by G. Bailey
“Not at all, you will have that bond with each them in a few years. Maybe an even more powerful than bond any of us have experienced,” he says.
“Right, so why are we closing our eyes as we speak?” I ask.
“Straight to the point, no thank you for the reassurance and advice?” he asks me, but it’s clear he doesn’t want a reply as he keeps speaking. “Our power comes from our bond; it’s where it builds, where it comes from. Imagine your bond as you listen to my words.” I take a deep breath, doing as he asks and feeling for the bond. It’s like a warm place in my chest, where I can sense my pirates and their love and trust.
“Now, imagine a need to protect that bond, like a wave of water covering it,” he says, and I do as he asks, feeling water spreading out from my hands. I hold them with my palms facing the floor as I keep the feeling of my bond in the forefront of my mind and the need to protect it.
“Open your eyes, Cassandra,” he tells me, and I blink in shock when I see the entire room flooded in a low level of water. We are in a clearing; the water doesn’t touch us at all.
“You have so much control of this water, it is yours. You have made it so it doesn’t even touch us. Now lift it into the air, high enough to touch the ceiling,” Master Pirate demands.
“I-I can’t do that,” I stutter out.
“Now, Cassandra. Don’t think about it, just feel,” he pushes me, placing a hand over his heart. I close my eyes, trusting my bond, and try to picture all of the water rising. It’s hard to imagine the impossible, but I have to trust that I’m strong enough to do just that. A warm feeling spreads all over me, and I open my eyes, knowing if I were to look up, the water would be floating.
“Look,” Master Pirate says, and I nod my head before looking up at the ceiling, where all the water floats. It’s easy once you can control it, like it listens to my demands. My love for my pirates makes this possible. I stand up, holding my hands in the air, and push all the water into three balls.
“Let’s play,” I grin, stepping back as Master Pirate laughs, and I throw one of the balls of water at him. He goes flying across the floor, somehow landing on his feet, but dripping wet. He holds his hands out at his side, and two balls of water appearing like mine. I pull my own spheres of water right in front of me, and aim another one at him. His own water sphere meets mine, and he follows straight after with a jet of water aimed right at me. I quickly make my last sphere of water into a jet, and it collides with his directly in between the two of us. I have to hold both my hands up, struggling to push against the pressure from his water. It inches towards me, and I'm gradually losing ground, one step back at a time. I can’t lose this, I need to prove to him that I’m not nothing. Nothing. The word evokes memories of the king and his dark, evil eyes. The amount of hate in his sure expression when he said I was nothing flashes in my mind. I channel the hate, opening my eyes, and suddenly everything changes. My jet of water extends, getting stronger and destroys his, blasting into him and this time, slamming him into the wall. I look down, realising I’m actually hovering above the ground as water swirls around me. The power disappears quickly, and I collapse onto the wet floor. The door opens behind me, and Dante and Everly walk in. They both stop, looking at me, and then over to Master Pirate. Everly runs over to check on Master Pirate as Dante comes to me, offering me a hand. He pulls me up and holds me close.
“Are you alright, pretty girl?” he asks me, pulling back and checking me over.
“I’m fine, it was just training. I needed a changed one’s help to learn,” I explain to him.
“You just scared me, seeing you lying on the floor like that,” he says, and I wrap my arms around him.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, and he kisses the top of my head. I look over as we hear clapping, slow loud claps. Master Pirate walks over to us, with Everly at his side, who looks amused.
“So, I won, what’s your name?” I ask.
“Never trust a pirate, Cassandra. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?” Master Pirate taunts. He walks around me and out the door as I laugh. Everly leaves with Master Pirate, shutting the door behind them.
“I missed you, but didn’t quite expect to see this when I walked in,” Dante says, sliding his hand into my hair.
“I didn’t know I could even do this,” I admit. “It’s amazing to have such a connection to water.”
“It’s amazing to be so close to you, and to be able to watch you be so wonderful,” he says, being the charmer that I’ve always known he was. I chuckle, leaning up and kissing him slowly, taking my time teasing him. He allows it for a second, before grabbing my face with his hands and taking over.
“Tease,” he whispers against my lips.
“You’re my pirate, am I not allowed to tease you?” I ask, running my hand down his hard chest, and he catches it, bringing it to his lips.
“As much as I want to lay you on this floor, take off your clothes, and make you moan in that sweet way I know you do, I can’t. This is a public training room, and I have a class due in here at any moment,” he says and just as he speaks, the door opens behind him.
“Fine, can I stay and watch for a bit?” I ask, and he nods.
“Sure, you could even join in if you wanted?”
“No, I’m no fighter, but I have other talents,” I grin, and his eyes drift down my body as I step away.
“You sure do,” he drawls in a seductive tone that makes me long to be alone with him. Ten men and three women come in to the class as I wait, and they all look at Dante like he is their god or something. They all appear shocked to see me sitting on the side-lines, but they don’t say a word. I watch as Dante takes control of the class, teaching them how to use a sword and how to throw daggers. He encourages them to practice fighting in pairs with wooden swords to start with. While they are all practising, Dante walks over to me, sitting down.
“You’re a good teacher. They all seem to respect you.”
“I’ve been teaching them for a year, that’s why,” he shrugs like it’s nothing.
“You’ve helped them and given them a strength they can use to avenge whoever they are fighting for. Everyone must have lost something, like a home, or worse, someone,” I muse, and Dante slides his hand into mine.
“Loss makes us stronger, and it gives us a reason to fight. We can do this,” he says and gets up, going back to his students.
11
Chapter Eleven
Cassandra
“Can I steal Cassandra from you?” Jacob asks as Dante and I walk out of the training room holding hands. Dante lifts my hand, kissing the back of it before letting go.
“Of course, but I want her back tonight,” Dante replies, keeping his eyes on mine before he turns and walks away. Jacob holds his hand out for me, and I accept it as I look him over. He has a blue shirt on today, and the buttons are done up to his chest, except the top one. The shirt is tucked into black trousers that are tight and show off his muscular thighs. I let my eyes drift up to his messy brown hair, the scar I want so much to make right for him, and finally to his warm blue eyes.
“Why did you get rid of your beard? I kind of miss it,” I ask, reaching with my spare hand to his shaven face.
“I didn’t know you liked my beard. I guess I might have to grow it back,” he cheekily says, “but for now, I have a surprise for you.” He lets go of my hand to wrap an arm around my waist and guide me down the corridor.
“Will you tell me what happened when you were at the castle before? Chaz told me once that you had to leave your parents and escape, but not why.”
“I saved a child’s life, a child who did nothing other than save his brother.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“We received news that a changed one had been hidden and he was older, around eight. I went to the ship with the other guards to collect the changed one. When we got there, we soon realised the changed one’s twin brother had drawn a mark on his forehead and switched places with him. The king ordered t
he boy to be killed, and I couldn’t allow it. He was eight years old and only wanted to save his brother,” he stops.
“So, you helped him escape?”
“Yes, but the king thought it was another guard that helped him and killed him before I could save his life and say it was me. Even though I saved the child, I still killed the guard,” he laments. I lift his hand, kissing his knuckles.
“For what it’s worth, I believe you did the right thing.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I try not to dwell on the past and my mistakes anymore,” he tells me.
“Thank you for telling me,” I say gently.
“I would tell you anything you ask of me. There are no secrets between us," he says. We pass several people, who stop to lower their heads.
“I wish they wouldn’t do that,” I tell Jacob, who waits until we pass them and walk down the stairs before he replies.
“Is it that bad to be respected?”
“No, but only a royal should be bowed to,”
“Or their saviour. They believe in you, like I do, like I always have, Cass,” he tells me. I sigh, resting my head against the side of his chest as we walk down another hallway. I start to hear running water ahead, even though the waterfall is right behind us. The small hallway stops with a long row of stairs that travel down. We walk down slowly, letting go of each other to walk one at a time down the narrow stairwell. When Jacob moves out of the way, I can see a giant pool in the room. There’s a ledge, and it’s cut out of the mountain, where the water falls down the side. The moonlight lights the room up, reflecting off the pool of water. It’s so stunning that I don’t want to move, just observe.
“I’m going to teach you how to swim,” Jacob states, and I turn around, watching him slowly unbutton his shirt.
“Really?” I breathe out. I’ve always wanted to learn, but until now, it’s never been a possibility.
“Yes, learning to swim is something you need to know. I want to help you,” he tells me and pulls his shirt off. “Are you going to get undressed, Cass?” he asks, making my cheeks redden. Too busy staring at his chest, I'm distracted. I trail my eyes over his muscular body, following the dark line of chest hair that looks so soft and tantalizingly dips into his trousers.
“Err . . . yes,” I mumble, and turn around, walking to a nearby rock. I pull my boots and trousers off first, followed by my shirt. I turn around, standing in just a small vest and underwear, which does little to hide my body from Jacob. Not that I want to hide anything from him. Without warning, he suddenly dives into the water.
“Beautiful. Just watching you standing there, the moonlight reflecting off your pale skin, your hazel eyes almost glowing; you are just so beautiful, Cassandra,” he tells me, making my breath catch in my throat. I wait for him to reappear, watching as his head and chest break free of the water. If I thought he looked amazing in just his underwear before, it’s nothing compared to the dripping wet look he is currently sporting.
“We will never teach you to swim if you keep looking at me like that,” Jacob jokes, with a smirk on his lips. I chuckle, walking to the edge and sitting down as I dangle my legs in the slightly cold water. Jacob swims to me, resting his hands on my knees.
“Trust me?” he asks, and I nod, placing my hand on his cheek.
“Always,” I reply, letting him pull me into the water. I wrap my legs around him, as he splays his hands on my back. My vest stops him from actually touching me, and I wish I’d taken it off now.
“Swimming is fairly easy. It's just certain arm movements, and kicking your legs. This pool is deep, so I will stay close to you,” he says, pushing me away from him a little.
“Float on your stomach?” he asks, placing a hand on my stomach as I float forward and try not to get any water in my mouth. Jacobs explains the basics of how to swim. I follow his directions, and he keeps a hand on my stomach the entire time.
“Can I let go?” he asks.
“What if I don’t want you to?” I ask, pushing back and pressing my back against his chest He pulls me close, his head resting against my ear.
“Are you sure you want that?” he asks me, his words low and seductive as he presses his hard body against my back.
“Jacob, I love you. I’m always sure,” I tell him. He turns me quickly to face him, pressing his lips to mine. He swims us backwards as we kiss, until my back hits the wall. I use the rocks I can feel to hold my one leg up and wrap the other around his as we kiss until neither of us can think straight. Jacob slides his warm hand under my top, flicking a finger over my hard nipple and gently pinching, making me gasp against his lips.
“No more teasing, I need you,” I mutter, making him chuckle low.
“Trust me, I need you more. But I want to get to know your body. I want to feel you come around my fingers before I get inside of you,” he whispers, biting my lip as he slides his hand out my top. He rips my underwear off me, making me gasp, and then he slowly inches two fingers inside of me.
“Hold on to me,” he tells me, before letting go of my hip with his spare hand, and roughly pulling my top down. Jacob ducks his head underwater; his fingers start moving in and out of me as he sucks my nipple into his mouth. I moan as his thumb finds my nub and rubs circles, sending me over the edge, with a loud scream. Jacob lets go of me, only to widen my legs with his hips and pull his head out of the water, sliding into me with one long stroke.
“Oh, gods, Cass,” he mutters, thrusting in and out of me, leaving me no break to catch my breath. I fling my head back, getting closer and closer to the edge, and see Chaz leaning against the wall by the door. Seeing him there, watching us, shocks me a little, but Jacob doesn’t seem to notice as his lips find my nipple once more, and his thrusts pick up speed. I keep my eyes locked with Chaz as I finish, a long moan slipping out through my lips, and Jacob groans out his release a few seconds later. I move my eyes back to Jacob, who looks away from me towards Chaz, but doesn’t seem bothered to see him there.
“Are you going to join us?” Jacob asks Chaz, as he slides out of me, and I miss the feeling already.
“Cassandra?” Chaz asks, and I turn, locking eyes with him as I nod. Chaz walks into the room, slowly removing his clothes, but never looking away from me as I take him all in. He isn’t as muscular as the other pirates, but his smaller waist shows off a long V shape and an impressive length underneath. He has some pale blond hair on his chest, and a few scars on the tops of his arms. Chaz keeps only his shell necklace on as he gets into the water, swimming towards me.
“Go to him,” Jacob whispers in my ear, making me blush. I swim carefully over to Chaz, who catches me in his arms and holds me to him, his length pushing up against me.
“You can swim,” he says, grinning.
“Yes,” is all I can reply, as Chaz lines us up. One move and he would be inside of me. Chaz holds my hips with his hands, stopping me from sinking down on him.
“You can tell me no, but it needs to be now,” he breathes against my lips, loosening his grip on my hips a little. Instead of replying, I drop down on his length, letting him fill me, and he gasps at the same time I do.
“Doesn’t she feel amazing?” I hear Jacob ask. Suddenly I feel his hands slide around my chest, grabbing my breasts and playing with my nipples as Chaz moves in and out of me.
“Amazing is an understatement,” Chaz groans. I moan out as Jacob slides a finger over my nub and Chaz kisses me harshly. The motion of Jacob’s expert hands, Chaz being inside of me, and everything I’m feeling sends me crashing over the edge. Chaz shouts my name as he finishes, holding me close as I wait to be able to speak.
“No words,” I manage to gasp.
“Speechless, I like that,” Chaz says, and we all chuckle. Chaz pulls out of me, and swims us over to the edge, which we all rest against. I hold Jacob’s hand as I relax in Chaz’s arms. This moment is perfect.
“I hate to ruin this moment, but I did come to find you for another reason,” Chaz says, like he just remembered.
> “Huh?”
“The masters have called an emergency meeting tonight. You have about an hour, or maybe less now,” he tells me, and I huff.
“So, staying in this pool all day isn’t an option?” I ask, making them both groan.
“If you keep talking like that, we won’t be getting out of this pool,” Jacob says, letting go of my hand and pulling himself out the water. I trail my eyes over his naked body, his toned back and bottom, and wish we didn’t have responsibilities.
Maybe one day, we won’t.
12
Chapter Twelve
Cassandra
“Ry?” I ask quietly when I see him for the first time since Laura died. I tried looking for him before training and then the pool, but had no luck. Ry is leaning against the bridge, his head bowed.
“Can you give us a few minutes?" I ask Chaz and Jacob, who nod and walk away after giving me loving looks. I walk up to Ryland, placing my hands on his face and lifting his head, so he will look at me.
“Ry?” I repeat as his blue eyes meet mine.
“I’m sorry if I ignored you; I just needed time to process her death. I still can’t believe she is gone,” he says.
“Don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry for not finding you quicker,” I say.
“You shouldn’t be,” he chuckles and pulls me into his arms.
“What did Laura say to you before she . . ." he asks me, trailing off.
“To give her daughter peace,” I tell him honestly.
“Something I fully expected from her,” he says gruffly, and leans down, kissing me. His hands slide into my hair as we kiss, and I hold onto his jacket, enjoying this peaceful moment between us.
“You should go to the meeting,” he says as he breaks away from our kiss. “My sadness and grief won’t be lost in a moment, but in a death. The death of my father, the man who caused all this,”