Take Me Forever

by Sellers, Julie

  Cain left her in tears as he returned on deck with his crew. He had to leave her because her tears were affecting him far more than he cared to admit. He did want the ransom for her, but he also wanted her. He couldn’t let these feelings interfere with his business. He was the most notorious pirate in the seas and intended on keeping that reputation. He was the best talker, best fighter, and the best lover.

  An hour later, Cain returned to his cabin to retrieve a map and saw Mercy sleeping. He paused for a moment and watched her sleeping peacefully. He wanted her. His body craved her. He didn’t know how he could possibly ever let her go. He left his cabin quickly before his lust consumed him.

  Suddenly, the sun disappeared behind dark, black clouds. The wind began to blow making the waves swell. Cain looked at the sky and knew that a severe storm was approaching quickly. It had appeared out of nowhere. He ordered his crew to prepare for Mother Nature’s fury.

  Cain entered the cabin and said, “Mercy, wake up!”

  “What is it?” Mercy groggily asked.

  “A storm is upon us. We’re going to be in for a rough ride. I need you to put everything that isn’t nailed down into the wooden chest. If the ship starts to sink, jump overboard and try to swim clear of the ship. If you don’t you will be sucked under with the force.

  “I hope you drown,” Mercy retorted as she opened the chest and began doing as she was told.

  “I don’t have time to argue with you. I have to see to the rest of my ship before the worst hits.”

  As he walked out of the cabin Mercy yelled, “I hope your precious ship can’t handle the storm and you die.”

  He turned around and said in a scolding tone, “Now is not the time to act childish.”

  Mercy cringed at his words as she watched him slam the cabin door. She placed everything in the chest before she realized the severity of the situation. As the ship rocked and swayed back and forth, she developed a severe case of motion sickness. She heaved until she thought her insides would come out. The storm calmed for a moment, and Mercy took the opportunity to get some air. She opened the cabin door and headed to the deck. The crew was too busy battling the sails and emptying buckets of water flooding the ship to notice her. Cain was at the wheel maneuvering the ship into the waves to keep them from sinking the Devil’s Dilemma.

  As Mercy hung her head over the side, she saw an enormous wave heading straight for her. She panicked and turned to run. She ran straight into the mast and knocked herself out. Cain caught a glimpse of her sinking to the deck as an enormous wave hit the ship.

  He made a leap for her, but it was too late. The wave swept her overboard and turned the ship on its side. Once the wave passed, Cain made his way to the mast by holding onto the fishing nets that were secured to the hull. He searched the white caps for her but could not find her anywhere.

  Suddenly, Cain caught a glimpse of her sinking into the sea. He jumped overboard and tried to swim to her. The waves kept sweeping him back. With every swift stroke, the more determined he was to reach her. At a last frantic attempt to reach her, Cain dove under the water and pulled her to the top. He struggled back toward the ship hauling a lifeless Mercy.

  Cain yelled for help as his crew continuously threw ropes at him until he could reach one. Seconds later, Cain and Mercy were pulled back to the ship. He handed Mercy over to his crew and then pulled himself up along the netting along the side of the ship. Once safely aboard, Cain knelt beside Mercy. He thought she was dead as she lay motionless before him. Suddenly, she turned her head and coughed up half of the sea.

  Their eyes met as the rain started to pour from the sky again. He picked her up and carried her back to the safety of his cabin. He didn’t know how badly she was hurt. He stripped off her wet, tattered dress and inspected her for injuries. Her leg had blood gushing from a terrible gash, and she had a knot already turning blue on her head. Quickly, he found a rag, held it over the gash, and pressed firmly to stop the bleeding. Within minutes, the bleeding stopped. She had lost quite a bit of blood and was drifting in and out of consciousness. He covered her with blankets to warm her and then went to summon Luke to stitch up her leg.

  “Do you think she will survive?” Cain asked in desperation.

  “I can’t say for sure. She could be unconscious for days with that bump on her head. She will need a damp cloth to ease the swelling and this dressing on her leg will need to be changed often.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes. She’s no good to us dead.”

  For the remainder of the night, Cain stayed awake and kept her head cool with a dampened cloth. He could see no improvement in her condition the following morning when Luke came in to check on her.

  “How is she, Captain?”

  “No change. How’s the ship? How much damage was done from the storm?” Cain asked.

  “She’s broken up some, but we’ll have her mended in a few hours. You look like hell. Did you sleep any?”

  “No,” Cain answered without taking his eyes off of Mercy.

  “I’ll stay with the woman. You need to rest,” Luke stated with the utmost concern for his captain.

  “Notify me immediately if there is any change,” Cain said as he reluctantly agreed to let Luke stay with Mercy. He tried to sleep, but he tossed and turned as he dreamt about the storm. He saw Mercy being swept into the sea over and over again. Every time, she would be washed further and further away from him. As she went too far away for him to grab, Cain awoke with a cold sweat.

  Since he could not sleep, Cain told Luke he was going to check on the condition of the ship. His crew had repaired what they could. They were lucky that they were on their way to his island. They could make the rest of the repairs there. Cain was more concerned about Mercy than he was about his ship. All this concern over a woman! What is wrong with me?

  Cain went to his cabin and relieved Luke. He took her hand and held it close to his heart. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew she would pull through. He realized he had feelings for this woman. He was no longer concerned about getting a ransom for her, but he knew he was no good for her. She couldn’t stay with him. She deserved someone who could give her a legitimate life. He still could not help himself. He wanted her.

  While he was changing the bandage on her leg, Mercy came out of her unconsciousness. She looked around the cabin and tried to move. She hurt all over. “What happened?” Mercy asked groggily.

  “You’re awake. I was beginning to think you weren’t going t make it. You took a nasty bump on your head during the storm and were thrown overboard.”

  “Who are you? Where am I?” Mercy asked as she began to panic.

  “Don’t you remember?” Cain asked intrigued by her memory loss.

  “I don’t know. I can’t remember my name. What happened to me?”

  “Calm down, Love. Your name is Mercedes …Corbin. You are my wife. I call you Mercy for short. We were traveling back to my island from France when we encountered a severe storm. You got sea sick and came on deck for some air when a wave swept you overboard causing you to hit your head and injure your leg,” Cain rambled as he poured out his make believe tale.

  “Your wife. I can’t remember,” Mercy said as she listened to every lie Cain was telling her as truth.

  “Shh. Don’t talk. You need to rest. We’ll be home soon,” Cain said as he grinned to himself.

  He decided he had filled her head with enough false information for now. He walked out of the room and left her alone to process the information. He just hoped that she really couldn’t remember anything. He shouldn’t have lied to her, but he was a pirate after all. Tall tales were a pirate’s specialty.

  “How is she Captain?” Luke asked as he saw Cain standing outside his door.

  “She’s awake. She has amnesia though. I told her she was my wife when she couldn’t remember anything.”

  “You did what? Are you mad?”

  “I can’t send her back. I want her.” Cain admitted.

  “What are yo
u going to do when she remembers who she is?”

  “I’ll deal with that when it happens. Inform the crew and tell them they will face my wrath if they spoil my plot” Cain stated as he headed for the ship’s wheel.

  Hours later, Cain returned to his cabin to check on Mercy. When she heard him come into the room, she opened her eyes. He smiled at her and sat on the bed beside her.

  “What’s your name?” Mercy asked.

  “Cain. I’m your husband. We were wed just before we left France,” Cain answered as he kissed her gently on the lips.

  “Cain, I’m sorry I don’t remember you. Tell me more, and maybe I’ll remember. Don’t leave anything out,” Mercy pleaded.

  “Well…,” Cain said and he began thinking of a story to tell her that would be believable.

  “You are eighteen years old. You lived in France in a house for orphaned girls because your parents died when you were eight. On your eighteenth birthday, you were sent away from the orphanage and that’s when I met you. We were married the next day,” Cain said as sweat formed on his brow.

  “I am an orphan,” Mercy whispered as she tried to comprehend the story.

  “That’s right,” Cain stammered.

  “I have no family.”

  “None that you have told me about. That is why I decided to make you my bride since you had no place to go or no one to go to.”

  “Have we consummated our marriage since we were just wed?” Mercy asked timidly.

  “Not yet. Since we had just met, you thought it best to get to know me first. I wasn’t going to force you until you were ready. We have been at sea for a couple of weeks, and I decided to wait until we got home to approach you on the subject again. There is one more thing you should know,” Cain said as he paced around the room spinning lie after lie.

  “What is it?”

  “You were nearly raped by one of my crew. I should have known better than to leave you alone. I caught him before he could do anything except tear your clothes. That’s why you are wearing my shirt. Unfortunately, during the storm your trunk got washed away at sea and you have no other clothes.” I’m starting to believe this myself, thought Cain.

  Mercy looked down and saw that she was wearing a man’s shirt, her husband’s shirt. Everything was so hard for her to comprehend. She thought it all sounded like a bad dream, but Cain was her husband and he wouldn’t lie to her.

  “What happened to the man?”

  “I killed him. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I am a pirate. I am the Captain. I steal for a living. That didn’t bother you before. I hope it doesn’t bother you now.”

  “Oh. A pirate huh? I can’t believe I can’t remember any of this.”

  “Sleep my love. I’ll be here when you awake and we will talk more,” Cain told her as he watched her drift off to sleep.

  He made sure she was sleeping soundly before gathering up the dress and other items he bought for her at the last port and threw them overboard. He couldn’t have anything around her that might trigger her memory. He had carried his tale too far now to turn back and tell her the truth.

  That night, he slept restlessly. He felt terrible for deceiving Mercy the way he did. During his life as a pirate, he had killed, stole, and destroyed people without feeling any remorse. Now, his conscious was bothering him. What was it about her that was driving him mad?

  Chapter 8

  For the next couple of days, Mercy rested in bed and tried to remember any insignificant detail about her life. Cain stayed with her most of the time and tried his best to convince her that she was his wife. He made up lie after lie about her past. He couldn’t explain why he told her what he did. He could have more easily held her captive for the rest of her life. This way seemed more fun.

  “Cain, how much longer until we reach your island?”

  “We should arrive tomorrow afternoon. There is one thing you should know for when we arrive. I didn’t plan on coming back with a wife. Everyone will react odd about it at first. I just want you to be prepared.”

  “Why did you marry me? It’s rather obvious that you didn’t set out for a wife so how did it happen? Why didn’t you just leave me in France?”

  “I don’t know. I guess it was your womanly charms,” Cain said as he played with the curls in her hair.

  When Cain left the cabin later to man the ship, Luke asked, “Captain, are my orders still to return to France and send the ransom note to the girl’s father?”

  “Yes, of course. I can pretend to ransom her back. Once I receive the money, I’ll supposedly send her back on a ship during a storm where she could be assumed drown after being swept overboard. If she regains her memory before then, if I have tired of her, I will send her home,” Cain responded with a nasty smirk.

  “It’s a nasty trick you’re playing Captain.”

  “I love a challenge,” Cain said as he grabbed the wheel.

  Meanwhile, Mercy paced about the cabin in search of anything that could aid her in her memory. She found nothing that looked familiar to her. Her mind raced with possible interpretations about her life. If she was an orphan, what had happened to her parents and why had no other family come for her. How did she meet Cain and agree to marry a pirate so quickly? Did she not have any friends she could have turned to?

  The next morning when she awoke, Mercy remembered a dream she had. It felt so familiar, like she had dreamt it before. She was on a beach with flowers and trees surrounding her. A man came to her and made her feel vibrant and alive. He was her soul mate. The man she saw was her husband. She smiled thinking that she was headed for a life of marital bliss.

  Maybe her dream was a sign that she was on the right path. She knew her memory would come back eventually. When it did, she was sure Cain would be a big part of her happiness. She was in good spirits when she decided to go onto the deck in search of her husband. Before she hobbled to the door, she wrapped a blanket around her.

  Once on the deck, she saw land in the distance. Cain saw her and came to her side. He pointed to the island and told her it was called Corbin’s Crow. He had discovered it years ago and made it his home. He built his fortress from nothing and now it was home to about five hundred people.

  “You mean there were no people on the island when you found it?”

  “No, it was completely deserted. I decided it would be the perfect hide-out to call home.”

  “You must lead an exciting and dangerous life as a pirate. I only hope I’ll meet all of your expectations,” Mercy told Cain as she looked deeply into his piercing blue eyes.

  “If you don’t, I’ll just pass you off to my men,” Cain remarked sarcastically.

  There was something vaguely familiar about that statement. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she was certain she had heard him say that to her before. Her mind raced as she tried her best to remember. He caught the perplexed look upon her face and quickly changed the subject.

  “I can’t wait for you to see my home. It took years to get it like it is now, but it still needs work. My house maid Elese, takes care of it for me while I am away. I know you will grow fond of her,” Cain said as he left to help his crew prepare for the landing.

  Mercy stood silently on the deck and surveyed the island. It was her new home and whether she liked it or not, she would find a way to call it home. Since she could not remember what the orphanage was like, she would do everything she could to put down roots here.

  As they came within a few hundred yards of shore, Mercy saw people gathering on the sandy beach. Many were women, who were waving to the crew. She assumed they were wives and loved ones of the men. She heard one woman shouting above everyone else. It was Cain’s name she was shouting.

  Mercy turned to find Cain to see if he heard the woman calling out his name. Cain was smiling and waving to the woman. Mercy assumed the woman was a girlfriend of Cain’s. She was somewhat jealous, but she was his wife now and was not going to allow him to sleep with every woman on the island.

&n
bsp; She went to her husband’s side and wrapped her arm in his. She saw the expression on the woman’s face turn from excitement to shock as she ran off of the beach and back toward the village.

  “I hope I haven’t spoiled anything with her,” Mercy stated sarcastically as he let loose of Cain’s arm.

  “She is an acquaintance of mine. You are the only woman in my life now. Come, let me introduce you to my people,” Cain stated as he led her by the hand down the gangplank and onto the rowboat that was going to take them ashore.

  Once on dry land, Cain announced, “May I have your attention. Everyone, I would like for you to meet my new wife. This is Mercedes Corbin. We were married in France. I know it is quite a shock to believe I would take a wife, but I am sure you will love her as I do. On our way home, we encountered a terrible storm where she was swept overboard. She suffered a head injury and developed amnesia. Please give us some time alone before visiting. It is my honeymoon after all,” Cain winked as he worked his way through the crowd with Mercy.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Mercy whispered to Cain after they were away from the crowd.

  “I told you. Now, are ready to see your new home?”

  “Yes,” she answered as they walked along a path.

  After they had walked for a short distance, Mercy saw her new home. It looked old and weathered on the outside. It was white but some places were gray where the paint had flicked off. The tropical gardens around it were in full bloom. It added the perfect beauty to the house. There was a stone pathway through the gardens leading to the front door. On the path, they crossed a small bridge which had a stream running beneath it. They had to sweep away limbs from banana trees as they climbed the steps to the door.

  “Cain, it’s beautiful. I love it,” Mercy said as she gripped her husband’s hand.

  “I’m glad you like it. There is one more thing I must do before we go inside,” Cain said as he scooped her up and carried her across the threshold.