Page 60 of The Bartered Soul

As we enter the parlor, my eyes are immediately pulled to Marie, garbed in a violent purple gown fit for a queen — which, on this island, she is close to being. She greets Lyra with a tight hug and grips my hand with both of hers before kissing my knuckles. I swallow both my nerves and the bile rising in my throat to gracefully accept the greeting instead of pulling away; surely she doesn’t plan to reveal me tonight.

“Good evening, my dear,” Marie says to me. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you, Marie. You look lovely tonight as well. Everything looks so festive. Are your events always so grand?” I ask, my eyes searching her face for any indication of betrayal.

“We usually celebrate a bit more quietly, but it isn’t every day that my granddaughter is returned to me. I have missed her while we were apart for so long.” Marie doesn’t show any signs that she has any other purpose for this party than the holiday and Lyra’s debut to the island, but I am still wary and unable to take her at her word enough to relax fully.

I accept a glass of wine from a servant, hoping it will soothe my nerves. Lyra and Lennox follow my lead, each plucking a glass from the tray as the servant passes. Lyra is quickly swept into conversation with a lovely couple in matching white masks as she stands with her grandmother, while Lennox and I escape to a dim corner.

“Would it be rude if we slipped away and just spent the evening in bed?” the Captain breathes against my ear as we stand close together.

“Probably — but you’re a pirate. Aren’t you allowed to have poor manners?” I rasp back, running my hand over his dark coat, feeling his hard chest beneath as he presses closer.

I can’t resist standing on my tiptoes to brush a kiss against his neck and his throaty gasp sends a tingle through me, making my heart flutter and my belly heat. He presses a hand against my lower back and pulls me toward him, causing me to melt into him in the darkness. I pull back slightly so I can meet his eyes, and it feels like time has stopped as we stare at one another. His dark eyes flicker down to my mouth, but as we lean toward one another, a voice cuts through the din of the revelers.

“Lennox! Captain Lennox! William, where the hell are you, man?” a deep voice echoes over the din of the party.

We pull apart, and Lennox steps from our dim sanctuary, sighing in irritation as he straightens the front of his coat. “Yes, Jackson,” he calls out. Only the faintest hint of annoyance tinges his tone, making me smile at his restraint as I hold in a laugh. The flamboyantly dressed Captain Jackson is searching the crowd, clearly the one who is calling for Lennox.

“Ah, William, there you are! A moment if you can spare it?” Jackson looks between Lennox and me in our dark corner, a slow smile spreading across his ruddy face. I haven’t had much need to speak with the gaudy man, but his jovial tone and bright clothing put me at ease as they mask the violence he no doubt administers and condones in his role as Captain of the Selkie’s Tears.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Lennox leans over and whispers close, sending a shiver over my heated skin. I simply incline my head in understanding, and linger, observing the partygoers. It isn’t long before music begins playing, encouraging some of the couples to move to the center of the cleared room to dance. I sip my wine and watch wistfully, remembering nights hidden away in alcoves watching courtiers dance at the palace for holidays when I was at the castle with my aunt. I was always too young to partake in the balls and had departed for the temple by the time I was old enough to join.

“Mistress, would you care to dance?”

I’m so lost in my memories, and the wine, that I didn’t pay attention to the man approaching me in my dark corner. His sensual voice startles me at its close proximity. I recognize him from the dinner at Marie’s, but cannot immediately remember his name.

Giving a pleasant smile to mask my uncertainty, I hastily shuffle through the names of the men from that night as he stands looking at me expectantly. A gold tooth glints from beneath his gold mask when he smiles and extends his hand to take mine. The mask and the tooth coordinate with the heavy red and gold brocade coat he wears despite the warmth of the night. Eyes so dark they’re almost black rake over my body and I remember — Mario di Micios.

“Captain… di Micios?” I ask, testing the name in case I have remembered wrong.

“Ah, you remember me! Wonderful.” He smiles broadly again, kissing my knuckles as Marie did. While her gesture felt like respect, his sends a tingle of unease through my hand, and I have to fight the urge to snatch it back from him too quickly.

“I do, Captain. How are you this evening?” I ask politely, sipping from my goblet and looking for Lennox in the crowd.

“Please, call me Mario, Mistress Andromeda. I ask again — will you dance with me?” he persists, extending his hand to me once again.

I have no excuse readied to deny him. Lennox mentioned that most of the captains have some form of truce. I don’t wish to upset the balance by being discourteous, nor should I have anything to fear. So, despite my hesitance, I set my glass down and place my hand lightly in his, allowing him to lead me onto the dance floor. The band is playing a slow song, and we fall in step easily with the other dancers. Di Micios places his hand at a respectful place on my waist, while I manage to keep our bodies at a reasonable distance apart as we sway to the song.

“So, Mistress, will you be staying on the island, or are you returning to Lennox’s service?” Mario asks after a few moments of silence.

“His service?” I ask, taken aback at the phrasing, my feet falling out of step for a moment before I catch back up to the tempo.

“Yes. I wasn’t sure if you would be joining the women at the local House or if you were returning to service him on his ship. You were purchased for his bed, correct?” he asks with another golden smile. “I hoped you might be staying on the island longer, as I would… very much enjoy your company myself,” he explains, leering down at me.

My blood chills at the insinuation. Di Micios isn’t wrong in his assumption about my relationship with Lennox — at least not in the way it started — but the reminder of the life I am escaping makes my stomach churn. I pull away from his grip and bump into another couple. They grumble their displeasure at my clumsiness, but I don’t move back toward my partner — I want to keep space between the Tomcat and myself.

“I’m not certain of my plans yet, but none of them include bedding you, Captain,” I hiss at him as he reaches for me again.

“I meant no offense! I merely find you to be extremely attractive and I only thought — ” he continues, as if he cannot understand how I could be upset at the suggestion.

“Whatever you meant, I am not just a whore to be passed around between captains,” I interrupt coldly, trying to keep my voice low.

Despite my attempt to keep our conversation quiet, mutters and curious stares from the other guests surround us. Di Micios reaches for my arm again, and as I step back in another retreat, trying to avoid the other bodies floating around me, a black-clad arm appears from the crowd to grip the Captain’s wrist. He blanches at the contact and steps away from me in haste, trying to pull away from the fingers digging into his arm and the man they belong to.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” Lennox’s voice is a low growl as he pulls di Micios near, tightening his grasp.

“I only asked her of her plans after you leave!” di Micios hastily explains. “I wasn’t sure if you’d bought her for the next voyage, or — ”

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