A Pirate's Revenge (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) (30 page)

The cannons stopped thundering, and cheers sang in her ears. A high pitched scream emitted from outside. William leaned against her chest, and she stroked his head.

“’Tis over,” she panted. “The black magic is gone.”

William clasped her thighs and flipped her over onto the bed. He stretched out on top of her, his cock filling her again. “Aye, ’tis gone, but my need for you, little witch, has just begun.”

Before she could answer, his mouth covered hers, and his teeth tugged at her lip, nipped and tormented and commanded. She slid her hands up his back, and his muscles twitched beneath her palms. Heat flared within her again, driving away the nightmare of almost losing him. She caressed his leg with hers as he moved his hand down her body, outlining her breast, slinking past her hip, igniting flames of desire, and leaving her yearning for more.

The intensity increased until pleasure gripped them both again. Mariah did not know where she left off and he began; they were one. Together. He collapsed on top of her. “My lord, I’ve never…” he panted.

She smiled. “I know. ’Tis the magic.”

“Magic. What bloody magic?”

His sharp voice stole her joy. “William, you were becoming possessed.”

“So you used another piece of magic to possess me?”

“What?” She swallowed, not understanding his anger. “Only together were we able to break the spell.”

“Meaning?”

“William, we were destined to be together.” She stroked his frowning face. “Do you not see? Natasa cannot defeat us.”

He leaned on his forearms and stared at her. “You’re dancing around my question. Answer me.”

“We’re bound.”

“Bound?”

“White magic binds the two souls, making them one. I thought you wanted—”

“I like being given the choice. You stole that from me.”

Heavy footsteps thumped outside. “William,” Kane called. He pounded on the door. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” William answered.

“We need you up on deck.”

“I’ll be there.” He lowered his head and rolled off Mariah. “Get dressed.”

Cold chilled her skin, and ’twasn’t from the air. With his glowering stance, William stole the warm glow that had been part of their lovemaking. She covered herself with her hands, and heat stained her cheeks. The most wonderful magical experience had been delectable and joyous, only to end in sadness and shame. Had some of the poison remained in William? Was that why he pushed her away?

He turned his back to her and sat up straight. She reached for him.

“Don’t touch me.” He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes hard.

His voice shook, and the iciness stole her breath. He stormed around the cabin, whipping open Kane’s chest drawers, grabbing clothes, then slamming the drawers shut. He wouldn’t even look at her as he threw on a pair of blue trousers. She blinked back tears and quickly darted out of the bed and donned her dress, not looking at William. She slid a glance toward him. The dragon tattoo on his chest seemed to peer at her with pleading eyes as if to apologize for William’s behavior.

She grabbed her satchel and headed for the door. William came up behind her. His warm breath brushed the back of her neck. He had wanted her and loved her like his life depended upon it, but now, he made her feel dirty. Ugly.

She flung open the door to Doc, Hannah, and Kane. Kane studied both of them. “Is he healed?”

“Aye, I am,” William said. “Even my back.”

“Bloody hell,” Kane said. His eyes brightened, and he clapped William’s shoulders. “Good brother.”

Doc looked William over in disbelief. “Are you sure, lad?”

Only Hannah glanced between Mariah and William. Her face was pale, and bits of blood seeped out of her nose. “Mariah, are you well?”

“
Oui
,
je vais bien.
” Mariah’s voice was sharper than she intended. 

William edged away from her as if he could not bear to touch her. A few minutes ago, his mouth and hands had been all over her. Now, he turned into the ice dragon. 

Mariah clutched her bag tighter, wishing she was back home. Did he not want them to know he had a ravaged her? He was just like all of those people who condemned witches, thinking they were evil, intent on seducing innocent souls. Never mind that she’d kept him from becoming a mindless slave to a demon. She hitched her chin higher and squared her shoulders. “If you will excuse me,
Capitaine
, I am tired. I need to retire.”

Hannah punched Kane in the arm.

“What—” He glanced between Mariah and William, and comprehension saturated his eyes. So, he thought her a seductress too? Not waiting for him to accuse her of seducing his pigheaded brother, she brushed past them and headed for the crew’s quarters.  

When she found Lark and freed him, she’d return home and never leave again. Trying to maintain her anger and not burst into tears, she made her way to her private space. Inside, she put her bag into the chest and slumped onto the floor. The red-stained blanket reminded her of what she had done. Tears welled in her eyes.

Something wet and cold nudged her hand. She turned around, hoping to see William and hear him apologize, hear that he loved her, but he was not here. Solstice gazed up with her soulful eyes. Mariah flung her arms around the dog’s neck and buried her face in Solstice’s fur. She wept, hugging the dog close, wishing for William, afraid she’d lost him forever.       

A sharp pain seized her heavy heart, and Mariah tightened her hold on Solstice. She gasped for air and choked on her tears. Had Natasa returned? Fear chilled her, and she scanned the cabin for dark shadows. The lantern flickered, and the hammock swayed with the rocking of the ship, but she could not detect an evil presence.

She wished William were there to wrap his arms around her and whisper she was safe. Her heart fluttered again. Realization slammed into her. She groaned and laid her head against Solstice’s back. Like a complete dimwit, she had fallen in love with William—a man who scoffed at witchcraft. She had hoped their destiny meant he would love her too.
Grand-mère
had said they were meant to be together. But love had never been mentioned. She had assumed that destiny meant they would fall in love.
Imbècile!
Why did the gods have to be so cruel?

“Mariah?”

Mariah stopped hugging Solstice and wiped her tears. “Oh, Hannah. I am sorry. Just missing my family.”

Hannah sat next to her and petted Solstice. “You’re not fooling me, Mariah. William’s hard-headed when it comes to magic.”

“I know, but bonding us—” She choked on her own words. “Was the only way I could save him. Otherwise, Natasa would have won.”

Hannah frowned. “Bonding?”

“
Oui
, white magic sealed our fates together.”

“How?”

Mariah lowered her head, and heat stained her cheeks. Shame kept her from telling Hannah the truth. What if she told William? ’Twas bad enough he scorned her magic, but for him to know that he had stolen her heart would be too much to bear.

“Oh, I see,” Hannah said. “William’s got Kane in an uproar.”

Mariah raised her head. “So, that’s why you came down here?”

“Yes.” Hannah rubbed her arm. “Kane did send me down here. Don’t get me wrong. I
know
you were not practicing the dark arts. I did want to check on you to make sure you were well. ’Tis not easy to convince these sea dogs that you’re not the enemy. It took a while for them to trust me. After being cursed, they are leery of magic.”

“I am a witch. What did they think I did?”

“I know.” Hannah wrapped her arm around Mariah’s trembling body. “Men. Stubborn and ignorant.”

Mariah rested her head on Hannah’s shoulder and tears slipped down her face. Hannah smelled of jasmine, reminding Mariah of
Grand-mère’s
garden. And when she hugged her tighter, Mariah fought not to bawl. Solstice laid her head in Mariah’s lap and gazed at her with deep brown eyes. At least Mariah was not alone on this ship. She had Hannah and Solstice. When she freed Lark, she would flee to Tortuga—forget about Natasa, the
Soaring Phoenix,
and William O’Brien.

“I do not mean to be such a nuisance.” Mariah lifted her head and sniffed. “I am weary and need some rest.”

“You’ve had a hard day. Why don’t you take a little nap? You can’t fight Natasa and her horrid crew if you are spent.” She patted Mariah’s thigh. “Come on. Crawl into the hammock. I’ll have Cook fix you something to eat, and when it’s finished, I’ll wake you. Fair enough?”

Mariah nodded. Hannah had become a friend. Someone she could trust. Without her, she would have descended into deep despair.

Hannah helped her into the hammock and draped a blanket over her. Mariah pulled the blanket up around her neck and curled into a tight ball. Hannah left, and Solstice curled up on the floor, guarding her.

Mariah’s inner thighs throbbed, and her skin was raw where William had kissed her. The intensity of her feelings for him surprised and terrified her. She wished she could harden her heart like he had and forget about him, forget his kiss. 

Too tired to cry anymore, she shut her eyes. She took a deep breath and snuggled deeper into the swaying hammock. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she sighed, thinking about Tortuga,
Grand-mère
,
Grand-père
.

Stop it. Forget about everything.

Mariah forced herself not to think, not to dwell on the past or the future. She clenched and relaxed her muscles three times, releasing the negative energy. She inhaled and exhaled again and drifted off.

An overpowering scent of dried grass and human stench permeated her cabin. She shook her head and groaned.

“Mariah, wake up.”

She opened her eyes. Rather than the Phoenix’s canvas walls, dry brittle grass walls surrounded her swaying hammock. She was dreaming again, or hoped she was.

Lark hung from a stake. His hair was matted and greasy. Dirt, cuts, and dark bruises covered his half-naked body.
“Listen to me. I do not have much time.”

“Mon Dieu, your eyes.” No longer gray, they were black with glints of red.

“I am losing the fight, Mariah. By sundown, I will turn. I am sorry. When you see me again, you must kill me.”

“No!”

“I will no longer be your brother. To save yourself and the crew of the Soaring Phoenix, you must do this.”

“I cannot.”

He hung his head. “Then I will kill you.”

She woke to her heart pounding, and her clothes sticking to her hot skin. The dream had been too real.

Solstice growled, and she trembled. The lantern cast a dim light in her cabin. In the shadows, someone sat on her trunk with long legs stretched out. She could not move. Did not want to move.

“Shhh, Solstice,” William said. 

Relief flooded her. ’Twas her dragon.

“You’ll wake her,” he said. “Come here, girl. I’m not going to hurt your mistress.”

Liar. He already had. Mariah gripped the blanket tighter, afraid to even breathe. He was here. Why?

Solstice put her head on the hammock. Mariah wanted to tell her to go away, but she did not want William to know she was awake. Too frightened to face him.

“Solstice, get away from her.” He got up off the trunk. “She’s exhausted.”

A coward and unable to face him, Mariah shut her eyes tight. Solstice whined. Mariah opened her eyes.

“Mariah, are you awake?” he asked gently.

Caught. Damn.

He knelt, scratching Solstice’s ear.

She refused to look at him and stared into Solstice’s tender eyes. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to check on you. I heard you moaning. Did you have a bad dream? A nightmare about Lark?”

She could not tell him about the dream. It might not have been true. She hoped it was not true. “I am well. Go away.”

He brushed a strand of hair sticking to her cheek. “Are you? Somehow I don’t believe you.”

“I do not care what you believe. Leave me alone.” She sighed, trying to pretend that she wasn’t enjoying the warmth of his touch. But no, she wanted to feel his hands on her body, feel his lips on hers, but ’twas not what he wanted. “William, the spell can be broken. After we combine our powers to defeat Natasa, you do not have to be chained to me.
Grand-mère
has the power to break the bond and will set you free when we return to Tortuga.” She rolled over to the other side, and a tear crept down her cheek. “So, go.”

He sighed, and she waited for him to argue with her, to tell her that he did not want the bond broken, that he had come to apologize. He granted none of those wishes and shuffled out of the room.

Her heart broke. He wanted to be free of her. She was a fool, a stupid fool.

Soft footsteps entered into her space. “Mariah?” Hannah clasped her shoulder. “William said you were awake. Would you like some soup? Cook made some especially for you.”