Page 18 of A Descent Into Darkness

“I trust you, James. Promise you’ll come back to me?” She lifted her delicate hand from mine, her fine fingers running over my stubbled cheek.

“I swear it upon my unworthy heart. I will always come back for you.” She leaned in, her mouth meeting mine in a frenzy. Her full lips were hard, needy, and urgent. I felt mybody respond, running my fingers into her thick hair, pulling her closer. All our fears played out in that kiss.

“Take me now, James. We’ve waited so long. This could be our last chance to be together in this world. I want to feel your skin against mine. I want to know what it’s like to have you inside of me. For once, I want to be filled with love,” she panted, her soft words pleading with me to give her something that I couldn’t. My body was on fire, desperate to claim her, make her mine. But I couldn’t have her. Not like this. Not while she still belonged to Teach. Her words tore open my soul, and the need for her was almost too strong to control. I wanted to throw her on the bed and sink myself inside her, make her scream my name. But after we’d revealed our feelings that night atThe Gilded Filly, we’d agreed to wait until we were free from Teach. Only when we could be together wholly and without the stain of Edward Teach, would we give ourselves to each other.

“No… no, I can’t. You know we can’t.” I stumbled to my feet, needing to get some space before I caved completely and lost myself to my primal instincts.

“Why?”

“You know why. One day, Katherine, I will make you mine, but not like this. Not while he still owns a piece of you.”

“You make it sound like that’s something I can control,” she shot back, looking wounded at my dismissal. A small tear slid down her cheek, and my resolve began to crack.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s out ofbothour hands. I will makethis right, Kat. Don’t lose faith in me,” I begged. How long would I be able to resist that which my heart so desperately desired? I knew I’d have to make a move soon.

“Before you leave, I want to give you something,” she whispered, reaching under her pillow and pulling out the dagger I’d hidden there. With a quick flick of her wrist, she cut a small lock of her blonde hair.

“Take a piece of me with you.” She handed the golden strands to me. I stared at the gift for a moment. It was risky. If Teach found it, it would be all the evidence he would need, but I couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to say no. I wrapped the silken hair around my finger and turned to go without saying goodbye. Goodbye was too final, and I refused to let this be the end for us.

I could feelhis eyes boring into the back of my skull the entire trek to Castlebar. The rain and the swirling mist that shrouded the green isle didn’t help to improve my mood. My shoulders were tense, my jaw clenched, and my hand gripped the pommel of my cutlass too tightly. The countless ways Teach could exact his revenge on me wreaked havoc on my nerves. But I’d be damned if I was going to go down easy. Pan and I had a date with destiny that I refused to miss, and I wouldn’t let my feeble mortality get in the way.

“Who’s so important that we haveto travel five hours on foot to Castlebar?” I asked. My fucking paranoia was relentless, but I was still curious. If I was wrong, and this had nothing to do with Kat and me, maybe I’d figure out more of Teach’s mystery. At some point, Teach had turned from my mentor to my enemy. And one of the many things Teach had drilled into me over the years was, know your enemy better than yourself.

“I told you, an old friend.”

I whirled on him; my temper easily roused. “You insisted you needed me on this trip. I think I deserve a little explanation. You’ve always told me, ‘never go blind into any situation,’but now you expect me to look the other way for you. Open your eyes. I am not your obedient little dog anymore.”

“Patience is a virtue,” was all he said, no emotion on his face, no reaction to my volatile temper, which was uncharacteristic for the man I knew all too well.

“What do you know of virtue?” I spat at him.

“I know a great many things, James. I know you grow inpatient with me, but I told you long ago that only I can bring you what your soul truly desires. Your loyalty will not go unrewarded. I will explain everything at the proper time.”

“Time is marching past with no hint of slowing, even for the likes of you. I cannot stand by and?—”

“When it is time!” he bellowed, effectively silencing me. And I was left to ponder his veiled words for the rest of our journey.

We arrived at a neatly appointed pub by the time nightfell. Teach settled us at a small table in the back corner, perfectly situated to give us privacy and provide an ideal viewpoint of everyone in the pub. My clothes were soaked through, but the chill finally left me as the nearby fire warmed my bones. I fully expected Teach’s friend to be waiting on us, but no one approached and Teach proceeded to order food and rum, settling in like we were simply weary travelers sharing a meal, rather than the notorious Blackbeard, here on business.

The man had garnered a name for himself across the known world. Becoming more myth than man. His behavior had become brazen over the years, bordering on psychotic. The tasks I’d carried out in his name would haunt me for the rest of my days. I’d seen more things I couldn’t explain, and it only fanned the rumors. His reputation had grown even more than I think Teach had planned.

We sat in silence as my mind toiled over the choices I’d made in the last decade of my life. Thankfully, our glasses never sat empty. The ever attentive barmaid kept the rum flowing and for the first time in months, I allowed myself to drown out all of my troubles with drink, the knots of tension loosening with each glass. When my eyes grew heavy, and I thought I might pass out sitting at the table, the sound of chair legs dragging across the wooden floor brought me back to attention. A stranger sat down at the table across from Teach. Candlelight reflected off the stranger’s vibrant green cloak, highlighting the gold embroidery, the symbols sparking a memory from a lifetime ago.

“I was beginning to think you were going to fold on my favor,” Teach said.

“If the likes of you thinks so low of me, then my reputation among the good people is beyond repair.” A distinctly feminine voice flowed from the hooded stranger. Her weathered hand appeared from beneath her cloak, snapping her fingers, sending a sparkle of dust fluttering in the air.

“You always were overly cautious, Mor. Would have thought you could have let your guard down amongst your own people,” Teach chuckled. I peered around the crowded pub. Not a single person looked our way. Even the nosy barmaid found herself otherwise occupied, as though this stranger had somehow made us invisible in our dark corner.

“Times have changed. A fae can never be too careful,” the woman said plainly. My heart raced in my chest. This was it. This is what I had been waiting years for.

She pulled down her hood, revealing features that were mature and stately, a classic beauty silhouetted in a spray of raven hair. But it was her eyes that caught my attention. Those amber eyes were timeless, a true mark of the fae.

“Take us back less than 200 years, and the Mor I knew flaunted whatever power she had. This realm could have been yours for the taking.”

“Ah, to be young again. This realm wasn’t ready for a woman to take the lead. It still isn’t. But I’m not here to relive the glory days with you, Éadbard.”

“Éadbard?” I asked, puzzling over yet another name for a man I thought I knew.

---