“Brace for impact,” Stu yelled.
Impact!
The shimmering mirage moved closer, and before I could scream, we slammed through the portal. The wheel wobbled in my hand, but I held it as steady as possible. Stu held on to the rigging beside us. Zinnia hovered over the wheel, but Seamus held on to nothing, except me.
After the jolt of passing through what I assumed was the veil between worlds, the boat steadied. We were surrounded by a sea of stars. It was almost as though I could reach my hand over the side of the ship and touch them. Spinning in a circle, I realized that there was no sign of land around us.
“The helm, Miss Riggs,” Seamus prompted.
“Sorry,” I said, grabbing the wheel again.
“I’ll take it from you. Stu, I’ve given her a sword. She has trained with a broad sword. Help her see the differences,” Seamus ordered.
“Aye, Captain,” Stu replied, jerking his head to the side for me to follow.
Seamus took the helm from me. As I walked away, he called out, “Wynonna.”
“Yeah?”
“We will talk after you train,” he said.
“Thank you. I’d like that,” I said, having a little hope that I could find my friend in there somewhere.
Zinnia stretched and yawned. “I’m tired. My work is so difficult.” She yawned again, then disappeared into the belly of the ship.
I dashed down the steps to the captain’s quarters to retrieve my sword. After I grabbed it, I noticed the flicker of a light on the floor. Reaching down, I picked up a knife. I assumed it was the knife that Stu had been looking for earlier. I placed my sword in the sling and hurried back to where I found Stu waiting for me. He held a smaller sword much like mine. I supposed it was to even the score.
“Here, I found it,” I said, offering him the knife.
“Thank you! My father gave it to me, and it’s all I have left from him,” he said.
“He thought you were doing something else in there,” I suggested.
“He will calm down. He loves the sea, the sails, and the ship. But these waters made him a hard man. He’s seen a lot. He brushes it off to live on land, and he forgets it. When he returns, it takes him a few days to settle. Did he frighten you?”
I guess I hadn’t hidden my emotions as well as I thought I had. “How did you know that?”
“I saw your face before we took flight,” he claimed.
“He did, but I have nothing to fear from him,” I replied to rebuke him and to reassure myself.
“He frightens all of us when he is like this, but we know he will be fine in a day or so,” Stu repeated.
“I hope you are right,” I replied. “Let’s spar.”
I lifted the sword to a middle guard stance, and Stu grinned, leaving his down at his side. “Such a knight.” Then, faster than I could imagine he struck at me. He barely missed my side as I clumsily dodged his blow. “Pirates do not telegraph their moves. Yes, there are basics to sword fighting. But for a pirate, there are no rules. Don’t follow the rules, Miss Riggs. Let go and fight.”
“Sword fighting is discipline and maneuvers,” I countered, thrusting at what I thought was an open moment. He produced a hook attached to a bar which diverted my blade.
He held it up and shook it at me. “Pirate.”
“Oh, okay. Fine,” I said, pumping magic into my blade. It glowed as my fire fed into it.
“Very nice,” he said with a grin.
We struck back and forth at each other with neither of us gaining any ground. I began to laugh as we battled. I’d never had fun sword fighting. We’d drawn a crowd where some cheered for me and others cheered for him. I saw coins being passed as they made bets.
Stu took a series of swipes at me, and with the last jab, I created a patch of ice under his foot. He slipped. I knocked his blade away with a quick blow. He tried to swing the hook at me, but I stopped it with my hand. He jerked it away, slicing a small cut in my palm. I didn’t let up, holding my molten blade to his neck.
“I win!” I exclaimed. His eyes darkened, and his fangs extended. “Stu?”
I released the magic in my blade. As the light faded, I heard the hisses of the sailors around me. Dark eyes and fangs met my every turn. My heart began to pound as I looked down at the wound in my hand. I forced magic into it, trying to heal the cut as they slowly marched toward me.
“No, please!” I muttered.
A looming dark form landed on the deck in front of me. Seamus’ eyes were almost red with bloodlust. Dark claws formed out of his fingers. He reached out and jerked me to his chest. Then, he spun around to his men.
“Mine!” he snarled. The men took a step back. “You will not touch her. Do you understand?”
“Her blood, Captain,” one of his men pleaded.
“I know what her blood smells like, but none of you will touch her. I claim her,” he said.
Stu looked up with dark eyes. “I didn’t mean to cut her.”
“Shut-up, you fool,” Seamus growled at him. I leaned into his grasp. I didn’t like the idea of being claimed by anyone, but I was sure that a death and resurrection wouldn’t be prudent at the moment.
“She has to agree to the claiming,” Stu muttered.
“Huh? I what?” I asked.
“They cannot touch you as long as the agreement between us is mutual. I claim you, but they can still take if you do not agree. Make your choice, Wynonna,” Seamus said.
There were worse things in the world than being claimed by a sexy, overbearing, filthy-rich pirate. “I agree.”
The men relaxed as if my words turned off their hunger. Seamus didn’t let me go. I felt his breath in my hair. “This was my fault. I should have set the boundaries before we set sail.”
I could tell his fangs were still extended. Slowly, I turned to face him. His red eyes glowed lightly in the darkness.
“You are still…” I reached up and touched his cheek.
“I have to complete the agreement. Stu, you have the helm!” he said, then dragged me toward the captain’s quarters.
“Aye, aye,” Stu said as he climbed to his feet. I saw a look of worry and sadness in his eyes just as Seamus shut the door.
He released me inside the office, and I almost stumbled. He strode past me to the windows behind his desk. I could see the gaunt features of his face which were accented with his vampire transformation. He braced himself on the wooden frame of the window.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that there would be a problem. I almost had him,” I pleaded.
“You fought well. I was proud to see you best him. You have to think beyond the ideas of fairness when fighting pirates or any of the other things we will encounter,” he said while gripping the window sill. His voice shook as he forced the words out of his throat.
I walked slowly toward him. “What is it that you have to do?”
“Please don’t come closer,” he begged.
“Seamus, come on. It’s not the first time I’ve made a deal with the devil,” I said.
He huffed and shook his head. “Yes, well, you can’t contain me in a knife and taunt me when you want something.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. Whatever it is, I trust you.”