Aiden chuckled, a sound I was growing fond of, before he spoke. “Seeing as there is only one woman aboard my ship, I would say you are the beauty Rae. Don’t speak like that again. Your pirate impersonation is terrible.”
“You’re no fun,” I said and removed my hands from his eyes.
He took my hands in his and turned to look at me, his face only inches from mine. With just the one touch, I could feel the warmth rising in my skin. I hated the way I felt around him, out of control of my own body, but I loved it at the same time.
“I’m all sorts of fun, my dear, as I am about to show you.” His eyes were intense as he looked back at me, a smile upon his face. He could see right through my façade, but I still tried to hold it up.
With my hands in his, he stood to his feet, and led me toward the back wall. I allowed him to, enjoying the feel of his calloused hands leading me. There were times when he was different from what he let others see, tender moments almost. I cherished them when they came about. They were only for me.
Stop it, Raewyn.
Aiden walked over to the round black and white board on the wall and removed three short metal pieces sticking out of it. He held two of them in one hand and twirled the third in his other as he turned back to me.
“These are darts,” he explained and sauntered over to where I stood, his eyes boring a hole into me.
“That doesn’t tell me anything.” I crossed my arms.
He stopped right in front of me and leaned forward until I could feel his breath on my lips. My body shivered at his proximity. He held up one of the “darts” between his fingers.
“You throw them at the board.” With one spin, he whirled back towards the board, pulled his elbow back, and sent the dart flying through the air. It hit very close to the center of the board and he grunted in irritation. “So close.”
“You are a terrible teacher. I have no idea what you are talking about,” I giggled and reached out to fluff his hair.
He brushed me off him and walked over to the board. As he spoke, he pointed to places on the board to show me what he was talking about. “Listen, lass, it’s easy. If you hit the inner red dot that’s called a bulls-eye, and I will be very impressed.”
“Isn’t that what you just hit?”
“No,” he grumbled and pointed to black and white stripes going out from the middle. “These areas get points corresponding with the numbers up top here, you with me?” I nodded so he continued. “This outer ring here counts double that score, this inner ring counts triple. We will start at 501 points and then whoever gets to zero first wins.” He walked back over to where I was and handed me the dart. “Care to throw?”
I took it from him and pulled my arm back. My eyes narrowed as I concentrated on the board in front of me, determined to hit the small red dot in the center. Before I could send the dart flying, Aiden’s hand grabbed me.
I looked over my shoulder to glare at him. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you how to throw. You are going to bounce that thing off the wall and hurt someone.”
I gave him a sly smile as he turned me to the side and positioned my arms where he wanted them. His body was warm as he pressed it against the back of mine, his other hand taking a hold of my waist and pulling me into him. I leaned back and bit my lip.
“You getting frisky, Aiden?”
He whispered in my ear, “You only wish I were. Now throw the dart like this.” His hand pulled mine back and then pushed it forward, mimicking the needed moves.
“Whatever you say.” I threw the dart forward, hitting one of the outer rings. “Seven points. I’m never going to win.” I frowned.
“That’s because you are playing with the captain, sweetheart. This is what I do in my spare time.”
“How about we bet on it?” I turned around to face him and curled my fingers into his shirt, eyes cast up at him with mischief in them.
Aiden cocked a curious eyebrow and rubbed his chin. “What do you suggest?”
For a moment, I couldn’t come up with something harmless. His voice was suggestive and full of shameless promises, but I was not willing to give myself over to him. I was determined not to ask him to kiss me, no matter what. He moved his finger up to his lisps, moving it back and forth while he studied me, which made me want to fight his advances even more. I forced myself to look into his eyes as an idea popped into my head.
“How about a fairy tale?” I suggested.
“A fairy tale?” he asked, clearly not impressed and wanting something more.
“Yes.” I had plenty of those. No harm there.
He studied me for a moment, contemplating his options before he nodded. “Fine, so it will be. A fairy tale for the young lady.”
“You’re not much older than me.” I smiled up at him as I ran my finger down his shirt and over his stomach. As I touched the top of his pants, he grabbed my hand to stop me. He shook his head at me and stepped away to position himself toward the board. It was irritating that he was immune to my charms, giving in only when he desired. I couldn’t figure out why.
“How do you figure?” he asked and threw a second dart, hitting the inner ring for sixty points.
There was no way I was winning, but at least I didn’t offer him something I wasn’t willing to give up. “I’m only eighteen. What are you, like thirty?” My voice was sarcastic but earned a hateful glare from Aiden.
“Twenty-five, thank you very much.”
I threw the dart he handed me, hitting just beside his dart in the inner ring. I smiled up at him confidently. Maybe, just maybe I wouldn’t lose. He reached out to take my chin in his hand and looked down at me.
“You think you’re clever. You think you will win? I don’t know about that, lass. I intend on getting what I want.”
Aiden leaned in toward my face, angling his slightly as if to kiss me. My body betrayed me once again as I leaned into him, unable to pull away. Only my mind seemed to be on board with me refusing him.
“I don’t want you to kiss me,” I clarified so he knew for sure, even if I couldn’t convince myself fully.
“Is that so?” he asked and smiled down at me as if there was no way I could turn him down. He wrapped his arms around my waist to tighten his hold on me. “Then why do you allow yourself to get so close?”
“I like to push myself to the limits. If you are not going to kiss me, why do you torture yourself so?”
He let go of me. “Because I know you will give in to me, and when you do, you will regret all these games.”
I motioned to the board. “Like the one you are going to lose?”
“Oh, just watch me win.” He threw yet another large scoring dart and turned to smile at me in satisfaction.
“Pure luck,” I said with confidence. If I had my say, he wouldn’t win.
An hour later I lost.
Badly.
By that time, other shipmates had crowded into the room to sit at the tables and talk among themselves; some of them watched us play. When Aiden laughed at his win, he wrapped his arm around my waist and led us over to a table. He sat me down on one side and went to the other to smile deviously at me. “I won.”
“That you did.”
He began to chew on his lip excitedly as he looked at me, and then reached across the table to take my hand in his. “Go on; tell me a fairy tale, my dear.”
“Alright,” I said, ready to tell him one about a fairy princess, but he put his hand in the air to stop me.
“I want to hear about mermaids.”
My heart stopped beating in my chest, I know it did, but I forced a smile to my face. There was no way he could know about me, no way on earth or in the seas, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief. I wasn’t sure what that meant.
“What?” I asked, letting the disbelief play over my words.
“Mermaids. I want you to tell me about how they walk on land.”
“Do they?”
“They do,” he said and ran a finger across my
palm. “Don’t you know that one? I thought you would be ready for this.”
“Oh I know that one. I just didn’t deem you as a girlie man.”
Aiden grimaced. “I am no such thing, my dear, and you should know that.” He gave me that look, the one where I think I was supposed to swoon, but I rolled my eyes. He should know by now not to try that with me. “I won the game, and it is my tale to choose. Unless you don’t think you can handle your end of the bargain.” He let go of my hand and leaned back to cross his arms. The disappointment across his face was just a con, because his eyes held a playful challenge.
“Fine.” I could do this; it was one of my own people’s stories.
“Once upon a time,” I started with a grin, “when little boy pirates asked their mommies for stories, they asked for mermaids.” His gaze on me didn’t waver, didn’t show any hint he cared I was mocking him.
“Mermaids were the people of the sea, changing only by magic one night a month. They were able to survive on both land and sea, but they wanted more. They created a special stone which they wore around their neck, labradorite, which was an iridescent beauty. It was blue and green, the color of their love—the sea. While wearing this magically spelled stone, they were able to change from legs to fins any time they wanted to, allowing them to rule both land and sea. The Goddess of the Moon no longer ruled their powers.”
“Me hands have itched to get ahold of one of those stones.”
“Good luck,” I said with a laugh, “because legend also says they are now extinct. There are no more labradorite stones.”
“What happened to them?”
They were ground down and hidden away where no one could find them. “No one knows, Aiden, that’s why it’s a legend. Besides, it wouldn’t turn you into a merman. You’re a human.”
Aiden laughed. “I don’t care about the abilities, lass, just the gem itself. Lost treasure, you know. I heard rumors there was a castle on land they lived in. Perhaps there would still be treasure there.”
The intensity of his gaze worried me. I didn’t like he was hinting of going on a search for the island. I didn’t like he wanted to get his piratey hands on something from my people, especially since none of us had access to it anymore.
“No one knows where it is, Aiden. You couldn’t find it if you wanted to. It was a place no one knew of. Those who did thought it was ruled by cannibals and stayed away.”
He rubbed the scruff on his chin. “I know the sea very well. I’ve probably laid eyes on it before.”
“Perhaps, but you wouldn’t know it was once the home of the merfolk. They are no longer there.”
“What happened to them?” a stranger’s voice asked.
I paused and looked behind me. Several of the other pirates who gathered to watch us play darts were sitting closer to us now, listening to my story. The part of me that loved sharing stories was excited to have an audience. However, this was the story of my people, and I needed to tread lightly.
“They were run off.”
“By who, miss?”
“Humans.” Hiding the hatred in my words was hard, but I did it.
This earned a few surprised grumbles from the other men and more of them joined us at the table. It was the closest they had willingly gotten to me. At that moment, it was as if all their distrust in me faded away. Was it possible they were starting to see me as one of the crew?
“How could humans run off a mermaid?”
“Don’t mermaids seduce and destroy men?”
“Can’t a mermaid have a pirate wrapped around her finger in seconds?”
“Aye, they drown men beneath the waves. Don’t they?”
“They sing the song of the siren, they do. It puts a man in a trance.”
“Demons!”
“Witches!”
My eyes flickered back and forth between the men, unable to keep up with their questions. However, everything started to make sense. Pirates didn’t like women aboard their ships. They thought that women could call upon mermaids for their own purposes, or that they were mermaids themselves. They didn’t think any normal woman in their right mind would want to be on a pirate ship.
It was the reason they didn’t trust me. When they found me in the water, they jumped to the conclusion I was a mermaid. They had no proof, just fear to guide their assumptions. It wasn’t something I did. The longer I was on board; however, they were beginning to gain a comfort around me, even if they didn’t like having me aboard.
“Lads!” Aiden exclaimed and brought his hand down on the table. All of them grew quiet to look at him as he continued, “My little bird was just telling us a story, and you lot are going on about rumors.” They men began to mumble their apologies and Aiden motioned for me to continue. “Go on.”
I took a deep breath to sort my thoughts before I continued. “Humans heard of the merfolk’s special abilities and decided to take them for their own. They wanted to have everything they ever wished for and thought if they took the merfolk prisoner, they would get all they could possibly want. Therefore, they devised a plan to take over the small island and take it for themselves.
“During the night, they snuck into the castle with their guns and swords to take over. The guards of the merfolk fought back with all they had. Still, the humans were stronger and owned more elaborate weapons. The women and children ran for their lives, wishing upon the Goddess of the Moon to save them. She gave them their fins to hide underneath the sea and wait for their husbands and sons to follow.”
I paused for a moment, not wanting to make it sound too personal. I remembered it clearly. It was one of the worst days of my life. “A lot of the mermen died in battle. What was left of the creatures built a home for themselves underneath the surface. They had to give up their legs for good because of the humans. They would never again be at the mercy of humans.”
The crew began to talk at once, some of them surprised at the tale and others not believing. I lowered my eyes to the table. Talking about my people and how we ran away from our home brought on a pain I had long ago tucked away. The story reminded me just how much I missed the way things used to be, along with my parents and our castle on land.
In my mind, I envisioned the last glimpse of it I ever saw. My mother held me in her arms and ran toward the sea. My father was right behind us, fighting off a human with the castle lining the dark sky behind him. I could see him clearly in my mind as the human ran him through with his sword. The humans killed my father, and although my mother was able to marry again and have three more beautiful girls, things were never really the same after we permanently went under the surface.
Aiden noticed my distance. He reached out to take my hand, but I ignored him. His other hand took a hold of my chin and forced me to look at him. There was concern in his eyes, and he tilted his head to the side as if to ask what was wrong. I shook my head in response and moved my eyes away from him.
“I suppose we will be going to bed, lads,” he said and stood up from the table, his hand falling away from my face. He was taking me out of the uncomfortable situation, and I was thankful. As he pulled me to my feet, his grip on my hand tightened. “Give the lady your thanks for her story,” he growled.
His crew began to mutter their thank yous, but he didn’t stay to listen.
He pulled me behind him as we walked back to his cabin; however, I didn’t want to be close to him. He was a human and too close of a reminder of what I’d lost. When we walked inside of the captain’s quarters, I didn’t say a word as I went into the washroom to change. I brushed water from the basin over my face and curled my hair around my finger nervously. I couldn’t stay in there for long; he would come looking for me. A long breath of air came from my mouth as I went back into the room.
Aiden was sitting on the bed as if he was waiting for me, but I walked past him to sit on the window seat.
“What’s the matter, lass?”
“Nothing,” I said with a shrug.
“Don’t close up
on me, darling, I thought we were getting past that.”
I shook my head and didn’t respond. Maybe we had been moving in a different direction, and I felt myself open up to him, but it didn’t change the fact of who we each were.
Aiden stood up and began to put out the lights, except for the single candle beside the bed. As he tucked himself into the covers, he looked over to me. “Come to bed, Rae.”
“No, I think I will sleep here by the window.”
It was silent for a moment, but then the bed rustled. Aiden came to stand beside me. “You are not sleeping here. If I’ve done something to upset you then sleep in the bed, and I will put up pillows between us. I won’t touch you I swear it.”
I was surprised at how calm and reasonable he was being with me, but it felt right to be by the sea, and that’s where I wanted to sleep. “I just need to sleep here.”
He sighed and stomped over to the bed to retrieve a blanket and pillows. He walked back over to where I was and dropped them in my lap.
“You can be a stubborn woman,” Aiden said as he ran his hands through my hair and pulled me to him. He planted a soft kiss in my hair before returning to the bed.
A part of me did want to be in the large bed with him and not alone in the window seat, but I felt incredibly unhappy. I needed time away from the warmth of the captain’s body to think through what needed to happen next. The sound of the ocean on the other side of the window was the next best thing.
Chapter Twelve
The sword swung toward me and I cried out, jumping away from the pirate and holding my own sword high.
“You would make a bloody good pirate,” Aiden laughed.
“I told you I could do it.”
Just like I suspected, sword fighting wasn’t much different from fencing with the swordfish back home. After a night of tossing and turning, I had woken up angry and needing a way to get it out. I was able to talk Aiden into teaching me how to swordfight by winning a bet on how rough the waters would be when we went on deck. I had a connection to the ocean, and he had no chance against that bet.
The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) Page 8