For a moment, my breathing stopped. My eyes grew wide as my mind screamed to run away from him, from this frozen moment in time where there was only the two of us. I wanted to convince myself that what happened between us was unnatural, and I shouldn’t pay attention to it.
His fingers dug into my waist and reminded me I needed to give him back what he was dishing out. That was in my nature, more like myself, and I was relieved I hadn’t lost it alone on the ship. But he was who he was, and he was better at this game than me somehow. I hated it.
I wasn’t about to move under the heat of his eyes. I was uncomfortable and unprepared. He was at complete ease. My gaze darted between his eyes and his lips. A part of me wanted to close the distance to see just what he was made of, to see what it would be like to kiss someone human, but I couldn’t give in so easily to Aiden’s charms. I had to play the game but not be the prey
My hand flattened against his chest. It steadied me somewhat, helped me breathe to know I could push him around. Neither of us moved for several moments, just stared into each other’s eyes, each challenging the other to make the first move. Aiden broke the stare by placing his nose on mine and then running it softly across my check to pause at my ear. It sent chills down my spine, and I was thankful he couldn’t see my eyes close in delight. It was a simple gesture, but unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I hated to think what it would be like if he kissed me. I might not ever stop him.
“Let’s make it a fun game shall we?” His hand ran down my arm slowly as he spoke. “I won’t kiss you until you ask me to. Beg me to.”
My body quivered. “Never.”
“You will, mark my words. And I will not kiss you until that moment, dear. And don’t worry, Captain Aiden keeps his word. I’m an honorable man, whether or not you choose to believe it” —he paused and winked at me—“and I never lose a bet.”
Chapter Seven
My boredom got the best of me a couple of days later, marking a little over one week on the ship. I still tried to steer clear of Aiden. He made this bet more difficult each time I got near him, flirting and getting too close to me, so I stayed away from him as much as I could. It was the best option for now. I watched them from the doorway of the captain’s quarters, that way I could lock myself back in the room if one of them tried to talk to me again. The more I was around them, the more I felt like I could mimic their movements. Humans were vile creatures who wanted to take over the world and claim things as their own. I would hate to have to push one overboard. According to stories I’d heard, even other pirates feared Aiden, and I wasn’t sure how far I could push him before he snapped at me.
To have something to do, I walked over to the room holding his large library of books. I opened the small door, expecting just shelf with a few books on it. The room was small, however, there were bookshelves crammed into the room with books covering them. There were books stacked on the floor and on top of the shelves; the smell of old books engulfed the room. I stepped closer and noticed some of them were very old and tattered, others new and barely touched. They ranged in subject, and I wasn’t sure where to start. I closed my eyes and pulled one from the shelf.
Lost Treasures of the Sea.
How convenient.
Taking it with me back into the bedroom, I plopped down onto the bed and laid down on my stomach. I sat the book in front of me and opened it carefully, afraid it might rip, and began to flip through the pages. It was full of stories about lost ocean treasures, from Atlantis, Camilla Island, and other sorts of places rumored to exist once upon a time. I ruffled through the pages until I reached Camilla.
Abandoned City of Camilla Island. Rumored to once be the home of mermaids.
I sighed and ran my finger across the painting of the large castle by the sea. Whoever created this work of art captured it perfectly at sunset with the moon rising in the background. It was before the walls surrounding our sacred island were destroyed by the humans. They invaded our land, stole our jewels, and killed our people.
These mermaids were known to be like genies, granting wishes for those who held them captive.
I slammed the book shut and pushed it away from me on the bed. Some terrible person wrote this book, one who probably had their own captive locked away. My kind was hunted down for our powers, including being able to make wishes and heal people. Imagine their surprise when humans came home with a mermaid, only to have them refuse to fulfill a wish for them or only be able to give them one during a full moon. I’d heard awful stories about merfolk being held captive for months until all the person’s wishes were fulfilled or never heard from again.
And there I was on a boat full of them.
I wondered if Aiden read through this book and hoped he didn’t suspect the truth.
I put the book up and rummaged for a few others, pulling several off a shelf and curling up on the window seat to read for most of the day.
A knock at the door caused me to look up and set the book down. Aiden stepped through the threshold with a tray in his hands. His coat swung behind him as he walked inside, kicking the door closed behind him.
“Care to have lunch with me below deck?”
“No,” I said with a smile and picked the book back up.
“Alright, lass.”
Way too easy.
He came to where I sat and placed the tray down at my side. His eyes stared at me intensely, peeking out from his dark eyebrows. The corner of his lips turned up into a smile as he drew his hands back from the platter. His finger brushed my leg.
“Watch it,” I snapped.
“Oh stop carrying on.” He bit his lip innocently. It was a small gesture, and so was the one following it, where he ruffled his hair and looked down at me through hooded eyes.
I tore my eyes away from his lips, ignoring the part of me that wondered what they would feel like. He wouldn’t make this visit easy, and after reading the book on treasures, I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. No matter how much he flirted with me, I wasn’t giving in today. I could feel the pink rise in my cheeks as I looked away. Embarrassment was a foreign feeling, and I hated it. What was wrong with me?
“Just go, Aiden.”
“Have these books gotten you upset?” he pondered aloud and seized the book from me.
“No.” I reached out to snatch it back, but he stepped away just as my fingertips touched it.
“Oh but I would say they have,” he insisted and read the title. “Have a thing for genies do ya? I hate to break it to you but they are nothing except for legend.”
“I know that.”
He shrugged and moved closer, slamming the book shut and leaning over toward me. “As are all these other stories you have scattered about. Have a thing for fairy tales do you, lass?”
I tried to grab the book, but he pulled it away from me again.
“You would do best to forget about these tales. There is no such thing as a fairy tale or a love story. Get your head out of the clouds.” He tried to hide the flash of sadness as he spoke, but I saw it.
“Give it to me,” I said, a little nicer with the bat of my eyelashes. He was flirting with me, so I would return it.
“I will give it to you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Come eat with me.”
I frowned. “You can keep the book.”
He cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. “Oh, Raewyn, you sure are something.”
With that, he tossed the book to me and left.
The second the door closed, I let my breath out and buried my face in my hands. He was a stubborn man. There was no way I was going to get him to leave me alone in this room.
After I had some time alone, I peered outside to see if I could rummage through the ship and familiarize myself with it. I slipped out the cabin door and down the stairs, following a pirate down into the bottom of the ship. Aiden was nowhere to be seen and, thankfully, the rest of the pirates were too busy to take notice of me. I followed the man down
into the bottom of the ship and went left because he went right.
I walked into a small room with a low ceiling and cramped quarters. There were boxes scattered about, with one rather large chest at the back of the room. I glanced behind me, excitement running through me at what I could have found. Pirates were known for their treasures, and so was I of course. There could be some amazing things in there, something I could sneak back to Tristen perhaps or add to my own treasure chest.
The desire to open the lid took over, and I rushed over to it. As I pushed the top open, the lid fell back against the wall, making a loud thud.
I was hooked.
Pieces upon pieces of gold filled it. It was so beautiful, and I couldn’t look away. Gold was something merfolk were attracted to, but it had an unusual pull to me. Any sort of treasure caught my attention. I loved it all. My hand reached out as if on its own accord, and I stepped forward again. I dipped my fingers into the cold pieces and lifted them up, and then let them fall back into the chest. They hit the pile with a clanking sound, music to my ears.
Where did he find such a stash of golden coins? I had never seen so many in one place in my entire life! Even in the castle on the island, or in the one below the sea, there was not a stack of golden coins such as this.
“Fair play, milady. Such a diabolical plan you have, getting yourself caught in my net only to steal me gold.”
Aiden’s voice was enough to tear myself away from the trance the gold held on me. My stomach flipped nervously as I whirled around. Would he be angry or playful? He was hard to read sometimes. He leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of him, amused grin on his face.
“I—I…what?” His words didn’t make any sense to me.
Aiden pushed off the doorframe and came to stand in front of me. His warm hand cupped my chin. “I never thought I’d see the day me bird would pillage me treasure.”
“I’m not…pillaging,” I insisted, trying his words out for myself. “And I’m certainly not a bird.” I didn’t know why he would call me that.
Aiden growled deep in his chest and rested his forehead against mine, causing my breath to hitch. He was so close. Too close. And definitely not angry. His eyes dropped to my lips, noting my change in breathing, and smiled slyly.
“Aye, keep talking like that and I won’t be able to keep my hands off you, poppet.”
I brought my hands up to rest on his chest and tried to ignore the muscles jumping underneath my palms. My hands were meant to push him off me, but I couldn’t seem to move. I could smell the rum on his mouth and feel his breath on my lips as we stood there. It was definitely a good thing he wasn’t irate with me for snooping through his ship, but I had no earthly clue what he was talking about.
“English please?” I whispered. My words were more breathy than I intended them to be. My knees seemed to become weak for some unknown reason as he looked at me.
“No, it will be splendid to watch you figure it out.”
“I don’t intend to be around you that long,” I said, finally finding the strength to push him off me. I stepped back, thankful to have space to breathe again and think clearly.
“You will get bored and lonely soon enough, and you will come crawling to me. The longer you wait, the longer I will make you crawl as well, dear.”
As much as I wanted to argue with him, he was probably right. The rest of the crew seemed to be less than happy to see me aboard the ship, so I didn’t want to deal with them. Aiden was a lot less revolting than the others…and really attractive.
But I wouldn’t tell him that.
Chapter Eight
“I’m going to call you Rae.”
“Stop trying to change the subject, Aiden, I’m serious.”
“No, I’ve decided already, lass. Rae it is. So much easier on the tongue, so much sweeter,” he said as he took another drink from his large mug. “Grog” he called it. It was a mixture of rum and water. It was nasty, but it did the trick, and made Aiden somewhat aloof this evening. I’d lost count of how many he had in the time we were there, but it was just now affecting him. He spent most of the night telling me of his grand adventures, stories of piracy and plundering, or fighting and bounty. He was proud of himself. Surprisingly, the alcohol made him more tolerable.
We sat at one of the large tables in a spacious room in the lower decks of The Devil’s Pearl, just the two of us at this particular table. I suspected word spread to stay away from me because no one had spoken to me since Aiden threatened the one-eyed pirate. They all knew he would follow through with his threats.
Tonight I couldn’t fight off the hunger anymore, so I decided to take Aiden up on his offer for drinks and dinner in the lower decks. It was a meat and potatoes kind of dinner, something you’d expect a ship full of men to enjoy. I slowly made my way through my food, happy to have gotten my appetite back. The rum, however, added a welcomed excuse to feel a little tipsy and clear my mind. It was the only reason, I insisted, I wanted anything to do with him.
I reached across the table and rested a hand on his. Apparently, liquor made me more touchy than usual, but it also toned down the fire his skin ignited in me. I was thankful for that. During the time we spent together, I tried not to get too close to him so I didn’t have to feel it. After a moment, I realized I was, perhaps, flirting with Aiden. I pushed the thought away. That would never be something I did purposefully. Or, well, seriously.
“Come on, Aiden, you know you want to.”
He leaned over the table with a sly grin on his face. “Oh darling, there are many things I want to do with you, but you fight my advances. What you are asking now, no.”
“But I want to learn how to use a sword,” I insisted. “If you want me aboard this ship, and any way happy, until you get tired of me then—”
“I will never get tired of you,” he stated and enclosed my small hand in his. His was so much larger than mine.
“Stop trying to change the subject!” I said, slight giggle erupting from my lips. I was getting along way too well with him, the one who had taken me away from my family and friends. The one who captured me and wouldn’t hesitate to hand me over to someone for money or keep me as a slave once he found out what I was. I longed for the sea, not this ship.
The sudden need to be free slammed into me. I couldn’t breathe, and this time it wasn’t because of him. The burning returned to my lungs, and my free hand flew up to my chest. Jerking my hand from his, I pushed myself to my feet. The world spun around me for a second, and I reached out to put my hand on the table before I fell to the ground. If I didn’t stop touching him, flirting with him, whatever this was, I would be in dangerous waters.
I should have stayed away from the rum.
“Are you…sloshed Rae?” he asked with a twisted smile on his face. He brought his hand up to play with the stubble around his lips, drawing attention there, knowing exactly what he was doing. It was easy to read on his face the things he was thinking about, and they weren’t about teaching me how to use a sword.
“No,” I spat, perhaps a little too quickly judging by the look on Aiden’s face.
“Aye,” he said and stood to his feet. He walked around the table to take ahold of my shoulders and gaze down at me. “I must say, I’m impressed. Loads of men can’t drink so much and still stand up.”
My legs wobbled beneath me, and I slammed my hands on his chest to steady myself. “I’m not sure I can stand too well myself actually.”
“Suppose I’ll have to help you then,” he replied with a laugh and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Come on, let’s get you back to the captain’s quarters, and I will let you rest. Certainly can’t teach you how to use a sword in this state.”
He stumbled slightly as he took a step forward, showing he really had a little more than would allow him to be considered any sort of sober.
I laughed. “No, I don’t suppose you can. Another day maybe?”
“Perhaps. It’s the only way you’d learn from the bes
t,” he said with a grin as we walked down the hallway towards his cabin.
The sound of music filled my ears as we reached our destination. Aiden lifted his hand to open the door.
I placed my hand on his arm to stop him. “What’s that?”
“The sound of my crew having a jolly old time. Nothing you’d be interested in.”
“Oh? But I think it would be. I wanna dance, Aiden. Let’s go.” I loved to dance, but it had been years since I had danced with legs. I was curious if I could even do it, move my legs like a human.
“No.”
The way he said it, like he wanted no part of it, made me want it even more. “Please, Aiden?”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and sighed. “You never cease to amaze me. Come on then, but watch yourself. I don’t want to have to gut one of my men with my sword when they decide dancing with you is a good idea.”
I ran my hands around his neck and smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, darling.” He grew quiet as his hands settled at the small of my back and pulled me into a hug. I let him hold me, feeling secure in his arms. It was almost as if I felt at home again.
When he pulled away from me, he took my hand and continued to be quiet as he led me to the deck.
His eyes glanced at me with curiosity in them. I wished I could read his mind. I wanted to know what he as thinking. As we stepped upon the deck, the music was loud and quick, filling the night air with its sound. I pulled Aiden behind me to where the other pirates were dancing.
“No, I don’t dance. I just watch.” He stopped moving so I couldn’t take us any farther.
“Oh but you will,” I said firmly, realizing he wanted to avoided the music for that very reason, but I wouldn’t be deterred so easily.
“Oh but I won’t. You keep forgetting I call the shots on my ship.”
I looked up at him and smiled. “And you keep forgetting I’m a stubborn woman who gets what she wants. You’ve met your match bringing me on board, lad.”
The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) Page 5