by Sarah West
The two began by circling each other, his steps a mirrored opposite of hers as they sized each other up, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Then they both lunged forward, their blades crashing together above their heads with a deafening clang only to reverberate again as he parried her second blow. He recovered with a swift counterstrike that forced her to step backwards so as not to lose the advantage of her longer blade, and lift her sword to protect her torso. Pax jumped forward to limit the range of her possible strikes, raising his shorter cutlass above him to deliver a downward cut across her shoulder. She blocked it with the flat edge of her sword and in a single sweeping motion brought her hilt around and rammed it into his chest. His balance faltered and she swept in with a series of cuts, but each was deftly blocked.
Having regained his footing, Pax increased the intensity of his attacks, his sword a blur as it swung through the air, hers always meeting his before steel could penetrate flesh. Their distorted shadows danced wildly in the flickering light of a dozen lanterns, but Logan could hardly tear his eyes off of Amber’s dancing figure to pay heed to the whimsical trickery of candlelight. Another strike from Pax, but this time Amber jumped out of the line of attack and pushed his cutlass aside, opening his chest up for a blow that was parried at the last second.
Ten minutes into the fight they both retreated a few steps to catch their breath and assess the situation. Logan was scanning Amber for any sign of fatigue when he felt the first raindrop, and one by one the men in the array lifted their heads to the dark clouds above them. Amber and Pax remained at a standstill, gazes locked.
She blinked as a splash of rain landed in her eye. Keeping Pax in her sights, she quickly glanced around her to confirm that it really had begun raining, anticipating the added disadvantage of a slippery fighting surface. Her speculation was borne out when Pax skidded in an attempt to charge her. As always he was quick to right himself, but she saw in that split second that she must stand her ground and make him come to her, because each time he lifted his foot and planted it back down on the wet deck he risked losing his balance. If she could exploit that, there was the slightest chance that she could win.
Planting her feet more solidly beneath her she distributed her weight so that she was less likely to topple, and beckoned Pax forward with a taunting grin. He pounced on her, sword swinging, and again they picked up an almost musical pattern of strike, counterstrike, parry, and riposte. Around and around they went, the loud calls from the spectators drowned by the cacophony of metal against metal, as each tried and failed to find a weak point in the other’s defense. Amber could feel her exhaustion starting to weigh her down; her muscles were slower to respond and her reaction time was increasing. She knew she had to think fast, or Pax would rush in to finish her off.
The torrent of water reduced her visibility but she could see his sword arcing down towards her, drops spraying from the edge as he rotated it to break past her defense. She spun beneath it and put all her remaining strength into the shoulder she forced against his chest. She knocked him backwards, his sword skittering to a stop two feet out of his reach. Victory imminent, Amber lunged to deliver the final blow.
Suddenly Pax swept his foot behind her knees and sent her tumbling forward onto him, her hands striking the deck and breaking her grip on her weapon. She swore and rolled to the side, reaching down to retrieve her dagger from her boot. But before she could get to it, his hand coiled around her wrist, so she drew back her leg and kicked him in the gut. As he grunted and doubled over she pulled herself free. She began crawling towards her sword.
Pax grabbed her leg and tugged her back towards him, an easy task with the rain-slicked deck providing no traction. She could see the knife in his hand as he positioned himself above her and in her moment of panic she smashed her head up into his nose, at the same time his blade sliced through the front of her shirt. They froze and a hush fell through the crowd as every set of eyes was trained on them, watching, waiting to see who would bleed first.
Finally a stream of red began to seep from the shallow wound above her breast, staining her shirt. Through the pounding rain she could hear the shouts of the observers, some joyous and some outraged as Pax stretched out his hand to help her to her feet. “Are you in pain?” he asked with a concerned glance over at Logan.
“It stings, but I don’t think it’s very deep. How is your nose?”
“My nose? Oh—” he touched his nose and lifted his hand to see the blood coating his fingers. “Now that you mention it, it hurts like hell. I guess it’s a draw, then.”
She shook her head. “The rules were first blood, and you won.” She held out her hand to shake. “Congratulations, you deserved it.”
“You know what? I doubt I’ve worked this hard on anything before.”
“What was your motivation, the pay increase?”
He snickered. “If there’s one thing I’ve always hated it’s swabbing the deck and pumping the bilge. Getting out of it for six months is worth any work I put into this.”
“Was it worth the broken nose?” Logan asked as clapped him on the back.
Pax shrugged. “Considering the last time I fought her I got knocked unconscious, I was expecting to get my head chopped off this time. So in comparison, a broken nose isn’t so bad.”
“You might think differently after Piers sets it for you. Go get fixed up and get some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning. Congratulations.” Logan gave Pax a look that expressed his thanks, and sent him to the waiting doctor.
In two giant strides Logan reached the spot where Amber’s sword had fallen and retrieved it. Then he all but dragged her into the cabin, kicking the door shut behind them. Tossing her blade onto the table he raised his hands to the neckline of her shirt and with a hard tug, ripped it down the middle.
She gasped and stepped backwards, covering her nakedness with her arms. “I told you earlier I’m not in any…what are you doing?”
He pushed her arms aside and stared at the trickle of blood coming from her fresh wound. She glanced down. As she had thought, it was a shallow cut, and luckily a clean one.
Satisfied that she was in no immediate danger he pulled her close and sealed her lips with his own, his hands roaming upwards to tug the silk scarf from her head and tousle her hair free from her braid. She tugged herself away.
“You really should let me bathe before you do—” He silenced her with another kiss, and this time she let herself surrender to the moment. Her fingers explored the hard planes of his chest, and, growing impatient, she pulled her knife from her boot and sliced through the front of his shirt. He broke the kiss to stare down at his ruined piece of clothing.
“I suppose I deserved that,” he remarked before pulling her back against him. She could feel his erection pressing against her thigh and she began inching them towards the bed, tugging him by the front of his torn shirt. As they tumbled backwards he reached down to fumble with the opening of his breeches, when a knock stilled his hand. He stood with a growl and tossed a blanket over Amber to cover her up.
“What the hell do you want?” he snarled, flinging open the door. Standing on the other side of it was a very surprised Anton, carrying two buckets filled with water with several more lined up behind him.
“I’m sorry Cap’n, but you said you wanted a bath for miss Amber. Want me to leave these here?”
Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “No, go ahead and bring them in.” He leaned against the doorframe and closed his eyes to calm himself.
“Nice shirt,” snickered Eli as he walked past. Logan clenched his jaw tight to keep from firing back a response. Luckily Anton sensed his foul mood and rushed through the process of filling the tub, and once he was gone Logan made sure to lock the door behind him.
“What are we doing now?” Amber asked as he stripped them both of their remaining clothes and carried her over to the tub.
“I’ve given you plenty of space in the past couple weeks, but now I’m going to take ca
re of you and there isn’t anything you can do about it, so don’t even think of arguing.”
“I wasn’t going to,” she murmured happily as he slid into the tub behind her. “Are we going to make love in here again?”
He chuckled as he reached for the soap. “After what you’ve been through I doubt your body could handle another minute of physical exertion.” He lifted her arm and let go, laughing as it dropped limply back down. “See?”
“I don’t mind,” she said, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. She yawned. “We’ll have plenty of time for that in the future.” Seconds later, her breathing deepened and she drifted into sleep.
Logan continued to bathe her, and when she was scrubbed free of the sweat and grime he cleaned and dressed her cut, all without waking her. Then he settled her into the bed and curled up next to her, an arm wrapped protectively around her body.
He had trouble falling asleep, however. She said that they had time in the future, but Logan had his doubts. Soon they would be in Spain, and once that mission was over there would be nothing preventing their return to England. Delivering Amber to her relatives would mean she no longer needed him, and his purpose would have been served. She would go back to her charmed life with England’s elite, and he would be tossed on his ear like a stray who had overstayed his welcome. He pulled his arm away and flipped onto his other side, his back to her now. He would just have to deal with it when the time came.
Chapter Twenty
“Pay attention now men, this is important. In less than ten hours we will drop sails and ride the current until we are parallel alongside la Costa de Morte.” Logan pointed to a spot on the azure waters of the map that was tacked to the wall in the orlop. “We will not be anchoring, however. Elijah, Pax, Deacon, Anton, Johnny, and Henry will row ashore and enter the village of Caión, where they will establish themselves as inconspicuous observers. They will have four days to gather information that will assist us in bringing down Antonio Castaños Mendoza.”
“Why aren’t you goin’ with them?” Creed asked.
“I am too visible,” he replied. “Mendoza and his men know me, and posters of my face are plastered on every dock from San Sebastian to Puerto de Tarifa.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. “There’s quite a large sum on my head for anyone who manages to capture me alive and bring the Imperial Shadow to shore. I haven’t made many Spanish friends over the past few years, especially among the seafaring smugglers.
“Eli is in charge of organizing the shore group, including delegating tasks and choosing a suitable meeting spot. But as he is also at risk of being recognized, he will spend much of his time acting as runner between land and shore, bringing us the information we need.”
“What about the rest of us? How come they get to run around Spain while we sit on our asses here on the boat?” Buck called out.
“Tell me, how would it seem to the people of Caión if a large group of strangers all appeared at the same time?”
He scratched his beard. “Well, I suppose that would seem downright suspicious.”
“I think you’ve answered your own question then,” he said as he turned back to the group. “For anyone else who is angered by the situation, know that if we successfully bring down Mendoza you can have a week of paid leave…” a cry arose from his men. “ … once we reach England.”
The cheering subsided and he dismissed them for the night, leading Amber back onto the deck. He closed his eyes to the cool air blowing across his face, and leaned back against the railing.
“Why are you giving them leave in England, instead of Spain? I would think that Spain would better suit a pirate’s devilish nature.”
He smiled, his eyes still closed. “Luckily for everyone, you aren’t a pirate.”
He could hear the haughty tone in her voice as she replied, “What do you mean by that?”
“My dear, if you were a pirate, neither I nor Mendoza would stand a chance against you. You’d control the sea within six months.”
“Oh!” she laughed, pleased by his response. “I thought you meant—”
“I know what you thought. And know that I hold nothing but respect for you.” His eyes opened as he felt her soft body sidle up along his, causing him to harden immediately.
“You’re sure that’s the only thing you hold for me?” she teased, her hands wandering to the obvious bulge in his breeches.
“Hoyden,” he snarled as he grabbed her hands and brought his lips against hers with a punishing fury.
She chuckled as she pushed him back a step, only to tug him towards the cabin. “You may be right, but for tonight I’m your hoyden.”
The thought lingered in the back of his mind even as he shut the door behind them and all but ripped off her clothes, plunging into her with such intensity that she shuddered around him instantly. As he worked towards his own climax it continued to nag him, and even afterwards when she fell into a deep sleep in his arms, he couldn’t shake it from his mind.
He couldn’t deny that she heated his blood, but there was something else about her that tugged at his heartstrings. He knew that he needed her for more than tonight, as she had carelessly mentioned, but he had no idea what to do about it.
A full forty-eight hours had passed before Eli returned to the ship with news. Amber was sitting at the table in Logan’s cabin, puzzling over a chessboard and trying to capture his knight when Noah announced his arrival. Logan pulled out a chair for his friend, who entered in a rush and collapsed into it with a grateful sigh.
“It took me a damn hour to get out here,” he complained as he accepted the glass of rum Amber poured for him.
“It will be far easier going back, as you can just let the tide carry you to shore. Now tell us, how is everything going?” He picked up his bishop and knocked Amber’s pawn off the board.
“As well as we could have hoped,” Eli returned. “We settled in without complications, and as far as I know we have not been recognized. The men spent their nights in the central pubs around town, listening for any news of Mendoza.”
“And?” Amber pried, leaning across the table.
“Nothing of importance, yet. We’ve identified several of his men and we are hoping one of them will lead us to him, but so far no hints as to the location of the Negro Rosa or its Captain.”
Amber collapsed backwards with a sigh of disappointment, but Logan seemed unperturbed by the lack of progress. He commended Eli for having done a good job, and bade him return the following day with more news. After he left, Logan turned his attention back to Amber. “What has you pouting now?” he asked, gesturing to the board to indicate that it was her move once again.
“I’m impatient.”
“That’s always been painfully obvious,” he noted as he watched her slide her rook to an empty square. “Anything else?”
She faltered before answering. “I had hoped to see Spain.”
He frowned. “I know you did, and I’m sorry if I misled you into thinking this was a vacation. But if we went ashore I’d be putting us both in danger. I’m too recognizable.”
“I see…” she murmured, watching him as he rubbed the stubble on his jaw and contemplated his next move. “Did you shave this morning?” she asked suddenly as an idea struck her.
He looked up. “I haven’t gotten to it yet today. Why?”
“Because, just maybe, you won’t be recognized if you don’t look like yourself.”
He pushed back his chair and stood to look in the mirror. “You may be on to something here. Before you get your hopes up however, we’d only be able to spend one night ashore, and we’d still need to be very careful. Even with a disguise we can’t risk drawing attention to ourselves. Perhaps if we stay on the outskirts of town we’d be safer, and close enough that Eli can reach us quickly with any news. But only for one night!”
“That’s all I need,” she promised him as she stretched up on her toes to kiss him.
“What do you think?
” Logan asked as he scratched the dark hair that now covered his face.
“Well, I don’t usually find beards attractive, but you may just be the exception.” She leaned back to survey his appearance. “It makes you look quite dashing.”
He grinned, a flash of white teeth beneath the shadow of hair. “Are you ready?” He scooped up the small satchel she had packed for their trip ashore. “Are you certain you want to do this? My feelings won’t be hurt if you’ve changed your mind and would rather stay here.” Her dark glare answered him. He sighed and shrugged into his blue waistcoat. “All right, let’s go.”
He opened the door and ran into Noah, who fell backward from the force of the impact. Logan extended a hand, the other rubbing his now throbbing nose.
“I’m sorry Captain, are you all right?”
“Fine,” he returned, pulling the flustered man to his feet. “Don’t worry. Now, did you have something you wanted to tell me? I assume that’s why…”
“Yes, of course, my apologies again.”
“He was going to tell you the prodigal son has returned,” Eli announced as he stepped into view. “Or prodigal first mate, more accurately. And I come bearing news.”
“Good,” Logan said as he brushed past him and threw the bag into the longboat. “You can tell us on the ride to shore.”
Elijah stood looking befuddled as Amber joined Logan at the side of the ship. They gave him an expectant look. “I’ve just come from there!”
“I’m aware it’s where you just came from, and you can row back with us now, or do it by yourself later. Either way, we are leaving.” Eli grumbled and dragged his feet, but he climbed into the boat. Logan settled beside him on the bench and handed him the second oar, which Eli laid across his lap as the boat was lowered down into the water. Together they untied the lines that held them to the Imperial Shadow, signaled to the crew that they were ready, and began rowing. Eli broke the silence first.
