by S Lawrence
“Time for what?” I push off the door frame and head toward them.
“Repairs. The storm ripped some sails on each of our ships,” Fallon responds, looking over at my own sails.
“Do you think I could go ashore? I need to get my feet on solid ground. I know Liam would probably like to run as well.” Reyna looks at each of them before focusing on me, a silent plea in her eyes.
“I think that is an excellent idea.”
She smiles at my support.
“I could take you,” Lash offers quietly.
She turns, and I can tell she’s smiling at his offer from the look on his face. “I’d love that.”
“It’s settled then.” Fallon looks at me then the others. “Maybe that beast will get us some more meat.”
“I’ll get some boats down and have the men fish while we are here, too. Good time to restock the supply, if we can. We don’t know what will happen next.” I look at the others hard.
Reyna sighs, and I can only imagine the thoughts that might be going through her head. She starts toward the cabin, trailing her fingers over each of us. That small motion, that act of inclusion, settles something in me.
Hagen was right, in a way, but I understand now that that touch is her choosing us all. I look back at my brothers, and they are watching me.
“What?” I wait for the smirks, but they never come.
“That was a beautiful dress, perfect for her.” Wilder looks over at the closed door.
“Fitting of a queen,” Fallon agrees.
“Oh. Yes, I thought it highlighted her skin,” I agree and instantly regret it as they all begin to grin. “Oh, wipe those fucking grins off your faces. She has us all…” I wave my hand around making sure to encompass all the crews still watching the door. “ALL... wrapped around her finger.”
“True.” They all nod at Hagen’s laughed word while also looking at the men standing near. Hagen frowns then levels all of them with a glare. “Get to work!”
They start to scurry on every ship, sails being drawn down and repairs getting started.
“Can we talk about what we are going to do about the fleet of ships that are hunting us?”
“The King has hunted us for years.” Hagen shrugs, ignoring the pain from the fresh wound in his leg as he limps away to the stairs.
We all join him, standing close so we can discuss our next steps.
“My lady.”
We turn and see Reyna standing just outside the door. She’s now wearing pants and a shirt that hug her curves. The image of her from last night invades my mind and my cock hardens.
“So, can we still go to shore?” She asks when none of us move.
“Yes. Of course.” Lash holds out his hand, and she crosses to him to take it. “Let’s get over to the… ship.”
I look over at Hagen, who is literally biting his lips to keep from laughing. Even Wilder’s lips are twitching at Lash’s omission of his ship’s name.
“Yes, head on over to the Howling Lust,” Wilder drawls.
Reyna bows her head, hiding the grin on her face. Lash sighs but steps away from us, pulling her with him.
“Liam,” she calls from the rail, and we all watch as the beast races toward them, leaping at the last minute and soaring to the other ship.
“Shit.”
“I don’t know what he is, but that is no ordinary dog.” Wilder frowns, watching as Liam rushes back and forth, waiting for his mistress to reach his side.
“She’s more, so it makes sense he is too.” Fallon leans against the rail.
I have a moment of feeling like I wish I was more.
“She was sent to us, and we were sent to her,” Wilder says under his breath.
“Get out of my head, brother.” I glare at him.
“Don’t need to be in it. Your doubts are written all over your face, for those of us who know you.” Fallon straightens. “We all have them.” He looks at Lash catching Reyna as she jumps from the rail of the Lust. “Our brother most of all.
Chapter Five
LASH
I can feel their eyes on us. I hold her gently as I set her on the deck. Liam pushes into us, shoving us closer together, and she laughs. It is beautiful and brings thoughts of a time before the darkness.
I know what people see when they look at me. I’ve worked very hard to make sure they see exactly what I want them to, but it’s not me. I wear this persona like a shield. It, the mask, protects me. I became this version of Lash long ago in the darkness of his rooms.
“Lash?” Her voice is soft, like she’s trying to calm a wild animal.
“Sorry. Just thinking. Shall we get going?” She nods, letting me change the subject.
“Yes.” She raises her brows while running her hand over Liam’s haunches.
“Just let me grab some lunch from Cook,” I tell her before turning toward the stairs.
I leave her looking around the deck, smiling at every crewman that finds a reason to wander close. There seem to be quite a few. My brothers are right; she is enchanting all of them. All of us.
Word must have spread because Damon is waiting with food packed and ready to go.
“Thank you, Damon.” I pause with my hand on the small crate.
“I filled it with every treat I’ve had ready in case she came to visit us.” Damon taps the edge of the crate while looking at me. “I will not let those other degenerates beat me with their hash.”
“Rightly so. No way they could ever dream of coming close to your skill.” I stroke his delicate ego.
Damon wasn’t a pirate by nature. No, I had found him at a restaurant during one of my trips while bartering deals for us. He had been cooking for people that didn’t appreciate his talents. After dinner, I had gone and spoken to him, made promises to get him exotic ingredients. He had agreed to come aboard, and I had fulfilled my promise. Every stop, I found things for him to make into delicious dishes—spices and different meats. My men and I ate very well. Some time later, I had found out about Damon’s family. Generation after generation had passed down skills and knowledge that had been learned before the battle, before the world was almost destroyed.
“We must find you a wife, Damon, so you can have a son or daughter to teach your secrets,” I murmur as I draw a deep breath, savoring the aromas.
“Are all women welcome now, sir?” He looks like he doesn’t believe it.
“I wouldn’t say that but for you and your skills, I might make an exception,” I admit.
“I’ll keep it in mind but I think maybe one woman on these ships is enough, especially this woman.” Damon looks beyond me, and I turn but see no one. “She is beautiful and special.”
“That she is.” I sigh. “How much so, we still don’t know.”
“I watched her on Captain Cyder’s ship, twirling in the sunlight; it was like something from a dream.” He sounds wistful.
“Magical, to be sure,” I answer and then pick up the crate. “Thank you again. I’ll make sure to tell her this is just a sample of what you can do.”
He grins, but I can tell exactly how much the thought pleases him. I leave him there looking smug and start down the hall.
She is talking to one of the crew when I reach the top of the stairs, leaning close to hear whatever it is he is saying. I watch as she points and he nods. I draw close, and the man straightens and takes a small step away.
“Captain,” he defers, and she turns toward me with a smile on her face, cheeks pink with excitement.
“Are you ready?” I ask as I lead her to the other side of the ship, where the dingy is waiting.
“Yes.” She looks at me and the trust in her eyes just about brings me to my knees.
I lock the picture away in my mind. She won’t look at me the same way when she learns all of my secrets. And she will find out. There will be no way to hide certain aspects of me if we become close.
My muscles tighten just at the thought of having to tell her, to explain to her. The shame makes my anger
flare, and I fight to shove it away. I can’t ruin my time with her. Today, I will wear my mask tightly over my scars.
“Great. Just let me get in first.” She nods as I step over the edge and then settle the crate before standing up and holding up my hand for her.
She takes it, and I savor the feel of her smooth skin against mine. She jumps down with no fear, or her need to be off the water just overshadows it.
The hound is next, and his huge weight rocks us on the ropes as the men start to lower us. They get us down quickly, and I grab the oars and start to move us to the shore. As soon as the boat hits the shore, she is up and out of the boat, her feet getting wet as she splashes through the water with Liam hot on her heels.
I get out and pull at the rope, dragging it a little farther on shore then wrap it around a tree washed up on the rocks. Going back to grab the crate, I look out at the ships, watching as the sails are lowered.
“Do you think we could go farther in, into the forest?” She calls from just at the edge of the trees.
“I don’t see why not. Lead the way,” I call out, expecting her to continue on her way but she doesn’t.
She waits. For me. I reach her side in moments, and she links her arm with mine.
We walk into the forest together.
She leads me deep into the trees, where the branches and leaves filter the sun. Random shafts highlight the blueish tints in her hair. Every few moments, she glances up at me. I don’t know what she’s looking for but I hope she finds it.
The others have more to offer her. I have my looks, my talents, so to speak, but she seems uninterested in those. I let her take me deeper and deeper, far away from the shore and the ships.
The sound of gentle water draws her attention, and she changes direction, heading straight to it. The sound of limbs breaking draws my eyes to our left, and I see the dog running straight at us before he quickly shifts directions, his nose to the ground.
“He’ll bring something back.” She’s grinning as he disappears.
Her steps begin to slow, and I wait for her to decide if this is the perfect spot. Finally, she stops near the stream, a spot both under a tree and in the sunlight.
“This is perfect.” Reyna spins in a circle, looking just as beautiful in the pants and shirt as she did in the dress.
“Okay, great.”
She pulls the fabric from the crate and flicks it out into the air, letting it spread wide as it drifts down to the ground. Sitting, it’s her turn to hold her hand up. Shifting the crate to under my arm, I reach down and let her take my hand and pull me down. As soon as I get settled, she starts to dig into the crate, pulling out all the food that Damon packed.
“Everything looks so good.” She places a bowl under her nose, drawing a deep breath. “I can’t believe how good you all eat.” Her eyes move over each dish.
“Normally, we don’t. Not that we eat bad, but Damon and the other cooks are trying to win you over with their best dishes.”
She sits back and looks it all over again. “They shouldn’t do anything special for me.” A protest.
“You are our chosen. You will be, are already, their queen. They want to please you,” I tell her then let my voice drop. “I want to please you.”
Her gaze whips up to mine, and I level her with the look that has had women begging for me to take them home. Reyna’s eyes flair but she doesn’t say or do anything. Instead, she leans back away from me.
“So, you are the one that forges new deals for you all,” she asks, and the subject confuses me.
“Yes.”
“Lash.” She smiles but it’s a little sad, and my stomach clenches a little. “I want to get to know you.”
She emphasizes the last word.
“I am an open book,” I assure her.
“I doubt it.” Her words are said low as she turns her face to look at the water.
“What do you want to know?” Inside I’m screaming, praying she doesn’t ask about the scars or anything from that time.
“What’s something you love? The others each have something that’s special to them. Like Wilder and his books. Hagen has weapons. Fallon, his carving. What do you have?”
The question seems innocent enough but for me, not so much. “What does Cyder have?”
“He loves the people that he thinks he comes from, their culture. The music and art, everything as far as I could tell.” She doesn’t turn to look at me, just keeps looking out at the forest and the stream.
What do I have? What do I have to offer her? That’s what the question is really asking.
“If you don’t, it’s fine.”
I can hear the truth, but there is something more in her tone. Something that makes me swallow hard.
“Reyna?” She turns now eyes locking with mine. “I’m going to fail this test. I’m not like the others.”
“This isn’t a test, Lash.” I don’t believe her and I can tell she knows. I’m ready for her to shut me out, but instead, she grabs my hand. “Let’s just eat then. I’d hate to waste this food and I’m starving. I didn’t have a good night.”
I feel relief but also I’m ashamed that I’ve let her down. She starts opening different containers, bringing each to her nose before setting it back down on the fabric.
Just as we are about to take our first bite, a howl rings through the forest and her eyes move from side to side, searching. Another howl and she whips her head to the right, looking at where the land begins to rise up into a cliff.
“He is on the trail of something.” She sounds sure, and I believe her. “He will bring something back for certain; he never loses his prey.”
It is a good piece of information to have about her protector.
“Reyna.” I say her name to draw her attention back to me as I hold out a plate with samplings of all of Damon’s treats.
“Thank you.” She takes it and my muscles tighten with just the touch of her fingers on mine.
We eat but the food is practically tasteless to me as I watch her enjoy hers. It is a seduction, one that I’m positive she doesn’t even know that she is doing. She is just enjoying herself.
She fills her plate again, now picking the favorites of Damon’s samples. Her gaze keeps straying to the desserts which she hasn’t tasted.
“Damon was working in a small restaurant when I found him. The techniques and recipes were passed down from his family. Apparently, his ancestor had been a famous chef who had traveled the world. She had survived the disaster, created a family in the aftermath, and taught her children her skills. And so it went until Damon. He is the last of her long line. I told him we needed to get him a wife so he can have a child to teach.” I fall silent, and she is smiling.
“I wonder if he would teach me some of them?”
I wonder about her smile; it seems like it isn’t about Damon at all, but I can’t figure out why it wouldn’t be.
“I’m sure he would,” I answer while holding out a small pot of chocolate cream.
The chocolate is very rare, we traded for it the last time we were in the South Seas.
“What is it?” She reaches out and sticks just the tip of a finger in the little pot.
“Chocolate. It’s extremely hard to come by.” I watch as she brings the small taste to her mouth, her tongue flicking out to lick it off.
“Oh, my. It’s delicious.” She stares longingly at the pot in my hand. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.
“Damon was ecstatic when we found it. He rarely uses his stash.”
“I would use it all the time.”
I pick up a spoon and hold it out beside the pot. “He made it for you.” I think for a moment she would argue, but she snatches them from my fingers and I laugh.
“Sorry. I would fight you for this.”
I hold up my hands in surrender as I lean back against the boulder behind me. She takes small amounts on the spoon, savoring each taste.
Scooping more out, she looks over at me watching her, then
scoots over until her side is touching mine. I put my arm around her shoulders, letting her relax back against me. She surprises me by holding up the spoon, but I take it, the smooth creaminess covering my tongue.
Without thought, I grip her chin gently and force her head up and back, turning her mouth toward me and kissing her just as her eyes widen. I kiss her, tasting the chocolate on her tongue as she opens for me, and I force the kiss to deepen.
I kiss her like a starving man and maybe I am.
I pour my loneliness in the kiss, silently begging her to save me. But that isn’t fair, I shouldn’t put that kind of responsibility on her, but I’ve tried. So instead I thrust my tongue deeper, rubbing it against hers as I hear a soft noise. Then her hand reaches back, her fingers curling into my hair and pulling me to her even more.
We kiss like this until we are both breathless, until my need for her is overwhelming my control. I end it by pulling back just a bit, keeping my lips right against hers as I run my tongue over their plumpness before moving to the side and dragging my tongue over her jaw.
Her moan is almost my undoing, but a twig snapping has me raising my head, my eyes scanning the area around us. I see nothing as she straightens, her own eyes quartering the area just like my own.
“Do you see anything?” Her words are whispered low.
“No. It could be nothing.”
“It could’ve been Liam,” she suggests, but I’m almost positive that sound wasn’t made by the beast coming to check on his mistress.
“Maybe.” She looks over at me, and I can see she heard my disbelief. “I don’t know, something seems…” I trail off, my head shaking.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something is off.
Chapter Six
HAGEN
They’ve been gone for a few hours, and I keep looking at the shore, my gut churning. Something is wrong.
Looking away, I try to check on the others but I don’t see them. Fallon and Wilder have finally left their decks, but I can hear Cyder calling out orders, his voice tight with either frustration or anger.
