“What…? What is happening now?” Paulette got to her feet and shielded her eyes against the sun.
As she watched, men emerged from the hold, one after another, bedraggled, sorrowful-looking specimens. Slaves, that much was obvious, and they had been locked in the hold of the ship the pirates had taken. Now liberated, they appeared even more lost and confused.
Raven and her brother were still talking, pointing from one ship to another. Makeshift gangplanks were rigged between the vessels, and the freed captives filed across. Some came onto the Claw, others boarded the Falcon. Suddenly Charlie was at her side.
“Miss, the Cap’n says as ‘ow ’e would like you to ’elp Merrick. They all need feedin’ an’ water to drink.”
“What?”
The lad repeated the request. “Ye’re to ’elp Merrick to get ’em all fed, if you would, miss. The Cap’n said—”
“Yes. Yes, of course.” Paulette gave herself a mental shake. “And perhaps we can find some blankets. They will need somewhere to sleep…”
The next couple of hours passed in a whirl of activity. Thirty-one dazed, hungry, terrified ex-slaves shuffled onto the Claw, and Paulette was determined to do her best for them. The weakest she directed down into the makeshift infirmary where there were blankets and pallets, and the rest had to make do with whatever space they could find on the deck. She and Merrick slopped out bowl after bowl of fish soup, while Charlie ran back and forth delivering it to their unexpected guests.
After the slaves came several large chests. Paulette assumed this to be the treasure taken from the Spanish vessel. There looked to be plenty, so Raven would undoubtedly be pleased with his day’s work.
He was the last to return, and at once sought out Paulette in the tiny ship’s galley.
“Are you all right?” he wanted to know. “You were not injured?”
“No, I am fine. A bit shaken by all the din, but that is all.”
He kissed her hair. “That is good. Thank you for helping out with all of these extra mouths we now must feed. How are our supplies?”
“We will need to take on fresh vegetables as soon as possible, and our fresh water supply is dwindling.”
He nodded. “We will set the men who are strong enough to work fishing and helping with our repairs. Some might even opt to remain as crew. The rest, we will drop on Santa Natalia to do as well as they might as free men, but we will first detour to Havana to replenish our supplies.”
“You do not mean to sell the slaves, then?” She sincerely hoped not and did not imagine the men would have been allowed to roam freely about the ship if they were to be sold as goods.
“That is not my way,” he replied. “No man should be enslaved, and I will have no part of it. They are all free men now. We will provide safe passage. It is the best we can do. And now, I must see to it that the rest of my cargo, that portion I do intend to sell, is safely stowed away.” He kissed her again and clattered back up onto the deck to supervise the lowering of the chests into the hold.
Two hours later, Paulette made her way back down to the cabin she shared with Raven. She paused to check on the men in the infirmary, made sure they had fresh water to hand and that a crew man was with them. There was little enough more she could offer, but they appeared content enough. Exhausted, she continued on.
Her stint in the galley had afforded her plenty of time to think, and she had reached a decision. Whilst her reunion with her brother had remained an aspiration, and, she had increasingly come to realise, a somewhat optimistic one at that, the reality of it had not been so apparent. The implications of finding Will would entail inevitable separation from Raven, and the more she thought of that, the less she liked the notion. She and Raven had never discussed a future together, but that was the life Paulette wanted, with all her heart. She had not fully appreciated how much she wanted to stay with him on board the Claw until the end was, quite literally, in sight.
That single glimpse of Will was sufficient to jolt her firmly back into the realms of reality. She was overjoyed to see him safe and well, but she realised that she must avoid ‘finding’ him. She would say nothing to Raven about having caught sight of him, or that the Falcon was her brother’s ship. She was fairly certain that she had never mentioned him or his vessel by name.
Raven would not abandon her. He would not leave her alone on Santa Laura, so when her brother was nowhere to be found, he would take her with him, she was sure of it.
It was a pity, she would have loved to be properly reunited with Will, but this was the best way. She entered the cabin, her decision made. Will Falconer, captain of the Falcon, would remain her secret.
Raven was already there. Her had changed his clothes and was seated at his desk plotting a course, she assumed, to Havana.
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Ah, there you are. You just have time to put on your pretty yellow dress.”
Paulette furrowed her brow. “My dress? Why do I need to change? This one is not dirtied.”
“The yellow is the better gown, and you said it is your favourite. We are to have visitors, and you will want to look your best.”
“Visitors? Do you mean Velvet?” Paulette was bewildered. The first mate did spend time with them in their cabin quite often, but there was never any question of dressing for the occasion.
“No. The captain of the other ship and his lady companion are to eat with us this evening. You must have seen the Falcon, also intent upon relieving the Spaniards of their gold.”
“I…yes, but—”
“Her captain is a friend of mine. His name is Will Falconer, and he is to dine with us tonight.”
“Will Falconer? You…you know him?”
“Aye, I do. He’s good company. You will like him, I daresay. And some feminine company will be welcome, surely. They are due here at any moment, so be quick. Do you need me to assist you into the gown?”
“No. I mean… I can’t. I… I feel unwell. Could we not—?”
Her stammerings were interrupted by a rap on the door. “Cap’n, yer guests are here,” Charlie yelled from outside. “Are ye both decent?”
“Ah, well, no time to change after all. As you say, sweetheart, the red looks perfectly fine.” Raven winked at her, then called back to Charlie. “Send them in.”
Her world slowed. Colours faded into greys. Paulette fought back nausea, reached for the table to steady herself.
Raven stood to greet their guests.
Will entered first, stooping to pass through the doorway as Raven always had to. He was big, blond, the very image of what she had always fancied a god to be like in her childish imaginings. When she was very little, her older brother had seemed like a god to her, and despite the knowledge that his presence spelled the end of her dream with Raven, she could not fail to be glad to see him.
Raven greeted Will warmly. The two shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder, then Raven turned to bring her forward.
“This is Paulette,” he announced. “My…guest on board the Claw.”
Will’s eyes locked with hers. They widened, a deep and penetrating dark brown. He frowned, momentarily perplexed, but recognition quickly dawned.
“Holy fuck, what are you doing here? With him?”
“I… It is not—”
Whatever Paulette might have managed to offer by way of explanation was lost when Will turned and swung his fist in Raven’s direction. Her brother had the benefit of surprise, and the blow landed full on Raven’s jaw, sending him sprawling backwards over the desk he had just vacated.
“What the…?” Raven sprang back immediately and launched himself at Will.
Somehow, she had no notion how, Paulette managed to get between the two brawling men. “Stop. Wait. I can explain…”
“Sweetheart, this has nothing to do with you., Now, step aside and let me—”
“It has everything to do with her, you rutting bastard,” Will roared. “You’ve laid your filthy hands on my sister.”
“Your…?” Raven narrowed his eyes at Paulette. “Is this true?”
She nodded, tears streaming across her cheeks. “Yes, but I had no idea… I only saw Will today, and I—”
“You saw him? Earlier?”
“Yes, but I thought…. I mean, I wanted…”
“Why did you not say?” Raven appeared genuinely bewildered. “You were desperate to find your brother. Why did you not tell me you had seen him?”
“Maybe because she knew what I would have to say about finding her here, cosied up with one of the worst reprobates to roam the sea. If you’ve hurt her, I shall—”
“He has not hurt me,” Paulette sobbed. “He would never do that.”
“You don’t know what he is like. I do, I’ve seen him with women. Fuck, I’ve shared a good few with him.”
“Falconer, shut up,” Raven growled.
“What have you done to her?”
“None of your business,” Raven snarled. “And now we have that established, you can fuck off back to your own ship.”
“She comes with me.”
“Paulette is staying here.”
“So you can continue to make a whore of her, I think not.”
Paulette gasped. This time she was nowhere near quick enough to prevent Raven from landing a sickening punch to her brother’s jaw. Will staggered back against the door, shook his tawny mane, and lunged for Raven. The two rolled across the floor of the cabin, exchanging blows and grunted expletives.
Paulette ran to the door and screamed for help.
Velvet appeared within moments, followed by four more burly crew men.
“Stop them, please. They will kill one another.”
Velvet peered with interest at the sight before him. “I do not think it will quite come to that, mademoiselle.”
“Please, you must help.”
“Mon capitaine is winning, is he not? All will be well.”
“No, no, you don’t understand. The other man, he is my brother. I… I don’t want him hurt. I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”
“Your brother? Ah, well, yes, I can see that this will be more awkward, then. Perhaps you are right, mademoiselle.” Velvet strode over the brawling men and signalled to those who had accompanied him to assist as best they might. Between them they succeeded in dragging the pair apart, and once again, Paulette was able to insert herself between them.
“Stop. No more fighting. We must talk. I can explain…”
“There will be no talking, and you have nothing to explain,” Raven ground out. “This bastard called you a whore. I will not have that.”
“You have called me worse, or at least as bad.”
“That is different, and you know it. In any case, I love you, so—”
“She is my sister. I love her, too. She’s far too good to warm the bed of a thieving brigand like you.”
Raven’s lip curled into a sneer. “On that we may be agreed, but still, she is mine, and I intend to keep her.”
“You imagine I would allow you to hold her here against her will?” Will struggled to throw off the determined grasp of those men holding him. “She returns with me to the Falcon,”
“I… I want to stay.”
The eyes of all the men in the cabin were on her now. Paulette repeated her words.
“I love him, too, and I want to stay with Raven.” She moved to his side and gingerly touched her finger to his lip, already badly swollen. A smear of blood trickled from his nose. He winced but did not break her gaze.
“You have never said.”
“I wanted to. But you said nothing either.”
“I would have, when we reached Santa Natalia, and if we found the ship. Until then, there was no point. I did not wish to give you any cause to suspect I would not try to locate your brother as I had promised, though I had no wish at all to find him.”
“Me neither, though I only realised that today.”
“What are you saying? You were looking for me?” Will appeared fractionally calmer now. “Why? I thought you were nicely settled in New Orleans. You had work in a respectable house. Why leave all of that to seek me out?”
“I was accused of stealing and sent off without references or any way of getting another job. I had no idea what else to do apart from make my way to Santa Natalia to find you. Raven was kind enough to offer his help.”
“His help?” One blond eyebrow arched. “Is that what we are calling it now? You were desperate, he used your plight for his own ends.”
“He did not. He has not forced me to do anything I did not wish to. He has been kind and…and…I love him, and if he wants me to remain with him, I will do so. Happily.”
“Paulette, you don’t know what you are saying. He is a pirate, and—”
“As you are.”
“Yes, but…”
“I love him, Will. Is that not enough? And he loves me.”
“Bloody hell,” her brother muttered. “You were ever a foolhardy, wilful wench.” He turned his baleful gaze on Raven, one eye already half-closed. “If you hurt her, I mean, really hurt her, you bastard, you will answer to me for it. Do we understand one another?”
“I will not hurt her.”
“Even so, I am her brother, and I will have your word on it.”
Raven let out a grumpy snort. “Aye, her brother. Very well, in that case, you have my word.”
“You will not fight?” Paulette ventured, cautiously.
“No, we will not fight,” Raven agreed.
Will merely nodded.
“You can let go of them, I think. And, thank you for your help earlier.” Paulette smiled as sweetly as she could manage at Velvet and the crewmen who had broken up the fight. “I shall call if we require further assistance, but I believe we have kept you long enough. Thank you again…”
At a curt command from Raven, which basically reinforced what Paulette had said, the men filed out of the door. Raven went to close it, then paused, his hand on the handle.
“Ah, hello. I did not see you there. You must be…”
He gestured to someone to enter.
“Ruby. I am… Ruby.” The woman offered a timid smile and stepped forward to stand beside Will.
He draped an arm over her shoulders. “My companion, I told you of her.”
Now it was Paulette’s turn to stand and gape as recognition dawned. Hard on its heels came white-hot anger. She had hoped, nay, firmly expected, never to have to lay eyes on this woman again.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, marching up to glare into the other woman’s startled features. “Was it not enough for you that you ruined my life? Do you now spout your lies for my brother, too?”
Will tightened his embrace about the woman’s shoulders. “Paulette? What are you saying? This is Ruby, and—”
Paulette cut off Will’s words with a slash of her hand. “She is lying. Her name is not Ruby.”
“Do you know her?” Will asked. “Have you met before?”
“Oh yes, we have met before.” She glared at the other woman, took in the fiery red curls falling almost to her waist, her mossy-green eyes, her pale complexion, her slender, willowy build, and noted that her right hand was tightly bandaged. She was dressed well enough in a gown of green muslin, though less grandly than Paulette recalled, and her hair no longer framed her delicate features in an elegantly styled coiffure. Even so, there was no mistaking the woman’s identity. “This is the woman who falsely accused me of being a thief and turned me out onto the streets. The woman you call Ruby is Madame Elisabeth Chirac, wife to the mayor of New Orleans. And I am intrigued to know how she came to be sailing with you…”
About Ashe Barker
Ashe Barker whiles away her time in the wilds of Yorkshire, England, writing smutty books and drinking Earl Grey tea. She loves writing historical stories and has a particular passion for masterful, take-charge heroes.
When not writing Ashe enjoys digital photography, reading erotic stories, pole dancing (though not
especially well), and listening to Bon Jovi. Loud.
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Rogue Booty
by Golden Angel
Chapter 1
Blythe
"That's the bloke you want." The whore nodded her head to indicate Blythe's target, rather than pointing. Pointing would draw attention, which wasn't something either of them wanted.
Casually, Blythe shifted her weight so that she could see the man the whore was indicating, just a little ways down the road in the crowd. Even on a lane full of rogues and reprobates, he managed to stand out. Tall, commanding, and not conventionally handsome but definitely striking. He had black curly hair, dark eyes like the Devil, and his skin declared his mixed heritage. The sheer confidence and aura of raw sexuality that he gave off was enough to draw the attention of nearly every woman who laid eyes on him.
"That's Captain Jake Raw?" she asked quietly, her eyes skirting back to the redhead she'd paid for information. The buxom beauty shook her head and Blythe frowned.
"That's his brother and first mate of the Rawbone, Mack Raw," the woman explained. She leaned in to Blythe. "It's said they like to share their women between them and they're as good at pleasurin' as they are at plunderin'." This salacious little tidbit obviously intrigued the whore. "Ain't that something? I wouldn't even charge for a ride like that." She grinned widely, her eyes still on Mack Raw as he prowled down the street away from them.
The man did have a shapely ass.
Startled by the thought, Blythe shook her head. That wasn't what she was interested in him for.
She just needed an introduction to his brother.
The Rawbone was the most feared pirate ship currently sailing the seas. They were ruthless but not merciless, unless the ship they boarded was a slaver. Those crews were slaughtered, the slaves freed, the ship patched up and added to their growing fleet. Merchants surrendered immediately rather than fight, and as long as they did so they lived to sail another day.
Pirates, Passion and Plunder Page 19
