The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) (15 page)

He threw his hand in the air and shouted, “Then let it be known this princess is mine, and no one else should touch her. If he does, I will gut him like a fish without a second thought. Understand?”

The crew threw their hands in the air and began to shout in agreement. Cheers rose from them, satisfied at his words. It seemed as if they had waited for that moment, to have me put in my place.

“Good, I’m glad we have an understanding. Your captain has not gone soft. He is having his way with the bounty until his reward is here, then we will be swimming in gold!”

The crew continued to cheer as Aiden turned to me, eyes hard and cold. “Mr. Hayes, take her to my quarters.”

“Yes, Cap’n,” Hayes said gladly as he approached the crate.

“I hate you, Aiden,” I snarled as I challenged him, violet eyes set on his face to let the anger show.

Tears began to swell up in my eyes, those of both anger and hurt. I had no control over them. His betrayal struck deep into my very soul. I thought we came to an agreement, that I cared about him, and he was opening up to me, but I had been mistaken. He was a charmer, and I meant nothing to him. I was a fool for thinking there was anything more to him than his looks and reputation suggested. The rush of new feelings had caused me to give in too quickly.

“Don’t say that, darling,” he cooed and loosened his grip on my hair, trailing his fingers to my face and caressing my cheek.

I jerked away from him and scowled. He laughed as he stepped off the crate. “Don’t be so angry with me.”

“You better keep one eye open while you sleep tonight, Captain,” I threatened as Hayes took me by the arm to lead me away.

The crowd cheered even louder. I continued to glare at him as we walked away, showing I meant business. With a weapon I had failed before, but he was just a simple man when he was sleeping.

Aiden frowned at me as he watched. “I will join you soon.” There was a mixture of emotions in his voice, but I didn’t care enough to sort through them. I was done with trying to read his mind.

Anger and hatred boiled within me, more intense than I had ever felt before. Embarrassment and shame mixed in with it to make me feel utterly helpless. I wanted to go home. This ship was not and never would be my home. When the full moon came, I would wish to be a mermaid, leave, and never come back. Never again would I think about Captain Aiden.

“Milady!” Casey called from the crowd as he pushed his way through it. He was trying to get to me, but Aiden grabbed ahold of his shirt to pull him back.

He shook his head at the boy, and Casey looked at me with his mouth turned downward. He held his hand up to wave.

I gave him a half smile before following Hayes to the captain’s quarters.

“Please, Raewyn. I know he has angered you, but I can promise you he cares for you. The cap’n just doesn’t know how to express himself, he doesn’t.” He continued to plead for me not to be angry at Aiden.

No matter what excuses he gave, I simply couldn’t find it in myself to do so. He’d betrayed me, and he had a lot of making up to do if he wanted me to trust him again.

Chapter Sixteen

“Let me in, Raewyn! This is my cabin.”

I continued to ruin his room, throwing his things about and ripping up his papers. Tears stung at my eyes but I forced them back. I wouldn’t cry because of him. Laughing loudly, I started to pace the room, emotions flickering back and forth so quickly I couldn’t keep up. I’d had it with him; I just had to find a way to get out.

“Raewyn…”             

The excited cheers and song of the crew flowed from the deck, still celebrating in honor of my misery. It had lasted for hours and started to get quiet. I hoped they would all pass out drunk soon. 

When I heard the rustling of the door, recognizing it as him picking the lock, I ran into the washroom and locked myself inside. I leaned back against the door and slid down to the floor.

Aiden knocked on the door, his voice softer as he said my name. “Darling, please come out here so we can talk.”

The gentleness of his voice pushed me over the edge. Large tears fell down my face as I pulled my knees up to me and buried my face in them. I didn’t answer him. There was nothing else to say to him.

The door creaked, and I heard him mimicking my behavior—sliding down the door and sitting on the floor. His weight pressed into the door behind me, the sound of him hitting the wood with the back of his head.

Neither of us spoke another word, just sat there in silence with only the door between us. He didn’t try to get me to open the door anymore, and he didn’t try to get me to talk to him. I let the tears fall, let all of the emotion out, but all I really wanted to do was have him hold me. I hated the thought that he had that much impact on me. My hand covered my mouth to hide my sobs.

Finally, I heard the floor groan as he stood up, the pressure on the door subsiding. His footsteps echoed across the cabin, and then door shut. I let out a long sigh and wiped my eyes dry. Without him there, I was suddenly alone again in the world. A part of me was missing.

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.