spellbound (18+)

Fifteenth Ship

He's good at what he does, the arrogant, perverted bastard. He's charming and witty, and anyone would like him.

As long as they don't know who he is.

The devil is beautiful, and Fernando shone like a star always surrounded by people as he dazzled them with shallow tales of this place and that place, and he never adds on the drugged up underage girls who he drags with him.

Of course not.

But that was the joy of Fernando the allure of him. You knew he was dangerous. He was enticing you to commit some...great sin. Because no one pure looked that good.

Adrik watched him through hooded eyes as he made his way to his table. Dealing with Fernando was always the worst part of his week.

"Adrik," he grinned, kissing his cheek. He assured him it was a Latin thing.

It wasn't.

"You..." Adrik said simply, lighting his cigarette. He always hears her voice in his head when he lights up.

Poison.

Poison she said, soft, so causally, no explanation. Just poison.

Makes him put it out every time.

But Fernando made him stressed. Fernando made him uncomfortable. Fernando made him hot.

Hot like the hell that was inevitably waiting for him. Drugs. Guns. Not the best. Not the worst. But him.

He sneered. His stomach turned. Fernando had no conscience. It was ironic because of the two of them, if both had to be evil, you'd assume it'd be Adrik.

The broody look, the curt speech, the evil eyes.

And Fernando smiled and shone, and you thought whatever he did, if it was wrong, it was for a reason, right?

Wrong. Fernando did what he did, for the only reason that mattered to him.

Fernando. Fernando was the only thing that mattered to Fernando.

"So...I know you hate when I ask this but...well," Fernando chuckled, "I find myself in need of a ship. Will you give me one Adrik?"

"A ship...for what?"

Fernando chuckled again, reaching over, touching Adrik hand.

"Now when I tell you things like that, you never like it, and you don't give me what I want. And we both know how much I like getting what I want." Fernando looked him over.

Fernando fucked anything. Gender, race, size, hell according to some, species, didn't matter. Not to him.

And Fernando had coveted Adrik since he laid eyes on him.

Such a stoic man. Unaffected. Untouchable. Fernando's eyes darted to the woman who entered the bar. The only person who had ever entered that bar without permission.

And lived.

She shook her umbrella with an exasperated sigh. Adrik's eyes cross the room and attach to her, never asking why she's here.

What she's doing.

She hitches her skirt up, letting out another sigh, as if she didn't want to be there, though no one invited her.

"Princess," he rumbles, raising two fingers, waving her over.

She comes up to him, bending down. Fernando watches the two in fascination. The woman, the enigma who just appeared in a town she does not belong in.

But has never left.

The man who took her in. Princess he calls her. She answers.

Princess...she is.

"You're here," he says simply.

She nods, her hands on his shoulders. Fernando remarks to himself that her long, black sharp nails remind him of claws. He thinks it's fitting.

"Was on my way to get some food for the cat. It started raining will you believe it?" She scoffed.

"Didn't you check the weather," he murmurs, handing her his drink. She takes it, sipping on it, before putting it back in his hand.

Her nose scrunches up. "Poison," she says in disgust her eyes on his cigarette.

He puts it out. Fernando's eye twitched. Puts it out. She didn't even ask.

Just remarks in disgust and he changes his behavior? But he can't hate her, because they look damn good together.

"Gonna make a drink," she whispered, "Yours is disgusting."

He snorts. "Damn cat," he murmured. He settles back on Fernando, who smiles.

"I saw her before. The bartender. She lives with you now?"

Adrik raised his brow, leaving the question unanswered. Yes. That's how he declines to answer. His no, is silence. Except her.

"Didn't Sergio order more Vodka? We're running low of the top shelf stuff!" She shouted.

Adrik waves his hand. "Tell him tomorrow."

She quickly throws back the cocktail she made grabbing her umbrella.

"Adrik," she says on her way out with a small smirk. "It's poison."

He glanced at the unlit cigarette between his fingers with a grunt.

She leaves and only after does he mutter, half-hearted and belated for her to get that damn cat out of his house.

Fernando still smells her perfume, and it's obvious Adrik does too. He settles his gaze back on Fernando. She's gone now, so he's able to see him.

"You like her," Fernando asked lightly. "You like her, Adrik."

Adrik sighs. "This going somewhere, it's raining," he hiss cast a glance to where she just was. Lingering.

Fernando shifts. "My ship. I want a ship."

Adrik swallowed. "Your ship...what will be on it?"

Fernando smiled. "Don't ask what, if you mean who."

Adrik's fingers tightened against his cigarette in stress.

"You can't let that ship touch my dock, Fernando. You sail away, you bring it back empty. Clean. Absolutely spotless."

Fernando grinned. Yes. The tolerance Adrik held for Fernando was like the tolerance of the poor to the homeless.

It was unsightly, so they just didn't look. It became part of the scenery, even though the poor themselves were one bad day from being scenery too.

Fernando clenched his jaw. "Why haven't we spent the night together Adrik?"

Adrik looked up. "Don't you lay your filthy head down in my town? That's enough."

"We're not so different, you and me," Fernando said softly.

Adrik stood. "What nonsense. I want five hundred thousand."

Fernando raised his brow.

Adrik smirked, standing. "Price of my soul isn't cheap, boy. You know who to give it to."

Adrik stalked away, leaving Fernando to process his words. He closed his eyes, the scent of Adrik and that woman...his Princess lingering on his nose.

"Not cheap indeed," he whispered.