Glittering Gold

“Please promise me you will be careful. That’s all I ask of you; all I ask is for you to not do anything incredibly stupid. Pirates are dangerous. I would know. I am one.” he whispered, his fingertips grazing along my cheek bones and then dropping to my shoulders to clutch them as if his life depended on it. I took in his expression, looked into the depths of his gray eyes that matched the shade of a storming sea.

“So does that mean that I should be careful around you too Mr. Dangerous Pirate?” I asked with a joking lilt in my voice. His eyes darkened at my light words and suddenly his hands came up to clutch my face forcing me to look strictly at him. The right corner of his upper lip curled into a menacing half snarl.

“It means you should definitely be careful around me. I’m being serious and I do not appreciate your attempt at humor. Wherever you go danger will follow and if you do not take my warning to heart you will do something reckless and end up being murdered. If you were to get hurt, I- I honestly do not know what I would do. Probably something that would get me killed as well.” The harsh words melted into something soft, something caring and tender and filled with sincerity.

“Don’t worry so much. I won’t get hurt.” I patted his cheek in assurance and before I could move he curled his fingers around mine and gave me a burning stare so intense that I thought I might go up in flames from the heat of it.

“You don’t understand. Pirates, they like shiny things. And you Cora, you are like glittering gold.”