Page 67 of Astrid at Sea

“I’m going to be sick,” I lied.

Just as I hoped, the man holding me was quick to drop me to my feet before I was sick all down his back.

I took off running the moment I got on my feet, but I made it only three steps before he grabbed me again.

“You thought you could trick me, huh?” He chuckled, holding me to his chest while my feet dangled above the ground. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I wriggled in his arms, desperate to escape, but it was useless. No matter how much I wriggled, kicked or screamed, the man holding me was far stronger than I was.

“Keep squirming like that. It feelsrealgood,” he whispered in my ear and ran a finger down my face. “You’re a pretty little thing. Once I’ve had a turn, I’m sure my brothers would also be interested in spending some time with you.”

“You’re disgusting,” I yelled at him. His nasty words were enough to stop my wriggling, and this time, it felt like I was going to be sick for real.

“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” I suddenly heard Viktor scream. “Did you hear me? Don’t fucking talk to my wife with that disgusting mouth of yours!”

“What are you going to do about it,Captain?” One of the pirates sneered, and all the others laughed.

Craning my neck to glance over the man’s shoulder, I finally saw Viktor and the crew. They were all lined up on the sand, their hands and feet tied, and with cloths around their mouths. Viktor’s cloth was lowered so he could talk, but when he opened his mouth to say something else, one of the pirates yanked it back into place, silencing him.

“Why did you have to uncover his mouth?” One of the pirates groaned and reached for another handful of nuts. “It was the only way I could get him to shut up.”

“It was entertaining, wasn’t it?” The pirate standing behind Viktor shrugged, and all the others laughed.

The pirates holding me tugged on my hair to get my attention. “I’ll deal with you after breakfast,” he grunted, already working on tying my hands behind my back. I squirmed in his arms and tried to shuck him off me, but it was no use. Regardless of my failed attempts, I refused to go down without a fight. Literally.

He had to wrestle me onto the ground and pin me down with the weight of his body to be able to get the ties around my feet, and the only way he could get me to stop screaming was to tie a bandana around my mouth. I didn’t stop screaming, but my attempts were useless as the bandana severely muffled the sound. The offending pirate laughed at me and threw me over his shoulder once again. His hand was far too close to my ass than I liked, but thankfully, this trip was far shorter than the previous one.

The pirate dropped me unceremoniously on the sand. I hated how close I was to the pirates sitting in a circle around the fire and how far I was from the crew.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back for you later,” the pirate promised and blew me a kiss, much to my disgust before he joined his fellow pirates in drinking our ale and eating our food.

There were eight of them and fourteen of us. I believed we could take them easily, but not like this, not when we were clearly at a disadvantage with the restraints.

My eyes sought out Viktor, sitting on the other side. His eyes were wide with alarm, and they were already on me. I could see lines of worry creasing on his forehead, but I could also see the determination on his face, which told me he was already devising a plan.

Whatever it was, I sure hoped it would be soon. These pirates were scary, and I didn’t like their teasing. I feared they would soon grow bored with their teasing, and then they would want more, which terrified me more than I was willing to admit.

I was forced to turn my attention away from Viktor and back to the pirates when the same one from before appeared before me with a bright smile and seemingly finished with his breakfast.

“You’re pretty, but you’re also a smart little thing, aren’t you?” He shot me a toothy grin. “I can practically see the cogs turning in your head. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“What’s going on?” I dared to ask, internally relieved that my voice came out confident, even though that was the opposite of what I felt inside.

The pirate guilty of manhandling me–with how he led all the conversations and got the first pick of food before all the other pirates told me he was the leader–seated himself in front of me, shooting me a big, toothy grin.

“How about you leave the questioning to me?” He chuckled.

I pursed my lips, not liking his response. My eyes drifted over his shoulder, and I locked gazes with Viktor. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners, I could tell he was attempting to smile at me from under the bandana covering his mouth, but I couldn’t bring myself to return it.

I wanted to rush across the sand and throw myself into his arms. I wanted him to hold me, comfort me, and tell me everything would be okay and that we would all make it out of here safe and alive. But I couldn’t do that. Not when all of us were tied up and held hostage by a gang of pirates.

“Eyes on me.” The same pirate snapped his fingers in front of my face to get my attention. Not wanting to rock the metaphoric boat and worsen the situation, I tore my eyes away from myhusband to look at him. “That’s better.” He gave me another toothy grin, but I didn’t return it. “What are you doing here on this island?”

“We stopped for some food,” I lied.

All the toothy grins turned out to be a facade because, in the blink of an eye, he backhanded me across the face. I gasped as my face was forced to the right, my cheek burning even when I cupped it to soothe the pain. Viktor’s muffled shouts from where he was restrained made things worse, and I blinked back the tears–I wasn’t just crying from the sting of the slap, but because I hated how helpless we all were. I could see that Viktor was fighting terribly against his restraints, trying to free himself so he could save me, but just like the rest of us, he was utterly powerless.

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