There was a scratching noise, a click and the door opened. I stepped back, bunching my shirt in my hands, before using it to swipe at my eyes.
Marco was looking at me with a sad smile, and eyes that seemed friendly enough.
“I got in trouble last time I let you out,” he said. “But I believe that you’re really afraid, and I hate that.”
I took a deep, rattling breath and nodded, pulling my shirt back on to cover the cursed tattoo. “Thank you, Marco. I’ll explain to Gab… to Captain Lucifer… and maybe Dante can help, but there’s something terribly wrong and, well.” I shook my head. “Thank you.”
I moved a little closer to the door, and Marco took a step inside and quite without meaning to, definitely without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his shoulder. His arms enclosed me with a warm, gentle strength, and the rise and fall of his chest was soothing.
“There, now, you’re all right,” he said, gently.
He smelled good, like the ocean, and his chest was downy with hair, peeking out from the open vee of his half laced shirt. I closed my eyes and felt his cheek rest on my head.
“Cedric!” Dante’s voice echoed down the hallway and Marco tensed, but didn’t let go of me. “Are you all right? What happened this time?”
“A nightmare.” I squeezed Marco a little closer and then let go of him, and he stepped back, giving me an affectionate smile. I returned it, hoping he could tell how truly grateful I was for the little gesture of kindness he’d shown me.
“Another dream sent from the cult?” Dante asked, his eyes wide and his mouth drawn down in a grimace. I nodded.
“I expect so, similar to the last one. Please, I have a charm, it was meant to protect me from dreams. The witch, she knew, somehow. The witch’s charm, it must be in Gabriel’s, er, the Captain’s cabin and I think the dreams are getting through. It was worse, something new, something I didn’t see or understand.”
Dante reached for my hand and I took it, but as he led me out of the cell I turned to Marco. “Thank you, truly. You’re… very kind.” I said, and Marco grinned wide and looked down at the deck.
“It’s nothing.”
Dante paused to let me talk and then started walking again, his hand tight on mine. “Dante, please, I know the Captain is angry, I just need this charm…”
He glanced at me over his shoulder as he led me up the stairs to the deck. “It’s no matter if he’s angry or not, you can’t be alone when these things happen. It’s too dangerous, for you and for the residents of this ship.”
I swallowed, because I definitely didn’t want to be left alone again, but I felt sure Gabriel would just blame it on my being promiscuous again if I were to suggest it to him. We emerged from the stairwell into the open air and my eyes slipped upwards to gaze on the heavens.
The stars were distant, and didn’t seem to be moving, but the sight of them still chilled me all over again. I pressed a little closer to Dante, who made a small noise of sympathy without opening his mouth.
I couldn’t be sure what time of night it was. There were few on the deck, but a warm light made the windows in the Captain’s cabin glow invitingly.
Gabriel was at his desk, writing in the ship’s log. When the two of us entered he looked up with such an expression of weariness I almost turned and left again, only I wanted that damned charm back.
“I’m sure there’s a very reasonable explanation for my orders being disobeyed within a day, no, within hours of my giving them,” Gabriel said. Then he leaned in and blew on the ink of the log to set it and carefully replaced his pen in its holder.
“He had another nightmare,” Dante said, his voice hard. “The forces of darkness move against him. Tell him what the dream was, Cedric.”
Dante sort of drew me to the front with a hand on my elbow and I swallowed, looking at Gabriel. He looked immensely skeptical but undeniably dashing in the lantern light. I swallowed.
“Well, Captain, in the dream I’m looking at the stars, only they’re not like the stars out there. They’re large, they feel close somehow. And they move, like a…” I gestured, swirling my finger through the air, trying to approximate the movement. “And I can’t look away from them. This one, that I just had, there was the hint of something behind them.”
“Behind the stars?” Gabriel raised one eyebrow and my mouth went dry.
“Yes, sir, beyond them. Something that shouldn’t be there, shouldn’t exist at all, but. There was movement, and I felt it was coming for me. Then of course, there was the wet thing.”
Dante frowned, moving a little towards Gabriel to watch my face. “What wet thing?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I shook my head. “I don’t know, I couldn’t look at it. I knew it was coming for me, to do… something awful, I couldn’t say what, but my eyes were fixed on the stars. And I was so afraid…” I felt it again, my chest tightening, and my throat constricting.
I knew, with absolute certainty that there was something awful out there that wanted to devour me. The dream, it hadn’t been just a dream. It felt more like a terrible promise of something to come.
I covered my face with my hands, because now that I was awake it was as if I could feel the cult trying to get to me, trying to devour me. The tattoo on my back itched and I told myself it was just the sweat, drying on my skin, nothing more.
“I don’t think he should sleep alone,” Dante said. His voice seemed far away and I realised it was because my ears felt blocked somehow. I dropped my hands and swallowed, trying to clear them.
Gabriel exhaled loudly and crossed the room. He put his hand on my elbow and looked into my face. My breath hitched, and I gulped.
“What good would company do, exactly?” he asked Dante. I felt my eyes tearing up again under his scrutiny. I was so afraid he would turn me down and leave me alone in the cell to be tormented in my sleep.
“He has only had these nightmares when he’s been alone,” Dante said. “And when he hasn’t had some charm off a witch. He said he left it in here, but once we have it back, I’m happy to take him in my cabin, if you prefer that.”
“So the two of you can fornicate undisturbed, I suppose?”
Dante groaned in frustration. “Captain, it’s not about that, can’t you see he’s frightened?”
“Yes, I can see that.” So gently I hardly believed it was happening, Gabriel’s hand stroked up my arm, gently touched my neck and caressed my cheek.
Perhaps he won’t send me back to the cell after all, perhaps he will be kind.
“I won’t let you bite him again when we’re so close to the exchange,” Gabriel said. His businesslike tone at odds with his gesture. “He’ll sleep in here, and in daylight he can be out on the deck with the crew. None are to touch him, of course. I’ll catch some sleep while the sun is high. We’re three weeks or so from Casablanca and we have word that there’s one there who will give us the ransom.”
My heart sank deep into the soles of my feet.
So that was it, he was feeling generous because he knew he’d soon be rid of me.
“He’d still be sleeping alone,” Dante said, slowly.
“Who in Casablanca has offered to pay my ransom?” I asked, swallowing down the feeling of loss I absolutely didn’t want to feel.
“A naval friend of your father’s,” Gabriel replied. “We were able to access the witch communication network they use, and arrange to meet them.”
“Oh.” I supposed that made a certain amount of sense. Father did know a wealth of rich Naval officers, after all, and from Morocco it was more or less north to Dover, although the Spanish waters were dangerous. I felt faint, my previous fears about the cult seeming distant and hardly important at all.
My adventure on the Devil’s Whore would be over, and then I’d be stuck on some blasted Naval ship with a friend of my Father’s. No doubt asked to dinner with the boring old man each night and all the men on the ship terrified to be seen dallying with me in a
ny kind of interesting way.
“I see,” I said.
Gabriel’s hand was still on my cheek, and despite the coldness that had washed over me, I pushed against his hand, nuzzling it, and closing my eyes. I wanted him to call me puppy again.
“Captain, the aim is for him to be in company when he sleeps,” Dante said. His voice was a lot closer now, and I opened my eyes, wondering if, somehow, this would be the moment when we all fell into bed together and tumbled one another in all sorts of ways. Dante’s voice turned even more appealing, smooth as fine velvet and dark as a plum. “Trust me. He needs our protection, or the cult will locate him and the ship. We may not be as lucky the next time they attack.”
Gabriel dropped his hand from my face and turned to Dante. He gazed at him with something intense, something powerful. My mouth went dry, anticipating…
“Then he shall have company,” he said. “When it is time for him to sleep, I shall be here, or if I’m needed on deck you will be. But I absolutely forbid the biting and feeding.”
“I understand, Captain.”
“You may go.”
I gave Dante a tight smile. “Thank you, Dante.”
Dante hesitated, perhaps about to suggest something? But then he closed his mouth into a thin line and left the cabin. I cast around for the witch’s charm.
“What are you doing?” Gabriel asked, and I thought I detected a slight hint of amusement in his tone so I decided I could probably be a bit cute with him instead of snapping to attention.
“Before you sent your men ashore to kidnap me, I was in the market and a sea witch sold me something.” I said. Then I got on my hands and knees and aimed my ass at him as I searched around on the floor. I hoped I was presenting myself to my best advantage. He didn’t respond so I continued to talk, taking on a casual, conversational tone. I crawled towards the bed to feel under it. “She seemed to know an awful lot, she said that there were people following me, and the charm was to protect my dreams or something. It wasn’t in my pocket either time I had the weird horrible dream. Ipso facto, I need the charm back.”
“Is it this?” Gabriel asked, once I’d sat back up on my heels. I turned to look at him. He held the sea witch’s charm aloft.
“Yes, brilliant! Thank you, where did you find it?”
“It was on the floor, so I put it beside the bed,” Gabriel said. “You may have it back, if you ask nicely.”
I was still on the floor, and I didn’t hate the feeling of being on my knees before him, so sat up, put my hands on my thighs and looked up at him, as prettily as I could. “Please, Captain, may I have it?”
There was a familiar shine in his eyes and I saw a bulge in his trousers and my mouth watered in response. He smiled, a wicked, piratical smile that sent a wave of heat through my body.
I crawled closer on my hands and knees and tried to look fuckable.
When I got nearer something changed in his expression and he huffed his breath out. The smile vanished and he tossed the charm to me and turned away. “If you wish to come out onto the deck, you’re welcome. I’d best get back to my duties.”
I caught the charm and my heart sank into the floor. I bit back the disappointment and pulled myself to my feet. I didn’t want to lose the charm again.
“Well, if you won’t fuck me again, have you at least a piece of string or something so I can hang this thing around my neck?”
Gabriel had been halfway out of the cabin, but at the word ‘fuck’ he stopped walking. “There’s ribbon and cord in there,” he said, pointing at a small wooden box on the shelf. “Help yourself.”
Then he squared his shoulders, lifted his chin and left the cabin. It was at least a refreshing change that he didn’t lock the door behind him. I pulled out the box and sorted through.
Captain Lucifer’s ribbons, what a thing. The leather thong would last longer, but wouldn’t be nearly as stylish. Fuck it, I’m taking a pirate’s ribbon.
I felt positively whimsical as I picked out a slim black satin ribbon and tied it securely around the charm and then hung it around my neck. I tied it so it hung in the centre of my chest, sort of over my heart. Well, near it anyway.
I pulled my shirt closed and fastened it over the charm. Then I found Gabriel’s comb and dragged it through my curls. I sighed, and wondered if I could ask for a bath. Only one way to find out, I supposed…
Chapter 20
In which the crew of the Devil’s Whore endure Cedric
The next three weeks were a varied lot. In some ways I found them were very pleasant, as I had my freedom to wander the ship’s decks and get to know the crew.
Simply being able to breathe the fresh air and get some sunlight on my skin made a world of difference to my frame of mind.
I got to know Marco better, as a friendly face, his was the first I gravitated towards. I also learned the strange truth about him, that he was a magical being. An otter who could turn into a human.
“I beg your pardon,” I’d said when he first told me.
Marco grinned back with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that appealed to me deeply. “Some might say I’m a shapeshifter, or a man who can become an otter, but that’s the wrong way around,” he said. “I’m an otter who chooses to be human some of the time.”
“And serve on a pirate ship,” I added, hardly able to process his words. “How is such a thing possible?”
“Captain Lucifer takes in all sorts of waifs and strays,” Kaito said, appearing at Marco’s elbow. “I heard you found out about Dante?”
“I, er, yes, I did.” I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting Dante to be looming over me. I saw him talking with Gabriel at the helm.
My hand went to my throat, and both Kaito and Marco eyed the gesture and looked at each other significantly.
“I seduced him,” I said, quickly. “Not the other way around.”
“That makes sense, he’s very careful most of the time.” Kaito nodded slowly. He was another handsome man, wearing a slimly tailored white shirt with a silk vest over the top. The silk was brocade, an amethyst colour, with a pattern of leaves and cranes over it. My fingers itched to recreate it in a drawing and then a painting. I wondered if I’d ever be able to blend paints to reproduce that shining purple.
“I say,” I said, utterly distracted by the fineness of his clothing. “I don’t suppose there’s any paints or canvas on board this ship?”
Marco tipped his head to the side and made an amused noise and Kaito shook his head.
“No, although I believe the Captain has some watercolours for map making, somewhere. I’m sure you could get parchment and a pencil of some sort. Dante would know, as the Quartermaster, he’d have the records.”
I smiled, pleased to have a reason to seek out Dante in particular. Then I remembered Marco’s revelation. “No, I simply must know. How does an otter become a human?”
Marco laughed and shrugged. “No idea, honestly, I just learned how to do it one day, maybe six years ago.”
“Most likely it was a curse from a witch,” Kaito said. “But this simpleton doesn’t remember it.”
“I remember meeting the Captain though,” Marco said, smiling, possibly unaware that Kaito had just insulted him, or maybe he simply didn’t care. “I was trying to get some food at some big manor house, and he was there pretending to be a gentleman. Together we stole seven necklaces, two deeds of ownership and a diamond ring.”
I blinked, trying to imagine such a thing. “I expect being able to shapeshift to a smaller size makes thieving easier?”
Marco nodded and beamed. “Exactly. And that’s how I got my job.”
I laughed, Marco’s happiness was quite contagious.
My next mission was to talk to Dante, so I made my way up to the helm. Dante and Gabriel ceased talking as I approached, which I hardly minded, I was in such a fine mood.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. I understand that might have you have watercolours on the ship, possibly?” I said.
Gab
riel’s eyes narrowed and he frowned. “Damn it.” He dug a coin out of his pocket and handed it to Dante, who smiled wickedly as he took it.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“Gabriel thought the only reason you’d approach us would be to ask for sex again,” Dante said. “I said you’d have something else you wanted.”
“Wait, are you saying I could have asked for sex just now? Because I’ll do it. If I do, what’s the chance you’d both say yes?”
“Too late now,” Gabriel said, a glint in his eye that looked more joking than angered. “I’m annoyed about losing coin to Dante.”
I shook my head and sighed. “I see you are both united in teasing me, and not in the fun way without clothes. Well, what to my original question then?”
Gabriel smiled slightly and looked out to the horizon.
“Yes, I believe we have some paints on board, why on Earth do you want paint?”
I speculated that suggesting something salacious such as using a damp brush to apply paint to Gabriel’s skin from toe to head wouldn’t go down well, so I opted for an honest answer.
“Something to while away the time. I’d love to try and capture each of the crew in portrait, if you have the paper available for such a project?”
Gabriel snorted and I looked over to see him smiling for real, amused at me. “You never stop surprising me, Cedric.”
I took that as a compliment, nodded my thanks and turned back to Dante.
“I’ll go and have a look for it,” he said. “You wait up here.”
And then I was able to spend a good few hours before dinner sketching the captain in all his glory at the helm, and making good use of the small tin of black paint to capture the folds of his clothes.
So my days were spent rather blissfully, sketching handsome men of the crew, painting and making friends with the residents of the Devil’s Whore. In stark contrast to all the stories and the things I’d been taught about pirates, they were all rather friendly men and perfectly happy to make conversation with me.
Kidnapped by the Gentleman Page 10