Once a Pirate (Mystical Realm Series Book 1) (7 page)

Once on the ground, Jake could see several Guards standing in the direction from which he originally came. “Damn,” Jake mumbled as he walked slowly in the other direction, deeper onto the castle grounds.

Around the corner of the castle, Jake was met by the sight of more Guards at the far corner of the castle. Looking around, he saw a large wooden door and quickly stepped through it. The door led to a dimly lit tunnel, cutting through the bulk of the castle and opening into the castle courtyard. Plants and fountains blocked the lights from the ball and loud music muffled his steps as Jake made his way to the opposite side of the courtyard.

A matching tunnel led from this side and Jake hoped his luck would be better on the northeast side of the castle. Jake heard voices behind him and quickly ducked behind a large fern. He stared up at the terrace to his left, his breath catching in his throat at the vision he saw.

Anna stood at the railing, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. Tendrils of brown silk fell down across her neck and shoulders. The tight bodice of her gown showed off ample curves and a narrow waist; the waist he held while dancing her around a bar on the other side of town. However, it was her hands which held Jake frozen; hands being held in another man’s grasp.

Jake swallowed his jealousy, reminding himself he had no right to claim her innocence as his own. He decided not to pursue Anna beyond their last meeting and he aimed to keep to his claim. About to turn around and escape into the tunnel, Jake noticed Anna was attempting to pull away from the man in front of her. When he didn’t release her, Jake’s eyes narrowed with restrained fury.

He moved closer to the terrace, uncaring if he was seen any longer in his need to ensure Anna’s safety. He promised himself if the man released her before he intervened, Jake would turn and disappear back to the shadows. Unfortunately, the man did not obey Jake’s unspoken command, forcing him to continue on his course. Jake may be most of the monster his reputation claimed, but he could not condone any man placing his hands on an unwilling woman; especially a woman as sweet and innocent as Anna Blake.

Chapter Seven

“Sir Marcus, I think you may have the wrong impression.” Anna’s voice carried on the wind.

“Oh, I doubt that, my dear,” the man she called Sir Marcus pulled Anna closer.

“I think you have the wrong impression as well, Mate,” Jake spoke from the base of the steps leading to the veranda. “She doesn’t like leaches.”

“And, who are you?” Sir Marcus bloated with indignation.

“I’m a man with a sword,” Jake’s tone was soft and dangerous as he reached the top of the stairs and placed a hand on the butt of the blade he held at his hip. Sir Marcus dropped Anna’s hands as if they burned him and backed away. The man sputtered at Jake’s comments, his face ashen in the dim evening light. “I don’t like leaches either, Mate.”

Sir Marcus spun and disappeared into the ballroom, his cowardice overwhelming his pride. Anna let out a giggle as Jake walked to stand at her side. He looked down in surprise at her unexpected reaction to his threats against her would-be suitor.

“I think you scared him,” Anna chuckled.

“Such was my intent, men like him need a good scare every once in a while,” Jake let his coat fall back over his sword, obscuring it against the black leather of his clothing. “To remind them they don’t own everyone.”

“Well, thank you for your intervention,” Anna smiled at him.

“You’ve been drinking,” Jake stared down at her flushed cheeks, his anger at the situation he interrupted growing. “I should have given him a reminder to take with him.”

“No need,” Anna waved her hand. “He was pushy, but he wasn’t that bad. And, I’m not drunk.”

“You are not sober,” Jake informed.

“Not entirely,” Anna admitted. “But, I’m getting there.”

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” Jake admonished her. “Not in your current state.”

“I’m not that drunk, Jake,” Anna patted his forearm, her fingers lingering like hot embers after a fire. “I just need a walk to clear my head.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jake made the offer, but knew he would accompany her even if Anna refused. He would not allow the woman to walk anywhere alone with her head muddled by alcohol.

Luckily, she didn’t argue, as she descended the stairs into the courtyard gardens. Jake stayed at her side as they walked through the ferns and flowers, eventually reaching the central fountain. “Why aren’t you in the ballroom?” Anna asked.

“I don’t enjoy large crowds,” Jake excused honestly without revealing his lack of an invitation.

“Agreed,” Anna nodded. “Although, the people I’ve met so far are very friendly. And, their stories of where they come from are incredible.”

“Aye, there are some amazing lands out there,” Jake agreed.

“I bet you’ve seen all of them,” Anna sounded wistful.

“A good many,” Jake admitted. “But, there are still many I have not. The best part of traveling the realm is there is always a new land to explore.”

“I’d love to see them,” Anna remarked.

“You can,” Jake assured.

“No,” Anna shook her head sadly. “I can’t.”

“What is holding you here, Love?” Jake asked. “You are obviously unhappy. Why not leave and find your home?”

“I told you,” Anna started walking through the gardens again, leaving Jake to follow. “It’s too far.”

“So, find a new home.” Jake suggested.

Anna stopped in her tracks, turning to look up at Jake questioningly. “It won’t be the same.”

“Of course not,” Jake agreed. “Just because it isn’t the same doesn’t mean it can’t be as good; or even better.”

“What about you, Jake,” Anna asked, “where is your home; your family?”

Jake opened his mouth to answer, but noted two Guards entering the courtyard, obviously searching for something or someone. He took Anna’s hand, pulling her into the deep shadow beneath a fern as the Guards came closer. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Jake made a motion to remain silent. He was grateful when she obeyed. When the Guards passed, exiting the gardens a few moments later, Jake led Anna from the shadows. “Sorry about that, Love,” Jake mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I assume you don’t have an invitation,” Anna’s statement wasn’t a question, but Jake felt obliged to answer anyway.

“Not exactly,” Jake braced himself for her anger and disgust, shocked when she just chuckled and shook her head.

“So, why are you here?” Anna asked.

Jake welcomed the arrival of the Guards this time as they kept him from having to come up with a lie to tell the woman standing in front of him. He urged Anna toward the tunnel which would lead them out of the courtyard, glad she came with him easily. Jake wasn’t quite ready to set the tipsy woman loose without supervision.

The tunnel exited on the Ocean side of the castle, a steep rock cliff keeping them from the beach below. Jake found the steps he knew to be carved into the rocks and led Anna down to the sand, keeping a tight grip on her hand to prevent her from slipping on the unfamiliar stairs. Once they reached sand, Anna lifted her feet to remove the heeled shoes she wore, leaving them lay at the base of the staircase. The action left her standing at least a foot shorter than Jake’s six-foot-six-inch frame. Her smallness stirred Jake’s protective instincts and he removed his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” Anna smiled at the gesture, pulling the leather close.

They walked the surf for a time, holding hands and enjoying the sounds of the Ocean. Jake stopped at a calm section of water, picking up a small stone and skipping it across the water. He felt a calm settle over him he hadn’t known in years. Jake tried to link it to his peace near the Ocean and the return of his lost possession, but as he looked down at the woman beside him, Jake wondered if she may hold some credit.

“You never told me about your home and family,” Anna reminded, sitting on a rock just beyond the tide.

“My ship is my home,” Jake joined her, sitting with his hip pressed to hers. “And, my crew is my family.”

“And, before that,” Anna probed.

“Before that, I lived just outside of Meridelle,” Jake answered. “A little town called Dellemore.”

“And, your family,” Anna asked. “What were they like?”

“My mother was beautiful; sweet, kind and loved everyone,” Jake spoke tenderly.

“Was,” Anna looked concerned.

“She died when I was a lad,” Jake admitted.

“I’m sorry,” Anna laid her hand on his arm, keeping it on his flesh bared by the rolled up sleeves of his white shirt. “So, who cared for you?”

“No one who deserves the title of family,” Jake stated.

“Oh,” Anna mumbled, obviously a bit disconcerted at his coldness over the subject. She lifted her hand from his arm, but Jake covered it with his own, preventing the loss of her touch.

“I’m sorry, Love,” Jake spoke softer than before. “I didn’t mean to be short.”

“It’s okay, if you don’t want to talk about it,” Anna assured.

“I was raised by my grandfather; my mother’s father,” Jake struggled to keep the hate from his voice. “He was a very cruel man.”

“He was mean to you?” Anna asked.

“Aye,” Jake admitted.

“What did he do?” Anna prodded.

“Things you wouldn’t care to hear,” Jake hedged.

“Tell me.”

Jake hesitated, staring out to the lapping waves of the Ocean. He never told anyone other than Sully what horrors his grandfather exposed him to, but for some reason Jake wanted Anna to know. “He was physically abusive,” Jake couldn’t look at her as he spoke refusing to see the pity he knew would be in her eyes. “The night I took off, he had too much liquor and pulled a knife, intending to slit my throat.”

“Why?” Anna’s voice was breathless.

“My grandfather was raised in a time of honor and tradition. When my unwed mother brought him a bastard grandson, he snapped. Before she died, my mother was the one at his mercy, but after she died,” Jake trailed off, his tone shaking with the anger and frustration he felt.

“After she died there was no one to protect you,” Anna finished for him. “How old were you?”

“Ten,” Jake answered.

“So young,” Anna remarked. “And, there was no one who could help you? What about your father?”

“My father wanted nothing to do with me since the moment my mother told him she was with child,” Jake spoke harshly of the man. “She wasn’t of a high enough standing for him.”

“Surely, after she died,” Anna trailed off, but Jake knew her question.

“He came when he heard,” Jake admitted. “He had my grandfather and I restrained while he went through her belongings, destroying everything which might damage his reputation.”

“That’s,” Anna stuttered. “That’s horrible!”

“It was long ago, Love,” Jake excused with a smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand.

“I’m sorry,” Anna’s eyes were glass with concern.

“Let’s find a happier subject, shall we?” Jake offered, unwilling to accept the pity she offered. “Tell me of your family.”

Anna hesitated, as if unwilling to drop the subject at hand, but eventually nodded and began speaking. “Well, it’s my mom, dad and my four older brothers.”

“Four older brothers,” Jake looked at her in shock, glad she conceded to changing the subject.

“Yes,” Anna said with a nod and smile. “They are the most old-fashioned, overprotective, meddling people you will ever meet. I don’t remember a day going by when at least one of them didn’t show up at my house or job.”

“They worry for you,” Jake commented. “They love you.”

“Yes,” Anna’s eyes grew sad and wistful. “You know, before all of this, I actually resented them for their control over my life. Now, I just wish they were close.”

“I’m sorry you’re so far from them,” Jake squeezed her hand.

“I must seem silly to you, me going on about them,” Anna said with a fake chuckle as she swiped away a tear. “You lost your family so horribly.”

“Other than my mother, I had no family to speak of. One can’t miss what they never had.” Jake shrugged. “Tell me of them; tell me a good memory.”

“Well,” Anna seemed thoughtful for a moment before smiling. “Have you heard of whitewater rafting?”

“Aye,” Jake claimed. “Though, I haven’t been myself.”

“We go as a family every year for my birthday,” Anna began. “About two years ago, we are on the river and we hit the nastiest set of rapids on the whole trip. Of course, my brothers are being annoying and goofing off, so we hit the rapids all wrong. Anyway, the raft starts bucking and Danny, the youngest starts to fall in. Well, he reached out to Beau and Beau reaches out to Shane and Shane grabs onto Billy. So, when Danny goes in, they all tumble out like dominoes. So, here my parents and I are, sitting in a raft in the middle of the rapid and my four older brothers are just floating away down the river. When we finally catch up to them, they are throwing punches and screaming at each other because they all blame someone else for pulling them in and nobody knows who started it.”

By the end of her story, Anna was laughing; pure enjoyment coming from the memory. Her face was lit, the flush on her cheeks visible even in the silvered moonlight. Jake marveled at her beauty. “You should laugh more often, Love.” Jake informed.

“I,” Anna stuttered, shock from his words ending her amusement. “I haven’t really had much reason to laugh lately.”

“Perhaps, I can fix that,” Jake brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. Jake allowed his hand to linger before gently brushing down her jaw and the side of her neck. Anna’s hand rose up to brace against his chest as he pulled her closer. Jake’s torso burned at her touch and he groaned as his head lowered to just a breath away from her lips.

“Anna!” The shout was closer than Jake would have liked and he jerked away instantly. Several men with torches stood a few yards from them and Jake instantly recognized the Prince and his royal Guards. “Anna, are you alright?”

“Of course,” Anna stood to face Char as the Guards came around to stand behind Jake, pulling his arms behind his back and binding them.

Jake mentally cursed for allowing himself to lose track of his surroundings. If he hadn’t been so focused on Anna, Jake would have heard the Guards coming long before they reached them. He was so lost in her touch and the prospect of tasting her, Jake ignored the world around them.

“Did he hurt you?” Char asked anxiously as he held Anna’s shoulders and inspected her by torchlight.

“No,” Anna assured. “What’s going on?”

“Why are you here, Pirate?” Char demanded of Jake as the Guards forced him to his knees on the sand and confiscated his sword.

“Pirate,” Anna repeated, her eyes showing her confusion.

“I’m not on your lands, Highness,” Jake answered, his chest pulsing with anxiety over how Anna would respond to the information. “It’s none of your concern what I do.”

Char looked down at Anna, his hands still on her shoulders. “How do you know this man?”

“We met in the market last week,” Anna answered honestly. “We were just talking, Char. He didn’t hurt me.”