The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) (4 page)

Chapter Five

I was smothering to death in the cabin. Sweat rolled down my body as I tried to gain my composure, but no matter how much I tried, breathing became hard and panic wanted to set in. I missed being able to be a free spirit with the ocean at my fingertips.

I needed fresh air.

It was dark in the quarters; the single candle Aiden lit before bed had finally died out. The moonlight flooded in through the window, so I didn’t need to use my night vision to see. I wasn’t even sure I
could
use it, seeing as I was in a human form now. Even though the moon wasn’t full at the moment, her light made feel just a little better. I listened for a few minutes to the steady breathing of the captain to make sure he was asleep. His breathing was deep and steady, signaling he was out.

Slowly I slid from the bed, touching my feet to the floor carefully. I tiptoed over to the doorway, leaving my shoes off to keep from making any noise. The floor creaked as I touched the doorknob, making me cast a backwards glance to the bed to see if it woke Aiden, but he didn’t move.

He was lying there, bathed in moonlight, with one arm over his eyes as if shielding them from it. The blanket fell away from his body, revealing his broad chest and chiseled abs, tanned from the sun. His necklace settled off the side of his body, drawing my attention to the tattoos littering his left side, as well as the shoulder and bicep of his right arm. I hadn’t seen them before, not having seen him shirtless, and he was breath taking.

I scolded myself. He was a human, and I didn’t need to be staring at him. Just because he was attractive didn’t negate the fact he was a nasty pirate. I twisted the doorknob and slipped through the door, shutting it quietly behind me.

As I stepped out into the open, I breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of the waves crashing against the boat, and the sight of the moon and stars shining down on me, made me feel somewhat at home. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of sea air; the salt and familiarity of it tended to my homesickness. When I opened them back up, I looked around, deciding on the highest point of the ship to be the best place for stargazing.

There were several masts to choose from, each of them hoisting up a cream flag. I was puzzled they weren’t black to signal it was a pirate ship. Maybe that was just a rumor. Still, the ship seemed to be well taken care of; the old wood didn’t shine, but there was no dirt to be seen on it. Some of the boards creaked as I walked, so I moved carefully with stealth.

I stepped past several sleeping pirates and climbed up the ropes. They took me high in the air in order to get me to my destination, but I was not afraid of heights. When I reached the top, I was pleased to find a decent amount of space on the pedestal. Lowering myself to the wood below, I sat there and leaned back on the rail. It was almost as if I could reach the stars. They twinkled down at me in welcome, glad to see me again. It was better than being cooped up in the captain’s quarters alone with him. Even though I was still alone on the mast, I reminded myself the moon was there. She was watching over me. She would give me the strength to make it through this, even if her power to grant wishes was restricted to the full moon.

Suddenly a hand appeared on the wood beside me, and I jumped away from it to the other side of the platform. I instantly regretted not bringing a weapon with me, but I would kick the pirate to his death if need be.

“What are you doing up here, lass?” Aiden asked as his head popped up over the beam. He pulled himself upwards and jumped over the railing, holding onto the center beam as he eyed me suspiciously.

“Nothing.” I sighed. I was thankful to see it was only him and not some other scuzzy pirate, but I didn’t want to have anything to do with him either.

“Do you sneak out every night like this?” He sat down across from me as if I invited him to join me, pulling a knee up to his chest and laying his arm over it. His eyes never left me.

“Do you interrupt people’s peace often?”

He laughed. “It’s rather the dastardly climb to get up here.”

“I was hoping for some alone time and some air.”

“Aye, and you may have it.”

But he didn’t leave.

He stretched his hands to the sky, his muscles twitching under his skin, and leaned against the railing with his hands behind his head. I forced my gaze back up to his face.

“
Alone
time,” I stressed.

Aiden’s eyes looked around, confused at first, but then realization sparked in his eyes. “
Oh
, you mean me.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not leaving. I won’t have you fall to your death on my watch. I’m responsible for your safety, I am.”

“Then let me go home. I’m safer there than with the likes of
you
.” Humans, to be exact.

“Had some bad run-ins with pirates, have you dear?”

I crossed my arms and didn’t answer him, just let my head lean back on the wooden beam and stared up at the stars. There was no need to delve into my past with him, tell him anything about myself, or share secrets. He could sit there all he liked, for all I cared, as long as he stopped talking. I didn’t trust him.

After several silent moments, he pointed his finger to the sky. “Do you see those three large stars, just there?”

I decided to humor him for just a moment. “Yeah, so?”

“That’s Orion’s belt.” He pointed further into the sky. “The three above that make his body, the ones to the left his weapon, and those to the right his shield.”

With his large book collection and now his knowledge about constellations, I wondered just what else he knew and what his past entailed. “And how did you figure that out?”

“I have a lot of books….and besides, the stars help guide the way at night.” He shrugged as if that explained it, but I could tell he knew more than he
let on. His eyes held sadness as he spoke, still looking at the sky and not to me. For a moment, it seemed as if he went somewhere else. When he looked back at me, it was gone. “You haven’t gone through the piles of books yet?”

“No. I’m not interested.”

“I didn’t spell them or anything, lass, I promise you that.”

I ignored his comment and looked away from him in an attempt to lose myself in the stars again.

“I’m a light sleeper,” he said, as if that explained something.

“And a non-stop talker,” I added, irritated.

“That’s why I’m here.” He laughed. “I heard you shut the door, gave you a few minutes, and then came looking for you.”

Silence from me.

“You have to be careful when you’re surrounded by pirates,” Aiden said with a sigh.

I could see him out of the corner of my eye, leaning against the railing just as I was. He fell silent, lost in his thoughts once again. He had gone off to a place only he was privy too; I decided to do the same. Finally, I got what I wanted: silence.

Yet it was odd he would say something so demeaning about pirates, seeing as he was one, although he didn’t look like the rest of them. He stood out among them as someone with more dignity, but all humans were the same. He couldn’t fool me with his charming speech and good looks. I was better than that, stronger than that.

He made an awful reputation for himself as far as pirates go. To look at him now, sitting here with me high up on the ship’s mast, speaking about
constellations, without a weapon and dressed only in his pajama bottoms, it was hard to see the ruthless and devious pirate I heard so much about.

I sighed and rolled over to the left, making myself as comfortable as I could against the wood. My body started to relax out in the open, with the sound of the waves in my ears. It was a weird place to feel at home, but it was better than the captain’s quarters. Aiden didn’t say anything else. The silence slowly took me under with it, calming my mind and helping me fall asleep.

Chapter Six

I woke up the next day back in the captain’s quarters in the large bed, unsure of how I got there. All I remembered was falling asleep on the mast with Aiden. He must have carried me there, I realized, but how did he get me down the mast safely? I sat up and stretched my arms to find myself alone. I washed up and got dressed, finding clothing laid out for me on the window seat. It was a lot different from what I had been wearing.

I walked over to it and held up the ensemble. It was a pair of brown leather pants and a belt, with a cream-colored top. I pulled it on, followed by the pair of brown boots. As I looked down at myself, I felt like a pirate. I wasn’t sure I liked it, but it was much more comfortable, and covering, than the blue dress.

My eyes roamed over to the sea, and I sat down at the window seat. It seemed this would be my boring life now, at least until the full moon when I could wish for my fins back.

The door of the cabin creaked open, causing me to look up to see who entered. It was Aiden, of course; I shouldn’t have been surprised. He carried a tray of food in his hand and kicked the door closed behind him. Usually it was Casey who brought me food, and I was disappointed not to see him. I had grown to enjoy our daily discussions.

He took a seat on the opposite side of the window seat. As he sat the tray down between us, I noticed there were two plates on it.

“You are going to waste away if you don’t eat.”

I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”

“You can’t stay in here forever and sneak out at night,” Aiden insisted, his eyes boring into me as if to convince me to go.

“I can do whatever I want.”

“You’re lucky I haven’t dragged you out of here to see the sun, lass.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

He chuckled, followed by a smirk, as he reached out to run his hand down my arm. “You look beautiful in this by the way. Just like I thought you would. I had it made especially for you.”

My breath caught in my throat. I jerked away from him and crossed my arms. Although I didn’t want him anywhere near me, he wasn’t going to leave without a fight.

“Fine, I will eat your food,” I grumbled.

I reached for the plate closest to me, pulling it into my lap. The plate contained cooked fish and mashed potatoes. Unable to remember what human food tasted like, and unable to ignore this growling in my stomach any longer, I picked up the utensil and took a small bite. It was more flavorful than I expected, seeing the atmosphere I was in, and I closed my eyes to savor it.

“You like it?” he asked.

I nodded and opened my eyes to look at him. “It’s delicious, thank you.”

“I told you that you were missing out, and you didn’t believe me. I cooked it especially for you.”

I cocked an eyebrow and laughed. “
You
made this?”

“Aye.”

Interesting.
“Don’t you have underlings to do such things for you?”

“I do, but I would rather make food for you and know it is safe. Cooking used to be a hobby of mine.”

“I find that hard to believe.” I scoffed. There was no way he was a fancy chef. “Who taught you?”

He began to eat his food, talking out the side of his mouth. “I don’t need your approval, lass.” He ignored my question as if he hadn’t meant to tell me about his hobby, and he wouldn’t look at me.

We sat in silence until we were both finished, and Aiden picked my plate up to set it on the tray. He pushed his papers out of the way on the desk and put the tray down; they scattered around and fell to the floor.

“You going to come outside with me?” he asked, turning back to me.

“I suppose,”’ I agreed reluctantly, “but no funny business.”

Aiden stood up and crossed the room in a few long strides to stop in front of me. He smiled down at me in amusement and shook his head. “My dear, I would do no
funny
business out in front of the crew now would I?”

I sighed, exasperated, as I stepped past him and opened the door, ignoring his rude comments but unable to stop the thought of what his “funny business” entailed. I was surprised at myself, the way the sudden image of his hands on my waist popped in my head.
He’s a pirate,
I reminded myself. No matter how much he looked like a normal man, not filthy and disgusting, he was still a pirate. I couldn’t trust him. Not really.

He stepped past me; a chuckle escaped him and a smirk grew on his face. It irritated me he was able to get away with the things he said to me. Half the time I couldn’t formulate a witty comeback quick enough. I needed to work on that. It wasn’t like me, and I couldn’t lose myself in all this. I was a strong mermaid, independent, and doing as I pleased. Wrapping men around my finger was supposed to be my job, not the other way around. The thought of the ship taking that much power away from me made me sick to my stomach.

Aiden picked up a black tricorne hat with blue rimming and sat it on his head as he opened the door. I followed him up onto the deck, my hand coming up to shield my eyes from the blinding sun. I hadn’t seen it in days, and it slammed into me unexpectedly. The ship’s wooden surface was brighter in the daylight, and I could see just how large of a ship it was. The scuffling of pirates, along with the song humming upon their lips, filled my ears. It intrigued me. Song was something I could relate to, so I looked up to take them in. They were scattered about, some relaxing and others doing their duty, dressed practically in rags. Even
my
clothing was made of better quality.

“These are me mates,” Aiden said and waved his hand about. “I keep me crew to a small number these days. Less hands to share bounty with.” He laughed and continued.

Several of them stopped to look at where his voice came, loud and making his presence known. They nodded in reverence as he passed them. There was no fear in their eyes. In fact, they looked upon him with respect. I was surprised. He commanded the attention from everyone around him. It was fascinating, the way he was like a king in his own domain and not as pirate scum to be avoided.

When their eyes landed on me however, they were curious and judgmental. They weren’t sure who I was to be found in the middle of the ocean, and I feared many of them suspected what I was or wanted me for their own pleasures. I took a deep breath and held my head high as Aiden shouted out commands, something about a sail and the seas. I wasn’t going to let them get me down. When he spoke, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, never being familiar with pirate langue.

He turned to address me from across the ship. “Would you like to join me? You can watch me steer.”

I crossed my arms and shook my head, still determined not to give in to any of his demands, even though it was probably safer near him, judging by the hungry eyes of the other less than pleasant men on the ship. How was it the feared Captain Aiden, the one who would kill a man in a second if need be, was the safest place to be?

He cocked an eyebrow at me and shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Turning on his heels, he walked over to the large wheel on the front of the boat and settled there, hands positioned on the large wooden helm just so. He exhumed confidence as he stood there. His dark messy hair ruffled slightly in the captain’s quarters and looked out at the sea. It would do me no good for him to catch me watching him. The blue waves called for me to join them and I wished I could.

The winds were rough. They tried to toss the ship’s occupants about as much as possible, but the captain had control of
The Devil’s Pearl
. I was sure it would stay afloat. It was a beautiful sight to behold. If only I could share it with my sisters or Tristen. I wondered if they were searching for me, if they were even close to finding me. I wondered why I didn’t miss him like I assumed it would. It made me wonder if I truly loved him, or if it was in some different way than I was looking for—love like my family rather than a lover.

“’Ello lovely,” a raspy voice piped up from beside me, followed by a quick slap to my backside.

I whirled around and scowled at the tall one-eyed pirate looking back at me. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped.

“If you’re smart, girl, you will pick one of us to protect you. It gets awfully lonely in this place with only men around.”

He stepped closer to me, trapping me against the hard wood. I pressed flat against it in an attempt to stay away from the stench of the man as well as the disgusting sight of his dirty beard and missing eye. He was exactly what I expected in a pirate, his behavior included. Perhaps I should’ve taken Aiden’s advice on joining him.

“What are you exactly? You have charmed the captain awfully quickly to be…human…”

Fear gripped me as the truth slammed into me. The crewmen wondered if I was more than human.

“She has already been claimed, mate,” Aiden’s voice called out as the edge of a sword appeared on the pirate’s shoulder.

There was a sudden desperate fear in the man’s eyes as he turned around to face his captain, realization on his face he was caught.

“I thought I made it clear; you leave the girl alone. This sea is mine. This ship is mine. And the girl, she is mine. If you bother her again, any of you, I will feed you to the fishes,” he stated. His voice was low and serious, eyes terrifying as he stared at the other pirate. It scared me as well, and it wasn’t even aimed at me.

“Yes—yes Cap’n. I didn’t realize this was—”

“Don’t play coy with me. She’s the only girl aboard the ship and you know it.”

“Yes Cap’n,” the man whispered again and scrambled away from Aiden’s reach.

Aiden gave a sly smile as he moved his gaze to me and returned his sword to the sheath at his hip. “Now, will you join me?”

As much as I wanted to say no, the way he stood up for me chipped away a small piece of the ice around my hatred. It made me trust him just a tad more, but it also scared me. It was possible he meant it when he said I was safe on his ship. Still, the intensity of his comments with the lower-ranking pirate kept me on my toes. He was a force to be reckoned with. I nodded slowly.

“Fantastic!” he exclaimed. He placed his fist on his hip and waited for me to take his arm before escorting me to the front of the ship.
He sure knows his manners…for a pirate.

“This is the best view on
The Devil’s Pearl
,” he explained with a genuine smile on his face. Perhaps the first one I’d seen. However, just as quickly as it was there, it was gone, replaced with that charming smirk of his. “That is of course, other than right in front of me.” He raised a finger to his lips, eyes scanning my body from top to bottom.

I scowled to hide the fact that part of me was flattered at the way his eyes took me in. My obvious attempts to ward him off and show him how uninterested I was in him wasn’t working. Still, the endless banter between the two of us was quickly becoming my only source of entertainment on the boat. Was it possible I was starting to enjoy his company?

“Aiden, I thought you weren’t into doing dirty things on deck with your men around,” I said with a smile. My hand reached out to play with the necklace laying across his chest, and my eyes trailed up to meet his. They were looking back at me, faded into something darker than he’d allowed me to see before.

“Aye, I did say that, lass, but don’t underestimate a pirate who has set his eye on a prize.”

He reached out to run his hand around my waist and pull me closer to him. My skin burned where he touched me, and I wanted to pull him closer. It was unexpected and made me pause. I wasn’t sure how to react. Confidence was something I counted on when dealing with a man, not the uncertainty I felt around Aiden. There was something different between us. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He was handsome, devilishly so, able to gut you in a second, and look beautiful while you lay there dying. With his taste for deliciously cooked meals, books, and constellations, he was a mystery—one I needed to solve before he figured me out.

Aiden leaned into me. His lips stopped just above mine and curled into a smile. “This is a dangerous game you are playing. Are you sure you want to do this?”

For a moment, my breathing stopped. My eyes grew wide as my mind screamed to run away from him, from this frozen moment in time where there was only the two of us. I wanted to convince myself that what happened between us was unnatural, and I shouldn’t pay attention to it.

His fingers dug into my waist and reminded me I needed to give him back what he was dishing out. That was in my nature, more like myself, and I was relieved I hadn’t lost it alone on the ship. But he was who he was, and he was better at this game than me somehow. I hated it.

I wasn’t about to move under the heat of his eyes. I was uncomfortable and unprepared. He was at complete ease. My gaze darted between his eyes and his lips. A part of me wanted to close the distance to see just what he was made of, to see what it would be like to kiss someone human, but I couldn’t give in so easily to Aiden’s charms. I had to play the game but not be the prey

My hand flattened against his chest. It steadied me somewhat, helped me breathe to know I could push him around. Neither of us moved for several moments, just stared into each other’s eyes, each challenging the other to make the first move. Aiden broke the stare by placing his nose on mine and then running it softly across my check to pause at my ear. It sent chills down my spine, and I was thankful he
couldn’t see my eyes close in delight. It was a simple gesture, but unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I hated to think what it would be like if he kissed me. I might not ever stop him.