by Sophie Stern
“And you know that you matter here?”
She turned around to face him, stroking his beard with a soft smile.
“I’d like to think that I matter, at least to you.”
“You matter,” he whispered.
She nodded softly before kissing him. She didn’t seem to care that they were in the open deck. By now, the men likely already knew that the two of them were fucking. If they hadn’t figured it out yet, they never would, so it didn’t really matter, anyway.
Wade pressed his lips against hers. She tasted like the salty sea and like lust. She was perfect against him, perfect in every way. His tongue explored her softly, then faster, taking everything she had to offer him in that moment.
“Wade,” she whispered against him, breaking their kiss for just a moment.
“Yes, love?” He asked.
“I love being here,” she said. “With you, with the boys. I love this.”
“I know you do,” he said, kissing her again.
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t think you do.”
Without another word, she dropped to her knees, not bothering to see if anyone else was on deck. She suspected, and dearly hoped, that no one was awake yet. She tugged at Wade’s pants, pulling them down until his cock sprang free. He was still facing out over the ocean and she was facing him, the only thing between him and the rail of the ship.
Julianne leaned forward and kissed the end of his cock gently, licking it slowly. He let out a small gasp as she took his length in her mouth, taking as much as she could. She licked up and down, taking time to gently squeeze and massage his balls.
He hissed, grabbing her hair as she continued to suckle him. His cock was hard as he thrust into her mouth. Julianne gasped at the intrusion in her throat, but did her best to relax.
“That’s it, love,” Wade murmured, gripping her hair tighter. “Take all of me. Take it all.”
Julianne grabbed his ass and pulled him deeper into herself. The action was all Wade needed to push him over the edge and he came, slowly shuddering, in her mouth. Julianne swallowed his juices before she slowly licked his cock, cleaning him off.
She pulled his pants back up and stood in front of him, watching him quietly.
Yes, she had just blown him on deck: every captain’s dream.
Wade grabbed Julianne’s waist and pulled her in for a dark kiss.
“Does that mean you liked it?” She whispered.
“Darling,” Wade smiled. “That means I loved it.”
18
When she wasn’t locked away in the cabin, Julianne frequently found herself standing with Buck in the galley. She was good at cooking, perhaps because she had been raised to be a proper housewife, but cooking on a ship was different. Buck displayed more patience than she thought possible as he showed her the way around the ship’s kitchen.
Almost every day, she would wander to the kitchen and perform the tasks Buck needed help with. Though it was hard work, she’d do it without complaining, and the two of them slowly began to form a comfortable camaraderie.
One night, Julianne stood at the counter chopping fish. The galley was hot and she was sweating, but she brushed away the droplets that beaded on her forehead. This was one of the worst jobs, but someone had to do it, and Julianne felt like she should earn her keep.
“Why cooking?” Julianne asked, trying to get her mind off of things.
“Eh?” Asked Buck. He was getting older, and a little hard of hearing, but he could hold his own in battle. All of the younger pirates had nothing but respect for the man.
“Why did you want to become a cook?” She asked again. “I’ve never met anyone who enjoyed preparing food as much as you.”
Buck smiled and continued slicing an apple.
“It started when I was just a boy,” he told Julianne. “When I would watch my mother cook, I watched her drift away to a land where things were different.”
“What do you mean?” Julianne asked, trying to imagine Buck as a small lad.
“We were quite poor,” he told Julianne. “I didn’t have a father, only a mother, and she worked as much and as hard as she could. She was always tired and always sick, but when she cooked, she didn’t seem so sad anymore.” Buck looked thoughtful as he continued. “She always had a smile on her face when she cooked. She always sang and hummed.”
“That sounds nice,” Julianne commented, thinking of her own mother. While her parents had never been outright mean to her, they had always been openly disappointed that she wasn’t a boy. They had big dreams for Nelson, but when it came to Julianne, her parents simply planned to marry her off as quickly as they could.
And then there had been Vince.
Julianne tried not to think of how she would have ended up had she been forced to marry the evil man. Would she have become a single mother, the way Buck’s mom had? Would she have been killed or forgotten? Would she have broken?
She didn’t want to think about it.
She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was safe.
She was with Wade now, miles and miles away from Gunthry, and she would never have to go back.
She would never have to face those demons again.
She would never have to be scared of the people who raised her, of the people who were willing to give her away.
“What about you, child?” Buck asked softly. He cocked his head as he looked at Julianne, as if he were trying to analyze her. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. A broken girl? A hopeful girl? A seductive girl?
She wasn’t sure.
“Julianne!” A voice boomed from upstairs.
Julianne looked at Buck, silently asking if she should go or stay. She wasn’t done cutting the fish yet, but Wade was calling her. He never called that loudly.
“Go on, now,” Buck urged her, taking her knife.
Julianne nodded, wiped her hands clean on a towel, and murmured her thanks to Buck. Then she disappeared through the door and headed up to the deck. When she arrived, Wade and most of the crew were standing around, staring at a beautiful, lush island.
“What’s that?” Julianne asked, her mouth suddenly watery. The trees that lined the beach had some of the biggest, ripest fruits that she had ever seen. She imagined walking along the beach, eating as much as she wanted to. “We should stop there.”
“We’ll never stop there,” Wade told her firmly.
“Why not?” She asked. “What is it?”
“Dragon Isle,” he said simply, then pointed.
Julianne looked back toward the island and gasped when she saw what Wade was pointing to. A huge beast flew out from the trees, circling the beach and staring at the boat. Its eyes flashed dark as it breathed out a huff of fire, lighting some of the trees on fire.
She had never seen a dragon in real life before, but she got its message all right: stay away.
“Why doesn’t it like us?” She asked.
“Because most pirates are dragon hunters,” said Wade.
“And you’re not?”
He shrugged.
“I never saw the need to kill a dragon,” he told her. “I never saw the need to kill something bigger than me to feel better about myself.”
She thought about what he had said as they continued past the island. Once the dragon saw that they had no intention of landing on its beach or attacking its kind, he stopped blowing fire and instead landed on the beach. As Julianne watched, the dragon grew smaller and smaller until it eventually reached the size of an ordinary man.
And it was an ordinary man.
A shifter?
She had never seen one, though she had heard stories of such creatures. Julianne looked back to Wade, but he just shrugged, as if watching a monstrous creature turn into a real-life man was an everyday event.
Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her as they continued on their journey.
19
The ship made port the next morning at Frux. Most of the men left the ship t
o find temporary companionship, including Nelson. Julianne raised her eyebrows when she saw her brother leave with the other men, but said nothing. Nelson was a grown man. If he wanted to pay for it, that was his right. It’s not like Julianne had any room to talk. She was exchanging sex for room and board on The Dark Lovely, after all. Oh, she wanted to think it was more than that.
There was something she’d learned since joining the band of pirates, though. Julianne had discovered that there was a fierce loyalty to the ship, to the crew, to one another. Nelson and Wade would do anything for The Dark Lovely, and Julianne wondered what would happen to her if she got in the way of that somehow.
There would come a day when she wanted more than the ship could offer.
There would be a time when she wanted a family, a life, a home.
She knew Wade would not give up his dreams of piracy for her simply because she felt like having babies and planting a garden.
That was not a pirate’s way.
“Let’s go,” Wade guided her off the ship. She followed him quietly into the town and down the main road. She knew that Buck would be in these stores, buying food and supplies for the next part of the journey, and there were a few things that Wade needed to buy, too.
But Julianne couldn’t help eyeing the beautiful dresses and shoes in the windows. She couldn’t help watching the other women here, both the ones who were whores and the ones who were not. They were all so beautiful.
She thought, for just a moment, about what her life would be like if she had chosen to follow the path her parents laid out for her. She would be married, certainly, but would she feel the way she did now?
Would she feel as free as she did riding The Dark Lovely with Wade?
Somehow, Julianne knew without a doubt she would not. Even if she hadn’t married Vince, even if her husband had been some other man, he wouldn’t make her feel the way the Saucy Devil did.
He wouldn’t show her the freedom the seas offered.
He wouldn’t offer her adventure and intrigue.
He certainly wouldn’t pin her down and make her beg for his cock.
Despite the hint of danger, there was something about Wade that made her feel safe and certain. He was a pirate, but somehow, Julianne thought of him as her pirate, and that wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
“I need to go speak with someone,” Wade told Julianne quietly. Her eyes darted to his. Was he leaving her alone in Frux? She would be okay, she knew. Frux was not one of the wildest places to stop, especially for a day or two, but still, she would like to stay with Wade.
As if reading her mind, he chuckled quietly.
“Very well,” he said. “You may come along, but you need to know something.” Julianne nodded, waiting for him to continue. “This is not a peaceful visit. I'm not stopping by to visit an old friend. I'm seeking information that will ensure the safety of my crew on this journey.”
“What makes you think he'll give you what you want to know?” She asked. “If he's so bad, I mean. Why would this guy just tell you?”
He held out a small necklace that had been hidden in his pocket. She recognized it as one of the treasures he had plundered just the other day. He had taken it from the ship where he’d nearly been killed. It was the day he’d come back covered in blood that was not his own.
“He wants this.” He fingered the necklace delicately. “And I want to know everything I can about the Isle of Changers,” he told her.
“The Isle of Changers?” Asked Julianne. “Like shifters? Like the dragons?”
He just took his head.
“The Isle of Changers is not an island of shifters,” he told her. “It’s something more. Something darker. There is magic there.”
Julianne wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that.
Magic?
Real magic?
"At least," Wade added with a wink. "There are myths of magic."
Julianne had heard stories, of course. They all had, but this was something different. Seeing the dragon shifters had made her realize that the world was much bigger than she had always believed. It was much deeper than she could have imagined.
And now there was magic.
“What happens on the Isle of Changers?” Julianne asked. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer, but curiosity got the best of her. Wade didn’t have to tell her, of course, but she was going to find out sooner or later. When you lived on a ship, no matter how big or small, word spread quickly and secrets were difficult, if not impossible, to keep.
Wade sighed for a moment and looked at her. Was he trying to decide if she was trustworthy? Surely he knew by now that she was not going to betray him. Then again, that was the funny thing about betrayal. It never came from your enemies.
"We have to pass by the isle to get to Mad Drake's ship. Only one person has ever made it onto the island and lived to tell the tale. We can't go in blind. Unfortunately, Dead Man Pepper is the only one who can give us the information we need. He's not particularly nice or friendly. He doesn't much care for visitors."
"And that's who you stole the necklace for."
Wade nodded, obviously glad Julianne was catching up. She felt so stupid trying to follow along, but she wasn't a pirate: she was a lady. Sort of. She didn't know how these things worked. She felt like she should know, but she didn't. Wade was always pouring over maps and muttering to himself, but Julianne rarely listened to the things he mumbled about.
She was trying to give him his privacy by drowning herself in novels, but now she chided herself for not paying enough attention. She was going along with Wade now. She only hoped that she wouldn't do anything to mess it up.
She might know how to entertain high society.
She might even know how to throw a dinner party.
Julianne did not know how to talk to a retired pirate, though.
She didn’t know how to get information.
She didn’t know how to pry.
She took a deep breath and followed Wade down the path to the man’s home. It was now or never. Luckily, she’d always been a fast learner.
**
Dead Man Pepper was old and a little bit crazy. Anyone could see that he was old and most people could see that he was crazy, but that didn't seem to keep anyone from stopping by his house to bother him or pester him with questions.
He wasn't particularly keen on taking in visitors or on meeting new people, so he made every attempt possible to push people away. His newest tactic? Requiring a token of worthiness before he would meet with someone.
He had been circulating a list for many years now of certain treasures or items he should like to have. If someone managed to get their hands on one of the items that Dead Man Pepper wanted, he would gladly sit and speak with them for a few minutes, happy to share his life's knowledge before he died.
Well, happy enough, for the price he was asking.
Until now, only two people had shown up with requested items and asked him questions about his experience at the Isle. Both of those men were now, last he heard, quite dead. Serves them right. He warned them against going near that forsaken island. He told them not to do it, but did they listen to ol’ Pepper?
Nay.
When the pirate and his wench showed up on Pepper's doorstep, he was busy sitting in his favorite chair, staring out his favorite window. He saw them come up his steps and he didn't bother moving. What were the odds they had anything he wanted? He wasn't much for people and he wasn't much for being social, especially not today.
What he was for was the occasional oddity: a stolen bracelet or a forgotten heirloom, things other people forgot about and ignored but that he never did.
The man, the pirate, knocked, but Pepper remained in his chair for a moment. Surely this man would take a hint and leave, but the fellow did not. He knocked again and again until Pepper finally got up out of his seat.
"Yeah, yeah. Hold on," he muttered. "I'm comin', I'm comin'."
He swung the door open and raised
an eyebrow. He pasted his best pirate sneer on his face. Though he had been retired for many years, he still remembered his looting days quite well and wasn't one to forgo scaring youngsters when he could.
The pirate was unfazed.
Instead of shirking away or apologizing, instead of running away, he held up the necklace.
Dead Man Pepper just gasped.
He hadn't seen the Ocean's Whore in nearly twenty years. He couldn't quite believe that the damn thing still existed, nor that this man had managed to get his hands on it.
"Come in," he said simply, and stepped aside.
The unlikely duo came in, smelling of saltwater and freedom. They chose to stand as Dead Man Pepper closed the door and returned to his seat. He was quite old and moved quite slowly, but both the pirate and the woman were quiet and patient as the old man got comfortable.
"What can I do for you?" Pepper asked. He wasn't sure what to think of this pair. The man was tall, but stood even taller. He held himself with an air of dignity. A captain? He must be a captain. No way would any ol' first mate carry himself the way this man did. Not possible.
The woman, Pepper observed, looked timid, almost shy. She felt out of her element. He wondered why. Upon closer inspection, she didn't look like a whore, which meant she had to know the captain quite well. His lover, perhaps? No, any lover of a pirate so brave as to capture the necklace Mad Drake's first love wore would be standing stronger than this lass.
She looked terrified.
She looked like she might break at any moment.
Dead Man Pepper sunk further into his seat. He wondered what the hell they wanted in exchange for the necklace.
20
Wade waited until the old man was comfortable in his chair before he began to tell him what he was after.
"My name is Captain Wade Docherty. I seek the Cursed Hangman," he began, and Pepper rolled his eyes. Wade should have expected it, really. Not much was known about Dead Man Pepper except that, well, he should have been dead. He was the only man known to have been stranded on the Isle of Changers and lived to talk about it.
