Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

SEPTEMBER 7TH, 1666

T he sun sparkled bright and serene on the water. A soft breeze ruffled Logan's wavy blond hair, its coolness another reminder that summer had turned to autumn. Good timing then that the repairs on the Siren were finally complete. If they left soon, they could get a few months of sailing in before the winter storms hit. Logan smiled to himself, feeling light as a feather at the prospect of getting back to the sea.

He continued walking up the lane and spotted John coming out of the blacksmith's shop.

"John!" Logan called, raising his hand in greeting.

The other man nearly jumped right out of his skin and quickly shoved an object he'd been carrying into the bag at his side. Logan had never known John to be a nervous person, but he supposed being second-in-command for a captain like the Demon would wear on anyone's nerves eventually.

"Let's have lunch," Logan said brightly when he reached him. He clapped John on the shoulder, and a muscle in John's jaw twitched. They'd had lunch together almost daily since that day in the walled garden but nothing further had happened. Not that Logan wanted something to happen. To be honest, Logan had expected something to change afterward, that his first sexual experience with another person would alter his outlook somehow, but he found he felt the same as before. The only thing that had really changed was that he and John had become quite good friends, mostly commiserating about their captains' antics. But Logan also enjoyed sitting quietly together. He was constantly surrounded with big, loud personalities on board the Siren , and though he loved his crew, it was nice to be around someone with a calm disposition occasionally.

John didn't look so calm now, but he reluctantly agreed, and Logan steered him toward the tavern. In the past weeks, the tavern had been full of Siren crew members daily, but now that the repairs were finished, most of the pirates were busy making preparations for their imminent departure. The tavern remained relatively empty at midmorning. Logan ordered them food and ale, and they went to sit outside in the sunshine. John was quieter than usual today, fiddling with a small brown pebble that had been left on the tabletop by its previous occupants.

The tavern keeper brought their meal, and John thanked her politely before going back to his sulking, now with food.

Logan let him sulk. He didn't mind the quiet, and he didn't want to pry into whatever it was that had John in a mood. Logan took a bite of food, watching beneath his lashes as John slowly chewed his own bite. His beard had grown out a bit more. It seemed like he hadn't shaved in a while. The hair was a mixture of brown and darker red, as if the two colors that made up the hair on his head had separated as they made their way down to his chin. And then there were his lips. Logan couldn't quite get the image of them wrapped around his cock out of his head.

"You look chipper today. What's the occasion?" John asked after a few bites. Logan blinked at him, embarrassed to be caught staring at the other man's lips.

"Meanwhile you look like you swallowed a toad," Logan countered.

John shot him a warning look. "Just tell me."

"The Siren 's repairs are finally finished," Logan replied cheerily. John sat up straighter, spearing Logan with that intense gaze of his.

"The repairs are done? When do you leave?" His voice was tense, just like the rest of him.

"Within the week, I expect. It all depends on Rowan." Logan took a sip of ale, examining John over the rim of the mug. He was acting strange, and it was disconcerting.

"Think there's a chance he'll decide to overwinter here? "

"Slim to none."

"Yves won't be happy about that," John grumbled.

"Is that what's got you so gloomy? You think the Demon is going to be…more demon-y when we leave?" Logan asked.

"That's the gist of it," John mumbled, but he wouldn't look Logan in the eye. They finished their meal in silence. Afterward, they parted ways, John citing some work he had to get done. Logan made his way up to the manor house.

He knocked on the infirmary door before entering. He knew Henri and Robin had formed a romantic relationship, and he didn't want to walk in on any intimate moments. He had a hard enough time avoiding running into Fox and Rowan with their respective partners. Logan had always wondered what the big deal was about sex, and now that he'd had a taste of it, he still didn't fully understand why everyone was so sex-crazed. Though his recent preoccupation with John's lips was quite concerning, he'd resolved to withhold judgment on all of it till they were safely back at sea.

But Robin and Henri were simply sitting at the table when he opened the door. Robin concentrated on mixing up some greenish concoction, and Henri thumbed through a slim volume that looked surprisingly like poetry. They both looked up as Logan entered.

"Mister Crowder, what can I do for you?" Robin asked, wiping his hands on a clean cloth.

"I don't need anything. Thank you. I only came to ask if there's been any news about hiring you on to the Siren ." Logan knew Rowan had talked to the Demon about it and gotten no solid answer. It wasn't as if the Demon couldn't spare him. He had two other physicians in his employ, though they seemed not to be as diligent as Robin.

Robin and Henri exchanged a look.

"We've had no news. Why do you ask?" Robin said.

Logan frowned. They desperately needed a physician on board the Siren if they were to sail within the week. Especially since Old Joe had taken a liking to the idyllic island and decided to stay and enjoy his retirement. They could try to hire one when they next made port, but it was hard to find an even half-decent doctor that was willing to throw in their lot with a bunch of pirates. So they wanted Robin. He was kind, proficient, and he and Henri were practically attached at the hip.

"Well, I wanted to tell you both that we'll be departing within the week."

A stricken expression crossed Henri's face.

"Do you think the Demon will let you go?" Henri asked.

Robin chewed his lip. "I really don't know. He seems reluctant."

"We could kidnap you," Henri suggested. "We are pirates after all."

Robin patted the back of his hand fondly. "I'd rather not get on the Demon's bad side, thanks."

They all fell silent, and Robin went back to mixing his medicine.

"Will you be well enough to travel?" Logan asked Henri.

"I'm fit as a horse!"

"They put horses down when they break their legs, love," Robin commented, not looking up from his task.

"Okay, well, maybe that was not the best comparison, but I'm completely fine." He blinked up at Logan from his seat and set the book down on the table, still open. Logan could see now that it wasn't poetry after all, but a penny romance novel about a dashing pirate who was secretly a prince that had been popular with rich young ladies a few years ago. "Can you talk to Rowan again? I really don't want to leave Robin behind."

"Of course." Logan smiled. He'd always had a soft spot for the big man, and he couldn't stand to think that he would be unhappy because of something as simple as a pirate captain's obstinance. "We can't let you go too long without a doctor nearby. You might get set on fire again." He turned to leave, smirking at the indignant sputtering and gentle soothing noises of Henri and Robin respectively.

The penny novel fell to the floor as Logan shut the infirmary door behind him. Henri bent to pick it up, but Robin beat him to it, scooping the flimsy book up and handing it back to Henri. Their fingers brushed lingeringly.

"I'm serious about kidnapping you," Henri said, only half-teasing. "I know we haven't talked about it much, but I want you to come with me."

Robin smiled and leaned over to kiss him, his lips warm and soft. Henri pulled him closer, taking comfort in his nearness. If the Demon wouldn't release Robin from his contract, would Robin have the courage to leave?

"Do you want to come with me?" Henri asked when the kiss broke apart, a small thorn of anxiety prickling his insides. Robin's lips were still a breath away. He brushed them once more against Henri's.

"Of course I do. I just…" He sighed and withdrew, rubbing the back of his neck with one large hand. "I'm not brave like you. I don't want to cross the Demon."

Henri could see the edge of fear in Robin's round face. He wanted to gather Robin into his arms and keep him safe, to make it so he was never hurt again.

"If you don't come, we might not see each other again," Henri said. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Robin was the first person he'd ever felt sexual attraction for and the first person he'd ever loved. He would do anything to keep from losing him. Was that really not enough for Robin to take the risk of angering the Demon? He couldn't look Robin in the eye, afraid that what he would see there would confirm his worries.

He felt Robin shift, then Robin's hand was on his cheek, lifting his head to look at him.

"Hey," Robin's smile was sweet yet sad. "I'll talk to him. I'll beg if I have to. I don't want to let you go, Henri."

Longing tugged Henri forward. He leaned into Robin's gentle embrace and kissed him again. If Robin was released from the indenture the Demon had him under, he would be free to leave not only the island, but also pirating life altogether. Would he stay with Henri when he could have a normal life instead?

Robin was like the heroine in the cheap novel Henri was reading. His gentle nature was one of the reasons Henri had fallen for him, but even if he'd chosen this over being ransomed back to his family, that didn't mean he would choose it over any other life. He was meant for peace, for healing, and no matter how much they loved each other, Henri worried that Robin would eventually yearn for a peaceful life again. What if he left Henri behind just like the heroine left the pirate in the book? That possibility gnawed at Henri like a persistent leech, sucking away some of the confidence he had in this new feeling called love. Were they destined to part? What if Henri simply wasn't good enough to compete with the possibility of a peaceful life ?

Henri tried not to let the anxiety show on his face when their kiss broke. He let Robin go back to his mixing as if it were all settled, but when he picked up the book again, the story had soured.

Fox closed his eyes and raised his face to the sun. It was a beautiful day, and he and Ga?l had taken the opportunity to enjoy the warm sunlight before the weather turned to autumn chill. Now they relaxed on a rocky outcropping beside the water. Out in the harbor, the Siren was abuzz with preparations for their inevitable departure.

Fox leaned back on his hands. His body was still sore, and he suspected some of the bruises would linger for a long time after they left Illusion, and Cyrus, behind. But he didn't wince when the purple clouds of blood beneath his skin pulled painfully. His mind didn't turn to the fear and vulnerability of being at Cyrus's mercy. Instead, the memories they conjured were the passion and pain of Ga?l's touch, the vicious victory of beating Cyrus in a fair fight.

"Fox," Ga?l said hesitantly, breaking into Fox's thoughts. He'd been so careful with Fox since that night, but Fox no longer hated it. He'd eased into the warmth of being comforted by someone who loved him.

"Hm?" Fox hummed. Ga?l had been quiet today, and Fox knew why. But he didn't want to talk about it.

"Does…does pain turn you on?"

Fox opened his eyes. A soft breeze kicked up and ruffled Ga?l's black hair. His face was open and honest. Nervous. Fox had known this was coming eventually, but a spike of anxiety speared him all the same.

"Sometimes," he replied honestly. He saw Ga?l swallow his discomfort, ready to graciously accept yet another messy aspect of Fox's personality. He took Ga?l's hand between his. "Before you say anything, I wanted to say I'm sorry about the other night. I shouldn't have asked you to do that. I won't ask you to do something like that again."

Ga?l's gaze roved over Fox's face. There was no judgment in it, and Fox felt a surge of love for him. They had only been together again for a short time, and it often felt like there had been no gap in their relationship at all. They were connected in a way that few couples were. They'd grown up together, spent every moment from the age of five to nineteen in each other's company, and they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

But they'd been separated for six years, and sometimes Fox forgot that they were both different people than they had been when they were nineteen. As in tune as they were, as much as they cared for one another, it would still take time to work out the knots between them and learn who they were now.

"It's alright." Ga?l's thumb rubbed across Fox's knuckles. His own knuckles were still scraped up from that night. "It's not that I'm against it. It's just the timing. I…I didn't want to hurt you even more. I thought it would make everything worse."

Fox bumped his forehead against Ga?l's cheek, and Ga?l returned his gesture with a gentle smile, still fiddling with their clasped hands.

"I want to explore so many things with you, Foxy." Fox didn't miss the glint in Ga?l's eye before he lowered his gaze to their hands. "But you scared me. I don't want to be the cause of any more of your pain. So we have to talk about it, okay? You can tell me anything, you can ask anything of me, but you have to listen too."

Tears burned at the back of Fox's throat, quickly smothered by the overwhelming fondness that welled up in his heart. He'd never felt more safe than he did with Ga?l. He'd tried many things, done many things. And sometimes he didn't realize his mistakes till afterward, but with Ga?l he knew instinctively he would never have regrets. With a few simple words, they understood each other. Fox brought Ga?l's scabbed knuckles up to his lips. Ga?l had a reputation among the pirates as someone that shouldn't be messed with. Yet underneath he was gentle; all the muscle and fighting was just because he hated to see others get hurt. Fox was safe with him. He'd never been more certain of anything.

"I understand. I don't want to cause you pain either," Fox promised. He was the victim of a crime, but that didn't give him the right to exert his will on Ga?l in pursuit of his own healing. Ultimately he knew that he had a long way to go before he could put all of this behind him. But he knew Ga?l would be with him every step of the way.