As we fought, I channeled my anger into every swing and let it feed my fury. It pushed me forward with every slice of the sword. I was angry at myself for giving too much information about merfolk to the crew, and I was angry that I couldn’t stop the calm when Aiden’s hands were in my hair. Either he didn’t care for me, or he was still holding back his true thoughts and feelings, and that made me angry.
Once again, I brought the sword down towards him and his own collided with it to stop the swing. Aiden swirled away from me with laughter.
“Good job, lass. You’re ruthless.”
“You should know better than to underestimate me, Aiden,” I said excitedly as my sword stopped his from colliding with my body.
It was such a rush, to be sword fighting with the renowned Captain Aiden. My blood pumped in my veins at the excitement. I wasn’t sure if he would really strike me or not. I was surprised at how rough he was handling me, but I wasn’t about to let him get the best of me. Sword fighting was almost like a dance, a deadly one that could have negative repercussions. I wasn’t as good as him, but I was decent.
“I would never do such a thing,” he replied as he kicked his foot out to sweep underneath mine, and I tumbled to the ground with a thud. I cursed my useless human feet. If only I had my tail to swim away. Humans were so limited by standing in one spot. Swimming gives such grace and versatility.
“Ow, Aiden.” I reached back to rub my backside.
Concern crossed his face before he pressed the tip of the sword into my shoulder. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just to show my defeat. “You put up a good fight, lass, but not good enough.”
“That really hurt,” I whined, feigning injury.
The second the concern crossed his face again, I threw my foot up to slam into his knee. He growled as he threw his sword off to the side so he could catch himself. His hands slammed into the ground on either side of my face. My breath caught at the sudden feel of his weight on me, his warm breath on my throat. He pushed himself up onto his knees and laughed against my skin. Shivers ran down my spine.
“Oh, Rae, touché.”
I didn’t answer him, finding myself caught between pushing him off me and running my hands through his hair. Whatever this attraction was grew inside me, into something bigger than I wanted. I hadn’t meant for us to end up in a pile on the floor, just to win the sword fight.
He caught on quickly to my weakness, just as he always did, and he touched his lips softly to my skin. It wasn’t a kiss, just a gesture, but it was enough to make my hands curl into the cloth of his white shirt as my breathing became erratic.
“You’re trembling, darling,” he whispered as he moved his lips slightly across my skin. “What’s the matter?”
It was too hard to think this close to him. My fingers wound tighter into a fist as I shook my head. I wouldn’t ask him to kiss me, not and be rejected again.
“You—you promised,” I reminded him. I needed him to leave me alone before I gave in to what he was tempting me to do.
“Oh, and as I told you, I keep my word. I will not kiss you unless you ask me to. I am an honorable man. I always—”
“Win,” I finished.
I could feel the smirk on his lips, and it irritated me. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, stop flirting with me, and let me leave his ship. Still, the words wouldn’t come to my lips. His nose nuzzled my neck, and I closed my eyes in satisfaction. The feel of him against me was amazing, and my resolve was quickly weakening. A part of me wanted to kiss him, for whatever reason, just to seal the curiosity about what his lips would be like. It would further unravel the enigma that was Captain Aiden.
“Aiden—” I started, ready to ask him to kiss me and give in.
The door to the room slammed open, and a voice frantically began to speak. “Captain—”
Aiden growled in frustration before sitting up and turning to the pirate with annoyance in his voice. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“But Cap’n, we’re being invaded. Other pirates! I’ve seen the flag, it’s Captain Gabriel!”
Aiden lost any expression on his face and his body stiffed. He stood up from where he was, giving me the space. I needed to clear my mind. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath. Too close. Way too close. I almost lost. Yet again.
I screamed as he picked me off the floor and threw me over his shoulders, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Come on, we must get you to my quarters,” he said as he hurried toward his room.
“Put me down, Aiden,” I exclaimed and pounded on his back.
“Not until I know you are safe. Pirates aren’t to be trusted.”
“Is that right?” I laughed. “Aren’t you one to speak.”
He ignored my comment and continued on his way.
“I can help, don’t you treat me like some damsel in distress.”
“I am aware you are capable of taking care of yourself, but I don’t know how these pirates have gotten aboard my ship. I’m not happy about it, lass. Heads will roll.”
We reached the captain’s quarters, but he didn’t stop moving until he dropped me on the bed. He began to search through the room, eyes serious as he did, not satisfied until he searched every part of the cabin. There was no one there but the two of us. When he was confident no one was there, he pulled the sword from its sheath and returned to me.
“You stay here until I return. Do not come looking for me. Lock the door, and I will come for you.”
I opened my mouth to object. He should’ve known by now I didn’t like to be told what to do. His finger shot out to press on my lips to quiet me.
His voice was less than pleasant as he spoke again. “Do not challenge me, Rae. I will not have you around those blackguards. This is the only way you will be safe. Your cockiness will get us killed.”
I frowned. “My cockiness?”
“Shh.” Aiden pressed his lips to the top of my head and left.
That small gesture rendered me speechless, but I wasn’t happy to be forced to stay put when I might be able to help. He was trying to distract me from helping defend our ship. I stopped for a moment…I began to think of this as our ship. This dreary boat was becoming my home. I showed the stubborn captain I had fight in me. If I could sword fight decently with him, then what of common pirates? If being on this ship taught me anything, it was that Aiden was not a common pirate.
He didn’t even know I carried inside me powers to help the crew if they were injured, but I couldn’t think of such a thing. I owed them no allegiance. There was no way I could risk exposing what I was. But if Aiden was hurt, would I risk everything to heal him? He’d saved me, twice now, and I had seen the worry on his face when he thought these pirate invaders would hurt me. A part of me felt like I owed it to him. He’d shown me nothing but kindness recently; how could I let him suffer? Even from where I sat, I could hear the cries of the men and the clanking of their swords.
It didn’t last long before silence fell on the ship. I sat on the edge of the bed waiting, hoping Aiden would return to his cabin in one piece.
A rattling at the door caused me to jump my feet, my eyes darting around for a weapon just in case it wasn’t someone welcome.
“Rae,” a raspy voice called from the other side.
“Aiden!” I exclaimed as I rushed over to the door. Fear gripped me at the thought of him being injured. I threw the door open to see him standing there alone. His nose was bleeding profusely, and he raised his hand, also bloody, to wipe at it.
Tears pooled in my eyes at the sight of him, but I wiped them away. Instead, I grabbed him by the arm and led him inside, shutting the door closed behind us.
“Are you alright?” All my deep thoughts of my loyalties were gone, replaced by the urge to take care of him. My initial reaction was to aid in the healing process, but I reminded myself he didn’t appear to be too badly hurt—not enough to give myself away.
“I’m fine,” he insisted as he held up his bloody sword before tossing it t
o the floor. “You should see the other guy.” He laughed but then bent over in pain. Success played in his words, but his body showed that he was hiding something from me.
I pulled him behind me and into the washroom, forcing him to sit down on the clawed tub. “Don’t move.”
“Aye, are you going to take care of me now?” He laughed. “I’m perfectly capable of cleaning myself up. I’ve done it for years.”
Rather than argue, I ignored him, taking a piece of cloth off the counter and dipping it into the bucket of water before walking back over to him. I knelt down in front of him and lifted the cloth softly to his face to wipe off the dried blood. He brought his hand up to brush me off him, but I swatted him away.
“Stop it, Aiden.”
He sighed unhappily but let me dab the cloth across his face until it was clean. When I pressed it against his nose, he winced.
“It’s okay,” I cooed and began to hum quietly as I worked.
I could feel his eyes boring into me as I tended to him, but I didn’t meet them. I was lost in what little healing I was providing. I found myself giving him the sort of care I would give those closest to me. There was something in me that made me want to heal him, help him. After ringing out the cloth, I reached out to take his left arm. He tried to jerk it back, but I wouldn’t let him.
“Stop fighting me,” I said.
“I can take care of myself.”
“That’s just what you think. Who would tend to your wounds if I weren’t here? Hmm?”
“Me.”
“And if you couldn’t?”
He had no answer.
I laughed, satisfied, and ran the cloth slowly over his arm and hand, the one covered in blood from the sword. When I was done, I stood up and rinsed the cloth out again.
“Rae,” he said softly as he came to stand beside me. “Thank you.” He ran his hand through my hair and leaned in to place his face next to mine. “I need to go check on my men. I will be back.”
I nodded in agreement and watched him leave the room. He hadn’t said it, but I think he wanted to make sure I was safe. Otherwise, he would have stayed on deck to tend to his men. I was beginning to be able to read him without him admitting his feelings. A smile came over my face at the thought. Maybe I would be okay after all.
Chapter Thirteen
The memory of the attack lingered in my mind for days. The more time I spent with Aiden, the more my own feelings betrayed me. By saving me multiple times, he proved I was safe with him—something I didn’t think he was capable of doing. As I laid in bed alone, I didn’t feel like myself. The room was dark and silent, the only sound being the wood creaking against the rough waters. My thoughts kept me awake, wondering back to Aiden and my time on the ship.
I hadn’t been able to fight this emotion pulling us together, and Aiden hadn’t mentioned feeling anything for me. I suspected it, but we hadn’t talked about it. Even if we did have feelings for each other, what would it even matter if they were reciprocated? There was no way we could ever be together.
The door creaked open slowly, followed by the sound of Aiden stepping into the room. He shut the door quietly behind him; only the squeaking of his leather pants could be heard in the darkness. My eyes slammed closed so he couldn’t see that I was still awake. I was still torn between confronting him with my feelings and keeping quiet. Inside, I tried to rationalize with myself and talk myself out of it, but I’d never been one to think too hard about something. My decision to talk to him was quickly made.
When he emerged a few minutes later, I peered out underneath my eyelids to sneak a peek at him. He was clad in a pair of simple black cotton pants that hung low on his hips. My pulse sped up in my chest as he walked toward the bed. Goddess, he was a gorgeous man. He was strong and dangerous, charming and demanding, and in total control of his ship. I was terrified I had fallen victim to his charms, because every time he came near me my heart started to race, and I forgot how to breathe. Every time he touched me, my skin burned in that very spot. It wasn’t possible, I was sure, but it felt that way. The way he gazed at me from across any given room at any given moment, studying me as if he was trying to figure me out, had me dreaming about his lips on mine. I hated to admit it, but he was different from most pirates, just as I was different from most princesses.
I feigned a yawn and whispered his name. “Aiden?” I had to know what this spell was he’d placed on me, what all of these feelings were, and if he felt the same. I was tired of playing games with him. I wanted answers.
He paused as he leaned over to blow out the candle and then stood up straight, that studious look on his face once again. “What is it my pet? You should be asleep.”
“I couldn’t…”
Aiden furrowed his brow as if concerned and came to sit on the edge of the bed, giving me plenty of space—even though I wished he would be just a bit closer. I wanted to see if his touch burned again.
“Are you well? Did someone disturb you?”
I shook my head and moved closer to him. “No.”
“Well I’m glad you’re up. There’s a matter I need to discuss with you.”
“And I you,” I added quickly. I admired the way candle light bounced off his face. It made him look a little more dangerous, but also sort of angelic.
“Ladies first,” he offered.
“No, captains first.” I tested out the word on my tongue and looked to him for approval.
Aiden raised a raven brow as he looked back at me, surprised at my words, even though he couldn’t hide the smirk turning up at the corner of his lips. He was pleased with it. I smiled back at him as I motioned for him to continue. If we were going to figure this out, I needed to try to be civil.
“I want to know how you did it.”
“Did what?”
“Healed me, Rae.”
Suddenly the world fell out from other me, the smile faded from my face as I stared back at him. “Healed you?” My pulse sped up, and my vision seemed to narrow in on his face, waiting for answers.
Had I? I thought back to when I cleaned him up and cursed myself as I remembered the tears that flowed when I saw him injured. They were tears with a purpose, ones with true feelings in them. Somehow they must have gotten mixed in with the water. I’d healed him and didn’t mean to.
“My lip is no longer broken; my nose is not swollen. There are no bruises on me where there should be. In fact, I’m in no pain. When I came to check on you, my injuries were worse than I cared to admit. I had internal injuries that should have killed me. I came to set you free in case we didn’t win control of the ship. Care to explain how my injuries are all healed?”
My breath caught in my throat. Even though he’d been hurt, he wanted to save me. I was surprised he thought of me under the fear of losing his ship to anther pirate. After all, wasn’t he the worst of them all? Nothing made sense anymore, and I had no answer for him. I hadn’t even known the extent of his injuries when I healed him, but it still worked. Still, one part of his revelation stuck out.
“Set me free?”
“I would rather see you free in the ocean than in the hands of that blasted Captain Gabriel.”
“But who…who is he?” I hadn’t heard of such a person, and if they were someone Aiden was afraid of, I wanted nothing to do with them.
“Someone you don’t need to worry about. He’s gone now. When I returned to the deck, his ship had gone. Only a handful of his pirates boarded the ship, but I feared the worse.”
“You feared?”
Aiden cocked an eyebrow and smiled at me as if he had no worries in the world, but I could see them just under the surface. His eyes gave him away every time. “No, lass, just protective of what is mine.”
I wanted to argue with him, that I wasn’t his, but now was not the time. In a way, he told me he cared for me and my safety. I felt protected and safe, more than before. For now, I could be his, but only for now. It would never work long term; he would eventually lose his interest and m
ove on to someone else. I had no expectations of it being more than that.
When I placed my hand on his arm and smiled up at him, I was surprised at the happiness stretching across it. I wished it was fake, but I feared it wasn’t. Whether or not I wanted to, I liked him.
“I can be, Aiden. For now at least.”
Aiden’s hands grabbed my arms and looked at me with confusion in his eyes. “What’s the matter with you? Have you been spelled?”
I shook my head. “I was hoping you could answer that question for me.”
“Now why would I do such a thing? If I’m to have a lady, I will charm her myself. I don’t need magic for that. I’m offended, lass.”
I couldn’t take the curiosity anymore. The need to figure out what this knotting in my stomach was and this rush of my pulse when he was around took me over. I pushed the quilt off me and pulled myself up onto my knees. I reached out towards him and placed my hand on his chest. His heart was racing just as fast as mine was. I loved it. My hands ran around the back of his neck to pull me closer to him. His muscles jumped underneath my touch.
He was so strong, and without his captain uniform, a man was all I could see as I trailed my eyes along the path of my hands. My eyes meet his again, and I was surprised to find they were closed. His face scrunched up in agony.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered. He was going to turn me down again. I’m such a fool.
He raised his hand to tangle in my hair and hold me back so I could not move closer to him. “You are so beautiful, Rae. I would love nothing more than to oblige your curiosities, but I am a gentleman. As I have told you. You have shown me your stubbornness, and as I have also told you: I will not kiss you unless you ask me to. Don’t think you can fool me with your trickery.” His words were serious, and so were his eyes when he opened them.
“It’s no trick, Aiden. I want you to kiss me, please Aiden. I need to know what this is.” An unfamiliar nervousness ran though my body and under my skin as I waited for his answer.
He stared back at me in shock, clearly taken aback. He hadn’t been expecting to hear me say that. A moment of indecision crossed his face before he obliged and slammed his lips onto mine. I braced myself by stiffening my body and lacing my fingers behind his neck, but nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of the moment. It was as amazing as I worried it would be, sending my body into a frenzy of goose bumps and my pulse into a familiar racing. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss.
The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) Page 9