by Jade Parker
He struck, she struck back. They continued, dancing over the deck, their feet moving quickly, each blow coming faster than the next. All the while she was vaguely aware of Nathaniel calling for the men, the sound of rushing footsteps.
While she concentrated on each move, tried to anticipate where he’d strike, Sterling did little more than smile.
“That’s right, m’lady —”
Clash!
“As fast and hard as you can —”
Clang!
“Attack. With no thought to wound, only to kill. The first blow makes a man your enemy.”
Clash!
“The final blow must ensure he never comes after you.”
Clash! Clang! Clank! Clink!
Over and over he swung his sword. Over and over she met each thrust.
Then she stumbled, found herself pressed against the mast, with the sword again at her throat.
“And never, ever let a pirate corner you,” Sterling said in a low, dangerous voice.
“Step away from her, Sterling,” Nathaniel ordered.
“It seems our lesson has come to an end,” Sterling said.
She nodded, breathless from the exertion, from his nearness. “Until tomorrow, anyway.”
Something danced in his eyes: a challenge, a bit of pleasure, some mischief. He was enjoying this much too much.
To her immense shame, so was she.
“Sterling —”
“It’s all right, Nathaniel,” Annalisa said.
She felt Sterling ease the pressure. With a nod, she stepped aside. The men descended on him like vultures, taking the sword and beating him to his knees, until his hands were bound behind his back and his head bent.
“I warned you,” Nathaniel said. “He can’t be trusted.”
“If he couldn’t be trusted, I’d be dead. Unhand him now,” she ordered.
Sterling lifted his head, his gaze homing in on her as though he couldn’t quite believe the command.
“It was merely a lesson,” she said.
“Anna —” Nathaniel began.
“He was right, Nathaniel. You’ve taught me a good deal about swordplay, but your heart has never been in it. I’m certain that’s because you expect me to hide belowdecks when the time comes. But I shan’t. I’ll stand and fight this time. I need someone with experience at fighting ruthlessly to teach me. Perhaps we all do.”
She glanced at Sterling who was standing, no longer bound. “A little warning next time that it’s practice.”
“As I said, a pirate will give you no warning.”
She nodded. “Go see the doctor. Have him check your back, make sure all this activity didn’t reopen the wounds. Mr. Kane will escort you.”
While the deck cleared of onlookers, Annalisa walked back to the railing. Her heart was only now beginning to slow.
Nathaniel stepped nearer. “I don’t like the attention you give him. You must know that you and you alone are the reason I’m aboard this ship.”
She had known. And she’d used it. She’d used every means at her disposal to get the ship and crew. She’d offered them a meager portion of the gold as a reward — when they reacquired it. The men followed Nathaniel because he earned their respect. He followed her because he cared for her. As a young officer aboard the Horizon when she’d traveled on it with her father, he’d shown a shy interest in her.
“Surely you want some sort of retribution,” she said.
His jaw tightened. “I can’t deny I want to see Crimson Kelly hanged. But I want to see it of Sterling, too.”
“I promised him his freedom.”
“And we’ll grant it to him. But a tiger can’t change its stripes. He’ll return to pirating. And eventually he’ll be hanged.”
That thought saddened her more than she thought possible.
“Can we please talk of something else?”
He nodded. The silence eased around them. It seemed they had nothing else to talk about.
* * *
Ferret made his way through the narrow passageway. Having lost an arm worked to his advantage sometimes. He could squeeze into tight places where many a man couldn’t. Might come in handy during battle.
Turning the corner, he found himself pressed up against the wall, a large hand wrapped around his throat. He was dancing on his toes, squeaking.
“Shut up, Ferret,” James Sterling said.
“Can’t breathe,” he rasped.
“Pity.”
But he heard no pity in Sterling’s voice.
“I didn’t betray ye.” He gasped. His vision was turning black at the edges. “Just saw a chance … to make a bit of coin.”
“By turning me in.”
“Then helping ye escape. It’s why I’m here.”
Suddenly released, he crumpled to the floor. He pressed his hand to his throat. His windpipe didn’t feel crushed. Cautiously, he glanced up at Sterling who had crossed his arms over his chest and was staring down on him.
Quickly, he crouched. Ferret screeched and pressed his back against the wall, wishing he could disappear.
“I knew you’d turn me in for the reward,” Sterling said quietly. “I was surprised it took you so long.”
“If ye knew then, why …”
“Because I wanted to be caught.” He touched his finger to his temple. “You’re a small man, Ferret. You think of immediate rewards, and those tend to be insignificant. I concentrate on larger gains, and while they often take more time to acquire, they tend to be more valuable.”
“I don’t know what ye be talkin’ about.”
“I know. But now it is you who owes me.”
“I’ll give ye half the reward.”
“Keep it all. It’s a mere pittance compared with what I want.”
“What do ye want?”
“Your help when the time comes.”
“And when will that be?”
James Sterling did little more than smile.
It was the sort of laughter that James had never before heard. He’d heard robust laughter. Boisterous laughter. Bawdy laughter.
But joyous laughter?
He had no recollection of hearing anything as sweet as the sound that now bubbled up from Anna’s throat. Her soft trilling floated over the ship. It added harmony to the lively strains of the fiddle that a crewman was playing.
They were celebrating the day of her birth — today. The cook had made a pudding, and everyone had taken a spoonful. As the sun had begun to set, the wind calmed, and now the ship was barely slicing through the water.
Most of the men were on the deck. A few brave souls ventured forth to dance a jig with Anna. It was the reason for her laughter. With her skirts raised above her ankles, she was dancing as merrily as the man with whom she was now partnered. He was exaggerating his steps, acting the fool, making her laugh all the harder.
Not that James blamed him. He thought he might do almost anything to be the one responsible for releasing that intoxicating sound.
But he had yet to determine how to make her laugh, like that at least. When she was with him, she was all seriousness. For more than a week now, he’d been teaching her close-quarters fighting. He’d taught her how to use the cutlass to draw a man in near enough that she could jab him with her dagger.
James had a couple of nicks to serve as proof that she was learning quickly and learning well. She did like to play dirty.
Her eagerness astounded him, as did her ability for the unexpected. She was small, and more than once he’d underestimated her. She’d trip him. Or move out of the way so quickly that if not for the fact that he was accustomed to moving with the roiling of the ship, he might have tumbled.
And of course, as always, Northrup was there, watching like a hawk. As though the man thought James was fool enough to try a blatant escape. No, when his escape came, it would be when he had nothing to lose and a great deal to gain.
He noticed Northrup talking with the man playing the fiddle. Suddenly, the tempo of the music
shifted into something slower, softer. Anna stopped dancing. James could see her chest rising and falling as she fought for air after her exertions.
Northrup moved nearer to her and held out his hand. An invitation. An ownership. James wasn’t certain which, but he didn’t like it. Didn’t fancy the way her eyes sparkled. The way the crew moved back to give them more room. Or the manner in which she placed her hand in Northrup’s.
And then they were dancing. Something slow. He held her hand up and they circled. Then they switched hands and circled the other way, all the while holding each other’s gaze as though nothing was quite as mesmerizing. As though no one else was aboard the ship.
James was caught off guard by the spark of jealousy that flared. And the bitterness that followed because he didn’t have the knowledge required to dance with her. He didn’t have the skills, he didn’t have the education to fit into polite society.
At moments like this, it became ever more clear exactly what he was. A pirate.
It was his destiny.
“Looks like ye be wishin’ to be dancin’ with ’er,” a raspy voice whispered.
Ferret. Since their talk belowdecks, he and James had met on several occasions, but all their meetings were held in secret. Escaping Kane’s ever-watchful guard sometimes made it difficult.
“Why don’t you run along and shriek like a cornered mouse someplace else?” James asked.
“I ’ad to be convincin’. Make ’er think I wanted nuthin’ to do with ye.”
“You overdid it a bit, matey.”
Although, in truth, he didn’t believe Ferret’s claim that his plan all along had been to help James escape. But he saw no reason to reveal his thoughts on the matter. All that was important was that Ferret now do what was required of him.
“Better safe than sorry, I always say. And I’m payin’ fer it. ’Er quartermaster has taken to callin’ me ‘Weasel.’ The blighter.”
“Weasel, ferret. What’s the difference?”
“One is me name and one ain’t.”
James couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Ferret got indignant over the silliest of things.
“Considerin’ what they did to yer back and the way Northrup keeps ’is eye on ye, I ain’t so sure yer plan’s workin’.”
“Have no fear. It’s working. You’d best be off, now. Wouldn’t do for us to be seen together.”
“Aye, Cap’n.”
James reached out and grabbed Ferret’s arm before he could get away. “Watch your words. You’ll jinx me. I’m not captain yet.”
Ferret’s mouth spread into a calculating grin. “But ye will be.”
James released him and looked back at the celebrating men.
“Aye,” he said quietly. “I will be.”
* * *
Lying in her bunk, Annalisa couldn’t sleep. She should have been worn out from all the dancing. Instead, she longed for an open field to run through. She wanted to gather flowers and leap over bushes.
There had been something in Nathaniel’s eyes when they’d danced. A spark. Warm, inviting. Something that said this journey wouldn’t be the only one they’d make together.
She couldn’t deny that he was handsome. And strong. And courageous. And noble.
Everything that James Sterling wasn’t.
So why had she found herself wishing that the pirate would cross the deck and dance with her? She’d seen him standing off to the side, not part of the activities. She couldn’t deny that she’d felt a pang of pity for him. He didn’t belong here. And that fact had her feeling pity for herself.
Clambering out of bed, she quickly donned a simple dress. Then she grabbed the lantern from her desk and went out into the hallway. The only sounds were the creaking of the ship.
It was late and the men were sleeping. Other than the early morning when the ship was just coming awake, this was her favorite time. After it had gone to sleep.
She understood why men referred to ships as ladies. Why they gave them names. Why they cared for them. It was almost as though the ship was a living, breathing thing. She was surprised by how much she was coming to love this life on the sea.
As she walked to the door leading to the quarterdeck, she couldn’t deny that a part of her regretted that she’d promised to give Nathaniel this ship as his reward for helping her. On deck, she acknowledged the man standing watch at the helm. She glanced up at the crow’s nest. She couldn’t see the man on watch, but she knew he was there.
She made her way to the prow of the ship and set down the lantern. Placing her arms on the railing, she leaned forward and breathed in the salt air. She heard what sounded like a distant horn.
“What is that?” she wondered aloud.
“A whale.”
She spun around, her heart hammering. James Sterling stood there, muscled arms crossed over his broad chest. After a week of practicing swordplay, she’d become very familiar with exactly how strong and skilled he was. She was still nagged by how easy taking him had been. If he’d put up a rousing resistance, she had little doubt their physician would have been kept busy all night taking care of all the wounds Sterling would have inflicted.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked, irritated with him for being here, irritated with herself because she was glad of his presence.
“Northrup snores.”
“So you’ve said before.”
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I simply couldn’t sleep.” An increasingly frequent occurrence, as he haunted her dreams. She turned her attention to the inky black sea. “The sky is so vast out here. It makes me feel so … insignificant.”
“You could never be insignificant.”
There was something in his voice. An undercurrent that was decidedly dangerous. She was grateful for an opportunity to change the subject. She pointed toward the sky. “Look, there’s a star falling. Where does it go? Do you think it falls into the ocean?”
“Of course. I’ve seen them there. They come to life once they hit the water.”
Laughing lightly, she glanced over at him. “I don’t believe you.”
“I can show you if you like.”
“You can show me living stars?”
“At Crimson’s island. The water is so clear that when you walk out in it, you can see your feet … and all the creatures that live there. Among them are the stars.”
“I doubt we’ll have time to go scavenging.” But she was intrigued by the notion. “How much longer until we get there?”
“We get there when we get there.”
“Nathaniel is beginning to doubt that you know where the island is. He thinks you’re toying with us.”
“I don’t really care what Northrup thinks. What do you think?”
“That you have nothing to gain by delaying our arrival.”
He smiled broadly in the moonlight. “Exactly. Why would I put off gaining my freedom?”
“I’m not sure. Where’s your guard?” she asked.
“Sleeping. He snores, as well.”
“We’ll have to assign another one then.”
“If it makes you feel safer.”
She wasn’t certain anything would make her feel safer until he was off her ship.
“I saw you dancing earlier,” he said.
“Why didn’t you join in?”
“Was I invited?”
“I suppose not.”
The words felt cruel, but they were honest. If he had approached her, she wasn’t at all certain she’d have danced with him. It would have been uncomfortable with the others watching. And what would they have thought if she’d smiled at him as she had at Nathaniel? If she’d given any indication that she was enjoying herself?
He took a step nearer. “We could dance now.”
She released a slight laugh. “There’s no music now.”
“Of course there is. How can you be deaf to it?”
She strained to listen. Were the men playing belowdecks? She shook her head. “I don’t hear
it.”
“How can you not hear the wind as it dances over the water?”
“We were talking of music.”
“It is music. To me at least.”
He was suddenly so very, very close.
“Listen to it. Close your eyes and listen,” he urged.
She was incredibly tempted, but not with him this near. “I can listen just as well with my eyes open.”
“Hear the water, the wind, and that whale. It’s all music.”
Turning, she faced away from him, faced the sea. “It’s a lonely sound.”
She was acutely aware of him coming up behind her, putting his arms on either side of her, and grabbing the railing. Perhaps she’d even invited his nearness.
“Not so lonely,” he whispered near her ear.
For the longest time, they stood there with neither of them moving, listening to the sea.
“Anna,” he rasped.
It was the first time he’d ever called her by name. In his voice, she heard the longing that mirrored her own. She was vaguely aware that she’d turned, that his arms were suddenly holding her close, that she was looking up into his eyes …
He dipped his head and kissed her.
And it was as though the tempest had returned. A storm of desire swept through her. While she knew it was wrong to want to kiss him, she lacked the will to withdraw.
Everything about this moment was wrong. And yet she couldn’t deny that she never wanted it to end. With his lips against hers, she could hear the music of the sea. Or perhaps it was only her heart singing. She’d never known anything as wondrous.
He drew back, a cocky grin on his face. “That one I didn’t steal. That one you gave willingly. I wonder how your Mr. Northrup will feel about that when he finds out.”
The sound of her palm hitting his cheek resounded around them. “You’re no gentleman, sir.”
“That’s exactly why you’re drawn to me. I think you like that I’m a pirate. I bring adventure to your safe little world.”
“You destroyed my safe little world,” she spat. “I despise you and all you stand for.”
“Keep telling yourself that, m’lady. Maybe you’ll come to believe it.”
She wanted to slap him again. Instead, she turned on her heel and headed back to her quarters, leaving him standing there. His words struck a little too close to the truth.