A Pirate's Curse (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) (11 page)

Hannah
woke to the cries of the seagulls outside. A red quilt was draped over her and tucked underneath as if strong arms wrapped around her. She moved and winced. Pain throbbed in her temples. She frowned. When had she grabbed a quilt? She didn’t. Kane. He must have thrown it over her and carefully tucked it around her.

Why did her head hurt?
Did she hit it again? Why couldn’t she remember? She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

T
hink. Think. Think.

Nothing came to mind.

Wait. Emerald eyes with red glints. Fangs. White pristine fangs. Kane. He was a vampire.

Hannah
sat up, pushing the quilt down her body and threw a pillow across the room. “Bastard.” She gritted her teeth and her hand flew to her neck. She rushed over to the mirror and stared at her reflection, patted her neck, but couldn’t feel anything or see any marks. She sagged against the wall. Thank heavens. 

Is the entire crew vampires, too?
How many men and women did the vampires kill last night? Did they discard their bodies; rip them apart like the crew of the
Fiery Damsel
?

Hannah closed her eyes. John Vane, her father’s boatswain and Spencer, the rope maker, flashed in her mind, their deaths burning in her memory. Were she and her father next? What was Kane waiting for? Why the hell had she trusted him? ’Twas bad enough he was a pirate.

Her eyes flew open. Her shaking hand ran through her hair. Did they turn into bats?

Panic coursed through her with a different realization.
Kane planned to take them to Zuto. She had to get herself and her father off this ship. Was her father even alive? Maybe they had fed on him. What could she do against murdering vampires?

“I need a weapon.”
Hannah stared at Kane’s drawers. Maybe he had a knife or pistol in there.

She rushed over to the dresser and yanked open one drawer to a bunch of silk scarves, leather belts
and cotton kerchiefs. She stuck her hand inside, foraging, and her fingers brushed up against something hard. She tapped it, a handle. A blade? She jerked it out.

A ruby
-encrusted, jade dagger. She unsheathed the blade and examined the sharp edge. It would make a fine weapon. She tied a scarf just beneath the top of her trousers and stuck the sheathed blade next to her bare skin.

Her hand shaking, s
he opened the door. The lanterns cast shadows down the corridor. Sunlight peered down the stairs. The ship rocked. She strained her ears, but could hear no footsteps or voices. 

She took a couple of steps down the corridor.
Soft snores caught her attention. Her stomach sickened. She peeked inside the crew’s quarters. Her heart stopped. A lantern cast a soft glow on the sleeping pirates in the hammock near the doorway. Her father was asleep in one of the hammocks at the opposite side. Why was he sleeping here and not in the brig? Had they turned him? How could she get her father out without waking anyone? ’Twas daylight and they were asleep. But Kane and his vampire crew had been out in the day. And Kane had slept with her the other night and didn’t change into a vampire Or did he? ’Twas all so confusing.

She forced herself to weave her way through the hammocks, careful not to disturb the sleeping vampires.
A scent of honey permeated the air and she gritted her teeth. Was this due to feeding on humans?

Her legs quaked.
She reached inside her trousers and pulled out her dagger. In the last row, she spotted her father. She rushed over to him, but bumped into a hammock and it swayed. Amadi. Damn. She held her breath and tightened her grip on the blade.

Amadi muttered something she couldn
’t make out and rolled onto his side. Her heart stopped racing and she exhaled. She rushed over to her father who let out a loud snore.

“Father,” she whispered, but he heavily sighed.

She frowned and grabbed his shoulder and shook him. “Wake. Up. Now.”

He
snored loudly. He had to get up now. This was the time for them to escape when the pirates were asleep. She slapped her father hard across the face. He moaned, but his eyes didn’t open. “Father, will you get up?”

“Lass, what are you doin’?”

Hannah froze. Amadi. She moistened her lips. A strong hand clutched her shoulder and she whirled around the blade in her hand. “Stay away from me.”

She positioned her body between
Amadi and her father.

He glanced at the blade and back to her.
“Why are you in here? Are you delirious again?”

“No.
I’m not delirious.”

Amadi
took a step toward her.

She raised the dagger.
“Stay back.”

“Give me the knife.” He kept coming.

“I’m warning you.”

“What are you going to do?”

Hannah lunged. The tip of the knife made contact, slicing his arm.

“Bitch!” He yelped and clasped his forearm.
Blood seeped through his fingers.

From a nearby hammock, one of the vampires sat up, his hair mused.

“What’s going on?” asked another groggy vampire from behind her.

Dagger extended, she spun around.
There was a third vampire, a fourth and fifth. All of them peered at her with narrowed, deadly eyes.

A
vampire grumbled, “What the hell?”

Amadi
gritted his teeth, “Get the Capt’n.”

Kane.
She stared at Amadi’s bloody wound and the red blade. She scanned the angry faces and panted. “Please just let us go.”

Heavy footsteps pounded down the corridor, matching Hannah’s heart.
Kane stormed into the cabin and marched over to her. “Bloody hell, have you gone daft lass?”

***

So, now she knew.

With her bared teeth and curled lip, Hannah was a
wild cat, ready to strike again. She guarded her father like a serpent. “You drugged me, you bastard. You’re a vampire.”

He hadn
’t drugged her soon enough. He should have drugged the wine, not the potatoes. Now, he had a bloody mess on his hand—a frightened female. He folded his arms across his chest. “So, you plan on killing us with your blade?”

She licked her lips and her hand shook.
“Let us go.”

“Go where?”

She tilted her chin. "To Tortuga. To find safe passage.”

He cocked his eyebrow.
“Aboard a pirate ship?”

“At least they won’
t be vampires.”

Kane winced.
He couldn’t deny this, but aboard another ship, she’d not fare well, not with her beauty. His men may be vampires, but they would not rape a woman.

William ran into the cabin.
“Kane!”

Kane stiffened
. “William.”

William frowned.
“Hannah?”

“I want off this ship.”
She choked. “You’re a bunch of murdering vampires.”

Kane ached to take her in his arms and comfort her
, but the frightened look in her doe eyes and unsteady hand, holding the dagger, kept him at bay. He wasn’t a vampire now. She could hurt him. He was immortal, but he could still feel pain. 

“Hannah, we won’t hurt you,” Kane said.

“I don
’t believe you.”

Kane studied her.
“Everybody out.”

“But Kane,” William argued.

“That’s an order,” Kane
tilted his head, but held Hannah’s challenging gaze.

“Hannah, I’m not a vampire,” William blurted.

Hannah’s brows knotted.
“What?”

“I’m not a vampire,” his brother repeated.

She stared at William. “You’re lying.”

“No, I
'm not,” William replied. “I didn't drink from the lake.”

She rolled her eyes.
“What does drinking from a lake have anything to do with being a vampire? If a vampire bites you, you become one.”

“No, that’s not true.”
William tilted his head. "None of them were bitten. Zuto cursed a lake and anyone who drinks from it must drink human blood to appease the God of the Underworld, Maketabori."

“Liar,” she spat.

Hannah clutched the dagger with both hands.
Her hair hung in her face. Any minute, she’d hurt someone else or herself.

“William,
leave, now,” Kane said.

William glared but followed the men
from the cabin. Doc helped Amadi out. His men muttered curses, but they left.

“We’re alone lass,” Kane motioned. “Won’t you listen?”

He took a step toward
her.

“No, stay away from me.”

“I promise I’ll not let anything happen to you or your father.”

She
pointed the tip of the dagger at his heart. “What is the word of a vampire worth? You killed my crew.”

“No, Palmer murdered your crew.
” He edged closer. “Don’t confuse us with them.”

“I don
’t believe you.” She narrowed her eyes and lunged.

Kane easily stepped away and grabbed her wrist.

“Let me go!”
She yanked and kicked his shins, but he held her tight. Her hair whipped his face. Even as a wild banshee, Hannah stoked his blood on fire.

“Hannah, calm down,” he ordered.

“No!
Father. Wake up!”

Kane gritted his teeth.
Bloody hell. He was terrifying the poor lass. 

He shook her wrist and the blade fell onto the floor.

Hannah twisted. “No!”

Kane hauled her close to his body and secured his arm around her waist
, trapping one arm while his other hand gripped her wrist. Her chest heaved against his. He felt her thumping heart. Her owl-wide eyes tore at him. He needed to stop her rising fear. Leaning close to her ear, he stated in a calm voice, “Hannah, you’re losing control.”

She jerked her head to the side.
“You. Will. Not. Kill. Me!”

She opened her mouth and started screaming.
“Father, wake up.”

Her fa
ther groaned, but he didn’t awake.

“Father!”

“Doc gave him a sleeping draught. He won’t wake, lassie. Calm down.”

But Hannah increase
d her struggles. 

Ah, hell, he could
n’t handle this. Meaning only to shut her up, he hauled her to him and kissed her, squashing her mouth beneath his. She struggled, but he pushed her mouth open and his tongue dominated her mouth. Their tongues battled and he tasted her sweetness, trying to divert her terror, but Hannah would have none of this.

She jerked her head away and kneed
him in the thigh, but he was sure she was aiming higher. His tongue flittered slowly over the pulse beating beneath her ear. She twisted away but bared more of her flesh, allowing him to explore more of her throat. He greedily licked and sucked her hot skin, fueling his own passion. He wanted her. Her nipples pushed against his chest and he wanted to tear off her shirt and taste their peaks, bringing her pleasure, listening to her moan, crying out his name, but he restrained himself. Hannah’s rapid breath betrayed her rising panic or was it something else? Did she desire him? Or was she waiting for a way to hurt him? Or worse kill him?

She stilled and stopped fighting him.
Temptation got the better of him and he pushed down her blouse, exposing her perfect shoulder. He kissed and licked her shoulder. She trembled and released a small moan. Not of fear, but of pleasure. He was pleased with himself for turning her anger into something sweet and sensual. He indulged in sucking and worshiping her shoulder. She sagged against him. His arm circled her waist and bolstered her failing legs, hauling her forward over the solid shaft of his flesh. How could worshipping her shoulder send him plunging out of control?

A hunger consumed him.
Her shoulder wasn’t enough. He pushed her shirt down and gazed upon her naked breasts. Hannah gasped. Without thinking, he captured one nipple with his mouth and sucked hard. He moaned as she tilted her head back, offering more flesh, throwing him off guard. One minute, she was a hellion, and the next, a seductress. He relished the sensation of licking, sucking and teasing her nipple, bringing her pleasure, bringing
him
pleasure. 

“Kane,” she gasped.

He pulled away and stared into her
wild eyes. Her breath was sweet and intoxicating. “What lass?”

“Behind you…”

Kane turned. A piercing pain stabbed him in the middle of his back. He sucked in his breath and his hands gripped Hannah’s arms tight. He stared into her saucer eyes and wide mouth. His knees weakened and his hands slipped down her slender arms, pulling the shirt down. She panted hard as he brushed past her naked belly. Agony swept through him. His knees sank onto the ground and his hands swept past her smooth, trembling hands. He reached behind his back and his finger brushed against something metal. The dagger.