The captain used the back of his arm to wipe the sea spray off his face, smearing blood from his lip across his cheek. “If we got her, we got the whole payment. If we didn’t, we still got ten grand. Not a bad deal.”

“Did they tell you to cut her face?”

Blood draining to leave his skin the color of old parchment, the captain nodded. “I decided it was fucked up enough with the bruise and the marks from the net.” His eyes jittered to the man in the water. “I use him as crew but he’s a twisted fuck. Volunteered to cut when I hesitated over that part of the deal.”

So much for honor between thieves.

Smile cold, Bowen shot into the water, causing the “twisted” fucker to scramble back, farther into the unforgiving blue.

“Who was your contact?” Miane asked the cringing captain.

“His name’s Gianco. Guy’s the go-between for a ton of stuff at the docks.” He was happy to provide them with Gianco’s contact details, as well as more information on how to track the man down. “He’s gotten me good lines on work before so I knew the deal was legit.”

Bo shifted to press his gun to the back of the captain’s head, while Malachai kept an eye on the crewman in the saltwater that had to be hell on his bashed-in face. “You’ve done this before,” Bo said. “You’ve taken others.”

The man froze.

Miane smiled. “He’s not going to blow out your brains,” she said gently. “You took his mate. He wants to torture you by flaying off your skin inch by square inch until you beg for death. Make it easier on yourself and tell us everything.”

“Just one other time.” The captain swallowed convulsively. “Gianco supplied the crew that time and those guys were vicious—they cut up the changeling’s face with razors like they were carving meat.” Sweat broke out along his forehead. “I dropped them off with Gianco and I don’t know what happened after that.”

“What did the changeling look like straight out of the water?”

When the captain described the male, every member of BlackSea on deck went motionless. They’d recognized a clanmate—and each and every one wanted to do the same kind of violence as Bowen.

Miane’s face was expressionless when she said, “Describe the crew Gianco provided.”

Giving her a sickly smile, the man said, “I always get a photograph using my hidden camera. Just in case anyone tries to stiff me.” He reached very slowly into his pocket to draw out a small phone. “It’s on here.”

“This bastard’s gonna drown,” Malachai drawled. “Bo?”

Turning to see the crewman in the water struggling to keep his head afloat, Bo took his time making the call. “Bring him in. I’m not done with him.”

Mal nodded at one of his people to throw out a net. They used it to haul the blue-lipped and nearly unconscious male to the deck, where he was left inside the net to shudder in front of his fellow assholes.

“Was that previous crew human, too?”

The captain jerked his gaze from the crewman back to Miane. “No, Psy.”

“And Gianco?”

“Changeling. A fish, like you all.”

Miane examined the captain’s sweating face. “How do you know?”

“I followed him once, the first time he came to me with a job. Smuggling that time. Saw him dive into the ocean, then saw a big-ass fish swim out. Never saw Gianco come back up.” He swallowed again. “And his eyes . . . they did that black thing a couple of times when he was pissed.”

Miane’s obsidian eyes stayed unblinking on the captain’s face. “Do you have a photo of Gianco on this phone?”

“No, he never got on my boat. Couldn’t use my secret camera—but I can describe him.”

A painful wave of shock and betrayal rippled through the deck when that description matched KJ to a fine point. Right down to his gritty voice and habit of chewing peppermint gum. “At what time did Gianco contact you for this job?”

“Only about two hours before we took her onboard. Like I said, we just lucked out by being nearby. Our other job was legit so I filed a route with the authorities and all.”

That answered the question of whether KJ had survived his dive into the ocean.

“What else do you know?” Miane asked with no indication of the rage that had to be coursing through her blood.

It turned out to not be much, though the captain did tell them the specific “docks” at which he usually dealt with Gianco—a predictably slippery character who went missing for long periods of time. No doubt it’d line up with KJ’s work schedule.

“Lock all three up,” Miane said flatly.

Only after Kaia’s captors had been dragged away with zero care for their injuries did Bo speak again. “KJ.”

“He’s mine.” Miane’s voice was like stone. “No one else is to approach.”

As Heenali was Bo’s to handle. “If you want me to blast his face across the human network, say the word.”

Miane didn’t answer with either a yes or a no and he didn’t assume that was an answer in itself. It paid to assume nothing with the First of BlackSea.

Malachai’s eyes went to the boat bobbing beside the city. “I’ll go through the vessel, see if we can find anything useful.”

Logic wove a cold line through Bowen’s fury. “You should unhook it from the city.”

When both Miane and Malachai looked at him, he said, “This deal might’ve been made while the vessel was already at sea, but the captain worked previously for KJ. If I were KJ, I’d have put a tracker on it somewhere, along with an explosive that could be detonated remotely. As soon as KJ checks the tracker, he’ll realize the boat is nowhere near its intended location.”

“Fuck, he’s right.” Malachai was already running to undo the rope.

He and a number of other BlackSea changelings jumped into the water and literally pushed the boat out to a safe distance before anchoring it again. Waiting only until he could see that the city was no longer in danger, Bo gave in to the driving need inside him. “Is Kaia still in the infirmary?”

Miane didn’t immediately give him an answer. “How did you get Krychek’s cooperation?”

“That’s between me and him.” He held her gaze, alpha to alpha. “All you need to know is that BlackSea owes him nothing.”

Miane inclined her head a fraction. “Kaia is with the healers—and irately demanding to come to you.”

A massive boom split the horizon, the sky colored yellow and orange and red and the sea reflecting the same. Flaming debris rained down from above, but all the changelings in the water had dived at the instant of the explosion, and reappeared well beyond the danger. The boat was gone, with it any physical evidence.

“We have a starting place to track KJ,” Miane murmured. “We also have the photos on the captain’s phone. It is enough to begin a hunt.”

That hunt would end in blood.

Good.

Chapter 72

Changeling healers share multiple gifts with M-Psy and yet this convergence has never been studied in scientific literature.

—Draft paper by Dr. Natia Kahananui

KAIA SAT SILENTLY under the healer’s touch as the older woman worked on her face, but her insides were a chaos of emotion. The only reason she hadn’t run out to Bowen the instant she heard the boom of the explosion was that she could feel him safe and strong inside her—and because of how he’d looked when he’d seen what had been done to her face. If a little patience would soften the evidence of the blows she’d taken, then she’d find that patience.

Warmth emanated from the healer’s fingers, the energy of the clan flowing from her hands. It had been extraordinarily more potent while Miane was in the room, the rage of her power a black wave that protected rather than drowned.

“I’ve managed to heal the fractures,” the healer murmured, a frown of concentration between her brows. “The swelling isn’t looking too bad, but the bruising’s going to linger a few days.”

“Mahalo, Rani.” Kaia was reaching up to pat at the bruised side of her face when her mate walked into the room. “Bo!” Jumping off the infirmary bed, she ran into his arms.

They locked around her, warm steel and protective heat. Kaia was only vaguely aware of Rani slipping away and shutting the door behind herself, her focus on her mate—who was shaking in reaction.

“I fought them,” she said, pressing kisses along his jaw. “I was only afraid for a few seconds right at the start—and then I got mad.” More kisses, his scent in her lungs. “I bit him so hard he bled. Even after he punched me, I wasn’t afraid. I was just angry I was too woozy to knee him in the groin.”

Bowen pressed his forehead to hers, his expression hard with pride. “You’re not a scared little girl anymore.”

“No,” she whispered with a smile that cracked open the scars, allowing in healing light. “No matter what happens, I will never again be unable to help the people I love.” She’d been naked on the deck of that boat after shifting into human form to better fight, and she’d still managed to inflict enough damage that three grown men bigger than her had thrown her in that small room and locked the door. “I was plotting how to take apart the bunk and bash them over the head with one of the ends when they came in again.”

Bowen laughed, the strain finally fading from his features. Rough-tipped fingers featherlight over her bruises as he took stock of the damage. “That makes this a badge of pride.” He pressed a soft kiss to the bruise.

Eyelids closing, her eyes hot but her smile wide, Kaia said, “I knew you’d come. I just had to keep myself alive long enough and you’d come.” It had been an absolute truth inside her, a driving flame.

“I will always come for you.” A harsh voice, more tender kisses. “You’re a little disappointed I came so quickly, aren’t you?”