Pirate's Ransom

Chapter 25

The resounding boom made every muscle in Isabella's body clench all at once. She scrambled from the warm, comforting heat of Arus's body and sat on the edge of the bed collecting her discarded clothing. He shifted around next to her and began to dress, though much slower, lest he tear his sutures. 

Their ship shook every time they fired off a cannon. Stomps above them said that everyone was on deck and dutifully doing their jobs. Once her pants and shirt were on, she moved quickly to fasten the eye-hooks of her corset, desperately trying not to think about the moments they'd shared when she'd taken the same corset off. 

She was amazed when she'd first put it on. It was unlike any kind of corset she'd been forced into before. This one had intricate silver threaded designs woven into the black material and though there was boning, it was made of something other than bone that held sturdy but flexed when she moved. It was tight like any other corset but when she inhaled, the material stretched. It was when she'd discovered that, that Isabella had fallen in love with it.  Not only did it firmly hold her breasts in one place, but it was beautiful and feminine as well. Stupid for her to be worried about femininity, she chastised herself. 

Arus pulled on his boots. She thought about telling him to stay in the cabin but he'd laugh in her face. This was his ship, and his ship was under attack. He slid his sword into his belt and she followed suit with her daggers. 

He turned toward her at the last moment and gripped her upper arms. "I need you to stay here."

"The hell you do!" She spat.

"Isa," he growled in warning. "If you go up on deck, they will see you. If they see you they will only fight harder to get you. I can't let you go up there and possibly be shot. As of right now, they don't want you dead. Let's keep it that way."

Her eyes focused on his own emerald green ones. Eyes that tried to dig at her memory but nothing surfaced. "You trained me for this..."

Another boom shook the floor and she cringed, dust floating down from the wood ceiling.

"I will be distracted if you go up. You don't want me distracted do you?"

No she didn't. The thought of him being harmed again because of her was too hard for her to digest. She shook her head softly. "That's my girl."

He spun and quickly dumped out their pillowcase full of clothing he'd stuffed before they'd ran. "Beth slipped something into my stuff that I believe was meant for you."

Beth? The seamstress? Isabella wondered what the woman would have possibly given him that was meant for a woman. Finally he turned and opened his palm where a dainty blade rested in his hand. The blade wasn't any longer than her index finger and there was a curved hilt that looked strangly like an M. Other than that shape there was no handle. 

"I don't understand."

Arus brushed her hair over her shoulder and pulled at her corset. She looked down, between her cleavege there was a small pocket where he slipped his finger in. Not once did she see it, even when she'd examined the entire garment. With swift fingers he slid the tiny dagger into the pocket and adjusted the M shaped hilt so that it clung to the outside of her bodice like a broach. 

Another heavy boom shook dirt from the ceiling again and she coughed. 

"Stay here. If you notice water is coming in the ship, or you hear it, get up top but otherwise don't move."

Her stomach clenched at the thought of being trapped down in the cabin of a sinking ship. "I'll stay." She wouldn't, couldn't distract him. Though it warmed her to think that he cared about her enough to worry about keeping her safe...or it was just the issue with the key again.