Gone Fishing - Part 2 (Patreon)

Milo had that look about him. Like he had been waiting in the shadows for the perfect time to reveal himself. If his expression was anything to go by, he was rather pleased with his entrance.

Belladonna whirled around, looking at both Hazel and Malcolm. “No.” It was one thing to willingly be on a ship with Milo Next. It was another to let him pilot it.

Hazel, ever the one to try and soothe a tense situation, had her hands out in that calming flutter, trying to make Belladonna see reason. “He’s the only one who will take us out there. And you know what he is. He’s supposed to be dealing with this himself.”

“Then he can take the boat out. I’m not getting on whatever that monstrosity in the water is, with a fae.”

Milo raised a brow. “Are we natural enemies? Who was going to tell me that vampires and fae are natural enemies?”

Malcolm stepped forward, making sure to put himself between the so-called enemies. “You’re not. She just hates you.”

Milo shrugged. “No. That’s fair. Anyway, wastin’ daylight, my fishies! Let’s get going.”

“Gabriel’s not here yet,” Hazel said.

All excursions out to the deep sea had to have three things. A captain. A crew dumb enough to follow. And the explicit permission from the Velvet Guard.

Hazel looked around, blinking. It was odd that Gabriel was not here yet. She had almost expected the man to be waiting for them when they arrived. “I don’t think we can leave without him.”

“Of course we can,” Milo said, heading over to the boat and hopping on board. “Best we leave sooner rather than later tonight. Be back by dinner and all that.” He was winding a heavy coil of rope around his arm, undoing the tether that held the boat to the shore.

Hazel was looking nervously at Malcolm while Malcolm was staring at Milo with narrowed eyes. Belladonna looked as if she was ready to drown Milo and commandeer the boat herself. It was only because of these stares that Milo was forced to stop. That, and he couldn’t navigate the ship on his own.

“What?” he sighed.

“What did you do?” Both Hazel and Malcolm asked at once.

“Nothing!” He threw his arms in the air, offended at such a bold accusation. “What? Just because I’m fae you automatically assume that I have done something nefarious? As if I can’t control my chaotic and mischievous nature? This is fae-ist. You are all discriminating against me and should be ashamed.” 

“Milo,” Malcolm warned.

A throat cleared from behind them. Coming down the path, Gabriel Caine looked well put together, his sword at his side, hair slicked back, and not a button out of place. His booted feet stopped next to Belladonna, yet he only had eyes for the ship captain.

“Apologies for being late,” he said. “There was a bit of a situation down at the station.”

“A situation?” Hazel dared to ask.

Gabriel nodded. “Someone slipped keys into prisoners' cells. We had several get out last night.”

All eyes turned to Milo. More specifically, the keyring he normally kept at his hip that was looking rather light. “Sounds like pandemonium,” Milo said with a sympathetic nod. “Don’t you worry, Warden. I’ll take good care of this lot here and get them back to shore by midnight. You go take care of you and your own and–”

Gabriel stepped forward. “It’s already handled. I have failsafes in place in case there is a prison outbreak. The breach was contained.”

Milo’s face was pinched as he forced a smile. “Lovely.”

“Yes. It is.” He patted his sword before turning to Hazel. “Ms. Albright, it is lovely to see you this morning. I have a list of sanctioned spells you can perform with the explicit understanding that you will only be enacting them while we are on this boat and not while we are in the market.”

“Of course, Warden.” 

Malcolm snorted, spotting his sisters crossed fingers behind her back.

Gabriel breathed the sea air in deeply, looking around and the sky that rarely changed. “Well then. Shall we?”