Blake downed yet another glass of rum, ignoring the voice within him that said he’d been overindulging of late. But how else was he to endure the excruciating temptation of Miss Emeline Hyde sleeping in his bed for the past three nights? Nay, she was not the fairest of the women he’d been with, nor the most sensuous, and certainly her tongue was not at all flattering to his ego.
But he found every ounce of him drawn to her like none before. She was everything he was not. Humble, kind, generous,at peace. She was light and love, and, like a moth to a flame, he was lured to her, unable to stop himself. Also like a moth, her light would surely kill him should he get too close.
Even worse, her presence brought unusual sensations of guilt and regret over the wicked life he’d chosen. Hang it! He’d never entertained such ridiculous notions before. He did not need this distraction. Not now when he was so close to achieving his dreams.
But he neededher.
She kept the demons and nightmares at bay. He twisted the Ring on his finger, staring out the stern windows at ribbons of sparkling sunlit waves.
“Cap’n.” Finn’s voice at his door spun him around. “We’s approachin’ Keene Island.”
Blake nodded. “I’ll be up shortly.” He faced the windows again. Finally home. Things would be better where he was not only captain but king. Where, with this Ring, he would maintain his power and protect his kingdom from all enemies.
Up on deck, he drew the spyglass to his eye. His island sat sturdily upon the sea, her mountain peaks reaching for the clouds, her lush greenery and creamy sands inviting him home. If only his father—andhis mother—could see him now. Could see the fortune and land he’d amassed for himself. He huffed. Along with Josephine Arnaud.
Lowering the scope, his eyes latched upon Emeline standing at the starboard railing, her lustrous hair tumbling down to her waist, her blue skirts flapping in the wind. She stood tall, chin raised, facing the sea like a regal princess. Bandit leapt from the ratlines to the railing beside her and began jabbering as if telling her a story. Her laughter reached Blake, doing strange things to his insides.
“Fire when ready!” he shouted to Charlie stationed by one of the nine-pounders, matchstick in hand.Boom! The gun thundered, sending a smoky haze back over the deck and announcing their arrival.
He was not the only one staring at the lady. Several of his pirates cast lecherous glances her way, along with Maston, who stood amidships ordering the topmen. He would have to watch the libertine closely.
Better yet, he must discover what power the lady held over demons, acquire it, and then send her back to her father. The sooner the better before her holiness infected him and ruined all his plans.
b
Emeline could only stare in horror at the same bay she’d seen in her recent nightmare, down to the coconut palms swaying in the breeze, the snowy white color of the sand, and the oblong shape of the bay. She tightened her grip on the railing as her heart squeezed. What could this mean?
The stone turrets of a small fortress gleamed in the setting sun upon a nearby hill. Beyond them, a gabled roof and white walls of a large house rose above the trees. So, this was Blake’s kingdom, as he put it. The man’s hubris would put any king’s to shame.
Kingdom or not, land or sea, she was still his prisoner. But to what purpose? It must have something to do with that infernal Ring, but what she could not say. He’d hardly spoken a word to her in two days. She’d been given her meals in her cabin and only summoned to his when the sun sank below the horizon. After three nights, she’d stopped fearing he would ravish her, for he seemed not the least bit desirous of her in that way.
Oddly enough, she took it as an affront to her feminine allure. Was she not attractive enough to even elicit the lust of a pirate? Yet no sooner did the thought enter her mind, then she repented, for she’d rather be considered the ugliest of women than to be ravished.
Still, as the soundings were called, the commands issued to lower sails, and finally the anchor dropped with a mighty splash, she wondered what the captain had in store for her on this island. She wondered what her family was doing and where they were. Did they miss her? Were they looking for her?
As if sensing her loneliness, Bandit jumped into her arms and clung to her neck. His familiar monkey scent brought an odd comfort.
“You are my only friend, Bandit.” She scratched beneath his chin, and he lifted his head and grinned.
“I’m yer friend too, Miss!” Pedro appeared beside her and tore off his floppy hat, his red hair tossed this way and that by the breeze and his smile beaming. “He says I’m t’ take ye ashore an’ show ye t’ yer chamber.”
Thehemust be the captain. But a chamber? That sounded more inviting than a jail cell. Besides, Emeline couldn’t think of a better escort.
Hence, within an hour of anchoring, she found herself ashore with Pedro and two pirates, trunks hoisted on their shoulders. The captain remained behind, managing the offloading of his precious stolen goods. All the while, the beach flooded with Caribs and other natives who hailed Blake as if he were a god returning from the skies.
“This way, Miss.” Pedro headed toward the jungle where a path broke through the leaves.
She started forward but felt a strange inkling and turned to see the captain’s unwavering gaze upon her from the ship. Though she could not make out his eyes nor his expression in the distance, a uniquely powerful sensation stretched between them. What could it be? What did darkness have to do with light? A chill scoured over her as she shifted her gaze to the soft sudsy wavelets of the bay, remembering how she’d tried to save him from the deadly funnel in her dream.
Turning, she followed Pedro into the web of green. Perhaps her mission was to save Blake. But from what, and more importantly, how?
The mansion, for that’s what it was, was not at all what she expected. For one thing, ’twas much larger than it appeared from afar, with several wings spreading out from a central large parlor that opened up to a massive ballroom. Fully armed, native guards stood before the gate, granting them entrance when they spotted Pedro.
To say she was impressed would be an understatement, for the home looked more like a king’s palace than a pirate haven. She spotted paintings hanging on walls and longed for a tour, but Pedro led her up a set of curved stairs, down a long hallway decorated with carved crown molding, to a room toward the back.
The chamber was small but well-appointed. The walls were paneled in fine wood with gilded moldings and decorative cornices. A window, framed by blue damask curtains, let in a modicum of afternoon light onto the Turkish rug gracing the floor. A four-poster bed centered the room, draped in a rich velvet coverlet. Two gilded chairs, a dressing table beside a framed mirror, a porcelain tub, and a large ornately-carved wardrobe filled the rest of the room. Oddly, a closed door stood off to her right. Perhaps leading to a dressing closet. She stared in shocked delight. ’Twas a far cry from the tiny cabin she’d been stuffed in for the past several days.
“Cap’n says t’ stay in here, Miss.” Then, as if sensing she didn’t want him to leave, he added, “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe.”
