Page 30 of Enchanted By a Pirate
"No, whoever it was wanted your crew to take me to them — at least that's what I assume." And who knew if there were others on the crew who had it in for her.
He seemed to guess her thoughts because he grabbed her arm. "I won't lose you again! No one on my ship will harm you, I promise you that. On my honor as a pirate captain, no one will get by my saber."
Her heart beat faster and a smile played across her lips. His eyes immediately wandered to them. Her pulse quickened and sparks flew between them, but Anna focused on her thoughts.
"If you only want the best for me, you have to let me go."
His grip tightened. "What? What kind of twisted logic is that? If I let you go, you will be unprotected. Apparently, you can't even transform and use your fairy powers anymore."
"But I have to find out for myself what happened back then. I have to find out who is behind all this, who is involved, and…" She looked at him wistfully. "…who I can trust."
"You want me to let you go?"
"Prove to me you are telling the truth. If you… when we… if things between us were as you say, then you'll respect my wishes."
He closed his eyes. There was no sign on his face to reveal the inner battle he was waging, but Anna could still feel him growing tense. Suddenly, his grip tightened again. He didn't hurt her, but he didn't give her a chance to get away.
When he answered, his voice was even darker than before. "Swear to me that you'll take care of yourself."
"I swear."
"And swear to me, you'll come to me if you need help."
Smiling, she looked at him. "Aye aye, Captain."
His expression grew serious. "For you, it's always been Chris, Ani. I was always just Chris to you."
He slowly released her. Relief flooded her and a whisper told her he was speaking the truth. Before she could peer into his deep eyes again and abandon her plan, she turned and hurried out of the cave.
12
She fought her way through the rosehip bush back into the forest. When she rose to her feet, she groaned. Shoot. It was pitch black out. Maybe she should have spent the night in the cave. But then she might never have left — and the captain wouldn't have let her go.
She heaved a sigh. She was preoccupied and forced herself to push the conflicting feelings inside her aside. First, she had to get away from the fairy dust source so she wouldn't succumb to the temptation to run back and agree on a plan with the captain. She didn't want that — too much was at stake. Even though the fact that he'd let her go spoke for him and his version of things, there were still the fairies and Anton who had warned her about him. And the pirate who helped her escape. Until she found conclusive evidence, she wanted to exercise caution.
It was so dark she could barely see her hand in front of her face. She slowly walked in the direction she felt she had come from. Her thoughts were racing, but the branches whipping her face kept pulling her back to the present. Struggling to make progress, she tripped over tall roots so much that after a while, she stopped. She would become hopelessly lost in the forest ifshe didn't find the same path she'd traveled before. How was she supposed to tell in the darkness if she was heading in the right direction?
Carefully, she felt her way along the trees and bushes. She needed a quiet place for the night until it was light again and she could find her way back. A cave, a ledge, or even a tree would do in a pinch. The main thing was to have something to recline against and sleep. Fatigue weighed on her, demanding that she stop and let her mind rest. But was she even safe in the forest? If someone was after her, did they know where she was? Would they take advantage of the darkness and grab her?
She needed to find protection, somewhere to hide. But how could she find suitable shelter in the dark? As she was about to defy her misgivings in her sleepy state and simply lay herself down on the moss, she felt a slight tremor. What was that? An earthquake? Shoot. She was in a forest, where any branches could fall on her head. Anna quickly crouched and crossed her arms over her head when a shout rang out.
"Anemone?"
Who was that? Her pursuer? A trap?
"Anemone? Are you here?"
Wait, she knew that voice. That was…
"Toni?"
"Anemone? Where are you?"
Oh, yes, it was her friend. She felt the earth tremble again. Of course. He was hurrying to her.
"Toni, I'm over here."
"Anemone? I hear you. One more time."
