Status: Complete
Skull and Dagger
Entranced
Annabelle immediately ran forward and pulled the dagger from the dead man’s back, clutching it firmly in her hand as the sounds of struggle continued outside.
Elizabeth pulled out her own knife while Father Sites took hold of one of the chairs and stationed himself right next to the door, prepared to bash anyone over the head who tried to enter.
They waited, listening to the sounds of battle approaching closer and their own ragged breaths. Several more loud crashes, and then all was quiet outside.
“Is that a good sign or a bad sign?” Elizabeth bit her lip nervously.
Elizabeth and Sites both shrugged and held their breath as they waited for someone to come.
After nothing had happened for several seconds, Sites slowly loosened his hold on the chair…
And that’s when the door burst inward.
A man with wild black hair immediately clocked Sites on the jaw, knocking him unconscious onto the floor. Elizabeth lunged at the intruder from behind, her blade flashing in the morning sun, but he caught her wrist easily, slamming her back hard into the wall and pinning her in place.
Annabelle, meanwhile, was left to face his companion, a tall, brutish-looking blond man with a jagged scar down one side of his face. She quickly concealed her weapon in the folds of her skirt when she saw that he had a knife as well.
He flashed her a toothy smile when he saw what appeared to be a helpless, frightened woman as his only opponent and advanced on her with a purposeful leer.
Annabelle let him back her up against the wall, not having to fake her fear at the situation. If these really were pirates, then there were undoubtedly dozens more where they had come from, and she doubted that even she could overcome them all.
“Pretty little thing, aren’t ya?” the pirate said in a rough voice. He quickly caught her by the waist and hair, pulling her right up against him. “Don’t worry,” he said with a lustful sneer, “I’ll take good care of you…” His knife sliced into the bodice of her dress, exposing the white lace underneath, and he yanked her hair back to get a better look at her face. “Very pretty,” he decided.
And that was pretty much all Annabelle could take. She quit trying to synchronize her own attack with Elizabeth and just swung at him.
The pirate cried out and staggered backward when her knife slashed his back, and she caught him right between the legs with her toe as he went down.
He clutched at her skirts, but she evaded him, making a run for the door and hoping to find someone else from their crew that could help her.
Her plan was foiled just as she reached the door, however. She crashed headlong into a third pirate, and this one was not so easy to defeat as his predecessor.
He instantly caught the wrist that held her knife and twisted until the blade slipped from her grasp.
She aimed her free fist at his face, but he quickly caught that hand as well, pinning them both behind her and holding her against him so that she couldn’t get the leverage she needed to kick him…or to reach for the sword he wore at his waist.
She froze then, realizing she was trapped, and looked at her captor for the first time. He was of slim build, although sleekly muscular from his many years sailing.
Tight black slacks and a white silk shirt open at the breast showed off his lean body and pale chest admirably. His face was no less striking – sharp cheekbones defined his features while brilliant hazel eyes gave it life.
Perhaps the most exotic aspect of his appearance was his hair, however. Years of exposure to the sun’s blinding rays had not affected it, it was almost black, giving this pirate a strangely angelic appearance.
Annabelle quickly shook the silly notion from her head and continued her useless struggles against him.
“You all right?” His accent was unmistakably American, although of a much lower class than she was used to hearing.
The bulky blond pirate grunted in response, clutching the bleeding slash in his side and still hunched over from her kick. “I’ll live,” he agreed gruffly.
The pirate that held her seemed to be struggling slightly with mirth at his companion’s predicament.
“We’ll have ta work on that overconfidence of yours, Alman,” he chuckled. “One of these days it’ll get you killed…”
The blond pirate – Alman – cast an annoyed scowl in his direction and turned to where the dark-haired pirate still had Elizabeth pinned as well.
Annabelle let out a disappointed sigh when she realized that any hope of
Elizabeth overcoming her captor and freeing her had gone. Although…
Annabelle eyes widened when she realized that Elizabeth hadn’t even bothered to try to escape. In fact, right now, she was just letting the man hold her, looking up at him with a coy smile on her face.
The man seemed equally entranced, his grip changing from a rough hold to a gentler embrace.
If Annabelle hadn’t known better, she would have sworn a string quartet was playing soft love music around the pair, closing them off in their own private world…
Elizabeth pulled out her own knife while Father Sites took hold of one of the chairs and stationed himself right next to the door, prepared to bash anyone over the head who tried to enter.
They waited, listening to the sounds of battle approaching closer and their own ragged breaths. Several more loud crashes, and then all was quiet outside.
“Is that a good sign or a bad sign?” Elizabeth bit her lip nervously.
Elizabeth and Sites both shrugged and held their breath as they waited for someone to come.
After nothing had happened for several seconds, Sites slowly loosened his hold on the chair…
And that’s when the door burst inward.
A man with wild black hair immediately clocked Sites on the jaw, knocking him unconscious onto the floor. Elizabeth lunged at the intruder from behind, her blade flashing in the morning sun, but he caught her wrist easily, slamming her back hard into the wall and pinning her in place.
Annabelle, meanwhile, was left to face his companion, a tall, brutish-looking blond man with a jagged scar down one side of his face. She quickly concealed her weapon in the folds of her skirt when she saw that he had a knife as well.
He flashed her a toothy smile when he saw what appeared to be a helpless, frightened woman as his only opponent and advanced on her with a purposeful leer.
Annabelle let him back her up against the wall, not having to fake her fear at the situation. If these really were pirates, then there were undoubtedly dozens more where they had come from, and she doubted that even she could overcome them all.
“Pretty little thing, aren’t ya?” the pirate said in a rough voice. He quickly caught her by the waist and hair, pulling her right up against him. “Don’t worry,” he said with a lustful sneer, “I’ll take good care of you…” His knife sliced into the bodice of her dress, exposing the white lace underneath, and he yanked her hair back to get a better look at her face. “Very pretty,” he decided.
And that was pretty much all Annabelle could take. She quit trying to synchronize her own attack with Elizabeth and just swung at him.
The pirate cried out and staggered backward when her knife slashed his back, and she caught him right between the legs with her toe as he went down.
He clutched at her skirts, but she evaded him, making a run for the door and hoping to find someone else from their crew that could help her.
Her plan was foiled just as she reached the door, however. She crashed headlong into a third pirate, and this one was not so easy to defeat as his predecessor.
He instantly caught the wrist that held her knife and twisted until the blade slipped from her grasp.
She aimed her free fist at his face, but he quickly caught that hand as well, pinning them both behind her and holding her against him so that she couldn’t get the leverage she needed to kick him…or to reach for the sword he wore at his waist.
She froze then, realizing she was trapped, and looked at her captor for the first time. He was of slim build, although sleekly muscular from his many years sailing.
Tight black slacks and a white silk shirt open at the breast showed off his lean body and pale chest admirably. His face was no less striking – sharp cheekbones defined his features while brilliant hazel eyes gave it life.
Perhaps the most exotic aspect of his appearance was his hair, however. Years of exposure to the sun’s blinding rays had not affected it, it was almost black, giving this pirate a strangely angelic appearance.
Annabelle quickly shook the silly notion from her head and continued her useless struggles against him.
“You all right?” His accent was unmistakably American, although of a much lower class than she was used to hearing.
The bulky blond pirate grunted in response, clutching the bleeding slash in his side and still hunched over from her kick. “I’ll live,” he agreed gruffly.
The pirate that held her seemed to be struggling slightly with mirth at his companion’s predicament.
“We’ll have ta work on that overconfidence of yours, Alman,” he chuckled. “One of these days it’ll get you killed…”
The blond pirate – Alman – cast an annoyed scowl in his direction and turned to where the dark-haired pirate still had Elizabeth pinned as well.
Annabelle let out a disappointed sigh when she realized that any hope of
Elizabeth overcoming her captor and freeing her had gone. Although…
Annabelle eyes widened when she realized that Elizabeth hadn’t even bothered to try to escape. In fact, right now, she was just letting the man hold her, looking up at him with a coy smile on her face.
The man seemed equally entranced, his grip changing from a rough hold to a gentler embrace.
If Annabelle hadn’t known better, she would have sworn a string quartet was playing soft love music around the pair, closing them off in their own private world…