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"Happy to be alive"

Louis started to laugh, but then his eyes narrowed and he spun to defend hiray olf, soaked in blood and rain, plowed into hiht Ghost would tear out Louis’s throat But the captain snarled and snapped, shoved Louis to one side allare at Jack

With a cry that began as an animal’s howl and built into a hu hard, teeth bared, he looked more bestial and barbaric as a man than he ever had as a wolf

"I had plans for you, Mr London," Ghost rasped

"And I have plans for you That’s why I set you free But I make my own destiny, Ghost Always have"

One corner of Ghost’s e smile "Not today you don’t"

As the other sea wolves transforures of Tree, Vukovich, and Maurilio, Ghost began to move toward Jack Any other tiht have seemed aard, but painted with their ene down at the deck, they only appeared ed to be both wild and unnatural at the sas that nature would never perht say

"You betrayed ers hooked into claws "You took the witch offon me You could have been so much more than you are, Jack So ristle"

"Cruelty and an appetite don’t

Louis and the other sea wolves--no longer a crew but still part of Ghost’s pack--circled warily

Ghost e hand around Jack’s throat and sla hi over the stor waves

"MurderJack’s face "Taking lives, eating flesh, drinking blood! I will destroy you with my bare hands as I should have done the first moment I saw you, before I suffered the disappoint, Jack I am your master, and I’ll hear you say it before I end your life"

"That’s never going to happen," Jack croaked, barely able to draw breath "I am my own … and only … master"

"You little bastard!" Ghost screah for his jaws to open wider and his fangs to grow longer Then he bent forward, jaws gaping to sink his teeth into Jack’s face

Tree’s massive fist struck Ghost so hard in the face that two of his fangs snapped off and were lost on the rain-swirled deck With Ghost surprised by the attack and stunned from the impact, Louis and Maurilio were able to haul hirabbed a fistful of his for his throat, and the four sea wolves had Ghost at their mercy

"That’d just be bad form, Captain," Louis said "You can’t kill Mr London after he ca!" Ghost roared

Jack exhaled He’d been prepared to die, and recovering from that required a ainst them and then paused, nodded once, and was released

"I’ll have you," Ghost snarled at Jack, quieter now

"Maybe," Jack agreed "But your brother will have heard the explosion There are a dozen of them and only five of you, and they’ll be on their way back to the beach by now I’, but I’d rather avoid both if possible And for all your talk, I suspect you’d rather not die either, Ghost I’ve ga the lesser of two evils, on there still being a shred of honor and hue theether"

"Why bother, Jack?" Vukovich said "We’ve got the ship now We’ll leave Death Nilsson and his crew behind It’s a big ship, but the six of us can get it under way, I’?" Jack said

"The ship’s daone ashore to see if there’s anything he can use for repairs"

"And he saw ate," Jack replied

"There’s no avoiding this fight," Tree said in his deep, ru voice

"The odds are not in your favor," Jack said "But you don’t have to face thehed "You’re one h to being a boy that I’m sure you remember childhood all too well What can you do to help even the odds against Death and his curs?"

Jack took a breath and let it out Of all the risks he had taken since waking this , this was the one that most terrified him

"It’s not just me Sabine--"

"Of course the sea witch is with you," Ghost snarled "You fell in love The two of you escaped together into some romantic dream But she isn’t here, which means you left her on the island Death will have feasted on her heart by now, you fool And even if he hasn’t, what good is she? We knohere my brother and his bootlicks are"