LITMIR.BIZ

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her, Cookie nodded. “Aye. Think I’ve got the bleeding on the leg te clear away the bilge poisonin’ her blood.”

      “Away with you, then. The crew will want food soon. Watch close for anyone taking an extra portion for our little traveling companion here.”

      “Aye. I’ll put a lock on the hold as well. Anyone rummaging for me keys will be a sure sign. I’ll bring yer grub and relieve ye by four bells. Three slow knocks, and ye be knowin’ it’s me.”

      Jaxon nodded and bolted the door as Cookie left. He moved to the bed and looked upon the face of his current curse. She looked like no servant he’d ever seen, far too lovely. Rust tinted lashes brushed smooth pale cheeks. Her brilliant hair glowed in the growing light. A purple bruise along her temple marred the gentle sweep of her cheek. He lifted the end of a thin blue ribbon that ran through the narrow trim of her chemise. Its tiny bow lay crushed and wrinkled. Serving wenches did not wear silk ribbons.

      “Who are you, girl?”

      * * * *

      Annalise’s head pounded, and her leg burned. She prayed someone would make it stop. Alice, my head is splitting. She struggled to open her eyes.

      A man frowned at her beneath brooding brows with eyes the color of a clear winter sky. She closed hers. I’m dreaming. She fought to open them again.

      He was still there. Unshaven. His dark hair hung loose and damp to his shoulders. His shirt clung to his muscled chest and arms. The ties at his neck were loose, showing her a glimpse of bronzed skin and shadowy hair.

      “Ah, she wakes.” The look on his face told her he wasn’t pleased. Dark brows knit into a scowl. The muscle along his jaw twitched.

      “Where am I?” Her voice sounded like a stranger’s rasped whisper.

      “You’re aboard my ship, the Scarlet Night. I’m Captain Jaxon Steele.”

      She winced against the ache in her head. What happened?“You’re aboard my ship, the Scarlet Night.” Her leg burned. She needed to think.

      Fog. She remembered the dense fog on the docks. It surrounded her like a shroud and made her clothing cling to clammy skin, but even through the thick of it, she’d found the boat called the Scarlet Night.

      The harbormaster’s clerk had given her a crudely drawn map, which lead her to the storage room deep in the front of the ship. By feel alone, she’d crawled deeper into the blackness. Cold sweat slipped between her breasts as sounds of men’s laughter and footsteps came from above her.

      Foul smells of the wharf and rotten fish only added to the strange odors within the ship. Water-soaked wood and tar added to the stench the deeper she crept. Just remembering made her stomach turn. She closed her eyes to fight against the nausea.

      Within the utter darkness of that hold, panic squeezed at the air in her lungs. The floor beneath rocked in a slow roll. Her feet kept slipping through the wide spaces between the boards. Icy, fetid water filled her shoes. She’d clutched at the heavy bundle she carried, hoping she packed enough food and water.

      Annalise recalled gulping deep breaths of the foul air as a queasiness settled upon her and the dark clawed at her. “See how brave I’m being, Alice? Remember when I hid in that musty old trunk? I finally won our game. You never thought to search for me there.” She’d sat in the darkness of that old wardrobe counting off the seconds until Alice called out to her. “All ye, All ye, In come free. Anna come out. Where are you?”

      She fought to stay conscious. The pain in her head was excruciating. This was no child’s game she played at. She’d called on every ounce of courage not to turn tail and race away from their foolhardy plan. Be a stowaway? Why wasn’t there another alternative? They’d run out of options. There was only one way to save them. This was it.

      Annalise reached for the comfort of her locket, but it wasn’t about her neck. Alice had it.

      “Keep it safe for me. The ‘A’ can stand for Alice now. It will be your good luck charm. Return it when we are reunited.”

      “But your father gave it to you.”

      “And you are as close as a sister to me. He would understand. Take it.”

      A lump formed in her throat as she pictured her dearest friend. Please, let her be safe. Let us both be safe. She prayed they had done the right thing. Blood pulsed in her ears as her heart ticked off each second in the dark hold. One…two…three…four…

      Before long, hurried footsteps and shouts sounded above her. Low groans rose from the ship’s belly as the Scarlet Night moved away from its dock. There was no going back. The ship began to move faster and moaned as it picked up speed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she began to count again. One…two…three…four…, but there would be no “in come free.” Not this time.

      Water soon rushed past the hull. She’d done it. She’d gotten away. Alice would be safe. No matter what happened to her, they had at least escaped Wolfsan. She found a small measure of ease in that. But said ease soon vanished when the gates of hell opened.

      Death at Wolfsan’s hands would have been a blessing. In the deep, black hell, the ride turned horrific. She’d lost the contents of her stomach, yet continued to retch. The boat popped and strained around her. It pitched violently in all directions at once. Anna tried to wedge herself between two large casks as the sea beat watery fists against the sides of the ship and the wind howled like a wounded beast.

      She screeched as she tried to ride the bucking ship. Fingernails scratched for any handhold, only to have the ship lurch in the opposite direction, but then a sword of light sliced through the blackness. Men’s voices reached through the howling of the storm. They shoved past the barricade she’d built. The door pushed open, spreading the swinging glow of a lantern into the hold. Annalise scrambled to hide herself deeper in the shadows, but a brutal pitch of the ship caught her and tossed her across the space like a child’s toy.

      That was the last thing she remembered until now. “I’m Captain Jaxon Steele.” Captain. Captain? The word swam in her muddled mind until realization burst in her brain. The light in the hold. They found me.

      CHAPTER 3

      Her eyes flew open. It was no dream. He’d captured her. She tried to scramble away from the man sitting on the edge of the bed. Ignoring the rise of bile in her throat, she called upon her last shred of strength. She shoved at the tangle of blankets and knocked things to the floor.

      “No, no, calm yourself.” He grasped her elbow. “I’ll not hurt you. We’ve both been through a long night, but I dare say you’ll survive the day.”

      She yanked her arm from his hand. Her heart pounded. Blood rushed in her ears.

      The bed she laid upon nestled in a niche built into the curve of the boat’s side. If she retreated any farther, she’d be trapped. The captain’s broad shoulders encased in damp linen blocked her view of the rest of the room. He smelled of sea, rain, and heat. She released a shuddered breath.

      He scowled at her and moved away to sit behind a massive writing table littered with parchments and leather-bound books. Annalise blinked to focus. She’d never seen such a fine desk. Oak dolphins leaped up each leg. Iron straps held the piece to the floor. Tall-masted ships sailed in carved relief across its wide front. The piece screamed of power and prestige, as did the man seated behind it.

      He raised a small wooden pail with a short leather mug tied to its handle and filled the cup. Returning to the bed, he handed it to her.

      “’Tis weak ale. You need to drink, but go slow. Don’t need you soiling my boots again.”

      She peered into the cup before meeting his stare. “I-I soiled your boots?”

      “You did.” He moved to a stack of trunks in every size and description. Sliding a flat-topped case close to the bed, he sat, once more

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