The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1)

by Kennedy, Brooke

  He wouldn’t be happy my decision, but I wasn’t happy with him. Why should I even care what he thought?

  I had to get away.

  I stood up from the floor and left the washroom, cracking open the door to the cabin and peering outside. A few drunken pirates stumbled about as they cleaned the floor and cackled loudly. Hayes and Casey were nowhere to be seen, but they weren’t who my eyes were searching for.

  Aiden sat upon the highest deck in a chair with his feet propped up on the edge of the ship. No one noticed as I shut the door behind me and began to make my way down the stairs and toward the opening on the ship’s side. I hid in the shadows as I crept across the ship. Once I reached the long plank of wood running down to the ground below, I paused to look back at Aiden. It would be the last time I ever saw him. He was gazing out at the sea, lost in thought once again. Sadness flittered through me when I realized I would never know what he was thinking about when he stared at the ocean. I shook my head to clear the thoughts and ran quickly down the plank, onto the ground below, and toward the woods. If I thought too long, I would never leave.

  I followed the path into the dark woods, only the slight shining of the moon through the tall trees to show me the way. My hands came up to cover my face to keep the stray limbs and tall plants off me. When I stepped out the other side, I was thankful to have made it. I found myself out of breath and far from the ocean. I couldn’t let my fears slow me down. I needed to find shelter.

  A town stood in front of me, homes scattered about the area. Their lights were all off except for one in the home to my right. Quickly, I made my way toward the home and smoothed down my hair to attempt to make myself presentable. As I slipped up to the front door, I brought my hand up to knock. It was way too late for visitors, but I hoped this home would be a safe place to go for now.

  The door opened slightly, and I was surprised to see a young girl with bright red hair around ten years of age standing there. Her green eyes opened wide as she stood up on her tiptoes to whisper to me. “Are you a pirate?”

  “Oh no,” I said with a smile, amused at the curiosity sparkling in the girl’s eyes. “I’m a princess.”

  “A princess?” the girl exclaimed and grabbed my hand. She moved to the side to pull me inside of the small home. “Come in.”

  “Are your parents home?”

  “Yes, my daddy is in bed.”

  About that time, a deep voice floated through the room. “Abbey, you should be in bed.”

  I froze as he stepped out of the darkness, unsure how he would take having a stranger in his home. His head tilted to the side and his eyes settled on me. “And what do we have here?”

  “She’s a princess, Daddy!” The little girl jumped up into his arms.

  His eyes didn’t move from me. “You don’t look like a princess.”

  “Yes sir, I’m sorry to intrude so late,” I said, utilizing my best manners—ones I usually reserved for official parties back home, never in everyday use. “I was stolen away by Captain Aiden Flynn and have escaped.”

  “But how, how did you get away from him?” he asked, brown eyes still trying to figure out how I ended up there.

  “I snuck away when they were busy. Your home was the only one with a light on. I was just hoping I could stay here for the night. I will leave first thing when the sun rises.”

  “I don’t need any trouble,” the man clarified as he walked over to his lamps and began to turn them off. He left one candle burning in the center of the room and gestured to the space. “Please, have a seat. We don’t get visitors often, and it’s rare someone escapes the hands of that terrible rat.”

  “Oh, I believe he met his match.” I let the anger show in my voice. Apparently this man felt the same way. I took a seat on the small furniture and tried to keep my eyes from the one candle in the room. It was the same way Aiden liked his quarters at night.

  “I don’t have an extra room, but you are more than welcome to my wife’s old clothing and the washroom to clean yourself up.”

  “Oh, I can just sleep in this. It’s fine, thank you. But I may take you up on that offer for a washroom. I’m Raewyn,” I said held my hand out to him.

  The man shook it and smiled. “I’m Fyndir Staleski, the shoe maker for this small town. We often have pirates visit the taverns late at night, and I make it a point to stay away from there. They are the reason I lost my lovely wife.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, saddened by the thought.

  His eyes bore into mine. “They are not to be trusted; I hope you know that.”

  “I do, I know now more than ever, Fyndir. Thank you for your kindness.”

  “You’re welcome.” He stood up and walked to the other side of the small room to busy himself in the kitchen.

  I turned my attention to the small girl sitting beside me, staring at me. “What are you doing up so late?”

  “Oh, you know, just reading stories.”

  “Stories, huh?”

  “Yes, fairy tales!”

  “Oh! That sounds like fun. What’s your favorite?”

  The girl sighed as if I asked her the hardest question ever and tapped the side of her head with her finger for a few moments. “I love stories about princes and princesses! Oh, and mermaids!”

  “Mermaids?” I leaned over excitedly. “Have you ever heard about the mermaids of Camilla Island?”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh yes, my favorite!”

  “Well, I think you and I are going to get along very well. I have lots of tales, what do you say? Would you like to hear them?”

  “Yes! Yes!” she exclaimed as she began to situate herself until she was lying on her stomach, her head propped up on her hands and anxiously awaiting my stories.

  Her father took a seat beside us once again, offering me a warm cider. I obliged him with a thank you, and began to tell her stories I was sure she never heard before about my home island. The stories were bittersweet. The ones I told her were full of excitement, but all I felt inside was sadness. Still, I forced myself to smile and told her of my fondest memories until she fell asleep.

  “You’re quite the story teller,” Fyndir observed as he ran his fingers through his daughter’s hair.

  It reminded me of Aiden, the way he would rake his fingers through mine peacefully.

  Then I reminded myself what a jerk he ended up being. No need to think about him. Why did my thoughts keep going back to him?

  “Thank you,” I said. “May I use your washroom?”

  “Of course, help yourself.”

  I stood up with a thankful nod and walked down the hallway into the small room. Candles were scattered about the room, casting an eerie glow upon it as I closed the door. I put my hands on the banister and dipped my head. I was drained, emotionally and physically, and I needed to sleep, but I wasn’t sure I could with thoughts racing through my head.

  I reached into the basin to splash water on my face, which helped to an extent. Water always had a way of calming me, even if it wasn’t from the ocean. Picking up the washcloth, I cleaned the dirt off my face.

  As I looked up into the mirror, I barely recognized the girl in front of me. My skin was darker, holding in more of the color from the sun than it used to from standing on deck with Aiden, and my violet eyes seemed to stand out vibrantly in my face. There were new, lighter highlights in my dark hair, and it flowed in messy layers down past my shoulders. I ran my hands through it several times, until it looked more taken care of.

  The girl who looked back at me was almost a stranger, with rugged leather clothing and different movements than before. Had I always stood so tall? Had such a look of beauty and danger to me? It seemed as if I was more of a pirate than a mermaid princess, and as I leaned in to get a closer look, I could smell the peppermint and rum on my breath. I groaned as my stomach fell and tears stung my eyes again. I had never cried so much in my life.

  It needed to come off me. I reached into the sink to rinse my mouth out with water.
Over and over again. I didn’t stop until I was sure the smell and taste of it was gone. Only then was I satisfied. I didn’t need any memory of the past few weeks on me. I just had to find a place to survive for the next few days until the full moon.

  A loud thump from the other room made me pause. I heard several voices whispering in the other room. I opened the door to peer outside. A short round man I didn’t know had the young girl with his hand over his mouth. Her father lay still at her feet.

  I grabbed the broom next to me, the only sort of weapon I could see, and ran out into the open with it held high. “You let her go this instant! She’s just a little girl!”

  “Oh we will let her go. As soon as we have you,” he growled.

  I ran forward with the broom in my hand, hard end upwards, but before I could bring it down on his head someone grabbed me from behind and wrapped their arm around my neck. I cried out as my hands flew up to try and pry him off me. The arm was strong and large, and I fought back. I bucked in his arms, tried to throw him off me, wishing I brought a sword or a dagger with me so I could save this small family and myself. But I was no match against a larger man.

  “I knew we would find you, Captain Aiden’s lady love. He will gladly do as we ask when he finds out we have you.”

  His voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

  “He wants nothing to do with me,” I growled. “I hate him.”

  The man laughed and lowered his lips to my ear. “I don’t believe you. I saw the way he looked at you in the tavern. He put up a good fight but for some reason, he didn’t kill me. That’s usually what he does with those who try and take what’s his. You won’t fool me.”

  Martin.

  He pulled his arm tighter around my throat, and the world grew blurry. I fought to breathe, fought to get away, kicking at him as in an attempt to pry his arm from around my neck. I fought until I couldn’t move any longer and the room spun around me. Doing the only other thing I could think of, I sank my teeth into his arm.

  “You brat!” he screamed and slammed his free hand down on my head, causing the blackness to take me over.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Rae, wake up. Come on, darling, please wake up,” a voice cooed quietly in the darkness, waking me from my deep sleep.

  My head pounded, and I couldn’t will my eyes to open. A hand cupped my face, the thumb rubbing it gently. The familiarity of the voice hit me, followed by a sudden sense of relief. I was safe, and in good hands. It was hard to remember why I should slap his hand away and run for the hills. Hadn’t I been certain I never wanted to speak to him again?

  “Aiden,” I whimpered, the name slipping from my lips before I caught myself. The pain pounded in my head again, and I groaned.

  “Yes, I’m here, love.”

  He was so much gentler, so different from the foul creature on the deck of his ship. Was it possible he had two separate personalities? I was confused as my eyes flittered open to see his face inches away from mine.

  “Did they harm you?” he asked. His eyes were full of worry.

  “They?” I questioned. It was hard to remember what happened before I blacked out. Then the young girl and her father’s faces flashed before my eyes, as well as the men who attacked us.

  My eyes grew wide as I reached out to grasp his vest. “The girl and her father! Are they alright?”

  “Yes, they are fine. I came looking for you and heard the commotion here. I knew all along that man had ill intentions, but you wouldn’t listen to me. I…disposed of them.”

  I wanted to be angry at him for that, but my insistence on him calming the violence down is what got me in this predicament.

  “They wanted me gold.”

  I scoffed. “Isn’t that what you are after? Me and the king’s gold?” My words were laced with venom. I reminded myself I didn’t like him.

  His face fell as he scratched his forehead, and then sat his hand on his knee where he was squatted in front of me. He shook his head, followed by a defeated sigh.

  “Perhaps at one point,” he said, but his emotions were unreadable. His voice cracked as he spoke, laced with regret. What exactly he regretted, I didn’t care. He didn’t even acknowledge the fact I admitted there was a king involved.

  “Well, now you’ve got me again. Let’s get back to your ship and get on with it,” I hissed, forcing the anger back into my words.

  I stood up abruptly from the chair and the world swam around me. My hand covered my face to hide the swirling scenery, and Aiden stood up with me, his arms reaching out to steady me.

  “Slow down there, you had quite the hit on the head.”

  I rubbed my head in the spot where it throbbed and ignored the concern in Aiden’s eyes.

  “Let’s go,” I said and pulled myself out of his arms. The skin where he’d touched me cooled down from his comforting warmth. The one I used to consider a comfort. A whine escaped from my mouth. I wanted to be close to him, even though I convinced myself he hated me. And I hated him. Didn’t I? I couldn’t possibly give him the time of day after what he did to me—embarrassed me and treated me like a prize on his ship in front of his entire crew. Yet, he came here for me. He saved me again.

  Aiden wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his body. The leather creaked as he began to walk forward, his body warm and more comforting than I cared to admit. I swallowed my pride and let him lead me out the door and down the street toward the ship. My body ached from the confrontation. Aiden kept shifting his eyes from side to side as if waiting for something to happen. He was ready, and his senses were keen. That’s what he needed to survive as a pirate, I supposed.

  As we neared the ship, he led us in a different direction, not toward the plank leading up to the deck.

  “Where are we going?” I demanded and tried to pull away from him. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him.

  He wouldn’t let me go. “Somewhere where we can talk.”

  “Fine,” I said, as if this wasn’t exactly what I had been wanting from him. Of course, that was before he treated me with as much respect as he’d give his shoes. Now I wasn’t sure that I wanted anything to do with him.

  I couldn’t let my feelings for him grow any deeper. He wasn’t the kind of person I needed, and there was no way I would allow myself to fall in love with him.

  I was surprised to find he led me to a beach, one far enough away from the ship where none of the pirates could see us. There was no one around. The sky was clear of clouds, showing the moon above and the stars shining down on us. It was such a beautiful night, but there wasn’t much time to stargaze. My eyes were immediately drawn to the sea. The sound of the waves crashing against the beach called to me, and I desperately wanted to run to it.

  “Aye, here we are. The night is beautiful isn’t it?” he asked.

  “Aye.” I laughed as I slipped out of his grip and continued to stare at the water crashing against the sea.

  “Go on,” he encouraged and held his hand out toward the water.

  I smiled excitedly at him and ran towards it, took off as if I’d found a long lost love. I guess though, I had. The second my feet touched the water, I was lost. Laughter erupted from my chest in the most splendid way as I twirled in circles. My hands flew out into the air as I spun, going faster and faster until I fell.

  But Aiden was there, his hands catching me before I hit the ground below. I continued to laugh; reaching up to grip his vest and see the smile on his face. He was no longer wearing his heavy leather coat, but I could see it behind him on the sand.

  “The sea is my place of escape, love. I’m glad you enjoy her too.”

  My laughter paused at his words, searching them for meaning, and remembering those times I saw him gazing out at the ocean. I found my footing on the sand and ran my hands up his chest to cup the back of his neck. My heart fluttered away, off to a distant land where he and I had someplace in common—a place where he was more than an evil pirate captain and capable of loving
a rambunctious mermaid princess like me. It was a world where that could actually happen.

  I tilted my head to invite him to kiss me, but stopped myself. I drew back from him, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. Giving in to him now would only prove he could treat me as he wanted.

  “Me too,” I whispered. “I love her. She is my home.”

  “Yes, a place of rest. A safe place to think,” he agreed and let go of me. “I’m sure you have seen me stare off at it before.”

  “I have.”

  He chuckled and motioned toward his leather coat lying on the sand. “After you, my dear.”

  Was he really being courteous?

  “Thanks,” I said and took a seat on it.

  As he sat down beside me, I reached out to run my hands through the sand. “So why have you brought me here?”

  “Indeed, my actions are rather curious,” he said quietly and reached out to place his hand on my knee. I tensed up, ready to move away from him before my body betrayed me and tried to kiss him again, but he didn’t make any other movements. His eyes gazed at me inquisitively. “Are there suitors of your interest back where you come from?”

  I was caught off guard, not having given those suitors a second thought since boarding The Devil’s Pearl. I laughed and shook my head. “No, not really. They only want to tame me into a woman who will do as they ask, and I can’t be bothered to waste my time with them. I want an equal.”

  “And an equal you deserve, lass. So this…Tristen, is it?”

  My head jerked up in shock at the mention of my friend’s name. “How do you know about him?”

  “When you first boarded the ship, you didn’t sleep well. Often you would scream out his name in the night. I assumed he was one of your suitors.”

  I was relieved he didn’t know much of my friend because he wouldn’t be able to find or identify Tristen. “He’s a friend of mine.”