A Pirate's Curse (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) (12 page)

Hannah covered her mouth.
“What have I done?” She pulled up her shirt, covering her half naked body. She was a beauty, Aphrodite, a goddess of love.

He fell forward
onto his hands, slumped onto his stomach and coughed up blood. Bloody hell, he could barely think. 

Hannah screamed, jumped aside.
Tears sprang into her eyes.

Heavy footsteps
pounded down the hall. Hannah backed up, hit a wall and collapsed. Kane wanted to comfort her, soothe her fear. “Hannah.” Blood spurted from his lips onto the floor.

“I’
m sorry,” she sobbed. “I lost control and my power took over.”

“
’Tis not your fault,” he muttered. More blood rolled in his mouth. He was to blame. The lassie was hysterical and he was the one who lost control, sending her straight into panic. She was a virgin. What the hell was wrong with him? 

He winced at her
huge eyes, ashen face and trembling lips. Terror was frozen on her sweet angelic face. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped arms around her shins. She laid her head on the top of her knees and rocked back and forth like a little girl. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort, but his arms shook and he had to use all of his strength to keep from collapsing into the pool of blood forming beneath him.

Sean
and William rushed into the room and skidded to a halt. “Capt’n, Hannah, are you well?” Sean asked. He frowned. “What the hell?”

“J
aaysus, what happened?” William ran over to Kane.

Kane nodded at Hannah who was
in danger of going into hysterics. Her glossy eyes stared at his blood pooling on the floor. “Take care of her,” he gasped. Pain twisted Kane’s lungs, but he didn’t know if ’twas from the blade or asking William to care for Hannah.

William followed his gaze.
“What the hell did you do?”

Kane refused to answer.
This time, William would have been right. He had been acting like a demon. He spit out blood on to the floor. “Mallory, fetch Doc.”

Sean turned on his heels and ran out of the room.

William
squatted beside Hannah. “Look at me,” he whispered. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Look at me.”

She gazed at William.
“I swear I didn’t do mean to. I…I…I got angry. I could-could-couldn’t control it.” Her voice raised an octave. “I…I…I thought he-he was going to bite me.”

Kane frowned.
“I wasn’t going to bite her.” His words were labored and pain seized him.

William pinched his lips together.
What did he want Kane to say? Kane knew he had stepped over the line, pushed her too far. Ah, hell, he took advantage of her. Admit it.

Each time he exhaled, his back throbbed.
He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. His vision played tricks with him, turning blurry. He shook his head. Stay awake. If he passed out, he’d send Hannah over the edge and he didn’t want to cause her any more pain. This was his fault, not hers.

“Hannah,” William’s voice hardened.
“Give me your hand.”

She
shook her head.

“Ha
nnah, please I promise I won’t hurt you.”

She stared at his hand, but
put a trembling hand in his. William wrapped his left arm around her shoulder and edged her closer to him, molding her to his side. Laying her head down on his shoulder, she sobbed. “I swear I didn’t mean to do this. Please forgive me.”

“You were defending yourself.
No one blames you.”

Kane turned away from William’s scowling face
and Hannah clinging to his brother. His stomach clenched. He wanted to be the one to keep her calm, to reassure her, to hold her but when he was around her, he lost control. William would not take advantage of her.

He had never competed with William over anything and always
had been protective of him—until now. What the hell was wrong with him? He just told William to care for Hannah, but seeing them snuggle together and Hannah putting her trust in his brother, he wanted to hack out his brother’s spleen, club him to a bloody pulp, dice him into chunks of shark fodder.  

A stampede of footsteps came barreling down the hallway, and Doc and Sean clamored into the cabin.
Doc kneeled beside Kane. “Are you ready Captain?”

Kane wanted to scream, but as captain, he had to set an example for not only his men, but for Hannah
as well. Pain and fear were part of the job. He shoved them both into the back of his mind and masked his face. “Aye.”

“Lay down.”

Kane slowly rested on the floor, away from his blood.

Doc pressed his left hand onto his back
. Kane gritted his teeth. Doc ripped the dagger out of his back and Kane arched. He panted trying to catch his breath, but each time he did, blood crawled up his throat and swirled in his mouth. He glanced over his shoulder. Fear riveted upon her face. Despite the pain, he painted a smile on his face to try to calm her, but her eyes spoke of the panic rising within her. “Lass, ’Tis nothing.”

“Sean, get me water, needle, thread and rum,” Doc ordered.
“Meet me in the Capt'n’s cabin. Go now.”

“Aye,” Sean answered and exited.
 

Doc put his hand on Kane’s back and pressed.
“You’re losing blood, Capt’n.”

Hannah
put her hand on William’s shirt and gripped it. Bile spilled into Kane’s throat. Hannah was his, not William’s. He knotted his fists.
Stay away from her, you bastard.
What was happening to him? He’d never wanted to hurt William, not until now.

Hannah buried her face against William’s shoulder.

A new pain seized Kane.
Clutched his heart. The bile tasted bitter on the back of his tongue. Don’t, Hannah, please don’t fall for him. But William was a man, not cursed. Why wouldn’t she fall for him?

William rubbed his hand over her arm.
“Shh, shh, Kane will be fine. I’m here. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Kane squeezed his eyes tightly closed
. Imagining ripping his brother’s throat out.

“Why did you stab him?” William asked.
    

Burying her face in
to his shoulder, she muttered, “H…h…he was kissing me. I thought he was going to rape me.”

“Shh,” William rubbed her back
. “Getting bitten by a vampire does not change you into one.”

“
It does not?” Her voice was tired and shocked.

“
No, it does not,” Kane growled.

William stared at him with condemning eyes.

“I told her this, William
.”

“So you thought kissing the lass would ease her fears?”

Kane avoided his brother’s eyes. His brother was right. He was as thick as two boards.

“I can
’t kiss a vampire,” she whispered.

Kane chewed his cheek.
What did he expect? That she’d accept the curse. No, she’d want an honorable man.   

Sean
hurried into the crew’s quarters with a lantern. Kane glanced at Hannah again. The candlelight illuminated the cabin chasing away the shadows, but highlighted his guilt with Hannah’s hair in disarray and scratches on her face where he had kissed her. William glared and rubbed Hannah’s arm. 

“
Thanks Mallory,” Doc said. “’Tis all right, Capt’n. ’Tis not bad. You done heal quickly as usual, but you done be in bed for a couple o’ days.”

Shite
! Blood whirled around in Kane’s mouth, and he gagged and coughed. He spit out more blood onto the floor.

“Capt’n, you’
ve done pierced your lung,” Doc said. “But you’ll heal soon enough.”

Hannah
frowned. “He’s a vampire. Immortal.”

“That does
not mean he does not feel lass,” Doc answered. “We’re only a vampire under da full moon. Otherwise, we are men. We feel like any other man. William tends to forget this.”

William scoffed.

“Capt’n.” Doc tapped his left shoulder. “We need to move you to your cabin.”

“I can walk,”
Kane insisted.

“Sure you can,” William shook his head.
“Hannah, I’ve got to help Doc.”

She nodded her head.

“I don’t need your help brother,” Kane warned. The last thing he wanted was to be vulnerable to William. He wanted to be tough, to prove he wasn’t upset that William was winning over Hannah.

William ignored him.
He grabbed Kane’s arm while Doc had the other. “On three,” William said. “One. Two. Three.”

Kane gritted his teeth as Doc and William dragged him off the floor.
The pain nearly knocked him out, but he was able to stand on his feet. He put his weight into Doc.

“Come on Hannah, follow us,” William urged.

Kane clenched his fist about ready to pop his brother in his mouth. Doc and William nearly had to carry him to his cabin. Hannah’s soft footsteps followed them.

Sean waited in his cabin.
Water, a rag, needles and a bottle of rum were nearby.

“Give me the rum, Mallory,” Kane demanded.
Kane wanted the rum to block out William and Hannah’s building tenderness.

He sat on his bed and panted.
Hannah ran over to William and he put his arm around her trembling frame. Kane bit his lip to keep from howling with pain. What had he been thinking?

“Mallory,” Kane growled.

Sean handed him the bottle and Kane took a big gulp, but his pain remained.
Not from the damn blade. He was losing Hannah. Losing her to his brother. Losing his mind.

“Lay down, captain,” Doc ordered.
“Keep da bottle. You’re going to need it.”

Kane glanced at Hannah, laying her head on his brother’s chest.
He rolled onto his stomach and gripped the bottle. His eyes grew heavy, but ’twasn’t enough. He wanted to pass out and not watch Hannah seeking warmth from William. His younger brother. Now his rival.

“Just do it, Doc
,” Kane grumbled.

“Aye, Capt’n,” Doc said
, his voice grim.

Doc poured rum on his back, and Kane
flinched from the agony of the sting. He bit the pillow and gripped the blanket. He deserved the pain after what he put Hannah through. If he hadn’t been such a selfish bastard, he would not be losing her now. She sighed. He downed the rum, playing the coward, not able to see what was happening between her and William. 

His eye
s grew heavy and he closed them sinking into his pillow. His head swam whether ’twas from the rum or the pain, he couldn’t tell nor did he care. He wanted to yell at William to get away from Hannah, order Doc and Sean to throw him in the brig, but William was only following Kane’s orders. Or was he? Hannah was the first lady they had aboard this ship and he caught William looking at her with more than respect. How could he compete with an honorable man?

He block
ed everything out of his mind and concentrated on the needle pushing in and out of his skin. Sleep, just forget everything. 

“Come on, lassie. Let’s leave him to rest. I think you need some fresh air to put color in your cheeks,” William said. William escorted her out of the crew’s quarters.

Kane’s finger
s gripped the blanket. He wanted to beg Hannah to stay, to tell him she forgave him, but his damnable pride stood in the way. What if she said no?

“Mallory,” he slurred.

“Aye, Capt’n?”

“Set sail for Saint Kitts.”

“Saint Kitts
?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“Nay, Capt’n,” Sean answered.

“He needs rest,” Doc said.
 

Footsteps clamored around him and the door opened and closed.
Kane leaned up on his forearms. A heavy sigh escaped him. “Probably better this way.” He wiped the single tear slipping down his cheek. “Some Capt’n.” He shook his head and slumped back onto the bed. An empty lump formed in his gut. His head swam around the cabin, his eyes refused to open. For the better. All he could think of was William kissing Hannah, stealing her away from him.

“Don’t leave me Hannah,” he mumbled before the rum sent him into oblivion.

Hannah
clasped William’s hand tight. He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the galley. She rested against him, inhaling his masculine scent of cinnamon. Her erratic breathing slowed with the steady beat of his heart. She frowned. Why wasn’t he angry with her for stabbing his brother?

Upon reaching the upper deck,
the sea salt air wafted around her. She left William to grip the ship’s railing, staring straight ahead. Tortuga's port slipped past as the
Phoenix
eased toward open waters. There were half dozen ships anchored in the harbor, all of them waving the pirate colors. She sighed. Kane was right. The other pirates might not be vampires, but they’d be vicious. She was trapped.

“Why did you stab him?”

“He just scared me. I've never had a man kiss me like he did.”

A cool breeze blew onto the deck.
William touched her shoulders and she shivered, but ’twasn’t the same she felt when Kane touched her. Kane’s was firm, determined but gentle. William seemed almost hesitant and unsure, whether ’twas indecisiveness or due to the cold or something else she couldn’t tell.

“Kane drives people to
do things they normally would not have done. Are you cold?”

Hannah stared at Tortuga
—her last bit of freedom passing away. Now, she and her father would be completely at the mercy of these vampire pirates. Kane was the one who could control his crew, prevent them from killing her and her father, but he was wounded. Thanks to her. “Where are we going?”

His gaze
lingered too long on her lips. “I don't know, lass, but I'll find out.”

She
turned away from him and gripped the railing. When Kane healed, what would he do to her? She avoided the gaze of the men rushing past her.

A tall
burly pirate whisked by and mumbled, “Witch.”

Or had he said bitch?
She hung her head. What did she expect?

William came up alongside her.
“Saint Kitts.”

She whirled around.
“What?”

“Aye, the blood
fool is taking us to Saint Kitts.”

“I don
’t understand.”

“We’re pirates, Hannah.
What kind of welcome do you think we’ll get there?”

“Then why?”

He gave her a hard stare. “For once Kane is making the right decision when it comes to you.”

She
wrung her hands. “Meaning?”

“
You and your father must find a ship in Saint Kitts to take you back to England. You can’t stay in Saint Kitts or anywhere in the Caribbean. We’ll track down the Fiery Damsel and hold her at bay, while you and your father escape. Palmer’s a determined bastard. ’Tis not safe for either of you here.”

“You want us to be safe?
I mean after what happened?”

“Kane hasn
’t been himself lately. You’ve distracted him.”

“I have?”

“Aye, lass.” He tilted her chin. “He’s been trying to find a way to break the curse. You know you can’t be with him. Ever. He’s too dangerous. A vampire.”

She nodded.
“I know. Has he, or anyone of them, ever tried to…”

“Bite me?
” His eyes appreciative, William released her and ran his fingers down her arm. “No, they’ve never fed on me. Remember, they’re cursed. They changed into vampires after drinking from the lake.”

“Palmer and his men?”

“The same, but they keep going back to Zuto’s island and drink more. They don’t need a full moon to change into a vampire.”

She rubbed her neck, as the memory of Palmer a
nd his men biting into her crew’s neck flashed in her mind. “But they can’t change you?”

“No, they can
’t. Zuto has the power to do it and Palmer has the power to break the curse.”

“Why does Zuto want us?”

“I’m not sure. But Kane suspects the demon has made some kind of bargain with his lord. He’d alluded to this before Kane and the crew the fled his island.”

“How does Palmer have the power to break the curse?”

William lifted her chin, his thumb caressing her cheek. “By handing you and your father over to Zuto.”

She swallowed, trying to concentrate.
“Why does Palmer want to hand me over to Zuto?”

“He wants your father to feel his pain.”

“Why? What did my father do?”

“Zu
to said your father left Palmer’s brother infected with small pox on an island to die. That’s why Palmer's willing to hand you over to a bloodthirsty demon. He wants your father to watch you die. He wants revenge.”

Hannah’s heart pounded, blocking out any sounds around her. She couldn’t comprehend what she heard. Kane wanted to break the curse to be human. Her father and she were the key to setting him free. “Are you sure Kane isn’t taking us to Zuto?”

“No lass.”
His thumb traced around her lips. She stilled not sure what to do. She'd just been with Kane, the captain and now she was standing here with his brother. William stirred more uncharted feelings for her, not as strong as Kane’s, but still there. Was it because Kane was a vampire or was it something else? Kane elicited unfamiliar feelings, forbidden feelings, scary feelings. One look from him and she became a withering mess, a sloshing ocean. Her feminine core pooled and throbbed and she wanted— but she did not know what she wanted.

William peered into her eyes. “Kane sought another way to break the curse.
He would not hand over an innocent.”

“
Oh, I see.” Her thoughts blurred, but her feelings remained strong, not caring that Kane was a vampire. He’d proved himself in so many ways.

Her stomach growled.

William
dropped his hand and laughed. “Are you hungry lass?”

“I don
’t know how I could be after what,” her gazed dropped to her boots. “after what happened.”

“Kissing someone to calm them
wasn’t the grandest idea. Come lass. You’ll feel better after you eat.”

Heat swept over Hannah’s face.
’Twas more than kissing. Her breasts were still tender from where Kane’s chaffed beard had brushed against her, but what surprised her most, was she liked it. His mouth had suckled and kissed her, fueling a passion she never knew existed. Had he cast a spell on her, turning her into a shameless harlot?

William
clasped her hand and Hannah reluctantly followed him down into the galley. Kane was taking her to Saint Kitts. He was a pirate, a wanted man, condemned to hang, but he was taking her there to find safe passage. She would never see him again. A few minutes ago, she wanted to kill him— literally. But never seeing him again left a hollow ache in her chest. She felt like she stood on an edge of the cliffs, like the ones in Dover, about to fall in into a churning ocean of despair.  

For the next few hours, the ache grew in her chest as the
Soaring Phoenix
sailed for Saint Kitts. The waters were calm and the wind blew strong so the ship made good time. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun moved through faster than she had hoped, but Kane never came up on board. More than once, she started to approach Doc, but facing Kane, sent shivers down her spine. She hadn’t even realized that she called upon her power until ’twas too late. If Kane hadn’t been immortal, she’d have killed him. How could she apologize for what she had done?

Her father had woken
from the sleeping draught and become furious after overhearing men talk about what happened between her and Kane. He marched toward the cabin, bent on thrashing Kane. Amadi and Doc restrained him and William ordered him to be thrown into the brig. He swore he would not hurt Kane, but William didn’t believe him and said it would be Kane's decision when he’d be released. Father was at least happy they were returning to Saint Kitts. But she knew him. He would not find safe passage to England. No, he’d want to stay and force her to marry.

The sun was setting when William approached her.
“Lass, ’tis dinner time. You’ve been staring off the portside all day. Won’t you join me?”

She glanced at his arm.
“Are you sure you want me to join you? Nobody has spoken a word to me all day.” Why would they? She stabbed their captain.

“Come, lass.
No one will harm you, I promise. Any crewmen that ventured to harm you would have to face Kane.”

She sighed and tore away from the setting sun.
He escorted her to the galley. Upon entering, the crew stopped talking. All eyes were on her. Some of them were curious, others were hostile and some were wary. Her stomach tightened. She was an anomaly. The enemy. A dangerous liability aboard their ship. William was Kane’s brother, but he didn’t possess the same authority or stance. Kane emitted power. His word was law, but he wasn’t here. He was laid up in his cabin, thanks to her.

Hannah
took a step back, but William tugged on her arm and led her to five empty settings at the end of the table. She stared down at the floor and wished she could disappear where there were no pirates. No ghosts. No demons.

“She stabbed the captain,” a
bald pirate muttered.

“She’s a witch.
Should be in the brig,” another stated.

Sweat trickled down Hannah’s temples and she bit her lip.
Her legs shook. She should have stayed outside. 

“Are you defying the Captain,” William growled.

“Nay,” the bald pirate stated.
His eyes widened. “I was stating what happened.”

William glared and the man returned to his supper and didn
’t raise his head. The other pirate blurted, “I meant no disrespect. I wasn’t going to drag her to da brig. You’ll not tell da captain, will ye?”

“Anyone
who tries to harm the lass will face the Captain.”

The muttering and grumbling stopped.
The men gazed at William and nodded. They returned to their food and ale. 

William might not be the captain, but he commanded the same demanding obedience as Kane and the men obeyed. Strong. Competent. True.

Doc walked through the door. “Ah, Hannah. You’ve got some sun, lass.”

His jovial voice set her at ease.
He didn’t hate her. Maybe sitting between Doc and William she could get through dinner. She cleared her throat. “How’s my father?”

“
Brought him food and he threw it on the floor,” Doc said. “Says he’d rather starve.” Hurt reflected in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Doc.”

He gave her a brief smile.

She stared at the food.
Hunger was the farthest from her mind. What about Kane? Had he eaten anything? Was he still in pain?

There were
several crocks of stewed mussels in the middle of the table. Along the side of the crocks were bowls of boiled potatoes and steamed coconut rice. William and Doc sat down on either side of her, and William dished up her plate first. He piled her plates with mussels and rice.

Despite the tantalizing aroma,
she picked at her food with her fork. She couldn’t bury her guilt over Kane. It gnawed at her until she was raw.

“Eat up, lassie,” Doc urged.
“Da Captain be upset if you don’t eat.”

"Aye,
” William agreed. “You’ve got to eat something.”

She pushed her mussels around with her fork, but stabbed one and twirled it around her plate.
The mussels were chewy and delicious. Licking her lips, she ate two more, but when Cook filled her mug with stout, she ignored the savory mussels. She gulped down one pint and another. She wanted to block out what she had done. Forget Kane was a vampire.

“Hannah, you n
eed to eat,” William said.

But she ignored him and
guzzled down more of the ale.

She laughed, drawing the attention of more than one pirate who gazed at her curiously.
Some openly glowered at her and others shook their heads. She didn’t care what they thought. The galley spun around in circles, and she clasped the table to keep from falling out of her chair. She bathed in a giddy happiness.

Hannah
lifted her mug. “Cheers.”

Her voice sounded thick and slow, but she didn
’t care. William’s face blurred in front of her. She grabbed her mug again, and he whipped it out of her hand.

“No, I’
m not doooone yet,” she slurred. 

William cocked an eyebrow.
“You’ve had enough, lassie. Here let me help you out of this chair.”

“Sure,” she giggled.
She swayed on her feet. “Let’s go!”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he steadied her and kept her from falling forward head first.
She rested her head on his chest again.

Doc stood.
“D’ye need any help William?”

He waved his hand.
“Nay, Doc. I can manage her.”