Page 41 of Scourge of the Shores
Moonlight glinted off the sea of black glass waves in the distance. Its sky was calm—a good omen for the following day. The small ship sat at the port, awaiting its short journey to the neighboring island. Danna wished her mind were as calm, but ever since her walk with Robert a few days earlier, his words had echoed relentlessly in her mind.
“What ye decide to believe,” she muttered and shoved her hands on her hips. Her leg still throbbed, but the fatigue was gone. She wanted Robert out of her mind, but the pirate had charmed himself a residence.
Lucas’s voice cut through the night like a blade. “Ye shouldn’t be out here alone, Danna.”
She peered over her shoulder at his approaching shadow. “Ye’re here.”
Lucas stepped beside her and crossed his arms, staring out at the sea as well. “The pirates came. They’re waitin’ for ye.”
“Let ‘em wait. Show ‘em who’s in control,” she said, lifting her chin.
“Aye, that’s me girl,” Lucas said with a grin.
“Lucas,” her gaze shifted to him. “Why did ye never tell me about a prophecy of weddin’?”
His hand fisted. “I’ll kill that Jaymes.” He shook his head. “Ye’ve got so much on yer mind, Danna, I didn’t wanna add to yer burdens.”
“So it’s true?”
Lucas nodded. “A worthy man would come from the sea, wed ye, and ye’ll have a child that dies but lives forever.”
Her chin dipped, wondering about the child, but instead pressed Lucas on the more important matter. “Did Jaymes say somethin’ to ye that made ye tell him about it?”
“Why ye askin’? Did he try somethin’ on yer walk?”
She shook her head. “I can tell he fancies me, but I don’t know if it’s real.”
Lucas let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, it’s real. But he ain’t the one. The worthy one stays, Danna."
Her body stilled in the breeze. She didn’t want to stay. “That’s part of it?”
“More or less,” Lucas said, glancing at her. “The prophecy says I’m to prepare ye—to lead, to rule. That means ye’re stayin’.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach as her gaze returned to the sea. She loved the island. It had been her home, her safety, her kingdom. But the sea—it was something else. It was freedom, possibility, escape, a watery death. Maybe she’d become a siren, reborn in seafoam, the DeepMother’s sorrow turned flesh.
The Northern Boulder had been her only glimpse of the life the DeepMother’s soul offered, and the thought of never leaving the island, of never sailing the great beyond, wrapped around her chest like a shackle. Maybe she had always known. But hearing it aloud made it all the more real.
“Prophecy or not, if he stayed, would that make him the worthy one?”
“He won’t stay, Danna. And he ain’t the one. Don’t let him get in yer head. Don’t believe his lies. I tell ye this as yer friend and as a man who loves ye like his own.” Lucas slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. “Keep yer focus, and Robert Jaymes’ll soon be gone forever.”
She licked her lip as she leaned into Lucas’s side embrace. “I feel a draw to him. I hate it.”
“He’s got a pretty face, probably a sight for sore eyes, starin’ at this lot every day,” Lucas said with a chuckle. “Just remember, snakes be pretty too. He’s here for one thing. That’s it. I don’t know why he saved ye, but I fear it’s for control over ye. Don’t let him have it.”
“They could’ve taken us by now, Lucas. What if he’s keeping them on the East side? What if I reject his yearnin’, and he don’t hold ‘em back?”
The risk to the islanders was too great. It was the only logical reason she could think that the massive number of pirates on their Eastern shore hadn’t tried to steal their food or force their labor even if they had respect for the pirate kings of old. It was odd. Robert kept them from conquering them the night Cain attacked, but it was the why that needed answering. She doubted it was solely because of his feelings for her. He wanted his glory. His legacy. His sea dragon relic. He knew she knew Cain’s lair. Maybe they needed the island’s extra thirty-seven ships to kill the demon. They wouldn’t have the crew if they had conquered the islanders.
“Ye spinnin’ assumptions,” Lucas said, taking a deep breath. “But ye’ve always been better at reading men than me. I don’t trust him—fully. I know ye don’t. He’s either sly, biding time to get what he wants or stupid to risk it all for a lass, even if ye’re a Chadwick.”
One thing was certain to Danna. Robert Jaymes was not stupid. He was cunning, clever, and wore too many masks. So if he wasn’t stupid, he was sly and wanted something. She just didn’t know what.
A few moments of silence lingered between them until Lucas squeezed and gave her a long, knowing look.
"Ye can’t let a pirate’s charm soften ye, Danna. They take, twist, and leave. He ain’t one of us—and he ain’t gonna be.”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes stayed on the sea, voice low. “Maybe,” she muttered to herself.
