Page 70 of Scourge of the Shores
She remained silent, her gaze almost empty. A glisten burned her eyes. “I know what I feel, but tell me straight—is what Ervin said true? Will ye forget me as soon ye sail off, go to Rogue’s Isle and?—”
He sighed, shaking his head and stopping her question.
“I ain’t forgetting ye. Lucas spoke of aches and hiding pain; I’ll ache for ye and hide my pain too.”
He cradled her cheek, lowering his forehead to hers.
“I told the Pirate Kings that I was only spending time with your village to do everything Ervin said. Believe the lies I told them, or believe me now, but know I’ll never forget you. I’ll not ask you to wait for me, but I plan on one day, you and I living here or on the sea together for as long as we live.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to the hope that poured from his lips.
“Ye’re a man of vows, ain’t ye?” she whispered.
His arms tightened around her, as if memorizing the feel of her.
“I expect ye to return then,” she said.
“Your expectation ain’t in vain, love,” he murmured.
A slow breath escaped, calming her heartbeat. A vain promise, it might be, but maybe it would help when he left.
“I’ve made vows, and I always keep ‘em.”
And then his lips were on hers. With that, she knew the ache would not be as much. It would be bearable. It had to be.
Danna breathed him in as the smooth kiss grew deeper, the longer they held each other amid the moonflower blossoms. Her fingers clung to the fabric of his shirt, desperate to commit the rough linen, the warmth of his skin beneath, to memory. The scent of salt and spice filled her lungs—her final breath of him before the sea took him away. But even his warmth couldn’t chase the chill the tide would bring.
CHAPTER 16
The Rocky Alliance
Robert had kissed Danna Chadwick like a dying man drawing his last breath. Perhaps he was—soon he’d be gone, and she wouldn’t follow. Ervin had looked at him like he was the storm meant to wreck Danna from the inside out. And maybe he was that, too. The thought gnawed at him more than it should have. He should have left well enough alone. But he hadn’t. And now all he could do was make sure the Pirate Kings didn’t turn on the island—and didn’t kill the woman he never should have touched. He didn’t tell Danna what Frank told him; he didn’t want her to worry. Not with everything else. He’d protect her with everything he had, even if it meant leaving without her.
The Pirate Kings gathered around the fire pit. Robert had been dreading bringing up the topic yet again, but he had to since the ships had all been repaired, and the islanders were ready to sail.
He stood and commanded the attention of the nine Pirate Kings. “Brothers.” His eyes fell on Rosa. “Matelot.” He cuffed his hand on his coat lapel, and the other he placed on his belt to show his golden-scrolled flintlock pistols. “Are we all agreed that when we fight Cain and win, we’ll lay no blood on the islanders, and we’ll not return for the treasure of the old pirate kings in honor of their legacies.”
A silence settled over the fire pit, the weight of his words sinking into the gathered kings.
Rosa’s laughter broke the stillness; his eyes shone with greed. “Taken by Miss Chadwick, are ye?”
He was, but he couldn’t let the pirate kings know it. Holcomb, Cooper, and Vance exchanged a glance.
“Absolutely not,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Had I not gained her trust, we’d still be here making tar and pitch, marooned on this island for double the time we’ve been here.” He did a grand sweep of his arm. “I saved us from this wretched place, Captain Rosa.”
Rosa scoffed and muttered, “Ye could’ve fooled me. Perhaps ye’re a sly and cunning king.”
Blackwood chuckled. “Fooled us all, sneaking off at night. Are ye sure ye’re fully with us, matey?”
Jaymes pulled two flintlocks from his belt—one for each hand—and ran a warning shot by Blackwood’s ear. “You’re finished, Captain Blackwood.” He tipped the second flintlock towards Rosa. “I said what I said; any other doubters of me word?”
Rosa adjusted his seat on the fallen log, spreading his legs and leaning elbows upon his thighs, but said nothing.
Jaymes returned both flintlocks to his belt. “My father united the forty kings under ten. He respected our history, and he’d want the treasures to remain with the kings of old. If you disagree with that, you disagree with my father, who you owe for your fame and status as one of the ten Pirate Kings of the North Sea.” Robert lifted his chin. “I’ll carry out his legacy and remove anyone who stands against it. Are there any dissenters? Let them speak but in respect of our fathers.”
Hagen stood up, glanced around at the other pirate kings, before nodding to Robert. “Me fleets are with ye, Captain Jaymes.”
Holcomb raised his hand in agreement. “Aye, me too.”
