The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) (7 page)

“You’re the worst sort of pirate! A woman is worth more than her weight in gold!” I exclaimed.

He wouldn’t let me go, just held on to me, running his fingers through my hair in a comforting sort of way. He didn’t stop until I ceased fighting him and relaxed again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find it in myself to stay angry at him. Each finger running through my hair was like a nail in my coffin—sealing me in with the charms of the merciless Captain Aiden.

“There’s something I do…when I’m lonely…” he whispered.

“What’s that?”             

“Well, I would have to show you,” he said and coughed as if to clear his throat.

“I still won’t tell you anything.” I pulled back to look at him. Now was not the time for flirting. I didn’t care what he wanted to show me, it wouldn’t change my mind.

“That’s not what I’m after right now. I just want to show you something. I’m trying to help, lass.”

When he removed his hands, I jumped back from him to put some space between us and tried to take a few deep breaths. It happened again. Time stopped in his arms. I was sure of it.

That or I was going insane.

He walked over to the other side of the room and reached for a blanket strewn over something large in the corner. When he pulled it away, he revealed a rather oddly shaped wooden piano. I recognized the instrument immediately because my mother used to have one similar to it and would play it for me as I fell asleep. I was taken back to that wonderful time, and I rushed over to where he was. I ran my finger over the dark mahogany wood and smiled at him.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I agree,” he said with his eyes set on me, and he wasn’t talking about the piano. His stare didn’t move from me until he took a seat at the bench and turned his attention to the keys in front of him. “Have you ever played?”

“No,” I said and took a seat beside him, leaving some distance between us. I paused as I considered my words, but found no reason not to tell him such a small tidbit. “But my mother used to play.”

“I hear sadness in your voice, lass,” Aiden observed, but still didn’t look at me.

He positioned his fingers above the keys and began to strum them accordingly, the sound of something slow and lovely filling the room. I hadn’t heard the song before, but I closed my eyes and take it in. He didn’t miss a note, hitting each one with just as much vigor as required.

It took me back to my childhood days when I sat at the piano with my mother and looked up at her with big round eyes in adoration. She was a beautiful woman, tall and thin just like me, with slight curves. Her hair was long and blonde, always pilled upon her head in a mass of braids. Besides my shape, the only other thing I got from her was the bright violet coloring of my eyes. Everything else, my dark hair and stubbornness, I got from my father. It wasn’t often I saw my mother reflecting back at me in a mirror.

Aiden began to hum. I opened my eyes to look at him. The sound resonated deep in his chest, and his eyes were closed. For him to be able to run his
fingers across the keys with his eyes closed, showed me he had done this time and time again. He was beautiful, lost in the moment like he was, and I felt as if I could stay there forever to hear him play. I wondered if he would do this for me again.

I wanted to ask him why a pirate would learn to play such a beautiful song, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. His beat increased in tempo and loudness, and to my surprise, he began to sing. His voice was scruffy and rough, just like his exterior, and not at all what I expected. Aiden wasn’t the best singer by any means, but it came straight from his heart. It was song about searching for a ray of hope in a dark world full of tragedy.

My body relaxed as I listened, taking me along for the ride as he sang. I reached out to place my hand on his knee. I don’t know why I did it. I suppose it had something to do with the music making me feel for him. What sort of thing happened to make him create such a depressing but beautiful piece?

He opened his eyes when I touched him, his gaze rolling over to look at me. A smile spread across his face, devilishly handsome, and my stomach fluttered. I wanted to pull my hand away from him, but he took one of his off the piano and placed it over mine. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to make my hands start to shake. I willed my hand to move from his, but I lost the inner strength to do so. The only thing I could do was watch him play. His left hand continued to play, a one sided melody, and his voice returned to a low hum. Then he stopped.

“That was breathtaking,” I whispered.

“Thank you, milady.”

“You wrote that…why would the dreaded Captain Aiden write that?”

Realization dawned on his face. He hadn’t meant to give away his past with this particular song, and it solidified the fact that there was more to him than just a pirate. He was tough on the outside, unbreakable, but there was more underneath. I just had to figure it out.

He didn’t answer my question, rather shook his head and chuckled. “Shall I teach you how to play?”

“I would be delighted to learn.”

Aiden lifted our hands to the keys. “You have to put yourself into the music, let your fingers and your wrists be limp and flow over the keys.” He took my other hand and put it over the keys as well, then moved closer to me. Our sides touched and suddenly I couldn’t sit still. I squirmed, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, so I scooted over in the bench, but he reached out to pull me back to his side.

“You have to stay right here so I can show you.”

He wrapped his right arm my body and placed his hand over mine. Instantly, I was aware of the scent of him—rum and peppermint lingered on his breath. He used those candies to keep his breath fresh, and always had rum on him to drink. It wasn’t surprising, but somehow, it made me feel closer to him. His hands were rough, from many years of sailing
The Devil’s Pearl
with both the helm and the ropes, but it only added to his character. I wondered what his adventures were like, the places he’d seen.

He showed me the different notes and what the different keys meant, taught me how to play the first verse of his song. Occasionally he would pause and
scribble on the piece of paper in front of us. It was instructions for me to follow if I decided to play when he wasn’t around. I watched him with a fevered interest, determined to soak up his knowledge. How a pirate could know such wonderful things was beyond me, but I appreciated his willingness to help me cope on his ship and share a part of himself with me.

“And I expect you to practice,” he said. “Don’t show me I’ve wasted my time.” His voice was rough, but his face held nothing but a proud smile as he gazed at me.

I promised him I would, and I meant it. In that moment, there was nothing else I wanted to do other than learn how to play piano. It would be something I could carry on past my time on the ship.

When he excused himself to go wash up, I blew out all of the candles in the room except for the one beside of the bed. As I slid into the covers, I drifted down into the fabric. My body was more relaxed than it was before sitting at that piano. He was right, it worked. I pulled the covers up to my chin, ready to pretend once again to be asleep. I wasn’t sure I was ready for any sort of pillow talk, even though I felt a little closer to him.

The washroom door creaked, and my breathing increased. I took a deep breath to try and steady it, but it didn’t help. Doubts started to hit me. Maybe I was wrong about all this. Maybe I was about to have a heart attack, something to do with the fact I wasn’t breathing the right air. He placed his weapon on the bedside table with a familiar clank. I felt the shifting of the bed as he lay down beside me.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

I was tempted not to talk like I usually did and pretend to be sleeping, but I found myself wanting to. To make sure I was still alive and kicking.

“A little better.” I didn’t want to give him too much credit.

“I’m thrilled to hear that.” I expected him to continue on, but he left it at that.

For the first time since I boarded his ship, he reached out to me in the darkness and ran his hand through my hair, just as he did earlier. I froze under his touch. It had the same calming effect that it had previously, and I found no need to ask him to stop or try to fight sleep.

“I will watch over you until you fall asleep,” his voice whispered as he continued to run his fingers through each strand carefully. He pulled the covers close to me, tucking the corners in under my toes and around my torso. When he finished, he paused and laid the lightest of kisses on my forehead. “Goodnight, Rae.”

It was the closest to a good night's sleep since boarding
The Devil’s Pearl
.

Chapter Ten

The next morning, I opened my eyes to the sun streaming in to the captain’s quarters. I was surprised to find a strong pair of arms wrapped around me and a hard body pressed to my back. I froze as my stomach flipped. Aiden’s scruffy face was buried in my neck as he slept, unmoving. I wasn’t sure what to do, considering the circumstances. Never before had I woken up with him beside me, or any man for that matter. Heat rushed into my body and I squeezed my thighs together to push it away. I did
not
need my body reacting like that to him.

Slowly, I pulled myself out of his grasp and rolled over to my other side so I could look at him. His hand reached out for me in the space between us, his face scrunching up unhappily. I slid my hand out toward him and lightly touched his hand. It was rough, calloused, and stained with the dirt from being a pirate all these years. His rings sparkled under the sunlight, shades of blue and green reflecting off the golden bands. They were beautiful. I ran my finger over one of them, and the smile curving over his face caught my eye.

“Morning, lass, you trying to steal me jewelry now?”

I snatched my hand back from him, not wanting him to notice the soft way I was watching him. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. “No.”

He laughed, deep and full of sleep, and captured my hand again. His laughter flowed through my body and made chills break out across my skin. I jerked my hand away, but he held on tight. “And what would you like to do today?”

My eyebrow rose in uncertainty. “It’s my choice?”

He nodded. “Aye, this is your ship as much as it is mine and I want you to be happy on it. You seem to be making yourself at home, even though it’s a slow process. I can’t have you jumping off the ship to swim with the fishes again.”

I took a moment to think before I responded. It was very unlike him to be so down to earth and, well, normal when talking to me. There had been a few rare moments where he let me see the man inside, or the fake one he made up, I still wasn’t sure. He made it clear it was
his
ship, and I had no ruling there
.
Although, he was right, I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable aboard the ship. Did that make me a traitor to my people?

“Did I say something wrong, my dear?” he asked, his finger stroking my hand.

“No, I just…” I wouldn’t tell him what was wrong. No, I had to change the subject. I sat up and put some space between us. “Maybe you could tell me one of your great tales. You’re rather well-known, you know.”

He smiled, pleased with my words, and I smiled inwardly. Aiden liked his ego stroked and it successfully turned the conversation away from me. He sat up. “Anything in particular you would like to hear?”

“Whatever you would like to share.”

A thoughtful finger rose to his lips, followed by a nod and a smile. “I’ve got one you would like.” He began to talk excitedly, as he did whenever he told
his crew about stories of himself. His eyes danced in his head, showing just how passionate he was about his tales. “There once was a young lad who lived in Ireland. He was a prince, next in line to be king in fact. From what I gather, he was enthralled with treasures, loved the sea, and owned his own boat. It was named
The Mermaid’s Pearl
. Aye, I remember the first time I laid eyes on that beauty.”

He paused, as if deep in thought, and then continued. “The prince was betrothed to a princess, a beauty unlike you have ever seen, but she carried a deep secret. She was in love with the prince’s first mate. They were working together to take over his ship, and his treasures, his throne even. He was quite the dastardly villain.”

“Oh, I thought that was you,” I teased.

Aiden looked at me in shock. “Why, lass, I’m the hero of this story.”

I laughed. “We will see, continue.”

It only took him a moment to gather his thoughts and continue with the tale, speaking of how the prince recruited him to stop the princess and his first mate in order to teach them a lesson. It was hard for me to believe, and I wasn’t sure I
did
believe him, but I could see how he wooed ladies with his tales. He was so animated with his hands, and his voice was fascinating. He drew me in so I felt as if I was a part of it. I found myself immersed in his tale, worried about the prince, and untrusting of Aiden the pirate.

“But why would a prince call upon a pirate for help?”

“Because I’m the best of the best,” he said, as if I should have known the answer. “He didn’t hire me just because of my reputation. He needed someone ruthless to help him. You see, the traitorous duo also murdered his parents.” His voice softened as he shook his head and continued. “Very sad. The prince was devastated.”

His story echoed my own losses. I cast my eyes away from him. I didn’t want him to see my reaction. 

Aiden furrowed his brows and reached out to cup my face. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just…I get it. I do.”
Shut up, Raewyn, don’t tell him anything.

“You’ve lost someone close to you?”

I bit my lip to try and hold it in, but the words flew out before I could stop him. “My parents.” Opening up to him wasn’t something I had wanted to do, but I couldn’t take it back now.

“Your…parents?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

He pulled me to his chest, and ran his hand down my back to comfort me. “I’m sorry, lass. What happened to them?”

I was shocked that he stopped his story to address my own needs, so I didn’t even think about hiding the next bit of information. “My mother died giving birth to one of my sisters and my father—” I pushed myself out of his arms and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m fine.”

I told him I wouldn’t tell him thing about my family and it slipped. However, I yearned to talk about my mother. I missed her dearly. She both enjoyed and supported me in my endeavor for treasure. She understood loss, and she knew they were something tangible I could hold on to. She was
my one true support in a world full of confusion and grief. I never hid anything from her.

“You’re most certainly not fine,” he insisted.

For a moment, we were both quiet, and I expected him to continue asking more about my family, but he hesitantly picked back up where he left off with his story. I breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile to my face to encourage him to continue. Listening to him allowed me to lose myself again in his tale, forget about my own worries.

“I found that bloody traitor and gutted him with my sword.” He pretended to reach into his pocket and retrieve a sword, swinging his hand around in the air.

“Where were they?”

“Hidden in the basement of the castle. Down where the criminals were kept. Don’t look at me as if I’m a monster, lass. It was one of my finest moments. I was pleased to be able to be the hero for once.”

“I can understand why, seeing as you
are
a villainous pirate,” I teased and reached out to push him playfully.

“Aye, so I am,” he responded quietly, as if he was brought back into reality. Something changed in his demeanor, as if he forgot that one important tidbit of information. He didn’t even flirt back with me as he normally would.

I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, what was said to make him change so quickly, but a knock at the door took his attention away in a second’s time. He pulled away from me, stood up, and walked over to the door without another word. He ran his hands through his hair, but it remained a mess upon his head. As he opened the door, he began to whisper to someone on the other side. Then he shut the door and came back inside, gathering his clothing from the closet, and going into the washroom.

When he emerged, he placed his hat upon his head and turned to me just as he was about to leave the room.

“Meet me below deck at sun down. I will teach you my favorite game. Darts.”

He shut the door behind him, leaving me to wonder what in the world he was talking about.