The Empress of the Seas
Chapter 21
When I woke up I figured it wasn’t morning yet because I could hear Jack’s snoring. The two torches were still burning and I looked down at my wrist.
It hurt just to think about it. Everywhere around it was bright red but at least I couldn’t smell it anymore. Why did I let this happen?
There was no way to fight him, I knew that all along. Even if I knocked him out his crew would come in. I may be proud but I’m not stupid.
I refused to let myself continue thinking about the subject because that would just lead to why I didn’t just break my promise and tell Corus about the treasure. When you’re stuck in the brig you don’t have time to think about these things. When you’re me and it’s about Jack, well I’ll figure that out later.
I was just about to try to go back to sleep when someone grabbed my right wrist and I yelped. When I looked up, Grotter was staring at me with a confused look. I felt his fingers go over the ‘P’ and bit my lip to not cry out. When he looked down at it his face got angry.
“He did this to you?” There was hostility in his voice. It was a side of him I’ve never seen and it was kind of… sexy.
“Why do ye care?” I pulled my hand back. “Ye wanted to do the same thing if not still do.”
“No, I wanted to kill you, there’s a difference.” He smiled and I rolled my eyes. “I see so much of… well you, in you.”
I scrunched my eyebrows. “What do ye mean?”
“Emma Smith, I see her anger and pride, especially in your eyes.” I couldn’t help but laugh. God knows how proud I can be. “But I also see her grace, her elegance.”
I stopped laughing. “What?”
“You may be one of the fiercest pirates in history, Emma, but you will always have the beauty and power of a woman.”
I always knew I had some sort of power being a woman, like what happened in Corus’s cabin, but that was only because I’m usually the only woman these men have seen in months. What is this crap about beauty?
“Uh, in case ye didn’t know, I grew up on my dad’s ship. No girls. Just him, the crew, and-” I couldn’t help think back to when we were little, when everything was so much simpler. “Jack.”
He let out a small laugh and shook his head before looking across the cell to the still snoring Jack. “You love him, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?” I said my voice jumped an octave.
“What, you can admit it. Don’t think that just because you’re some tough pirate means you can’t love.”
I stared at him blankly. Where the hell was he going with this?
“If this is some weird way of getting me to marry ye-”
“I’m serious, do you love him?”
“I… No. No, of course I don’t. Why?”
He shrugged. “He loves you.”
“Ok, people really have to stop telling me this!” I almost yelled but remembered that Jack was sleeping.
He laughed again. “Who else told you?”
“Kyle, my six year old son.”
“You have a son?”
I nodded as I stared at the floor.
“Who’s the dad?”
I didn’t say anything for a second. “Don’t know.”
“I didn’t know you were that kind of person…”
I looked up at him. “Hey, don’t go all judgmental on me, okay? It was a bad time for me and let’s just say there was a lot of rum involved.” He chuckled. “Why?” I smiled and shoved him playfully. “Ye jealous?”
“No, no, trust me I’m done with that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Not that I really cared, but I was slightly offended.
“What I meant was that I’m not sure Mommy would approve of you… no offense.”
I smiled. “None taken.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore.”
I frowned and was about to say something but he put his hand up.
“Don’t,” he said. “I guess part of me will always love you, well the part that didn’t try to kill me.” He laughed then sighed. “But not like that. It’ll take some time but I’ll find someone else. But just so you know, when I get back, if I get back, I’m gonna destroy your records. Officers won’t be coming after you anymore; or at least until they realize what happened.”
We were both smiling. Here he was, Grotter, Captain Grotter who has been after me forever saying that he was going to get rid of any and all trace of me. How peaceful sailing could be if I wasn’t constantly disturbed by those stupid guys in tight pants.
I leaned closer to him and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.
His hand flew to his face and it was obvious he was blushing. “What was that?”
Now it was my turn to laugh as I turned away from him and went back to sleep.
It hurt just to think about it. Everywhere around it was bright red but at least I couldn’t smell it anymore. Why did I let this happen?
There was no way to fight him, I knew that all along. Even if I knocked him out his crew would come in. I may be proud but I’m not stupid.
I refused to let myself continue thinking about the subject because that would just lead to why I didn’t just break my promise and tell Corus about the treasure. When you’re stuck in the brig you don’t have time to think about these things. When you’re me and it’s about Jack, well I’ll figure that out later.
I was just about to try to go back to sleep when someone grabbed my right wrist and I yelped. When I looked up, Grotter was staring at me with a confused look. I felt his fingers go over the ‘P’ and bit my lip to not cry out. When he looked down at it his face got angry.
“He did this to you?” There was hostility in his voice. It was a side of him I’ve never seen and it was kind of… sexy.
“Why do ye care?” I pulled my hand back. “Ye wanted to do the same thing if not still do.”
“No, I wanted to kill you, there’s a difference.” He smiled and I rolled my eyes. “I see so much of… well you, in you.”
I scrunched my eyebrows. “What do ye mean?”
“Emma Smith, I see her anger and pride, especially in your eyes.” I couldn’t help but laugh. God knows how proud I can be. “But I also see her grace, her elegance.”
I stopped laughing. “What?”
“You may be one of the fiercest pirates in history, Emma, but you will always have the beauty and power of a woman.”
I always knew I had some sort of power being a woman, like what happened in Corus’s cabin, but that was only because I’m usually the only woman these men have seen in months. What is this crap about beauty?
“Uh, in case ye didn’t know, I grew up on my dad’s ship. No girls. Just him, the crew, and-” I couldn’t help think back to when we were little, when everything was so much simpler. “Jack.”
He let out a small laugh and shook his head before looking across the cell to the still snoring Jack. “You love him, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?” I said my voice jumped an octave.
“What, you can admit it. Don’t think that just because you’re some tough pirate means you can’t love.”
I stared at him blankly. Where the hell was he going with this?
“If this is some weird way of getting me to marry ye-”
“I’m serious, do you love him?”
“I… No. No, of course I don’t. Why?”
He shrugged. “He loves you.”
“Ok, people really have to stop telling me this!” I almost yelled but remembered that Jack was sleeping.
He laughed again. “Who else told you?”
“Kyle, my six year old son.”
“You have a son?”
I nodded as I stared at the floor.
“Who’s the dad?”
I didn’t say anything for a second. “Don’t know.”
“I didn’t know you were that kind of person…”
I looked up at him. “Hey, don’t go all judgmental on me, okay? It was a bad time for me and let’s just say there was a lot of rum involved.” He chuckled. “Why?” I smiled and shoved him playfully. “Ye jealous?”
“No, no, trust me I’m done with that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Not that I really cared, but I was slightly offended.
“What I meant was that I’m not sure Mommy would approve of you… no offense.”
I smiled. “None taken.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore.”
I frowned and was about to say something but he put his hand up.
“Don’t,” he said. “I guess part of me will always love you, well the part that didn’t try to kill me.” He laughed then sighed. “But not like that. It’ll take some time but I’ll find someone else. But just so you know, when I get back, if I get back, I’m gonna destroy your records. Officers won’t be coming after you anymore; or at least until they realize what happened.”
We were both smiling. Here he was, Grotter, Captain Grotter who has been after me forever saying that he was going to get rid of any and all trace of me. How peaceful sailing could be if I wasn’t constantly disturbed by those stupid guys in tight pants.
I leaned closer to him and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.
His hand flew to his face and it was obvious he was blushing. “What was that?”
Now it was my turn to laugh as I turned away from him and went back to sleep.