Page 28 of Enchanted By a Pirate
The captain shrugged his broad shoulders. "I haven't seen a single fairy since you disappeared."
"Then how did you know I was… gone?"
His gaze glowed with a fire that reached out towards her. "Because you always came back to me."
Anna snorted, but she wasn't about to engage in a discussion about their supposed relationship. "Where did we part ways?"
"At the Kingdom of Flower's port. There's so much hustle and bustle in the harbor city that no one is noticed."
"Okay, and then I left to meet with Iris and Jasmin."
"You flew."
"M'hm?"
"You flew away."
Was he starting with that now too? "So, you are also trying to tell me I'm actually a fairy?"
"Aye, of course. What else would you be?"
"A human?"
The captain laughed. It sounded rough and dark, and she was overcome with goosebumps again. "You have been a fairy for hundreds of years, believe me. A few years as a human slave doesn't change that."
Anna shook her head in disbelief.
He grinned broadly. "What?"
She peered down at herself, examining her hands and legs. "Anton, Iris, and Margerite have told me, but… I can't imagine it. I just don't believe it." She turned and glanced over her shoulder. "Wings? On my back?"
"Aye, and their sparkle competed with the gold of the seas."
Anna had to smile, but the captain's eyes darkened.
"Whoever did this to you will pay dearly, I swear!"
Hearing his words, her heart danced, but she couldn't let herself be distracted. She ignored his threat and paced thoughtfully. She twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "Iris, Margerite, and Toni knew I gave you fairy dust. They claimed that was why so many fairies had disappeared. They say you did something to me that erased my memory and then banished me. It sounds like I met with the fairies after our meeting. I told them about our plan, or at least that I gaveyou fairy dust, and they apparently thought I was crazy. Shortly afterward, I must have gone back to you because they all agree that you are the culprit. Probably because I was on my way to see you. But…" She looked up wistfully and saw regret in his eyes.
"You never came back to me."
"Someone must have stopped me along the way."
"Or lured you into a trap — you were always very curious."
Anna let the strand slip from her finger. "Did we have any idea who was behind it?"
"No, damn it."
"What happened? How did we… meet? I mean, when did we join forces? When did the fairies start disappearing?"
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and ran his fingers over his forehead. Her eyes fell on his large hands. Damn, why did he look so handsome? How could she keep up her guard? But, if what he said was true, there was someone out there who didn't want her to believe him…
His voice brought her back to the here and now. "It took you longer every day to take care of all the flowers with your fairy sisters. At some point, you confided in me that you thought fewer fairies were helping."
Finally, they were getting somewhere. "Did I notice someone was missing or was it merely conjecture?"
"You mentioned Calla and Kamille, but you weren't sure about the others."
