“Helms alee, Rummy!” Blake ordered, then shouted down to Finn and Layton. “Stations for the stays! Rise tacks and sheets! Slow and steady.”
Within seconds, theSummonstacked aweather, its bow plunging and rising in the foamy surf.
Balancing on the pitching deck, Blake lifted the glass to his eye, searching for an ensign, a name on the bow, anything to identify what ship it was. Pirates, merchants? Or was it the ship he sought?
Minutes passed like hours. Thus far, it appeared they’d not spotted theSummons. Good.
Blake shifted the glass to the hull where the crest of Jesuits came clearly into view, along with the nameGuerrieri Della Croce. Hang it! ’Twas Della Morte’s ship. As much as he’d like to engage the impudent mule and send him to the depths, he had not the time.LaSorcièrewas his target.
Swinging the scope to the ship’s deck, he focused on the men rushing across it, having no doubt seen Blake by now. That’s when he saw her. Hair the color of the night flailing in the wind and the black leather of Josephine’s pirate attire.
Confusion tore through him, sending his thoughts into a whirlwind, seeking an answer, any answer, aside from the only one that made sense. Josephine and Della Morte were working together.
“They’ve all canvas to the wind and are heading our way, Cap’n!” Finn shouted from the main deck.
Blake ground his teeth. Too late to hang back and follow them, discover where they would drop anchor, and steal the Ring on land. For ’twould be far more difficult a task at sea. Regardless, he had no other recourse save the one set before him—fight or die.
b
Della Morte growled his displeasure. “You are quite sure, Josephine?”
“Oui, ’tis him. I know his paltry brig anywhere.” She handed him the spyglass. “Look for yourself.”
His gaze dropped to the Ring on her finger, sparkling in the morning sun. “But we have the Ring,mia cara. Why bother with him?”
“Because he’s a swaggering princox, a rapacious whiffet!” she spat back. “I want him dead.” She uttered a blasphemous curse. “En fait, heshouldbe dead! Why didn’t my spell kill him? I put my strongest hex on him, one that should have overpowered any trick of my enemy!”
The witch gave Della Morte pause. The sooner he was rid of her, the better. He took Josephine’s hand and brought it to his lips. Their night together had been more than satisfying, but the woman had outlived her usefulness. She’d retrieved the Ring for him, for which he was eternally grateful. As an added benefit, she was an excellent lover. Though now it was time for her to hand over the powerful relic.
Trouble was, she was being stubborn….hesitant. Typical female. The lot of them useless except for one thing. Of course he had promised her not only his undying devotion and love, but that she could use the Ring for a few months to acquire the wealth she needed before he must take it to the Pope. In the meantime, they would scour the seas and amass such a fortune they’d never have to lift another finger. They would be together forever. Or so he’d vowed.
Trouble was, none of that was true. Goose-witted women. They were so easily duped by flatteries and tender words of affection.
She snagged her hand back. “Go after him, you idiot!”
Della Morte ground his teeth, unaccustomed to such disrespect. “Very well. If you insist. I shall enjoy this,mia cara. Finally, I will destroy this ill-bred pirate and his pious chit once and for all!”
Grinning, she gripped the hilt of her rapier. “This shall be fun! Our first conquest together,mon chéri.”
“First of many.” He kissed her on the cheek before uttering orders to prepare for battle.
Chapter 29
A
re you mad, Blake?” Emeline stormed up the quarterdeck ladder and perched herself beside the infuriating man. “Are you forgetting the Ring?”
“That is the reason for my madness, my little sugar bird. As well you know.” His eyes dipped to her lips, and she knew he thought of their kiss.
A kiss from which neither her heart nor her body had yet recovered.
She glanced toward theGuerrieri Della Croce, now tacking aweather and coming round on theSummons’starboard quarter. Even devoid of spyglass, it had been easy to spot Josephine standing beside Della Morte. After that, it had only taken her a moment to realize their troubling alliance and, hence, the formidable evil Blake set himself up against.
Why she concerned herself with the man’s safety was beyond her. He’d made it clear that his love only stretched as far as his plans for world domination. Anyone daring to interfere with those plans was cast aside in favor of the power he craved. What kind of love was that? Not the love she sought, nor the hero who would win her heart.
“Extinguish the galley fire. Sand the decks!” Blake roared.
“What is your plan, Captain?” she shouted over the blast of wind as she flipped strands of hair from her face.
