Captain Noir stood, putting his breeches and the rest of his clothing back to rights.
Faryn felt suddenly vulnerable. She was on display for all to see. She crossed her legs and her arms over her chest to hide her areas. She turned to Noir, wondering if he would take her to safety now or if his tenderness had been a ruse to get her to willingly spread her legs.
Something glinted on his finger in the candlelight as he handed her the sheet to recover herself. A skull-shaped ring. But it was a strange ring. She narrowed her eyes to look closer and saw that it had a very tiny dagger coming out the length of his finger from the ring. Before she could look further, he pressed a button and the dagger disappeared. So, that was how he’d cut her.
Though it had been a risk to slice her so close to her nether regions, she was grateful for his quick thinking. She’d never seen a weapon like that before, and it sent a shiver running through her. How many others’ blood was on that tiny dagger?
“Anyone else want to taste the blood of a virgin?” Orelia shouted to the crowd, her arms spread wide before she pointed at Faryn.
Faryn started to protest but the captain stepped forward, cutting her off.
“We had a deal, Orelia.”
“Deals can be broken.” The queen’s eyes narrowed.
“Not this time.” Noir had a deadly look on his face. Judging from the muscle jerking in the side of his jaw, Faryn would venture to guess he was reaching the limit of his patience. “I’ll take my booty and be on my way.”
Orelia turned fully toward him, her face away from Faryn. They stood that way in silence for several moments. Neither moved. It was a battle of wills that Faryn was glad she didn’t have to participate in.
“You’d best be on your way then, Captain, before I change my mind.”
Noir nodded, gripped Faryn’s hand and yanked her to her feet.
Orelia’s head fell back and she laughed aloud as Noir walked fast, pulling her behind him out through the crowd of undulating, moaning bodies.
“Avast, men! Ye landlubbers! Back to the ship! We sail within the hour or I shall see ye to Davy Jones!” the captain shouted.
At his authoritative words and commanding voice, men pooled around them. The whines of women and men accompanied the loss of their sexual partners as the pirates gathered to serve their master. A servant rushed forward and handed Noir a jingling bag, which Faryn assumed must be his payment for delivering Orelia’s shipment.
Faryn stumbled between Noir and his men out of Orelia’s lair, to the docks and back up the gangplank. The captain didn’t stop, even when she nearly fell to her knees. His strides were determined. He barked orders left and right and all around her, what at first appeared to be chaos was actually quite orderly as the men pulled up anchor, set the sails and prepared to shove off.
Noir took her up a series of narrow short stairways, dodging ship’s equipment and men until they entered a large oak door, which he promptly shut behind them. The room was vast with a gigantic bed piled high with pillows and what appeared to be thick blankets made of woven plaid. A large table with several chairs around it stood in a corner, piled high with papers.
Before she had a chance to look anywhere else, her attention was caught by the captain who’d flung open the doors of his wardrobe and was rifling through its contents.
“Ballocks.” He came back and rubbed at his chin, still staring into the wardrobe. “Thought I might have had something for ye to put on, a gown or some such, but it appears that whatever women’s wear I may have once had on this ship has disappeared.”
He grabbed a white linen shirt and tossed it to her.
“Wear that for now. It will at least keep ye somewhat warm.” He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. His gaze fell to where the sheet was pulled taut to her breasts, causing her heart to pump faster. Her belly warmed and a frisson of the same desire she’d felt before flashed through her veins. “Aye, put my shirt on quickly, else I have a mind to take ye to bed again, which at the moment would not be a good idea.”
She nodded and tugged his shirt on.
“I’ll be back later. The sooner we leave port the better. Orelia is known for changing her mind often.”
He left the cabin without a backward glance. She scowled at nothing in particular with the realization that she’d wanted him to embrace her, kiss her before he left. Their lovemaking hadn’t felt like a duty but something more. She had to stop thinking on it for it would only bring her disappointment.
Noir was a pirate. He wanted something that she’d promised. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Faryn sighed heavily. Relief flooded her. They were away from the queen. They were away from the den of vileness. She would be home soon. Relief was replaced with trepidation and then relief again.
Back and forth. What would she do when she returned home? Would she even be accepted? Would her family pay the pirate? Or toss her out?
Knowing her virtue was compromised, there was no telling that her family would want her back. Already she’d been the cause of pain and shame.
A shiver chased down her spine.
Noir would surely punish her if they didn’t.
She would have to strike a deal of her own with him. Something he couldn’t refuse. But what? Already she’d promised him a fortune from her family. He’d already had her in bed. What more could he want?
She shook her head and sat down on the pirate’s large bed.
Hope filled her when she’d realized that she was soon to be going home. But now there was no trace of hope left. Only dread.
“Where to, Cap’n?” asked Churl, Wraith’s first mate.
“Go west through the Mediterranean Sea. All the way to Ireland. We’ll dock at Clew Bay and go to her family’s estate by horse. The lass goes home.”
Churl raised his brow at that then narrowed his eyes. “Either ye’ve fallen for the gel, or she’s worth more coin to ye than the queen was offerin’.”
Wraith nodded but gave no more away than that. He was conflicted himself. Faryn touched him in a way he was unaccustomed to. Och, he wanted her money, but he wanted so much more than that too.
He paced the deck of The Avenger, hands behind his back and gaze toward the open sea. Occasionally he glanced at his men and barked orders that really had no need of being voiced as the men were already immersed in their duties. Shouting made him feel better. But what he really needed was a fight.
“Full speed ahead!” he bellowed. The first voyage they’d made had been long, nearly a month of moons. This trip he wanted to see done in a fortnight, not thirty days, and since they’d not be making as many stops as they had before, he saw no reason why his wishes could not be made a reality.