Malachi

by Ashley West

  We had to cut through a small corner of the restricted zone, but there was no one there. I never thought of Ashlyn once, but after the little crisis was over, thoughts of her invaded my mind once more.

  I felt bitter, angry and hurt.

  I had finally let my defenses down and loved someone, and this is what she did to me? Used me to get some money and left me without even saying good-bye?

  I felt my heart turning to stone and I relished it. No one would hurt me again, and I was not the type to pine over a girl. I had been right in thinking that love was for losers. I had a brief lapse of judgment and it was over.

  In fact, as soon as possible, I would find another woman's body. That would wash away all memories of that little blonde. In less than a year, I would be free, and I would never have to think about her again.

  ________________________________________

  When we attached to the other ship, I was feeling angry and reckless. I wanted to do something dangerous, something on the edge of sanity. Something the scientist in me would never do, but the pirate would.

  I began to climb over the rail.

  "What are you doing, sir?" Vess said, concerned at the crazy look on my face. "I thought you would want me to lead today."

  "Of course not, Vess. I'm taking this ship. I'm leading my crew. If I'm a pirate, I might as well act like one."

  Vess gaped at me.

  "Are you sure that's the best course of action, sir?" he said. "You seemed pretty upset earlier."

  "I'm damned sure," I said, putting my gun into my pocket. I set it on stun, but they wouldn't know that.

  Their crew was already running around and looking fearful as we boarded.

  "You should be nervous," I said, stepping on to their deck and pulling out my gun. "We're taking over this vessel and removing its cargo."

  "You can't do that," one of the braver women said, stepping towards me. "These supplies are meant for the refugees."

  "Yes, the refugees," I said, feeling the bitterness rise and overflow. "But how do you know if these supplies are getting to the refugees?"

  The woman looked taken aback.

  "Don't worry," I said, moving forward and stepping into her personal space. To her credit, she never gave an inch. "I'll make sure that the people who need them get them."

  "Are you someone who needs it? You're going to send them right into the scalpers' hands, and the money straight in your pocket," she said angrily.

  "Everyone's got to make a living," I said, spreading my arms and smiling.

  There was angry murmuring among the crew. I pointed my gun at the ones nearest to me and then swung it around at all of them.

  "Anyone else have any comments, questions, or suggestions for how this hostile takeover of your ship should play out?" I said, grinning wolfishly at them. They didn't make a peep, not even the woman who had spoken to me.

  "Good. Consider yourself boarded by pirates."

  No one said a word and they all stared at me — afraid. And I liked it. I loved the power of making them all fear me.

  For a heartbeat, I wondered what choice I was making at this moment and where this decision would take me. But then I remembered that a woman turned my heart to stone.

  And after I remembered that, I simply didn't give a shit.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ASHLYN

  Stowing away always sounds like fun in books. The reality was a little less glamorous and significantly less amusing. Plus, it smelled funny down here.

  When Nathaniel left, I transferred the credits to my bank account and wired the money to Marlin's creditors. As soon as it was done, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, and I had smiled. I quickly messaged Marlin so he would know. He told me he had checked himself into a gambling addict's facility or treatment facility, whatever you call it. I don't remember. He was getting help, and that's all that mattered.

  I didn't have to worry about my family anymore. I had done what I could to save them. I had to ride out the rest of this year and see what would happen.

  No matter what he thought, I wasn't dead weight. I wouldn't get hurt, and he wasn't leaving me behind.

  The truth was that I didn't want distance between us. I had known that sex would change my feelings for him. What I hadn't known was that amazing, mind-blowing sex with someone you cared about would change everything about your world.

  If I hadn't been crazy about him before, I certainly was now. And considering I had been attracted to him before we had made love, I was in very real danger of losing my heart to him, in spite of all my promises to myself.

  I wrote the note and packed up all my stuff.

  I put most of my belongings in the back of the closet, and the other things I was taking with me were in my backpack. All the staff had already seen me with this backpack on my day trips with Nathaniel. They would assume that I was going on a trip of my own.

  I gave the note to the maid and told her I was going on a walk for the afternoon. She took it reluctantly and promised to give it to Nathaniel and then I had made off down the beach. It was easy.

  Once I was out of sight of the house, I circled back around through the trees staying hidden and making my way down to the dock. I pulled out the box I had wrapped and waited until I saw him head back to the house.

  I walked confidently up to the ship and climbed aboard.

  "Mrs. Lachlan," Vess, the first mate said. "Only crew members are allowed on board right now. We're preparing to cast away any minute."

  "I know, Vess. I want to put this in Nathaniel's quarters. Please? It's a little gift for him. I promise that I'll drop it off and get out of here immediately."

  He reluctantly inclined his head.

  "Make sure you're off the ship, or you're going to be stuck at sea with us for months," he said.

  "I'll get off as soon as I can," I said, feeling a little guilty. But it wasn't a lie, not really. I reasoned that if I were stowing away, I couldn't possibly get off immediately. It was the truth that I would get off as soon as I could, as long as Nathaniel was with me.

  The crew proceeded to ignore me. Before I went below, I nonchalantly walked up to the mast and put a camera on either side of it. The feeds could be activated remotely by a viewer, and I could watch what was happening from below.

  I noticed that Vess was getting off the ship and going towards the outbuildings near the house. Perfect. He would never notice that I hadn't left after all. He would assume that I had gone when he was away.

  I ducked my head and took the stairs down into the ship. The Captain's quarters weren't far, and I popped in, leaving the gift on his desk. It was a simple gold bracelet that I had picked up on the day when we had gone to the delicious Earth food restaurant. I told him I wanted it for one of my brothers but made him tell me which one he liked best. I wanted to get him something.

  I headed straight for storage. Nathaniel had shown me everything on the Dream, including the storage room where the crew stored long-term supplies. The galley staff only accessed this room when they needed to refresh the food.

  It was a small room and would be perfect for my needs. I would not eat or drink very much until we were far enough away that they couldn't return me to shore. I would use the washroom at night.

  My plan was to hide out until he had to let me come with him. Only then would I reveal myself, and hopefully he would be happy to see me. If he wasn't, well, I hoped he wouldn't be angry.

  It was a crazy plan, but I had to do it. I had felt really good since I stepped aboard the ship, which told me I was on the right track. I was doing the right thing.

  This was where I was supposed to be.

  I pulled out some of the crates, making a cozy little corner where I could hang out and sleep until the time was right to talk to Nathaniel. In fact, the idea of a nap sounded quite appealing. Someone had been up all night making love to a sexy sailor.

  I took the blanket out of my backpack and laid it on the clean floor. I used my jacket to cover myself
and my backpack with a sweater over it as a pillow. I lay down and got comfy.

  Soon I was sound asleep.

  ________________________________________

  When I woke up, I felt much better, as refreshed as possible after sleeping on a cold hard floor using a jacket for a blanket. It was stuffy in the little room, but I hoped that I wouldn't have to stay in here much longer. I could reveal myself tomorrow.

  I wondered what was happening above, and I turned on the camera feeds. Camera one showed the bow and camera two showed the stern. I could tilt either one enough to see the sides of the ship as well.

  When the picture came on, at first I was disoriented and couldn't tell what I was seeing. Someone had put a rope or something over one of the cameras. I switched to the other one, hoping that it hadn't been covered. The picture from the second camera was clear. I swiveled the camera until I could see Nathaniel.

  There was another ship attached to the Dream and Nathaniel was standing on their deck.

  Why was he so close to that other woman? Her shirt showed she was part of the crew of the other vessel. When I moved the camera a little more, I could see the insignia of the government of Vandwa.

  What was he doing? And why was there another woman here? Had last night meant nothing to him? I was unable to take my eyes away from the scene unfolding before me.

  I watched for another moment or two before I realized that I couldn't hear anything. I switched on the audio and heard him talking to the woman. Was she telling him that he couldn't take the supplies that belonged to refugees?

  What was going on here?

  "Sure," she said angrily. "Right into the scalpers' hands and the money straight in your pocket."

  I watched in shock and horror as Nathaniel stepped back, making a little bow and speaking flippantly.

  "Everyone's got to make a living," he said.

  He swung his gun around at all the government employees, daring them to make a stupid move.

  "Anyone else have any comments, questions, or suggestions for how this hostile takeover of your ship should play out?" he said, but no one said anything or moved a muscle. "Good. Consider yourselves boarded by pirates."

  He looked at his crew and flicked his gun. They moved forward, some of them tying the other crew up while others went quickly below deck and began hauling up the cargo.

  I sat back, stunned.

  Nathaniel was a pirate. Not a scientist. Not a beloved hero of his country.

  Not a caring husband.

  A pirate.

  No wonder his dreams seemed peculiar. I didn't know if what happened between us for the last three days had been a joke or an act for him, or if it had maybe been real. He had certainly been elusive about his occupation.

  What was that about a research trip? He wasn't doing research to save the planet. It was piracy!

  I didn't know if I could be with a man who would keep such a huge secret from me. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, as I watched them steal all the supplies from the government ship. I supposed, as the woman had said, that he would sell them and make a profit. No wonder he could afford such an expensive house.

  Nathaniel, how could you? I thought, watching as he turned towards the ship. He had a hard, bitter look in his eyes.

  Was this the same man who had saved me and been grateful when I woke up, and he realized I wasn't dead? Was this the same man who had made love to me last night with such tenderness?

  I couldn't reconcile the Nathaniel before me with the Nathaniel in my dreams, and I was very confused. Was he even a scientist? I knew about a man named Nathaniel Lachlan that was a scientist and a hero on his planet because he had been working to save them all from the rising waters. Perhaps they both had the same name, and he had pretended to be the scientist. That would explain why he didn't look like his TerraMates picture.

  I had to admit that I had not done my research properly. Everything had happened so fast. It was unusual for me to go into a situation blindly. But I had missed the fact that the Vandwans were fucking mermaids. Who knows what else I overlooked?

  Maybe he had pretended to be the other Nathaniel Lachlan to buy a bride, and get out of trouble with the police. Now it was all making sense. He needed me so they wouldn't arrest him.

  I frowned and leaned back against the wall of the storeroom. My legs were getting cramped, and I stretched them out. But what about the past three days? Why would he bother to try and convince me that he loved me?

  It didn't make any sense.

  The only thing I could think of was that part of his feelings may be real. The hope made me feel better until I realized that he had deceived me about everything else in his life.

  Even if Nathaniel had told me the truth when he said he loved me, it didn't matter. There was no way I could be with a man who could lie to me like that. And look at how he was acting with those people.

  Even if he had been so sweet to me, could I condone how he was acting now? The crew of the government vessel was afraid of him and what he might do. It wasn't right to act like that.

  It also wasn't right to steal.

  I had a tiny flicker of hope in my heart. Was there an explanation? I should give him a chance to explain himself. I would see him tonight and confront him.

  I would see if he was a chronic liar, and if it was possible for him to tell the truth about anything.

  Chapter Twenty

  ASHLYN

  It's all well and good to make plans, I thought to myself, but then the fucking pirate goes and screws them all up.

  We had sailed and sailed at what seemed to be a very fast speed, based on how it felt and the creaking noises that the ship was making. After sunset, we moved stealthily into a little cove. I watched it all from my mast cameras — the second one was uncovered so I could see everything. The crew moored the ship and Nathaniel lowered a rope ladder to a rowboat. He left with Vess and a couple others.

  He left!

  The rest of the crew were all either in bed or the common room playing a Vandwan card game, from the sounds of it.

  I was so mad that I decided to follow them. In hindsight, I could see that it wasn't the best decision but at the moment, it seemed brilliant. I crept out of my storeroom, keeping an eye out for anyone. They were all holed up in their rooms.

  Soon I was swinging on the rope ladder. When I got to the end of it, I realized there was no boat because Nathaniel had used it. I looked around. The water was crystal clear and seemed safe.

  I was only wearing a pair of stretchy shorts and a tight-fitting tank top. It was damn hot in the hold. I looked at the shore. I thought I could swim for it. It wasn't far.

  I dropped into the water and began to swim. I wasn't in a rush until I saw something in the water that was shadowing me. My heart sped up, and I went into a front crawl, swimming for all I was worth. Was it a shark? Or something worse? I had no idea if this part of the ocean was behind The Barrier.

  The faster I went, the faster the shadow went and I started to panic. I looked at the shore. It had looked closer when I was on the boat. I guessed I was twenty meters away, which I could swim if I hurried.

  I swam as hard as my body could, as the shadow began to rise towards me, getting closer and closer. When I got to the beach, I leaped up and ran up onto the dry sand. I didn't stop until I was standing in the trees.

  When I turned around, I saw a fin swimming away in the open water.

  My throat was raw, my side was aching, and my muscles felt like mush. I suddenly sat down, unable to stand a moment longer.

  After my breathing had calmed, and I had convinced myself I was still alive and the shark had not eaten me, I was able to stand up. There was only one path, and I decided to follow it and hope it went to civilization. I didn't feel like going on any adventures after the shark scare, but I wasn't going to swim back out to the ship.

  It took about twenty minutes, but soon I saw a small town. I stood on the outskirts and watched, wondering if I would stand out from the
locals. I wore Vandwan clothing, but that didn't mean anything. Could I blend in enough to find out where Nathaniel had gone?

  Then I saw him. He was meeting a woman. A beautiful woman with dark hair! I felt a flare of jealousy.

  Don't be stupid, I told myself, he's a liar and a pirate. He's probably got a woman in every port. You don't want to be with a guy like that.

  But my heart disagreed.

  I decided to follow them at a distance. He wouldn't be looking for me here. They were so interested in their conversation that they weren't even looking at anyone around them.

  Were they going somewhere together right this minute? He had his hand on her elbow in a protective manner. I wondered if she was an old lover.

  What if I was merely the latest in a long line of women? I cursed myself for a fool.

  Then I remembered his eyes when he had made love to me. You couldn't fake that. Not when you were so close to someone. Could you?

  I didn't know. I felt like I didn't know anything anymore.

  I followed, trying to stay out of sight and far enough back without losing them. They went into a house that bordered on the forest, and I went around until I could hide in the woods behind the house. There was a large patio in the backyard, and they came out to sit down at the table. The woman placed a drink in front of each of them, and they began to talk.

  NATHANIEL

  "First of all, what the hell's wrong with you, Nat?" Freya, my sister, said.

  "What do you mean?" I said, irritated that she had noticed so quickly. "I'm fine."

  "You are the opposite of fine," she said. "More like not fine. What happened with TerraMates?"

  I know she asked on purpose, and I kept my face neutral.

  "I married her, showed the authorities proof, and took her back to my house. We spent three days together and then I came on this raid."

  She was studying me.

  "Show me," she said. Just like Ashlyn had said, show me, when she had wanted to see my underwater breathing organs. I frowned and pushed the memory back under the bitterness, where I was keeping all my thoughts of Ashlyn.