The Adventures of the Bare Banshee - Prologue

The Adventures of the Bare Banshee

Prologue

​​            I always imagined my life to be one of grandeur. It was instilled in me at a very young age that I could accomplish anything and that I would be well respected woman of our very male-dominated society. I would be courted only by the noblest of men and I would hardly have to lift a finger. ​It sounded cozy enough and it was definitely nothing to frown upon. Anything was better than having my own father whore me out to some crazy fellow just to get rid of me, a tragedy I witnessed many of my girlfriends go through.

​​            I often wonder if my life would have lived up to my expectations had I stayed. Would I truly be content sitting on my pompous derriere, day in and day out, raising obnoxious kids, and being nothing but a darling trophy wife. I craved adventure, not predictability, though I desperately wish I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this. Granted, I didn’t exactly have much choice in the matter. Getting kidnapped by pirates and eventually elected as captain wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. Then again, neither was falling in love with one.

***

​​            “Ahoy, captain, my captain,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me from behind, as I leaned over the railing of my ship, The Sun-Kissed Siren. His name was Jonah Ripper, a rising star in the piracy world, though I sometimes wondered if it was more for his looks than his actual crimes. He was probably the most well-kept pirate I had seen, a big contributor to why I was so charmed by him in the first place. With handsome brown locks that seemed impervious to the elements and blue eyes that gleamed as bright as the silver on his sword, it was no wonder I was hooked.

​​            “If I remember correctly, Mr. Ripper, I told you above deck, I am just captain,” I said, plucking his arms off my waist, begrudgingly. “Can’t have the crew thinking something is going on.”

​​            “If I remember correctly, Captain Riddick, you didn’t seem to care too much about that last night as I,” he lowered his voice to a purr, “shivered your timbers. It seemed to me you wanted everyone on the British Isles to know just how amazing Jonah Ripper is.”

​​            I knew I was blushing, and I hated that he had this effect on me. He knew it too, the sly smile on face the proof. “Don’t be so confident in your abilities, Mr. Ripper. Maybe I just wanted to give away our position so you can finally have your date with the gallows.”

​​            He chuckled. “Oh, so does that mean I won’t be joining you below deck for round two?”

​​            “No, you will still be joining me,” I finally turned to face him, smiling smugly as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He took this as invitation to grab hold of me, pushing the small of my back against the railing as his body closed in on mine. I continued, “but that won’t stop me from hand delivering you to the noose first thing in the morning.”

​​            “I find the idea of one final barrel roll beneath the sheets to be slightly arousing,” he mused, still smiling that charming smile I couldn’t stand, as he leaned in to kiss my neck. Part of me wonders how I ever fell for someone like him. He was charming, yes, but in an irksome way. There were times he would say something that would make me want to slip his throat, but jump his bones at the same time. It had been that way since I met him.

***

​​            I went by a different name back then. I was innocent then, a quiet, polite girl on the verge of adulthood. To my father’s dismay, I was the only child, as my mother left him shortly after I was born. He was furious, of course, and didn’t even consider dating again until she mysteriously turned up dead ten years later. Though I never approached the subject with him, I had a feeling he had something to do with it.