“It's forgotten,” Laren said generously.
Straton went back to his mermaid and pulled her against his chest as he stared at me. He continued to hold my gaze as he kissed her, and took her breath into himself. Oh, so that's what jealousy feels like. And yet, my emotions were tempered with excitement. I had never seen Straton look so lustfully on me.
“Are we done with all of the dramatics?” Erastos asked in a bored tone.
“We're done,” Straton said as he took the mermaid's hand. “Let's get this over with.”
I turned and looked up at Laren. He shook his head with a smile.
“That one,” he whispered to me, “will be trouble for you, sweet Pan.”
“Will be? He already is,” I huffed, and Laren laughed.
Chapter Eleven
I wanted to stay beneath the surface, swimming over the reef and among the bright sea-life. The ocean was like an alien landscape where we flew through the air instead of walking over land. Its horizon stretched out into dark indigo shadows, but there, in the bay, the sunlight was able to trickle down to the pale sand floor and light up a world of swaying seaweed, branching coral, and curious sea creatures.
Laren swept me along quickly, his arms firmly around my waist, so there wasn't any time for sightseeing. We reached the ship in a few minutes, all of us breaking the surface silently near the hull.
“The three pirates are standing at the pointy end of the ship,” Tinker Bell said. “If you climb aboard now, you should be able to sneak past them.”
But there was a problem. The rope ladder hung on the opposite side of the ship–the side facing the shore. If we used it, we'd surely be spotted. So, I came up with another option. I closed my eyes and focused on happiness. My body floated up out of the water and along the side of the ship. Straton grumbled angrily, but within moments, I was level with the rail and climbing over.
I saw the men at the prow, talking while they lounged on a pile of rigging. They didn't even glance my way. A quick search of my end of the deck resulted in the discovery of a length of rope, which I tied to a hook and then tossed over the side. The men climbed aboard silently, and we headed for the hold.
The cargo area of the ship was separated from the living quarters, so we didn't have to worry about the other men below deck. It was doubtful that anyone would be in the hold unless they were doing just as we were–stealing. We eased open the trap door and slipped below, closing it behind us. The hold was dark, without any portholes to let light in. Akylas cursed as he knocked into something.
“You're welcome,” Tinker Bell said as she burst into light.
We gaped at her shining body, and she smirked.
“I know; I'm glorious,” she said.
“Yes, you are, Tink.” I waved her forward. “Could you shine some of that glory over here?”
Tinker Bell followed us through the hold as we sifted through crates and chests of silverware, gold, jewelry, rich clothing, fabric, fur, oil, and spices. Most of the stuff was useless to us, but I put some of the silver and jewelry into my bag, and I saw Drakon loading up on olive oil and spices. We didn't need treasure on the island, but we could trade several things with the Indians and possibly the faeries. So, I also tossed in some gold items and tools.
Then Straton found the weapons.
There were crates of swords, daggers, and shields sitting beside stacks of armor. The men eagerly went through the weapons, choosing pieces that would suit them best. I found a little dagger and strapped it to my belt, then came across a bow. I slipped it over my shoulder and put a quiver of arrows into my oiled bag. A couple of other weapons went in, then I looked over to the others.
We nodded to each other and slipped back on deck. After the men had climbed down the rope, I untied it and put it back where I'd found it. I was hoping that our theft would go undiscovered. Then I slipped over the side of the ship and floated down to where the mermaids were waiting for us. Laren took my hand, and we swam back to shore together.
“Thank you,” I said to the mermaids as I trudged into the shallows. “I grabbed some things for you as well.”
The merfolk came forward with surprised smiles as I pulled the loot out of my bag.
“I have silver daggers and jewelry.” I showed them the contents of my back. “The silver won't rust in saltwater, so I thought you might be able to make use of them, and the gold jewelry will remain bright. Please take what you like.”
The mermen chose daggers while the maids squealed as they each chose a piece of jewelry.
“Thank you, Pan,” they called to me as they swam away.
“And you may call on me anytime,” Laren said before he kissed my cheek. “Safe waters, Pandora.”
“Safe waters, Laren.”
I left the sea to find five men glowering at me on shore.
