Page 28 of Of Magic and Rum
Red suddenly passes out, slumping onto the deck with his ass in the air. Aranck pushes past everyone and helps him up, pouring something from a small bottle into Red’s mouth before aiding him below deck.
“What did he give him?” I ask Glog.
Glog shrugs and tosses a piece of bread, catching it in his mouth. “Not sure. Aranck seems to have cures for anything that ails you. The man could’ve been a surgeon without all the screwy schooling, I swear it.”
“Anne,” Mary whines, holding her hand out to me. “Dance with me.”
“You sure you’re in a good enough state for that?” I ask, chuckling at her swaying on her heels.
“Unlike most of these oafs, I can hold my liquor.” Mary snaps her hand back and eyes me warily. “Peculiar, why you’re not more sloshed.” She snatches my bottle before I can resist and shakes it. “The whole bloody thing is almost gone, and you’re not so much as glassy-eyed.”
I canfeelJack’s curious gaze from nearby heating my cheeks.
“High tolerance, I guess.” Yanking the bottle back, I shove it in a pocket and open my arms. “You mentioned dancing?”
Mary and I dance a drunken waltz, and surprisingly, I only have to hold her upright three times. She attempts to dip me, and I have to press my hand to the deck to keep from landing on my back when she fumbles with my arms. And after several moments have passed, she stalks off without warning, mumbling something about needing sleep. Jack has been watching me the entire time, walking a circle around us from afar. He switches from running his fingers through his beard toclasping his hands behind his back, but the determination in his eyes is plain: he’s bent on figuring me out.
Yawning, I stretch my arms above my head. “I should probably head to bed, too. Seems like the party is dying anyway.”
Several men have fallen asleep on deck, propped against each other or on crates, the empty bottles held limply in their hands.
“I’ll remind you,” Jack starts, standing in front of me with hooded lids. “My hammock is far more comfortable, especially with me in it.”
I pinch my lips together to rein in my smile and pat his chest. “Goodnight, Jack.”
He grabs my hand and presses a chaste kiss to my knuckles. “Goodnight—Annie.”
The nickname sends my heart racing, and I reluctantly slip my hand from his, backing away until I feel the railing touch my fingertips. I’m clutching my blouse as I sprint for the stairs, pressing my back against the wall when I’m secluded below decks.
This is going too far. I have to tell them. And soon. But—how?
A monstrously loud crackle jolts me awake, my hammock swinging so erratically I almost topple out. I hop to my feet, pressing a hand near the porthole window to brace myself. A flash of lightning streaks the midnight sky, the sea pulsing with white-capped waves. Panicking, I race to the stairs, slipping on my boots as I hop and climb to the deck. A wind gust slams into the ship’s side, throwing my body against the far railing. Water splashes onto my knuckles, and I gasp, pulling my sleeves over my hands.
“Get those fucking sails secured before they’re torn to shreds,” Ragnar shouts.
The crew scurries, tying up the sails. Mary helps with the ropes, but they keep flying from her grasp with every other gust. Without hesitation, I move to her side, grabbing one of the rogueropes and pulling it taut, waiting for the other men to roll up the mainsail. Squid has his legs wrapped around the mast, using one hand to steady himself while the other works the ropes around the sails.
“We all sobered up real bloody quick, huh?” Mary grins at me, winding rope around her arm to hold it firm.
I muster a weak smirk, far too concerned by the looming torrential downpour, the clouds darkening with each passing second. Only hours prior, drunken crewmates littered the deck sleeping, and now every soul is doing their part to ready the ship for a battle with Mother Nature.
“Seems we’ve pissed off the sea gods somehow, eh lads?” Duke barks, laughing and helping with the rigging despite his age.
My stomach twists into knots.
“Anne,” Jack shouts from the wheel before stalking in my direction. “What the hell are you doing up here?”
“I’m helping,” I yell back. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
Jack yanks the rope from my hands with a snarl. “You don’t have the experience to handle a storm like this. Get below deck.Now.”
I need an excuse to get out of the rain and avoid revealing my true self, but not likethis.
“And hide like a coward?” Pulling the rope from Jack’s grip is like tugging on a planet-sized boulder.
“It’s not hiding, Bonny. It’s surviving. And we need people down there to secure the cannons and anything else heavy that might launch into the side of the ship and make a damned hole.” Jack grunts, the rope pulling him forward, his feet sliding until he regains his hold. “You swore an oath. I’m your captain. Now, get belowdeck.”
My sinuses sting with held-back tears of rage, but I know it’s the best thing to do.
