A Pirate's Curse (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) (9 page)

Kane clamped his jaw tight.
Hannah had been acting peculiar earlier and he prayed to God, ’twas delirium. What if he was wrong? What if Zuto’s powers had grown and were no longer limited to the island? Shite, maybe he should have stayed with the lass rather than sending Doc.

Standing up on deck, Kane clasped his spyglass and aimed it at Tortuga
’s busy port. Sailors carried barrels and wooden crates on their shoulders as they loaded and unloaded boats. Prostitutes, swaying their hips and revealing cleavage, tried to entice the sailors with their goods.

Kane sighted in on a
man with curly brown hair, the wind blowing strands free of his neatly tied queue, pacing the busy docks. He held his head high and clasped his hands behind his rigid back. Blood dripped down his chin. Kane’s stomach dropped.

He recognized his brother, despite
the fat swollen lip, grubby white shirt and green breeches.

William never wore his shirt unbuttoned, and was emphatic about having a shine to his boots.
He always dressed like an officer. Something was off. Why was William alone? Where the hell was Ronan Macmillan?

          
Damn it!

    
    Kane had sent Ronan and William last week to investigate the whereabouts of the
Fiery Damsel
. Palmer and his crew had been attacking the islands and Kane wanted to know why. At first, Kane had refused William’s demand to go, since he was human and not cursed. But his brother would not be left behind. Ronan had volunteered to keep William safe, his brother’s chagrin at being treated less than capable.

Where was Ronan? The man must be dead. He
’d never abandon William. Kane tightened his grip on the spyglass. Another one of his decisions had gone astray. He should have never allowed William to go and locked him in the brig instead.

Sean clapped him on his back and his other hand squeezed his shoulder.
“Hey, Captain, you got us here.”

Kane stiffened.
“You doubted my ability?”

“Nay, Capt’n, cutting it close, too close.
Tonight’s the full moon.”

Kane gripped the spyglass tighter and gritted his teeth.
“I’m well aware of the curse, Mallory.”

Sean cleared his throat.
“`Tis only William on the dock.”

“Aye,” Kane muttered.
"Ronan would never have left him. Something’s a miss."

“Orders Capt’n,” Sean asked.

“Go and fetch my brother, ” Kane said.
He lowered the spyglass.

“Aye, aye,
Captain.” Sean strutted away. “Lower the longboat mates,” he hollered.

The full moon was
indeed approaching. Kane’s tongue rolled over his sharpened incisors and his blood slowed. Kane tilted his head from side to side, stretching out the kinks in his neck. Bloody hell. He slammed the spyglass back into his belt. Tonight, he’d be no better than Palmer—a vampire.

He chewed on his cheek. His fondness for
Hannah was growing and he didn’t need a distraction. He had to protect his men and find a cure to the curse. But every time he was around her, he acted as thick as a stone. What would she think if she found out he was a monster? He had to get the lass off his ship. He wanted her to remember him as a man, not a bloody monster.

He closed his eyes and hung his head.
Even now the moon called to him. His throat ached. His stomach growled. Damn, the bloodlust was upon him again, deeper than any human food could satisfy. He didn’t want Hannah to discover the truth, to see the fear in her eyes, to see the loathing, to see the hate.

William strolled up next to him.
He opened his arms. “Brother.”

Kane returned the bear hug and held him tight.
His tension lessened. He released William and slapped his back. “Grand to have you on board, brother.”

“We need to talk.”

“Aye,” Kane agreed. “Macmillan?”

William shook his head.
“We had just left Shark’s Tavern when Palmer’s men ambushed us. Ronan and I fought, but they took him.”

“And?”

“They
said if you want him, come and get him.”

Kane clenched his fist.
“Fine. I’ll kill the bloody bastard. Wha…”

“Capt’n,”
the topman cried from the crow’s nest. “On the starboard side. ’Tis the
Fiery Damsel
.”

Kane
aimed his spyglass at the
Fiery Damsel
, Palmer’s colors of a red skeleton on a black background flapping in the wind framed up in the glass. The
Fiery Damsel
sailed straight toward them, cannons ready, but at the last minute, they changed course and came up behind them.

Ronan was aboard the bloody ship, locked in the damn brig.
Palmer would enjoy torturing him, listening to him scream. With Ronan being immortal, Palmer could indulge his every fantasy and wait for Ronan to heal, only to hurt him all over again. Kane refused to abandon him.

“Weigh anchor
. Clap on the sails.”

Men scrambled to loosen and spread more sail in order to get the
Phoenix
on her way and increase her speed.

Kane narrowed his eyes.
“Fall off, Mallory. The bastard’s coming behind the stern.”

The
Soaring Phoenix
turned to sail with the wind and pick up speed to engage the
Fiery Damsel
, but even as Mallory spun the wheel, the
Phoenix
failed to maneuver fast enough.

The
Fiery Damsel
fired, smoke flowing around her hull. Cannonballs splashed into the water, spraying droplets onto the
Phoenix’s
deck. 

Th
e helmsman grabbed the wheel, turning to the ship to a hard port. “She’s coming about.” He struggled with the stubborn wheel while the rudder slowly turned.

A loud blast shook the ship.
A cannonball slammed into the chaser, the cannon at the stern. Bits of shot fell, tearing away wood, sails and flesh. Two of Kane’s men screamed and toppled into the water.

Fire broke out on the stern.
Black smoke swirled around the
Phoenix’s
hull. 

“Man the guns,” Kane cried.
He ran to the bow and pulled out his spyglass. Ronan was nowhere to be seen. Damn it!

The
Fiery Damsel
closed the distance and fired. Another cannonball hit the
Soaring Phoenix’s
hull and the ship rocked. Kane’s crew ran to the guns and manned their stations. Men poured gunpowder into a parchment and placed it in the hole while other crewmen took a rammer and shoved it down. The cannonball was placed inside the gun followed by another wad stuffed into the hole to keep the cannonball from rolling out.  The front of the gun carriage was placed on the ship’s bulwark and Kane clenched his fist.
Too long. Too long.

“Fire,” he cried.

The cannons fired and missed the
Fiery Damsel’s
hull. She still outmaneuvered them.

Another c
annonball hit the
Phoenix
and she rocked in the water. Kane's men were hit and fell screaming into the water. A fire broke out on the deck, the oily black smoke snaking around the ship and obscuring the action.

Kane coughed and his eyes watered.
He spun around and turned still as stone. Through the haze of the smoke, Hannah walked across the deck. His heart slammed into his chest, blood thumping through him. She needed to be safe. He would not lose her.

He ran towards her,
his heart thumping in his chest, pushing man after man out his way. Smoke blurred his vision and he skidded on a piece of hemp rope. He wobbled and went down on one knee but got back up and ran as he saw her too close to the rail, facing the
Fiery Damsel
, as if she were ready to engage in battle. 

Hannah stared at the
Fiery Damsel
and squared her shoulders back. Grim determination flickered over her face. The blood drained from his face and he grew dizzy. For Jaaysus sake, what was she doing?

Kane dodged running crewmen and
shards of wood, and wounded men. All that mattered was Hannah and getting her below deck. At another cannon blast from the
Fiery Damsel
, he shouted, “Shite, Hannah, get below deck!”

Hannah held up her palms, facing the
Fiery Damsel
. She yelled over the thundering cannons. “Stay back. I know what I’m doing.”

Despite the clear blue sky and a calm sea, h
er brown hair churned around her face, her shirt and trousers rippled over her slender form.  

She raised her arms into the air and a wall of water rose out of the sea.
She pointed to the burning stern and a stream of water splashed dousing the flames on the
Soaring Phoenix’s
stern.

Droplets of water sprinkled onto Kane’s body. He gaped at steam rising from the stern. Had she just commanded water to move?

Hannah bent her body, and as she slowly stood, she moved her hands back to
wards her shoulders. Another wet wall formed, this one higher than the last, the roar hurting Kane’s ears. She lunged her hands forward, and the wet wall followed the direction of her arms and thundered towards the
Fiery Damsel
.

Kane’s crew yelled, but he couldn
’t make out their words due to the thundering wave. It crashed into the
Fiery Damsel
, nearly tipping over the ship. The water rolled up and down, tossing the
Fiery Damsel
, further and further and further out to sea. Her sails were tattered and flapped, helpless against the mast.

“Mother of God,” he murmured.

Kane wanted to hunt the
Fiery Damsel
down and finish her, kill Palmer, but tonight was the full moon. His men needed to feed.

His attention ripped back to Hannah
as the disabled ship limped away. Her arms dropped to her side and she fell to her knees, her hair hanging in her face. She sank to her knees, her hand shaking as she swiped her limp hair out of her face. Blood trickled down her nose, but a smile spread across her face. 

She panted, “I can’
t believe I did it.”

Kane glanced at the disappearing
Fiery Damsel
and Hannah. He narrowed his eyes and marched over to her. He grabbed her arm. “Bloody hell, you’re a witch.”

Hannah’s eyes widened and struggled against him. “Don’t hurt me.”

Kane yanked her across the deck.
His men stepped back, giving them a wide birth. Some stood slack-jawed, some wide-eyed, still others scowled and grimaced. The brave put their hands on their scabbards, ready to draw their weapons and slice her to ribbons.

“Let.” She slapped his hand.
“Go.” Another slap. “Of.” Slap, slap. “Me.” Slap, slap. 

She kicked his shins, but Kane could care less.
He wanted her alone. 

He dragged her past a glowering William.
“Kane,” William warned. He folded his arms across his chest and tapped his foot. Even in his tattered wet clothes, he would have made a grand bishop with his stiff stance and condescending scowl. 

“Stay here, William,” Kane glared.
“That’s an order.”

“I don’t—”

“I am the bloody captain. You’ll do my bidding brother or be locked in the brig.”

“Where are you taking me?” Hannah demanded.

“To my cabin.
”

“What?
Why?” She jammed her heel onto his boot. “I demand you release me at once.”

He pulled her against his chest and peered into her stormy brown eyes.
Her intoxicating smell of jasmine rushed over him, enslaving him in a pool of conflicting emotions. Her squirming body pressed against him teased his growing passion. He gazed at her frowning soft lips and an urge to kiss her, to silence her protests, swept over him. Was the little minx casting a spell? Or had she already cast one? One of desire, lust and need.

“Release me.”

“You lied to me.”
He narrowed his eyes, forcing back his passion. “Witch.”

“What?
I am….”

Before she could finish, he hauled her down to his cabin and tossed her inside.
She stumbled and whirled around. Her stormy eyes declared war on him. He slammed the door shut behind them.

“How dare you!
You bastard.”

He put his hands on his hips.
“You’re not leaving this cabin.”

“
Why not?”

“Why not?
You’re a witch and put my men at risk.”