Page 2 of Of Vows and War: Special Edition
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“That was a close one,” Bek signed lazily as she slumped into the faded wooden chair beside mine. I shoved my tankard of grog ather, a small smirk lifting the corner of my mouth. Life upon a ship was not an easy one, but the moments of humor and joy one could concoct made it all worth it.
That and the gold, of course.
Perhaps it was the freedom too.
Bek gripped the handle with her bone-white fingers, tipping back her head and taking a hefty swig. Laughter silently tore through me as she lurched forward, spitting out what was still floating in her mouth as she sputtered.
“You.” Gasp. “Bitch!” Cough. “I fucking—” Her hands stilled then, bracing against her knees as she leaned over her legs. Oh, that was real choking there.
The sight of her hacking gave me the urge to scoot away, my face pinching in slight discomfort. Still, I reached out my hand and smacked her back a few times, earning a rather menacing glare. Not that those black eyes could be anything other than unsettling most days. Though it helped that her dirty blonde hair was loose. After a few more moments, she gathered her breath and sat up straight. “You need to stop putting saltwater in our damn rum, Perdita.”
With a shake of my head and a chuckle, I reached down and grabbed a white horn full of undiluted rum. Amusement lifted my round cheeks, my lips splitting into a grin. I handed it to her with an eye roll, my fingers sore as I signed from gripping so tightly when the water threatened to overtake us. “Can you at least pretend to not be an insolent little shit? The fresh fish will think me an incompetent leader. Or worse—a soft one.”
Rolling her eyes back, Bek snagged the horn and lifted it to her nose, sniffing with her dark gaze squinted in suspicion. Satisfied by the burning smell, she brought the edge to her mouth and swallowed before nodding, gesturing to the area behind me. I turned in time to see Dima approaching us, her endless black hair blowing in the wind and her pale skin vibrantin the sunlight. Her lavender eyes found my deep brown ones just as I shoved Bek, hoping she would take the hint and leave before Dima got to us. As always, she refused simply to annoy me.
“Captain, it is good to see you up and moving again,” Dima signed, her hands slow and fumbling. Her feet were damp with water as they smacked across the deck, the aquamarine shade of her billowing dress looking like the movement of the very sea she had clearly just been playing in. I watched her with unabashed lust, the sway of her hips and the bounce of her breasts making my mouth water. She never wore anything below those barely-there pieces of fabric she called dresses, and I thought I might never stop craving her.
“Well, Storm—”
“I have told you before, that is not my name,Perdita.”A smile fought its way to my face as I watched her full pink lips move in time with her hands. Bek patted me on the shoulder before standing, taking my rum with her as she left. I watched her retreat below deck before returning my eyes to Dima. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the armrests of my chair. The fabric of her dress opened, showing me one of my favorite sights in the entire gods damned world.
“Well,Dima,I am the best pirate to roam the three seas. A few measly waves cannot steal that from me.” My arms opened wide, showing her all that I was, willing her to admit my greatness.
There were many things I was poor at. Being a loving daughter. Working as a slaver. Following the rules—Underworld spare me, I was quite terrible at that. Still, there was one thing I was magnificent at: being a pirate. I looted like no other, captained my crew with excellence, and overall was the best at what I did. Sailors spoke my name with a tremble, and I reveled in it.
“Ah, yes, you so often say so. But I wonder, can one be a renowned pirate andpossess honor?” Dima’s question was meant to unnerve me—to spark some bit of remorse. She would find none within me.
“My honor is my truth, lovely siren. I am honest about what I am, rather than claiming myself a privateer and trading in living things like my father. Is there not principle in that?” My hand lifted as I finished the sign, a single finger reaching to graze the swell of her breast, the brown of my skin making hers look nearly translucent. A wonderfully erotic gasp left her lips and vibrated against me as I continued to gently tease her, and I thought perhaps honor was a fickle and pointless thing anyways.
“You do not trade, Captain. What you do is steal.” My head fell back in a laugh, the hypocrisy of her words settling low in my stomach—in my core. I wrapped my free arm around her waist, dragging her onto my lap. Her long legs bent, resting on the outside of my thighs. Without hesitation, I leaned into her, my finger pulling down the top of her dress and my tongue flicking one of her perfectly peaked nipples. Gods, she was glorious. The salty taste of her was a flame within the hearth of my desire, forcing a strangled growl up my throat as I attempted to continue the conversation without forcing her to her knees in front of me.
“We,Storm. You have joined our crew, have you not?” A breathy moan emanated from her and painted the air in sensuality as she rocked her hips against me. Another chuckle freed itself from the confines of my chest. “Regardless, it is quite a thing to question my morality. While I walk away with heavy pockets, you walk away with a heavy stomach.”
Two of my now free fingers lowered, diving under the flimsy fabric upon her thigh and skating up her velvet skin. She grew more frantic with her movements when I bit down upon her nipple, sucking it into my mouth before freeing it with whathad to have been an audible pop. Smiling at the feel of her already wet center, I began my slow destruction of the beautiful carnivore before me.
She pulled away slightly, putting her hands between us.
“That reminds me, the water spoke. A ship comes,” Dima signed before pressing her breasts back into my face, a groan brushing against my skin following the casually given statement. Yet, it was not something of no consequence to me. No, this would be how we made up for the gems we lost out on earlier. Scoffing, I shoved Dima off me, her body tipping back and her phenomenal ass landing hard upon the deck of my ship.
“Dammit, Dima! You cannot lose focus upon these seas. You must remember that nothing is as important as gold in the palms of our hands.” My signs were hasty and sharp, a clear representation of my growing frustration. I dragged one of my now free hands through my tangled coffee-brown curls, the desire for preparation and hatred of spontaneity rising within me.
“But I am starved, can I just have a quick snack first?” Those bright eyes lowered from my face, stopping and remaining focused upon the still-wet spot between my legs. Rolling my eyes, I reached out a hand and helped her up. Her smile was ethereal, brilliantly white teeth unstained despite her bloodlust.
“Good, you can feast upon what is left once I am done getting the coin you will find us. Now get your ass in the water and call that ship to me.” With a shove, I urged her towards the edge of the ship. The siren glared at me, every bit of desire leaving her eyes.Thereshe was.
With a flash of her middle finger my way, she turned, leaping over the bulwark and into the calm sea below. Jogging over, I saw that she had barely caused the water to ripple, but her presence would be known soon. I let out my warning whistle, mypointer finger and thumb curving into my mouth as I blew out three long notes.
Rolling my shoulders, I kicked off my boots and pressed my toes into the wood below my feet. My fingers dug into the ledge as I waited for the rumble of her voice to soothe every nerve in my body. Unlike the rest of my crew, I enjoyed feeling the notes of doom that Dima sang for the unsuspecting seafarers. In moments, she blessed us with her song. With a final laugh at the ominous beat of her haunting, deep voice, I closed my eyes and prepared for what was to come. Death would stain the sea red today.
Chapter Two
Stassi
One more meeting, then I would go to my creature.
Deal with the others for an hour, and then I could—ideally—head straight to the dungeons beneath the golden castle. Asher could wait. That ridiculous little shit. A part of me hoped something awful would befall her simply so she would no longer be my problem. The other part of me, though, wanted her to live and ruin Padon’s life.
