quickstep to keep up. 

“I know what I’m doing,” Cassian hissed as they ran straight into a group of guards coming from the dining hall. 

Marina recognized one of the men. Wait, I know that guy! Maybe I can distract him? 

“Let me.” She stepped up, her hands on the hem of her top, ready to make a move when Cassian pushed her behind him. She twirled off balance and narrowly avoided the fighting men. Spying an armed statue, she pried off the dagger. 

I swear on Juno’s crown, if Cassian doesn’t start listening to me, we’ll never get out of here alive. And Darius! You’d think he’d speak up or something. But no. Must be some kind of loyalty to one’s gender. 

Sneaking behind the man fighting her husband first, she rose up, hooked her arm around the man’s neck, and stabbed him in the eye. Cassian finished the job with a slash across the throat, but by then she had moved over to the man on Darius. Sinking low, she tripped the guard for Darius to stab him right in the chest. 

“Thanks, Marina,” Darius said, giving Cassian a suggestive look, but he ignored the glare and the gesture as he continued on his course. Am I surprised? Of course not. Might have hurt his ego.  

“You’re welcome, Darius,” Marina said kindly, but the anger and frustration simmered. Her knuckles turned ghost-white from her grip on the dagger, pulling her from the storm echoing in her head, turning it to complete silence. 

If it means that we end up going the long way out of here, so be it. But the gods know I’ll be having words with him later about his choices. Such as they are.  

They snuck through the halls, Marina with one eye looking for potential threats while Darius’s hand never left the hilt of his sword. They stumbled into the kitchens, where the servants stared suspiciously. 

“Shhh!” Marina stepped forward before Cassian could react. “Don’t tell the master I’m here.” 

The servants nodded and settled back to their work. Cassian came to a halt that would have caused her to run straight into his back had she not been paying attention. 

“A warning you were going to stop would have been nice,” Marina muttered under her breath. 

“We could hide as servants again. It worked to get us into the throne room. It could get us out,” he said, looking like he’d just handed her a chest of pure treasure. 

“A waste of time. We should hurry before we’re caught,” Marina argued back. His pained expression suggested he was holding back a retort. 

Darius backed her up. “We’re almost out of here.”  

Cassian turned the glare on him, then stomped to a door with a sign that he ignored. 

“Don’t go in…” Marina started. 

Cassian slammed the door behind him. Darius started to move after him, but she put her arm out to stop him. “Just wait. He’ll come back in three…two…one.” On her count, he stormed out with eyes so hot they burned into her blood. 

“Why didn’t you tell me that was a supply closet?” he hissed at Marina.  

She just shrugged. “I figured you could read the sign. Or just trust me.” Who in the gods’ name does he think he is? The sheer audacity that man has! He is really starting to piss me off.  

“Fine. Then you lead the way if you know better.” He gave an exaggerated bow.  

Marina rolled her eyes as she moved past him. “Good. Because I do.” Stupid, stupid, man-child. I vow on Venus’s heart that I will burst that man’s urge to guard his precious ego before the night ends. If we make it to the ship without him causing more problems. 

She led them through the servant tunnel and out the side door. When they entered the caves, Cassian pushed past her again. 

“We’re going this way.” He whipped down another tunnel. Marina gave a long-suffering sigh as she and Darius fell behind him in step. She let him lead for a few paces before she spoke up. 

“Are you sure about this? What’s your big plan if we get caught? I mean, the guards are still Lucian’s men. They could still bring us-” she argued. 

“I shot him, remember? He’s dead. Gone. No longer alive. So stop nagging!” he snapped. 

“That may be—” 

“It’s done, Marina.” His tone was final. 

“Fine. I’m going this way.” She returned to the split and started down the correct tunnel, not caring if they followed or not. Heavy bootfalls behind her told her they were rushing to keep up. 

When they got outside the last door, Cassian pulled Marina to a stop. 

“You’ll get us killed! I’m the one in charge here! You’ve changed. I no longer recognize you. ” He stomped away. Marina raised an eyebrow and followed. Darius ran to catch up. 

“I’ll have you know, I’ve been through things you don’t understand! I’m trying to save us using what I know. If you can’t handle that, maybe I should tell your father to reconsider his first mate,” Marina said angrily. 

Cassian stopped cold. His eyes flashed, but Marina’s flared brighter. 

“Don’t you dare say that, wife. When we get back to the ship, the first thing you’ll do is change clothes. I’ll not have my crew leering at my wife’s body.” He hurried towards the distant sound of clashing swords. 

I want to strangle him hard enough to make him wish he was just sucking Mars’ shaft. I’m going to carry out the threat. I’ll talk to his father. Maybe he can knock some sense into his thick skull.

She stewed as they followed. Darius wisely stayed quiet, and soon they reached the sight of Captain Aquilla’s crew beating the rest of Lucian’s men back. 

“Glad you made it, lass! Get on the ship; we’ve got this!” Captain Aquilla gave her a wink. Cassian huffed and pulled Marina towards the ship. 

“I can walk, you know! I’m not a child!” she snapped. She climbed the rope ladder and by the time her feet touched the wooden planks of the deck, Cassian was right beside her. 

“Go to our cabin, wife,” Cassian ordered.  

Marina raised an eyebrow but didn’t move. Darius boarded and directed the rest of the crew around them. Captain Aquilla’s orders to get the ship underway rang through the air. 

“No, I’m helping this crew get underway and get us out of here,” Marina started toward the rigging, but Cassian grasped her wrist so tight it almost made her wince. 

“I said, our cabin now, wife,” he demanded. 

She pried his fingers off her wrist. “I’m not yours to order around, Cassian,” she said in a tone that warned most men of coming danger. 

Cassian doubled down. “You’ll do as I say. You’re mine!” He pulled Marina into a hard, passionate kiss.  

If a fight he wants, then a fight he’ll get. 

While Marina returned the dark heat and pressure on her lips, she palmed his pistol from its hiding spot and secured it behind her. In a flash, Marina pushed him away and pointed the now-cocked pistol into his face. 

Her chest rose with labored breaths from both the kiss and her growing anger. “I am my own person. And you—” Marina’s finger twitched against the trigger as her eyes blazed fire—“are just like him.” 

Then she whirled, letting ire and venom fall onto the deck. Grabbing the rigging, she dropped the pistol and climbed up, leaving Cassian to face the heavy silence of numerous observing eyes. 

Editor: Shannon Hensley