Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

W hat should have been a peaceful sleep turned out to be rather difficult. I woke up several times during the night, twisting and turning in Viktor’s arms, trying to get more comfortable.

Perhaps spending the night out on the deck wasn’t the best idea.

The only thing that made it bearable was spending the night in my husband’s arms, but for some bizarre reason, I didn’t wake up in them.

“Viktor?” I called out to him, my voice groggy with sleep. “I think we fell asleep,” I groaned again and rubbed my eyes. Don’t tell me you’re still asleep,” I chuckled, but when I opened my eyes and glanced around, the sound quickly died.

My eyes widened, and I sat up straighter, frantically glancing left and right and turning my head in all directions.

I didn’t know what was happening, but I wasn’t on The Serpent anymore. That much was clear to me already.

I had fallen asleep on The Serpent in Viktor’s arms but had awoken in an unfamiliar bottom deck of a ship I didn’t recognise.

Where was I?

How did I get here?

And most importantly, where was Viktor?

My brain hurt to think of last night and all that had happened. I couldn’t think of anything that could have led to me being here right now.

Viktor and I had been on night duty. We had docked at Treasure Island, which had appeared deserted. We spent the night out on the deck, docked at the island, planning to explore with the crew as soon as the sun rose in the morning. We must have fallen asleep when we were supposed to be on night duty…and now I was here…wherever this was.

All the racing questions going through my mind gave me a headache.

Where was Viktor? Was he okay? Did he wake up in a similar situation to me? Was he just as confused?

Where was the crew? Were they still asleep? Or had they been abducted as well?

My heart hurt as I thought of Viktor and how he must be worrying about me. I didn’t want him to worry about me, but I had no idea where I was or how to escape from here.

Desperate to figure out where I was, I looked around for a clue, but nothing stuck out.

It looked like I was on a regular bottom deck of a ship. Unlike The Serpent, where the oars rowed automatically at the step of a button–thanks to Chip–there were seats for people to sit and do all the rowing themselves. This was how it used to be for us before Chip had thought of the idea and turned it into a reality, and it was strange to see it again when we were so accustomed to the fancy invention.

On the other side of the deck, there were a few barrels neatly stored in the corner, but other than that, nothing else caught my attention. Not until I sighed in defeat and laid my head back against the wall. I groaned and rolled my neck, trying to get the kinks out after a rough night’s sleep, and that’s when the silver caught my eyes.

My hands were chained to the wall.

There were four pairs of chains, three on one side and one more on the other. I was the only person in here, chained.

Why was I in chains, and who put me in them?

My breath hitched in my throat, and my heart began beating dangerously fast as I tugged on the chains but couldn’t get out of them. They rattled and rattled but didn’t budge from the wall. They remained around my wrists, and despite my efforts, I was none the freer.

I was still tugging on the chains when I heard footsteps coming this way. I squeezed my eyes shut and lay limp against the wall, pretending to be asleep.

When the door opened, and the footsteps became louder as the person approached, I focused on keeping my breath slow and even. Judging by the heavy footsteps, it was a man.

My ears perked up at the sound of the chains rattling together, and when my first hand dropped to the floor, I knew he was releasing me. But why?

What was the point of releasing me so soon after chaining me?

The man was rough in his mannerisms as he let my other hand drop, my knuckles grazing against the rough wall on the way down. I remained in that flaccid state the whole time, even when I felt one hand slip behind me and press into the small of my back and the other under my legs.

Before I knew it, the man threw me over his shoulder. When I opened my eyes, they were wide with fear as he began walking out of the bottom deck–not all that careful with the way he was holding me. They were also wide with disgust at how close my face was to his ass–practically on eye level. Not to mention how dangerously close his hand was to my ass, but I didn’t dare say anything and give myself away.

I listened to his footsteps. He walked up one flight of stairs, down the hallway and then up another flight of stairs. I heard a door open, and when the fresh air hit me, I knew we were on the top deck. The gentle, occasional water sloshing against the ship’s side told me we were docked at the shore.

But this wasn’t The Serpent.

Where had this ship come from? Viktor and I hadn’t seen it last night.

I held my breath as the man continued walking, and I dared to peek to confirm that we were on the top deck. My eyes widened when the man suddenly jumped over the rail, landing with a loud thud on a wooden plank. I realised then that he was walking off the ship with me still draped over his shoulder like an expensive scarf.

He walked down the sandy shore of the beach, and the further he walked, the more I could take in the ship we had just been on.

It was then that I realised it wasn’t just a ship but a pirate ship.

But how was that possible? The pirates were supposed to be nothing more than a rumour…except that it was most definitely a pirate ship docked beside The Serpent.

When Dustin and I were younger, Father used to tell us bedtime stories about his many trips to sea. Our favourite stories were pirate stories, and he always mentioned that pirate ships always had black flags and masts. Sometimes, the black material had a white skull and crossbones painted on it, and this pirate ship was no different.

I was so busy staring at the pirate ship that I hadn’t noticed where the man was taking me. Far too late, I squeezed my eyes shut and went back to pretending I was unconscious.

“Looks like our little prisoner here is awake,” one of the pirates chuckled, his mouth filled with a handful of nuts I recognised to be from The Serpent. These were the same ones that Crosby had put his neck on the line for as he ran across the shore of Canne, carrying the sacks on his shoulders while he tried to escape the cannibals that chased him, and these pirates had just helped themselves to them like it was nothing. Like they were entitled to it.

“Oh, I didn’t know she was awake,” the man holding me chuckled, and my body shook with the vibrations from his chest.

“I’m going to be sick,” I lied.

Just as I hoped, the man holding me was quick to drop me to my feet before I was sick all down his back.

I took off running the moment I got on my feet, but I made it only three steps before he grabbed me again.

“You thought you could trick me, huh?” He chuckled, holding me to his chest while my feet dangled above the ground. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I wriggled in his arms, desperate to escape, but it was useless. No matter how much I wriggled, kicked or screamed, the man holding me was far stronger than I was.

“Keep squirming like that. It feels real good,” he whispered in my ear and ran a finger down my face. “You’re a pretty little thing. Once I’ve had a turn, I’m sure my brothers would also be interested in spending some time with you.”

“You’re disgusting,” I yelled at him. His nasty words were enough to stop my wriggling, and this time, it felt like I was going to be sick for real.

“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” I suddenly heard Viktor scream. “Did you hear me? Don’t fucking talk to my wife with that disgusting mouth of yours!”

“What are you going to do about it, Captain ?” One of the pirates sneered, and all the others laughed.

Craning my neck to glance over the man’s shoulder, I finally saw Viktor and the crew. They were all lined up on the sand, their hands and feet tied, and with cloths around their mouths. Viktor’s cloth was lowered so he could talk, but when he opened his mouth to say something else, one of the pirates yanked it back into place, silencing him.

“Why did you have to uncover his mouth?” One of the pirates groaned and reached for another handful of nuts. “It was the only way I could get him to shut up.”

“It was entertaining, wasn’t it?” The pirate standing behind Viktor shrugged, and all the others laughed.

The pirates holding me tugged on my hair to get my attention. “I’ll deal with you after breakfast,” he grunted, already working on tying my hands behind my back. I squirmed in his arms and tried to shuck him off me, but it was no use. Regardless of my failed attempts, I refused to go down without a fight. Literally.

He had to wrestle me onto the ground and pin me down with the weight of his body to be able to get the ties around my feet, and the only way he could get me to stop screaming was to tie a bandana around my mouth. I didn’t stop screaming, but my attempts were useless as the bandana severely muffled the sound. The offending pirate laughed at me and threw me over his shoulder once again. His hand was far too close to my ass than I liked, but thankfully, this trip was far shorter than the previous one.

The pirate dropped me unceremoniously on the sand. I hated how close I was to the pirates sitting in a circle around the fire and how far I was from the crew.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back for you later,” the pirate promised and blew me a kiss, much to my disgust before he joined his fellow pirates in drinking our ale and eating our food.

There were eight of them and fourteen of us. I believed we could take them easily, but not like this, not when we were clearly at a disadvantage with the restraints.

My eyes sought out Viktor, sitting on the other side. His eyes were wide with alarm, and they were already on me. I could see lines of worry creasing on his forehead, but I could also see the determination on his face, which told me he was already devising a plan.

Whatever it was, I sure hoped it would be soon. These pirates were scary, and I didn’t like their teasing. I feared they would soon grow bored with their teasing, and then they would want more, which terrified me more than I was willing to admit.

I was forced to turn my attention away from Viktor and back to the pirates when the same one from before appeared before me with a bright smile and seemingly finished with his breakfast.

“You’re pretty, but you’re also a smart little thing, aren’t you?” He shot me a toothy grin. “I can practically see the cogs turning in your head. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to you.”