Passion's Tide

by Sarah West

  Johnny thought hard for a moment, then with a look at Henry, who nodded, he spit into his hand and extended it. “Deal.”

  Amber laughed. “How about we skip the handshake?”

  He shrugged and wiped the saliva onto his pants. “You aren’t going to tell the Cap’n about me not being able to read, are you?”

  “You know, Johnny, for a kid who respects the Captain as much as I know you look up to Logan, you certainly are keeping enough secrets from him.”

  “That’s why I don’t want him to know, because I just know he’ll be ashamed of me. If he knew how dumb I really am he’d dismiss me from the crew, and sailin’ is all I know.”

  “You aren’t dumb,” Henry assured him. Johnny looked doubtful.

  “He’s right, you’re clever and loyal, traits that Logan admires in his men. And I’m sure you’re not the only one who never learned to read. But if it makes you feel better, I won’t tell him about the cat or the lessons, if you think you can hide it from him.” Henry grinned and began eagerly planning his first lesson aloud, but he had no audience. Johnny was eyeing Amber strangely.

  “Maybe I was wrong about you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “At first I thought you was just a meddling woman, gettin’ in the way and putting the Cap’n into foul moods. But you learned how to fight and you’re doing work just like the rest of us, and you’re being kind to me, even though most folks don’t pay me a bit of attention.”

  “You’re a good boy, Johnny, you just need to think about what you’re about to say, and whether or not it should be said at all. Honesty is admirable, but so is keeping your mouth shut sometimes. Do you understand?”

  He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  That evening, while finishing off the turtle soup, Amber listened in amusement as Eli and Logan entertained the table with tales of their meeting. She was coming to learn that in addition to being a commanding force when leading his men, he was also skilled in captivating his audience. Noah, Piers, Jackson, Ben, and Amber all hung on his every word. They laughed at the funny parts, gasped when the story took an unexpected turn, and were utterly charmed by his presence.

  “So there Eli was, standing there with a broken nose and blood pouring down his face, ready to kill me, when the innkeeper tells me it was all a huge misunderstanding. Elijah here hadn’t robbed my room, but this other, burly looking brute had broken into his room.”

  “It had nothing to do with Logan,” Eli added, “but because the message got mixed up, he had already swung at me and broken my damn nose!”

  Logan laughed. “Needless to say, I felt pretty terrible, but I was also impressed. Larger men had crumpled beneath my fist before, and yet this skinny young kid had stood his ground, staggering slightly but jumping back up, ready to brawl. So, to make it up to him, I helped him fight this ogre of a man and together we were able to wear him down until he confessed where he had stashed Eli’s stuff. Then I offered Eli a position on my ship, and we’ve been together ever since.”

  “And my nose hasn’t been straight since that first day,” Eli mumbled as he ran a finger over the crooked bridge, pretending to be bothered that it wasn’t perfect, and drawing another laugh from his audience.

  The door opened and Abe stuck his head in. “You wanted me to inform you when the men were almost done eating, Cap’n?”

  “Yes, thank you Abe.” Logan stood, extending his hand towards the door. “Gentlemen, if you would like to join me in the orlop, I have some things I want to say, and I’d prefer for everyone to hear. Amber, you too.”

  Eli waited for Amber to stand, and then took her arm and led her from the room. “Has Logan mentioned anything to you about this meeting?”

  “No, I’m just as in the dark as you are.” They entered the berth deck, and as Logan took his place in the center of the room, Eli led Amber towards the first table. Anton shifted over for them, and they both sat down and watched Logan.

  “Men, and Amber,” he added, winking in her direction, “I ask for a few moments of your time. Please, continue to eat, what I have to say is not so important that you should go hungry. In less than two weeks time we will be docking in Costa de Morte, on the Northwestern coast of Spain. We seek Antonio Castaños Mendoza, known to his enemies as The Butcher. He frequents the small village of Caión, which is where we seek information regarding the location of his ship, la Rosa de la Muerte.

  “The Death Rose?” Amber translated.

  He nodded. “He will most likely hide the ship along the treacherous coast, which is surrounded by cliffs and caves, so unless we have the exact location it will be impossible to find. Nevertheless, we are going to put an end to the long reign of tyranny of this pirate, and all of Spain will soon fear the name el Tigre!” The men rose to their feet, whooping and clapping.

  Logan waited until they had quieted to continue. “Now, when we arrive, we are going to be as inconspicuous as possible. We will scatter around the town, blending in and listening for information, which will be obtained not by force, but by trickery and,”—his eyes met Amber’s— “seduction. No blades will be drawn until we board his ship, but when that moment arrives it will demand all of your skill, all of your patience, and all of your luck. His men are ruthless fighters, but I know we have the intelligence and the skills to win. But, too long have we been at sea, comfortable in our relative safety and forgetting what it is to be a pirate, which is why I have planned a competition. The winner will receive two times his normal pay for one year, and will be relieved from swabbing and pump duty for six months.”

  Excitement filled the room, as the men talked loudly to one another. Pax stood. “What is the competition, Captain?”

  “One week from today, you will be fighting amongst yourselves to determine the most skilled among my crew. You have these seven days to practice and prepare yourself, and when the time comes you will be matched up, and the winners of the first fights will then fight each other, and those winners will be paired, and so on, until we have an ultimate champion. The conditions are as follows: you may not, under any circumstances, shirk your normal duties to prepare for this competition. If I see you doing so, you will not be allowed to compete. Second, and most important, you must help each other to train. For one man alone is a soldier, but a well trained army stands a much better chance at bringing down the enemy. Have I made myself clear?” A chorus of nods and affirmations met him, and he smiled at them. “I’ll leave you to it then, as I’m certain at least a few of you will want to get some work done before the sun sets. Have a good evening, men.”

  Amber trailed after Logan in silence as he returned to the cabin. Shutting the door behind her, she watched him push the dirty dishes aside and unroll the maps on the table. His shoulders were hunched forward as he examined their course, straightening as he retrieved a round magnifying glass from the dresser and curving again as he bent over to view it more closely. “What’s bothering you, Amber?” he asked in a quiet voice, raising his head.

  “The competition,” she started, and then hesitated. “Am I allowed to compete alongside the men?” Her tone suggested that she already knew the answer, and she was disappointed. So it surprised her when he told her that she could.

  “After all, you are a member of the crew,” he explained with a crooked smile. With a shriek she ran forward and threw herself at him, sending him tumbling backwards with a laugh, his arms wrapping around her in a hug. “I take that as a thank you?”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The words were muffled against his chest. Then she stood on her toes and kissed him, briefly touching her lips to his. “Thank you,” her voice dropped to a husky whisper, and the look in her eyes was unmistakable. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Captain?”

  “What’s that?” His hand snaked around her waist and tugged her closer.

  With a laugh she twisted free of him, ducking under his arm. “That I have a lot of practicing to do. Come on!” He rolled his eyes but allowed himself to
be led back out onto the main deck where, as he had predicted, most of the crew had gathered. The sounds of men grunting and wood hitting wood were deafening, but the noise quieted as Logan approached.

  “Elijah,” he turned towards the quartermaster, who had been standing by the mast giving advice to Deacon. “Fetch both of our cutlasses.” Weapons were put aside as the men watched Logan strip off his shirt and fling it towards Amber with a grin. He began pacing. “In this competition, you will be using your own weapons. No tipped foils, no wooden blades. You must be comfortable with the feel of your own sword in your hand—it must be effortless, it must become an extension of your arm.” With ease he caught the sword that Eli cast towards him and motioned for his friend to draw his own cutlass. They stood opposite each other, and following Logan’s lead, commenced a series of fluid movements. Blades were spun in the air, tossed back and forth between the men, and came to meet in the center with loud clangs that echoed across the empty ocean.

  The dangerous glint of steel flashing in the rays of the setting sun was hypnotic, as these instruments of death were handled with the ease that a child might afford a bunch of apples he was juggling. Every person watching in awe was aware of the fatal damage the sharpened edges could inflict, and they followed each action with anxious anticipation, fearful that either man would slip up or interrupt the perfect timing. But Logan and Eli were confident and skilled, and only increased the speed of their deadly dance.

  “Each match will end when first blood is drawn,” Logan explained, not missing a beat. “This will test your true skill with a blade, because anyone can cut down another man, but it takes a master…” he suddenly stepped out of the rhythm and lunged towards his friend, stopping when the tip of his sword was a hair’s breath away from impaling his heart, “to know when to hold back.”

  Amber let her shoulders relax, realizing only now that her whole body had tensed up during the mock melee. She saw that Eli had complete faith in Logan’s ability, the fraction of air separating the blade from his flesh not disturbing him in the slightest. One would think that the sword had been harmless, the way Eli laughed as the tip was lowered to the ground. With a flourish, they bowed to each other and sheathed their weapons.

  “I want you all to understand that I am not condoning violence amongst my men, and that if you maim or kill each other, you will be held responsible. It is essential to learn the control it takes to fight, a control that can only be learned by endless practicing. But with that control comes the confidence that you can handle any situation that you may face. You must always think one step ahead of your opponent, anticipate his next move, but be prepared to alter your course of action if he alters his. There is no shame in taking him by surprise. In fact, more fights than I can count have been won by doing something unexpected.” With cat-like grace he pulled a knife from his boot and hurled it through the air towards the mast, slicing through the line that held up the rope ladder. It dropped, ensnaring several men before they could move out of its way. “If you can end a fight quickly, it is best to do so. Long, drawn out altercations only leave room for mistakes, and mistakes can be fatal when you’re dealing with ruthless men wielding treacherous weapons. Get the job done fast. And then get the hell out of there. There is no place for heroism in the reality of battle, so discard that notion before it gets you killed. The only valor that comes with this life is surviving each fight one at a time. Now,” he said as his mouth curved into a smirk, “who wants to take me on?”

  By the time the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, and the lamps had all but burnt out, Amber was drenched in sweat and shaking from exhaustion. She had sparred with several of the men without rest, and she was left alone on the deck with Jackson. He, too, was out of breath and tired, and he begged her several times to call the match a tie.

  “A few more minutes, that’s all,” she huffed as she leapt back to avoid a downward cut, swinging her own blade up in a wide arc that sent Jackson spinning on his heels.

  “Amber, can’t we finish this tomorrow?”

  She parried a blow and dropped to her knees, swinging the sword around to hit the back of his legs, knocking him off balance. He fell, and she was on him in a moment with her wooden blade pressed against his abdomen. “No need to.” She heard clapping, and when she turned she saw Logan standing in the doorframe of his cabin.

  “Impressive, both of you. Jackson, you should have let her win twenty minutes ago. You look as though you’re about to collapse.” Jackson hoisted himself to his feet with a grunt, gave Amber a playful bow, and then hobbled off to get cleaned up for bed. “I had Abe draw yet another bath for you, so you better hurry or it will be cold.”

  She accepted his offer without hesitation, and the moment the warm water touched her sore muscles she allowed herself to relax. “I can’t help but notice that you haven’t removed the screen.”

  “I wanted you to have the option of privacy.” She slid down farther to dunk her head under the water, groaning as her shoulders resented the sudden movement. “Is everything all right over there?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, but I think I may have strained something in my back. Hey…what are you doing?” She tried to cover her nakedness as he knelt besides the tub.

  “Lean forward.”

  “So much for my privacy,” she scoffed, but she obeyed him nevertheless. His fingers began kneading the knots from her tense muscles, and she began to loosen up. Her hands fell to her lap, her head dropping onto her chest.

  “Work yourself a little too hard today?” Her response was a low moan as he massaged a kink from her neck, and he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a resounding yes. You know, you should really stretch before engaging in physical activity. It helps relieve some of the stress you are putting on your muscles, and lessens the chance that you’ll hurt yourself.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Logan.” She winced as his fingers dug deep into her back. “All right fine, I’ll stretch. Happy now?”

  “Immensely.” His hands, having loosened her muscles enough to abate her discomfort, began moving slower, his touch softer. She was defenseless against his tender caresses, and her body began reacting to him, pushing back against his hands, her breaths becoming more ragged. Then she was being lifted from the bath, drops raining from her body and splashing back into the soapy water.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered, her voice a feeble protest against the tumultuous storm raging inside her.

  “I refuse to make love to you in a bathtub twice in a single day, it just isn’t gentlemanly.”

  “You’re…we’re going to make love again?” she stumbled over the words as he deposited her in the center of the large bed, and stopped to remove his boots.

  He looked up from his task. “Unless you don’t want to?” She faltered, and he sent her a wicked grin. “I didn’t think so.” He shed the rest of his clothes.

  “Now wait just one moment,” she said, scurrying away from him as he placed a knee onto the mattress and lifted himself up. He froze midway through his action, suspended as if time had stopped moving, one leg hanging off the bed. She was confused. “Now what are you doing?”

  “I’m waiting, just like you requested.”

  She tried to stay serious, but a giggle escaped from between her pursed lips. “And how long will you remain immobile like this?” she inquired, as she plucked a long white feather from the down pillow and dragged it against his jaw line.

  “Until you request me to move again, my lady.”

  “So you will stay completely, totally still?”

  “If that is your desire.”

  “Hm, I like the sound of that,” she mused aloud as she trailed the feather down his chiseled chest, noting the restraint he displayed to not respond to the silky touch of down against his bare skin. She almost detected a tiny shiver travel through his abdomen, but not enough to declare a victory. So she began to tickle him lower…

  “I thought you weren’t going to move,” she said with a smirk as she watched his
body react to her stimulating touch. Glancing upwards she saw his eyes cloud over as he fought the impossible urge to keep from touching her. “Oh, I’m becoming familiar with that look,” she murmured, delighting in her provocation. “But how shall you react if I do this?” The feather floated to the floor as she wrapped a small hand around the base of his rigid length, his eyes smoldering as they followed her movements. Her touch was unschooled but dedicated, and his hand twitched against his side, yearning to stop her teasing and take control of the situation.

  “Amber, I can’t stand to watch you touch me any longer.”

  “Then close your eyes, because I’m not finished and you’re not allowed to move.” He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, wondering if it was a mistake or the best idea he’d ever had to let Amber control him in such a way. What had seemed like playful mischief had turned into excruciating rapture.

  And then, just when he thought it couldn’t get any more maddening, he felt the burning heat of her tongue graze the edge of his erection, and he swiftly perished from the pleasure, transcending to heaven. His eyes shot open to see an angel with a halo of fiery red hair kneeling before him with her mouth around him, curiosity driving her to explore him with her sensitive tongue, causing the blood in his veins to boil. This couldn’t be heaven, then, he thought to himself in a haze of desire. Surely this torment was the work of a succubus. But then why did she appear so angelic as she licked her lips and leaned back onto the pillows? “Come to me, my bronze Adonis,” she commanded with a heavenly voice, husky with need. He broke from his static pose and fell forward, burying himself inside of her without hesitation, swallowing her cry as he consumed her mouth with his own.

  Her eyes fluttered closed as he thrust inside her savagely, almost as though he were frightened of what would happen if he should stop. She did nothing to prevent him, however. She too was swept away by the wave that crashed on top of them, drowning them in its carnal fury. Merciless and demanding, it cloaked them in a blind haze that drove them towards a shattering release. Faster and faster they moved until the universe crashed all around them, and as they collapsed beside each other the storm that had raged around them began to abate, like the ebbing of the tide after a long night.