“Stay close, Love,” Seamus muttered, holding me tight to his side.
We passed through the rowdy ruckus. Cat calls began to fill the room, and while I would have normally kicked their asses, I leaned into Seamus who stared each one of them down. The calls stopped, and the ruckus renewed.
Seamus flipped a gold coin to the bartender who nodded at him, then he guided me to a side room where the men inside were quietly drinking their beverages. The wall was lined with booths, and Seamus insisted that I climb in first. He sat down next to me.
“Seems like a cheery place,” I said, using a fake British accent.
He quirked a smile. “It’s dreary, Love. A reminder of a life I left behind.”
“If this is too much for you, I’ll find another way into Wonderland.”
He turned to me with a stern expression. “You will do nothing of the sort. The only way you are getting in there is with me. There is more than one way to kill a phoenix. Don’t test it.”
A young woman with black fishnet stockings, tight black shorts, and a frilly bra like top with puffed sleeves sat two steins in front of us.
“Evening, Captain. Long time, no see,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile.
“It is nice to see you, Kalea. Thank you for the drinks. Is Sturdivant around?” Seamus asked. Her dark brown eyes flicked to me, then back to Seamus. “Ah! Forgive my rudeness. Kalea, this is Wynonna Riggs, the…”
“The Phoenix. The lady Phoenix,” she said in awe. Seamus looked rather disappointed when her attentions shifted to me.
“Please, I’d rather not broadcast that,” I muttered.
She dipped in a small curtsy. “Forgive me. I just never thought in a million years I’d ever meet you. Careful with this scallywag. He’s a heartbreaker. I’ll go find Stu.” She spun around, and with a skip in her step, she ambled out of the alcove room.
“It seems you have a far-reaching reputation, Lady Phoenix,” Seamus teased.
“It seems you have one yourself, Scallywag.”
He huffed. “I admit that there was a time when any lady would suffice. I was much younger then and easily amused.”
“What?! Like one hundred and two?”
“I can see that we are going to have a wonderful time on our journey. You make me laugh, Lady Phoenix.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“When in Britain, do as the Brits. You would be royalty here among the Otherworldly gentry. You are royalty wherever you go. From a trailer park in Alabama to the grand halls of the Winter keep, you are to be revered. It is deserved.”
“I’ve done nothing to earn it.”
“Earning respect is difficult, but sometimes there is a measure of respect that can start as a tiny spark. A hint of reputation. A tease of power. Do you deny you are powerful?”
“No. That is the problem.”
“It is the answer. It’s time you start to see yourself as others see you. Not your mother. Not your team. Not Kyrie. Not Raphael. Your name is now being whispered across this room. People will start to look.” I dared to look into the other room as Kalea stood on her tiptoes to whisper into the ear of a handsome sailor who zeroed in on me. “See. There it is. The spark just grew. Before you know it, the place will be an uncontainable wildfire.” I shook my head at the reference. I could hear Mark’s voice in my head. Wildfire. Kyrie had called me that, too. But I couldn’t hear his voice. My pain covered it. The handsome sailor leaned over to a portly man who was engaged in a rowdy game of cards. He whispered something to the man who dropped his stein and stared at me. I tucked myself behind Seamus’ imposing figure. “And now, our reputations are connected. I like the sound of that.”
“Damn it, Seamus. Did you bring me here just to get your damn crew?”
He sighed. “You wound me. But yes. I did.”
I growled in frustration and took a long draw from the flagon. The malty liquid slid down my throat and chilled my mood.
“Holy crap, that is good,” I muttered.
Seamus tapped my mug with his. “Go easy. It’s potent.”
“Reminds me of Nestor’s coffee.”
“With much less innocence, I assure you.” That intrigued me, but if he was warning me about the alcohol, then I probably should have listened. I didn’t.
I finished off the tankard before Kalea returned. She brought another to me and took my empty glass.
“He’s putting on his clothes,” Kalea said.
“We will wait,” Seamus responded.
I sipped the ale from the refreshed mug and groaned with pleasure. “I know what you said, but what the hell is in this stuff?”
“You do not want to know.”
“I asked.”
“It contains many things, but beyond the barley, hops, yeast, and water there is an added magical element.”
“Which is…”
“Satyr sweat.”
I sat the mug down and stared at it questioning myself if it mattered to me that I was drinking the sweat from a horny, hairy-legged fairy creature. Or did it taste so good that it didn’t matter? Seamus watched me without speaking. I picked up the mug and took another sip. He chuckled.
“Shut up.”
“Saytr’s are very sexual beings. I have no doubt that you will meet at least one while we are in Neverland. He’s a friend of mine, and already knows that we are coming. He, too, wanted to meet the Lady Phoenix.”
“Good grief. So, their sweat makes this mellow?” I asked.
“It relaxes you into a euphoric state. At this point, I’m going to have to carry you over my shoulder back to the ship,” he said, and I thought he was joking. But I took a look at his cup which was almost still full. “You’ll enjoy it for a time. You know that I would never let anyone harm you. Besides, it may be a great many years before you return to Southampton.”
“Where the Titanic left port?” I asked.
“That ship to which you refer isn’t spoken about in this establishment. If you would like for me to avoid an altercation, I humbly request that you do not speak its name again.”
“Why?”
“We will discuss it on our voyage.”
“That list is getting longer,” I said, taking another daring sip of my ale.
A scruffy man with long blonde hair struggled to walk across the main room as he buttoned his pants. His buttoned-up shirt hung open revealing a lightly-haired chest and plenty of muscle. He could give Rory a run for his money in the brute category. He flicked his head to the side, causing his sweaty hair to sway out of his face.
“Well, look who it is?” he said with a hearty laugh.
Seamus stood up to greet him. The two men embraced and patted each other on the back. “Hello, Stu. It has been too long.”
Stu’s eyes met mine, and his eyebrows shot up. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi,” I replied. I didn’t know whether to be repulsed or intrigued.
“Stu, this is Wynonna Riggs. She is my companion,” Seamus said.
“Miss Riggs, it is a pleasure, and should you seek the companionship of a real pirate, give me a call,” Stu said.
“Oh, sit down. She isn’t going to fuck you,” Seamus said, shoving his friend.
Stu laughed and took a seat across from us. “Miss Riggs, I’ll have you know, that Capt. Daragh and I have had many wagers on who would fuck me and who wouldn’t. I win every time.”