The Collector |Sequel to Collector of Odd|

XI | Three Lies for a Truth |

Would you trust the devils sister?

          Unfortunately for Mirela, Jack was a problem. Jack would always be a problem. She would never deny that she was addicted to that problem, something about the odd man drew her in. However, Mirela didn't know if they were compatible anymore, were they ever compatible? She didn't know, but the thought of leaving Sparrow behind didn't sit well with the siren. It left a bitter taste in her mouth that had her lip curling at her own thoughts. She had left once, and it hadn't done either any good. Sure, the woman had eased that itch in the back of her mind, that nagging sensation had driven her near mad when she was with Jack. Something had been calling to her, an adventure she found. Said adventure had turned her into something else entirely. 

          With a huff, the woman lashed out from her spot within the shadows. Her left hand curling around the man of her thoughts wrist, pulling him to her. Jack stumbled with a rather high pitched noise stuck in his throat, the cry had the tanned skin lass smiling gently, a small curvature of her lips that wasn't shared often anymore. In the dim lighting cast from a lantern several feet away, Mirela didn't try to hide her wondering eyes. She needed to remind herself of the man before her, needed to confirm he was here. Jack was missing his hat, a bandanna being his only head wear. She found she liked when he wasn't wearing his hat, the lack of the tri-point accessory allowed her to drink in his facial features like a starved animal.  His brown pools were watching her, the flame from the lantern flickered, casting shadows within those coffee bean irises. 

          "I think we have some things to clear up, Jacky." Her words were soft, a gentle caress that had the pirate step closer to Mirela, his body sided up next to her, his right shoulder leaning against the wall that her back rested against. Her shoulder brushed his gently as she shifted. Indeed, they had many things to clear up, the main factor being Mirela herself, but Jack wasn't sure he wanted to speak on it. He didn't know if he wanted the mystery to end yet. After all, wasn't that the reason Jack was so infatuated with the gypsy?

          "What is it ye think needs to be spoken of?" His question was calculated, a hint of uneasiness coating his words like water. Mirela gave him an exasperated look, her hazel orbs shifting from their normal sandy hues to a more darker shade as her annoyance climbed. A storm was brewing within those ever changing orbs. 

           "Blackbeard of course, you do realize our course will change to White Cap bay?" Mirela didn't want to speak about Blackbeard, she wanted to speak about Jack, about the air that surrounded them.  A bitter atmosphere that threatened to suffocate her. However, Mirela was anything but a lady, she wasn't going to open herself to him, dabble in her heart when the man didn't seem to be any the wiser than the last they had spoken. If the Captain wasn't careful, the siren would sink her teeth in him. He was trying her patients.

            "Speaking of Blackbeard..." The man trailed off, his eyes searching Mirela for any hint of her current mood, besides the slow burning storm behind her eyes the woman he used to know so well was a blank canvas. Her emotions guarded by a bitter indifference. Hearing the way Mirela spoke of their course, the certainty that laced her words had him curious. He doubted Blackbeard had spoken with her on it, then again he couldn't be sure. The pair had been oddly close, in fact the way Jack had caught Blackbeard looking at Mirela when she wasn't aware unnerved the man. Blackbeard watched her like he saw a ghost, a ghost of a past lover. He watched her with a mixture of awe and fear, but the longing was still there. Jack despised that look. 

          "Ye seem awful close to the man." Though Jack spoke with a carelessness that only he could possess, Mirela knew he was curious, knew he was being possessive in his own way. Though the flighty pirate would never admit it. For a brief moment the siren contemplated her words, part of her wanted to speak about this, about the time they had been apart, but another part was disgruntled he didn't seem to care about their course. Mermaids were nothing to ignore. 

            "Edward and I have an understanding you could say." She spoke slowly, almost rolling each word around her mouth before they left her lips, hazel orbs narrowed in caution at the man she used to be able to openly admit to herself she loved. Many things had changed it seemed. Many things in deed. 

            Neither spoke for awhile, just watching each other, thinking of their next move. Like a game of chess neither wanted to give up their king without a fight. Jack's brown orbs were looking her over once again, his gaze taking in the little scars she had accumulated in their departure, the sudden hardness behind her eyes. He shifted his weight onto his toes, his left hand coming up to cup the side of her neck. Her skin was warm under his palm but the once smooth flesh was now jagged and rough, raised scar tissue that would never fade. He stepped toward her, half his body moving to cocoon her in his warmth, his head titled down so he could watch those changing orbs. Her eyes it seemed would always be a window to her soul. 

            "How'd ye come 'cross these wounds?" His words were a hushed breath across her lips, her throat grew dry and Mirela blinked several times, her glazed orbs darting from his lips to his eyes. Lust flared across her like a tidal wave, her right hand trailed up to grip his tunic without second thought, pulling his body closer to her. Their was that spark, that flame that never died. She hadn't felt that burn in sometime, it was a burn that warmed her spirit, filled her head with a cloud of lust. She craved this man, she always would. 

            "For the sake of the game of course." Her words had Jack raising a brow, his thumb now moving across her skin. He wondered if he would get anything out of her at this moment, if he should press with his questions while she looked so content in his hands. He didn't have a chance to think too much on it, for the little minx before him was on him. Her left hand had snaked around to the back of his neck and with a force he hadn't expected from her she was jerking his body unbearably close, her lips meeting his. 

            She wasn't gentle in her approach, Mirela was all nails and teeth. Her hunger growing as she nipped sharply at Jack's bottom lip, causing the man to open his mouth. Her tongue didn't hesitate to slip in, tasting the rum that coated Jacks mouth. Mirela kissed him like she was starved, her hands greedily running across his chest and shoulders, slipping under his shirt collar when she was able in order to feel his skin. She broke first to take a breath, but her assault didn't stop, her teeth going to the junction between his neck and shoulder. The woman Jack had so deliciously pressed against him sunk her teeth into that sensitive spot. The sharp sting caused by her silver coated canines was only a fleeting thought to the pirate, a groan having already slipped past his lips. 

            In the back of Jack's mind, he wondered just how much sin tainted Mirela's soul.