For Ransom

Chapter 11: Miracle Dressed In Black

Soraya

Alessandro stirred beside her, groaning softly into her ear.

"Hey." He mumbled, his half-lidded eyes sensual in their drowsiness. She let him rub his thumb in idle circles on the inside of her thigh, but she did not return the affection. No, her mind was on other things, on battle maneuvers, on the very real and daunting possibility that her ship may not make it out today.

The bell rang extra early this morning, the sun barely peeking above the horizon. She rose out of her cozy sheets, stretching before she grabbed her steel-plated leather jacket and pants. Alessandro gazed at her with a lazy grin on his face, content with remaining in bed.

"Good morning, Alessandro." Her voice came out strained, even a bit forced, but it didn't seem like he noticed. She dug around noisily through her drawers until she found what she was looking for: her belt of a variety of poison-tipped throwing knives and an efficient hand rifle. She strapped it across her waist and pulled her double swords onto her back, the weight of them easing the growing anxiety in her stomach.

Alessandro let out a low whistle.

"Wouldn't want to mess with you with all that on." She only armed herself this much when she knew they were coming into contact with unfamiliar, not necessarily friendly ships. Crowded places like an oil rig on the seas were every oceaners greatest fear and should be avoided at all costs. You never knew who you were going to run into, who could actually end everything you have accomplished in your life with a single word. That's what the steel plating on the outsides of the Miracle was for, what the ten battle-ready canons were for, what the fatally accurate regiment of archers that Alessandro had so diligently trained was for, what the past months of meticulous preparation had been for. They needed that fuel if they wanted any chance of arriving at the Land on time. Soraya could not ponder the fate of her crew if they didn't. A meaningless life of drifting on the ocean, forever lost. She shut down the thought before it metastasized into something worse.

"I recommend you do the same. We all need to be ready by sunrise."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Alessandro dragged his feet out of bed, at last, stark naked before wrapping a worn towel around his waist. It hung precariously low on his carved torso, too low.

"Alessandro?" She called hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Are you leaving my room like that?" Alessandro smirked crookedly and Soraya knew exactly what kind of comment was coming. He wrapped his toned arms around her, breathing deeply into the crook of her neck. Soraya tensed, not exactly pleased or comfortable with people invading her personal space. She supposed she would have to get used to this if she and Alessandro were going to be...continuing whatever they were.

"You don't wish for everyone to know about us, about what we've been up to?" He whispered erotically into her ear and her gut twisted in irritation. It was far too early for this. She peeled his hands off of her, perhaps a bit roughly and turned toward him.

"I don't want to deal with the questions or the giggles. Just put on some clothes, please. I'll have Steph fetch some fresh ones for you if you would like."

"I will put on clothes if you insist." Alessandro sighed in defeat, that content smile still plastered on his face. Soraya swallowed the guilt pressing on her chest. She really wished she could return the love he gave her, the love that he wished. But, for some reason, the pirate hunter just didn't do it for the captain. She couldn't exactly explain why, but she remembered Tom's words of advice and listened to her instinct.

"Hey, look at me." Alessandro gently turned her face toward his, his blue orbs swirling with incredible kindness, something she had never seen on the pirate hunter. His fingers tucked her auburn strands behind her ear with so much care that Soraya's icy heart seemed to melt a little.