by ML Guida
Ronan turned to fight, not that he was in any shape to fight, but surrender wasn’t in his nature.
Angelica reached the port side and pushed him overboard. He fell into cool blue water. Pain gripped him as salt stung the lashes on his back and sunburned body. He sucked in water and gagged, his legs flailing beneath him, his hair covering his face. His heart racing, he sank like an anchor.
Someone splashed into the water beside him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the surface. He inhaled a sweet feminine fragrance, and the tenseness in his muscles relaxed.
A gentle hand pushed the hair out of his face, and he stared into Angelica’s concerned deep blue eyes. “Are you well?”
He spat out water. “I’m not a good swimmer.”
“But you’re a pirate.”
A wave splashed over him, and he swallowed salt water, blocking out his gurgled answer. He swam harder, but he sank lower. Angelica pushed his hand off her arm, and he thrashed the water, kicking and clawing. Sea water filled his lungs, squeezing his air. Blimey, he was going to drown!
Glowing golden hair billowed beneath him. Angelica swam in front of him and wrapped both his arms around her neck, pulling him to the surface. He coughed and sucked in air.
“Hang on tight,” she said.
“I’ll drown you.”
She laughed. “You forget. I’m an undine. Even in human form, I can swim as fast as a dolphin. I’ll take us to the Phoenix.”
Through the black smoke above on the Fiery Damsel, a pirate leaned over the port side and pointed. “Palmer, there they are.”
“Bloody hell,” Ronan grumbled. He’d naught to fight them with, not in the water.
Palmer rushed to the side, grabbed the pirate, and tossed him overboard. “Get them, you fool.”
The man screamed as he plummeted toward the sea, but before he splashed into the water, he changed into a bat. His wings wide, he dove, talons stretched out. More pirates jumped off the ship, transforming into bats and rushing at them.
Ronan grimaced. He couldn’t change into a bat at free will like the crew of the Fiery Damsel. He could only change during the full moon.
“Hold your breath,” Angelica warned.
Ronan didn’t have time to argue and took a deep breath. Talons scraped his shoulders. He swung his arm, knocking the bat into the water. Deep red scratches scraped his flesh, sending stinging pain up his arm. “There’s no way I can keep this up,” he panted. “I’m...too...weak.”
“Hang on to me.”
He wrapped his arm around her tight, and she dove. His eyes burned, and blond and black hair clouded his vision. He held on to her tight, trying not to choke her to death, but panic consumed him. His heart threatened to burst through his chest, and he couldn’t breathe. He wanted to let go of her and claw his way to the surface, but he clung to Angelica, trusting her. She swam faster than he thought possible. His muscles went slack, and he tried to hang on, but his fingers were slipping.
Something large loomed in front of them. Lichen and clams covered wood, and a rudder moved back and forth. Mother of Mercy, ’twas the haul of the Fiery Damsel.
Stay in control. Trust Angelica.
He bumped his head on the bottom of the hull. Pain slammed into his skull. He cried out. Air gushed out of his mouth as water rushed in, burning his lungs. Dizziness swam in his head. He kicked his legs, but he was too weak. His fingers betrayed him, slipping off Angelica’s sleek body. He twirled down to a watery grave.
Pliant lips kissed him and forced his mouth open. Rather than salt water, sweet air breathed into him. His rapid heartbeat slowed, dizziness faded. Soft golden light surrounded him. Not knowing how she did this, he wrapped his arms around Angelica’s soft curvy body. She chased away the fear, filling him with calmness.
She’d done it. He wouldn’t drown.
Angelica pulled her mouth away. He stared into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Her hair fanned around her body; her skin shimmered. His eyes widened. He could breathe underwater. He was too stunned to move and sank.
She clasped his hand, pulling him away from the Damsel’s long hull, swimming toward the surface. The Fiery Damsel was behind them, retreating, her sails burning, bits of canvas falling into the ocean. Men raced around the ship, putting out fire with buckets of water, dousing the dying black smoke.
A long shadow crossed over them, blocking out the sun’s warm rays. Ronan smiled. The Soaring Phoenix had sustained damage with a massive hole in the main sail and fires on the brig, but she was proud and strong.
Angelica kissed his cheek. “I told you to trust me.”
“I do. With my life.”
Something pumped his leg, pushing him into Angelica, and he clutched her tight. “There’s something beneath us.”
“You mean a shark?”
He arched his back, pushing her away.
“Ronan!”
Hands or tentacles grabbed his legs, and before he slipped under, he sucked in a gulp of air. Salt stung his eyes, but his lungs were no longer burning, and he was surprisingly calm. Something gripped his legs tight. He kicked and pounded his fist, but he saw feet dangling beneath him. He blinked. It was William in human form. He grabbed William’s arm and hauled him to the surface.
“O’Brien,” Ronan said. “What the hell are you doin’?”
William shook his head. “Mariah. She…cast a spell, and I wrestled that damn black stone. But...” He paused, gasping. “It dragged me down. I had to fight…my…up.”
Angelica clutched both men’s arms and swam toward the Phoenix without gasping for air. He couldn’t believe her strength, not even Amadi, the strongest man he knew, could do this.
“You’re white, Ronan.” Angelica looked over her shoulder. “You need blood. We need to go aboard the Phoenix.”
Ronan wanted to deny it, but ’twas true. Every pore screamed for blood. “There’s no hosts aboard the ship.”
“There’s me,” she said.
He remembered how Hannah had offered her blood to him when he’d been tortured and beaten aboard the Fiery Damsel. He’d nearly drained her. She’d fainted, and because of him, their escape almost failed. Blood drove him mad. “No!”
***
Angelica reached the Phoenix. Although weak, William could swim and kicked his legs behind him, but Ronan was spent. He labored to breathe and lay heavily onto her, barely moving his limbs. His hair hung in his face, and the weight of his body nearly pulled all three of them into the water. If she’d been human, he’d have drowned all of them.
William waved his arm. “Kane!”
But his voice was too weak, and he spat out water. He swam toward the Phoenix, leaving her with Ronan.
Kane stood on the port side, his spyglass trained on the Fiery Damsel. Cannon fire hurt Angelica’s ears, and she winced.
Ronan wrapped his arm around her neck like a coiling snake, cutting off her air. She pulled on his arm, but he only tightened his grip. White and black dots danced in front of her eyes. Lord, she was going to pass out. “William,” she squeaked. “Help.”
Waves splashed into her face, blinding her. She gagged and dug her nails into Ronan’s flesh, but he didn’t cry out. He must have passed out. William swam farther and farther ahead of them. The Soaring Phoenix sailed past him, the wake washing over him and pushing him back out to sea. He swung his arm and yelled.
Angelica tried to call on her powers, but she had spent all she had saving the two men.
Isabella, Penelope, help me! Please!
But her call was too weak in this human form. If they heard, they’d never get here in time.
She and Ronan sank deeper into the ocean, and she fought to bring them to the surface. Her lungs burned, and her heart pounded hard.
William lifted out of the water into the air, moving toward the Phoenix.
Angelica’s heart stopped. Was it Zuto? Had he spun a spell clear out here and was going to take him back to the Fiery Damsel?
But she glanced up and saw Maria
h, her arms stretched over head. Her racing heart lessened, but she and Ronan weren’t safe yet.
Men ran around the deck to help William, but no one saw them. Angelica called out, but her voice was drowned out by another angry wave. The salt water stung her cuts, and her bruises throbbed from where Palmer had brutalized her. Her undine strength had waned after swimming under the Fiery Damsel and blowing air into Ronan’s mouth to keep him alive. She and Ronan dipped under the sea, and his arms slowly slid off her neck. She clasped his arms tight, but she was tired, so damn tired.
She closed her eyes, and with her mind, sent a message through the sea. “Sisters, hear me. I need of you.”
No answer came. Her sisters were too far away or her message was too weak.
Something pumped hard into her, and she lost her grip. A gray fin glided away from her. She dived underwater and grabbed Ronan’s arm. He was all muscle and his weight pulled on her arms. Water slowly filled her lungs. How could this be happening? She was an undine.
She glanced sideways. The shark rushed toward them, jaws opened. She pushed herself in front of Ronan and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.
Water slid off her, and she clutched Ronan tight. His dead weight vanished. She screamed, “No!”
Surprised she didn’t gulp water, she opened her eyes. She and Ronan hovered in the air, droplets splashing into the ocean. The shark jumped out of the water, its black eyes rolled back, jaws wide. Ronan’s arm unraveled around her neck. Her heart thundering and blood surging through her, she clasped Ronan’s arm tight, but his slippery arm slid down her fingers. “Ronan, wake up!”
But she only got a groan. The beast skimmed across his feet, narrowly missing him, but it splashed back into the sea, spraying Ronan’s dangling legs. Angelica struggled to hold on to him. The beast swam circles beneath them, waiting for its meal to crash into the water.
“Help us!”
She and Ronan moved slowly away from the shark. Ronan’s fingers slipped through Angelica’s hand. “No! Hang on!”
He splashed back into the ocean, and the shark barreled down on his unconscious body that half floated and half sunk into the sea.
Angelica struggled in the air and tried to dive into the ocean.
“Stop, or I’ll drop you!” a female voice yelled.
Angelica looked toward the ship and spotted Hannah standing on the port side next to Mariah, her palms facing her. Blood dripped down her nose. She moved her arms, gliding Angelica toward the Phoenix’s deck.
“Ronan.” Angelica pointed at Ronan. “Save him, not me!”
Mariah waved her wand. “I have him.” She muttered something, but Angelica couldn’t hear. A wave lifted Ronan, and it rushed him toward the Phoenix. The shark swam behind, but the wave out-distanced the beast. Angelica smiled, wiping the tears off her cheeks.
Something else—something with dark hair and a silver and blue gown—swam behind the shark. Angelica held her breath. ’Twas Isabella! She’d heard her!
Isabella pulled on the shark’s thrashing tail slowing the beast down, then both disappeared into the sea.
The tidal wave washed up onto the Phoenix, rolling Ronan, still unconscious, onto the deck.
Hannah lowered her hands, and Angelica landed gently onto the ship. Angelica picked up her dress and hurried toward Ronan, who lay face down, his arms stretched out, ugly red welts marring his back.
Doc knelt next to his lifeless body and rolled him over. “He’s unconscious lassie, but not dead. At least not yet. Take him to da crew’s quarters.”
Angelica stumbled after them and fell. Before she hit the deck, a strong hand grabbed her.
“Ye well, lass?”
She stared up at Kane. Hannah leaned next to him, her face pale.
Angelica nodded. “I’m fine. Hannah?”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “It happens when I use my power.” She cast her gaze over Angelica, looking at her torn dress, and the scrapes on her arms. “You look like you could use a good bath.”
Heat warmed her cheeks, and she looked down as the shame of the last night weighed heavy on her. “I need to be with Ronan.”
“Doc will look after him.” She glanced up at Kane and raised her eyebrow. “A bath, my love?”
“Aye, I’ll order one.”
“For our cabin,” she said, as if any other place would be totally unacceptable.
Kane glowered but nodded. “I’ve got to see to my brother. The Damsel’s limping away, but she’ll find us again.” He slid a stray hair out of Hannah’s face. “You need rest, too.”
“I will.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Now, go be with your brother.”
Hannah threaded her arm through Angelica’s, and together, they meandered to Hannah’s cabin.
“I shouldn’t be taking a bath, Hannah. Not when Ronan’s unconscious. He may need me.”
“He does. Trust me. Doc’s with him, and he’ll be up soon. They’re vampires, remember? They heal twice as fast mortal men. You’re pale, and passing out in the crew’s quarters won’t help Ronan.”
Angelica didn’t argue. A bath was so tempting, and she wanted to wash away Palmer, to forget his lips on her mouth and his hands on her body. To erase his scent forever.
In Kane’s cabin, a large copper tub was placed in the middle, and men poured hot water, steam floating to the ceiling. Mariah whooshed into the cabin, her skirts swooshing behind her. She held two vials in her hand. One she sat on a desk, and the other she poured into the bath. “I brought lavender.”
The men nodded and exited. Hannah shut the door. “We’ll help you undress.”
Angelica sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her waist. “No, I can undress myself.”
Mariah studied her. “Are you sure? The dress seems to be a second skin, and it will be difficult to get out of.”
Hannah reached for Angelica’s arm, and Angelica jerked away. “I said I can do it myself.”
Hannah lowered her arm.
Her tangled hair hanging in her face, Angelica sighed and lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so abrupt, but I want to do this myself.”
Mariah sat on the other side of her and rubbed her arm. “Did something happen aboard the Damsel?”
Trying not to cry, Angelica bit her lip. “No,” she lied.
“Angelica, please let us help you,” Hannah said. Her soft voice was comforting.
Angelica wanted to argue, to scream for them to leave, but the words died on her lips, and a sob escaped. Lord, she hadn’t wanted to cry.
Hannah rubbed her back. “Something happened, didn’t it?”
The dreaded tears fell down Angelica’s cheeks, and she took a quivering breath. “I don’t want to talk about it. Please leave.”
Mariah squeezed her thigh. “Angelica—”
“Please. Leave.”
“All right, but call us if you need us,” Hannah said.
Angelica nodded and wiped her tears. The women quietly shut the door. Angelica struggled to take off the dress, but it had shrunk, and she couldn’t get it off. She’d thought the ocean and being with Ronan would have washed away Palmer’s filth, but the dress reeked of his foul breath. She could still taste his foul taste in her mouth and his long fingernails nails had scratched her nipple. She wanted to get into the bath and erase his stench, but the gown imprisoned her. She remembered Palmer’s promise of what he planned to do to her and burst into tears.
Someone softly tapped on the door. “Angelica?”
Angelica stormed over to the door and flung it open to Hannah and Mariah, their eyes filled with concern.
Mariah walked over to her and hugged her. “Will you let us help you, now?”
“I can’t get it off,” Angelica sobbed and buried her face in Mariah’s hair. “I can still smell him.”
“Ronan?” Hannah asked.
“No,” Angelica choked. “Palmer.”
Hannah hugged both of them. Her small gesture helped lessened Angelica’s break
ing heart. The two women shut the door quietly.
“The dress is too tight, and it won’t budge.”
Hannah pulled out a dagger. “I have an answer. Stand still.”
Angelica nodded. “Rip it. I don’t ever want to see it again.”
Hannah very carefully sliced the back of the gown, not once nicking Angelica’s flesh. She gasped. “Oh my.” Her voice filled with emotion.
Angelica shuddered, and her cheeks heated. If Hannah was repulsed, what would Ronan think? A tear slid down her cheek. “They kept slapping me. Pinching me. I tried to fight, but they were so much stronger than me.”
Mariah clasped Angelica’s hand. “Did they rape you?”
Angelica shook her head. “No. Zuto forbid them to do this. The bastards were actually terrified of him, but it didn’t stop them from forcing their tongues down my throat and groping me. Then...there were the threats of what they would do...after Zuto was done with me. That was worse.” She bit her lip. “I don’t think I could bear it.”
“We won’t let that happen.” Hannah hugged her. “I promise.”
Angelica leaned her head against Hannah’s shoulder. “Palmer made me sleep beside him. He’d run his filthy hand over me, but he didn’t do anything else.” She closed her eyes. “But he’d describe what he would do to me once I was his.” She tried to block out his leering face, greedy eyes, and dagger fingernails. “He said he’d hurt Ronan if I didn’t sleep in his bed. I couldn’t let him…I couldn’t.”
“Shhh.” Hannah patted her leg. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Actually, I do.” She lifted Angelica’s chin and wiped her tears. “My fiancé. He…” She wet her lips.
Angelica was surprised as tears glistening in Hannah’s eyes. “He captured Kane and I and imprisoned us in his dungeon,” she said. “Kane was strapped to a breaking wheel. In front of him, D’Aubigne assaulted me in front of Kane. He said he’d do something worse to Kane if I…I…”
“You let him—”
“Yes, I’d do anything for Kane. He’s my life.” She turned her head, inhaling a shaky breath, then gave Angelica a small smile. “So, I know.”
Angelica swallowed a huge lump. She squeezed Hannah’s hand. “Thank you.” A kinship grew between them. She didn’t think she’d find a human that she could be as close to as her sisters, but she did with Hannah.
