by Lucy Langton
As Maria kept watch over the ship that night, she tried hard to make sense of everything she was feeling. That was, until her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, hollow wham!
Chapter 13
Maria had never experienced such a sensation in her life so it took much longer for her eyes, ears, and mind to comprehend what was happening. It was first the feeling that her feet were no longer resting on the wooden deck, as though she was floating in the air. Next came the bitter cold of complete darkness, the touch of water and wet surrounding her as she was pulled down by some invisible force. What is happening to me, Maria thought as she tried to search with her hands and eyes for a way out of the darkness.
Back on deck, shock rippled through the crew as they searched for the object that the ship had collided with. Horus was quick to appear from below deck, shouting orders as the entire crew was woken from the collision, spilling onto the deck like ants ready for action. “Lower the sails! Gather in groups and check for damage to the hull! Light the lanterns! Let down the skiffs!” Horus shouted as he made his way through the crowd, lanterns and torches being lit as he walked, men assembling themselves and taking quick action. They prayed for the best, that whatever damage there was could be repaired, and yet they prepared for the worst.
Before the ship had made contact, sending a shockwave through the hull, James had been watching Maria standing by the gunwale. Part of him felt foolish for sharing his past with the lady when she appeared to never be able to understand why his life was the way it would always be. The other side of him wanted to follow her to that side of the ship where he’d slide his arms around her and pull her into a deep kiss. But the moment the collusion happened, he’d whipped his head around in case the ship was being attacked, and when he looked back to see where Maria was, she was gone.
Instead of running to help the other pirates along the port side of the ship, James ran to the starboard side and peered down into the dark water, fearing Maria had fallen in. He didn’t hesitate this time as he shouted to those around him, “I’m jumping into the water!”
James dove from the gunwale, piercing the water with precision. Those who had heard him had stopped to watch, only then moving to the gunwale to peer over and see who James was trying to rescue. Those who had rope had already tossed their ends into the water, hoping that whomever James was going after would be brought back up to the surface quickly. With it being the dark of night, they didn’t think James would be successful, and a few even thought that James would probably lose his own life doing such a reckless thing.
When James broke the surface again, tugging another body with him, a cheer rose up from the deck, causing others to gather and see what all the commotion was. James had pulled Maria from the depths of the water, surprised that she was still alive as she coughed and took deep breaths of air, her golden hair wet and clinging to her face.
Maria couldn’t believe what had just happened. One minute she’d been on the deck, the next in complete darkness that didn’t allow her to breathe. When she felt strong arms pulling around her she didn’t fight them, knowing that death was surely pulling her away from life. But as the darkness moved away, showing light shining from the ship above as lanterns and torches were pointed towards the water, Maria coughed up the water in her lungs and replaced it with fresh air. Her eyes moved around her, trying to piece together how she’d ended up in the water, but they then settled on James as he seemed to quickly examine her before securing the ropes to them, allowing the pirates to pull them up to safety.
“You’re a real hero, James!” one pirate said as they were pulled on deck. James gave them a weak smile.
“A blanket, gents. Who can bring me a blanket?” James asked, and another pirate moving quickly to retrieve one from a room below. A few pirates congratulated James as the crowd dispersed, quick to continue their search for any damage done to the hull.
James stood with his arms around Maria, holding her body close to his as she shivered from the shock of almost drowning. She hadn’t said a word, but he could tell at least she was still breathing as she stood with her arms squeezing her chest, her eyes darting around as water dripped from her soaked clothes and hair. Already her clothes had been fitting but now they clung to her form, giving anyone who looked a pretty good idea of what she’d look like without them on. James stood in front of her then, shielding her from the view of prying eyes.
“Are you okay?” James asked as he tilted her head towards his, their eyes locking. James saw fear in them and felt a great desire to rid her of any fears she would ever have. It was a strange sensation, but he never looked away.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Maria said softly. “I know I’m alive, but I can’t stop this feeling that I can’t breathe even as I take deep breaths of air.”
James wanted to kiss her, but as the pirate who had run off to fetch him a blanket returned, he thanked the man and quickly wrapped it around Maria. Though he too was soaked from the dive into the dark water, he felt comfortable enough and was only concerned about Maria.
“How about you sit for a while and wait to dry off a bit? Just keep taking deep breaths and I’ll be back for you,” James said as he helped Maria to the wooden deck, tucking the blanket around her until only her head showed through. She had a far-off expression on her face, one he recognized as shock. He’d seen it many times when green pirates were caught in battle for the first time. When James heard the voice of Captain Maidus in the distance, he knew he needed to leave Maria. With one last look, he turned and headed to the other side of the ship to hear what had happened.
~*~
The shudder of the ship making impact had immediately startled the Captain awake. At first he’d hoped that perhaps he’d been dreaming, that a sudden wave had crashed against the ship, waking him up with a start. But when he heard Horus barking orders, and the sound of every able man coming onto the deck, he knew that something terrible had happened. Jumping from his bed, Captain Maidus quickly pulled on his trousers and pulled a shirt over his head, not bothering to tuck it in as he pulled on his boots. Then he quickly pulled open his door and stepped onto the busy deck.
Ignoring his men, Captain Maidus took the stairs up the wheelhouse where he stood next to the ship’s wheel, where Horus stood looking over the deck below. The Captain gazed all around, trying to locate an attacking ship.
“What is happening?” Captain Maidus asked as he continued to scan the horizon.
“The ship has collided with something, sir. There are no other ships out at this time and the men are in the skiffs, getting a better look,” Horus replied as they leaned over the back of the ship, trying to see anything in the water below. When a cheer broke out at the front of the ship, the two men moved towards the sound, their eyes on the starboard side of the ship.
“What on earth is going on?” the Captain demanded to know as he descended the stairs once more to the main deck, grabbing a pirate he’d seen from the crowd who had been gathered on the front of the ship. The pirate was startled by his Captain’s outburst and stared into his eyes with fear.
“What is all the cheering about?” Captain Maidus asked.
The pirate stuttered as he explained, “James jumped into the water to rescue someone who’d fallen into the water when the ship hit the reef. He just pulled up the young lady.”
Captain Maidus put on a smile as he released the pirate, smoothing down his shirt where he’d grabbed him by the collar. The pirate seemed mollified as he stepped away from his Captain and continued helping those around him. Captain Maidus then turned his eyes towards James and watched as he held the young lady to his body. Even from where he was standing, he could make out the shapely figure of the woman in her soaking clothes, making him wonder if he should keep her for himself. As Horus appeared by his side, Captain Maidus turned his attention to his second in command.
“We’re in a reef, sir, and currently doing our best to get the ship out before it causes any more damage. There’s damag
e to the hull on both starboard and port sides to the front of the ship, but she’s not taking on water. We’ll have to do repairs before we can raises the sails again, but it can be managed till we make it to the port and gather the supplies we’ll need to make a permanent fix,” Horus quickly explained as the crew started to gather around them, waiting for their next orders.
Captain Maidus eyed them all, placing a smile on his face to show them that they needn’t worry. They looked tired and exhausted but were ready to act the moment the Captain spoke. It was the type of power Captain Maidus craved and skillfully wielded, making him one of the most successful pirate captains currently sailing the seven seas.
“My good men, it appears we’ve only nicked a small reef. We’ll have to push the ship clear of the reef and begin making a few repairs so we can reach the next port safely. Then, we’ll do what we do best…” Captain Maidus paused as a wave of laughter ran through the crowd, “and we’ll get the supplies needed to sail safely home.” Cheering erupted over the deck as the Captain smiled proudly at them all.
“And a special congratulations to James for his heroic rescue of a damsel in distress,” Captain Maidus added, laughter erupting around them as they turned to see James at the back of the crowd, still drenched from his daring dive into the dark waters below.
James clenched his fists, not pleased to be made of mockery of, as the crowd dispersed with Horus beginning to shout the next round of orders. It appeared that none of them would be getting any sleep that night. But before James could move to assist in getting the ship free of the reef, he noticed that Captain Maidus was walking towards him, so he stood still, waiting to see what the Captain would say to him next.
“That was quite a feat of courage, my boy,” Captain Maidus said as he clapped James on the back. Then the Captain leaned close and whispered into his ear, “I never knew you were capable of risking your life for a piece of merchandise.”
James smirked, trying to appear as though he thought the Captain’s words were funny. As the Captain straightened again and looked into James’ eyes, he was surprised by the mirth he saw in them. “I guess I didn’t want to let my Captain down,” James replied with a shrug of his shoulders, as though what he’d done was no major accomplishment. But the Captain knew that the crew members would regard James as a hero, a title that was only fit for a captain.
“Of course, James, of course,” the Captain replied as he turned from the man and made his way to his private quarters, satisfied his men could take care of the work. But he began to wonder if he needed to keep his eye on James and Miss Maria as they continued to journey south.
Chapter 14
Maria sat on the deck, swaying to the movement of the ship as waves crashed against it, simply staring in front of her without truly seeing anything happening in front of her. All she really saw was the blackness of the ocean mixed with the feeling of not being able to breathe. The trance around her wasn’t broken until she recognized James’ face in front of hers.
“We need to get you somewhere safe and off this deck,” James said as he put his arms around her, pulling Maria to her feet. She wondered where on the ship she could possibly be safe but was suddenly shocked when he scooped down and gathered her in his arms like a small child, still wrapped up in the blanket.
“What do you think you are doing?” Maria demanded, unsure of what she should do. Screaming wouldn’t do any good because no one would come to her rescue. She also couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.
“I’m carrying you to my private quarters. You’ll be safe there and you’ll be able to rest for a few days. You need to sleep and regain your strength,” James explained, grateful that everyone on board was currently occupied with their own tasks so that they didn’t pay James any attention or look to see that he was carrying a young lady to his quarters.
Maria didn’t say any more as James led her to a set of stairs below the deck that she hadn’t used before. It led below the wheelhouse and the Captain’s quarters, below her little room which seemed so high above. It was dark below deck as every able light was being used to see into the night in order to rescue the ship. But James was used to the darkness of being below deck and found his room easily enough.
When James opened the door and carried Maria inside she was surprised by the cleanliness of the room as a lantern hung from the rafter, casting light into the room. A narrow bed rested against the wall, and the very sight of a bed filled Maria with want. She noticed a small wardrobe beside it and a chest at the end of the bed. She sighed when James sat her upon the bed and began to pull the blanket away. When Maria refused to let it go, James chuckled.
“I don’t want my bed soaking wet. You’ll need to give me the blanket and get changed,” James explained, causing Maria to blush. She scooted from the bed and stood as she handed James the damp blanket, which he tossed onto the chest. He then turned to his wardrobe and opened it, revealing a plethora of different clothing.
“Have a look in here and see if you can find anything that will suit you,” James instructed, standing aside to let Maria by, but since the space was rather small Maria brushed by him, the contact sending a shiver of pleasure over her body.
James held his breath in his lungs as he moved a little bit further away from Maria as he looked through his clothes. He fought the urge to help her undress and have his way with her right now in his room. But he didn’t want to startle her or cause her any more fear than what she’d already experienced. Not only had he kidnapped her, taking her away from everything she knew and found comfort in, but now she’d almost drowned. Had he not felt something special towards this young lady, she’d be dead right now.
“I think these will do,” Maria said as she laid out the clothes on the bed and turned towards him.
“Good. I’ll leave you to change and rest,” James said as he turned to leave the room, but Maria grabbed his hand, pulling him back towards her.
James looked down into her green eyes as they seemed to pierce his heart. She continued to hold his hand, the warmth of it seeming to fill her with a desire she’d never experienced before.
“Thank you for saving me,” Maria said, her eyes locked with his as a blush came over her as she thought about how she’d like to thank him for pulling her from the dark water below. And before she could think too much about those details, James was lowering his head to hers.
Maria had never before been kissed on the lips. As James pressed his lips to hers, she closed her eyes and relished in the sensation. She placed her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him as he parted her lips with his tongue. Maria allowed him to devour her as he drank from her lips. She moved her hands towards the waistline of his trousers, pulling up the hem of his shirt until she could reach her hands underneath, finally being able to touch his tanned skin as she’d wanted to for weeks.
James let out a growl as he felt her hands on his bare chest. She explored his torso with her hands, causing his ardor to rise quickly. He snaked his hands in her golden hair, holding her head as he continued to kiss her passionately. He knew that if he didn’t end things soon he wouldn’t be able to refrain from taking her completely when she’d already shown him how willing she was to be devoured by his kisses.
James kissed her soundly once more before taking a step back, lowering his hands to hers as he pulled them from his chest and simply held her hands, staring into her eyes as they both caught their breath. He smiled at her, trying to bring her reassurance so that he wouldn’t scare her anymore.
“I appreciate your gratitude,” James finally said, letting her hands fall back to her sides. “I must go now, but I’ll return in the morning with some food and water. Rest now, kalos.”
Maria simply nodded her heard, shocked by the feelings that coursed through her. She watched him go, watched the door shut in front of her, and listened to the sounds of his footsteps going back down the hallway. She stood there for several moments,
her mind going over the most splendid kiss that she would have never been able to imagine herself.
A smile came to her lips as she turned and began to undress, setting aside her wet clothes and boots on the chest. She looked forward to being in dry clothes again but wondered if she would become too warm because she was already burning hot from the passionate kiss. She pulled on a pair of trousers that she had to roll at the bottom, and though the muslin shirt was rather large, she could at least button it at the top.