Chapter 23

23

HUNTER

I watch Cassandra from a distance, her hair whipping around her shoulders from the cold wind and her arms wrapped around her chest as she watches the sun set over the sea. The view is stunning, and I wish I meant the sun setting. The yellow and orange light shines over her face, highlighting her high cheek bones and the softness of her skin. Cassandra's hazel eyes reflect the orange tones of the sun as it disappears, looking like it's sinking into the ocean. I've seen dozens of beautiful women in my life, but none draw me to them like she does.

"Little bird," I say, moving to stand close to her. I want to be close to her, a feeling I'm not used to having. I have a suspicion of why that is, but I'm not foolish enough to test it. I glance at her mark and force my eyes away. Going anywhere near that mark would be beyond foolish .

"Hunter," she replies, her eyes looking up at me, and a little smile appearing.

"Dinner is ready," I say, and she nods, pulling her eyes away from me and walking towards one of the doors of the deck. The men we have on board are scrubbing the deck and she moves effortlessly around them, each one of them looking at her. In fear or desire, I'm not sure. She seems to get both reactions from most people.

My mother was, and is, the same.

"You're staying in my room tonight. Don't touch anything," I say to her when I pull the door shut and walk down the stairs. She's waiting at the bottom and gives me a slightly evil grin,

"I will touch everything then," she says, and I grab her arm, pulling her small body against mine.

"Are you teasing me, little bird?" I ask her.

"Always, pirate," she says back, making my gaze draw to her sweet lips. Just as I'm about to kiss her, something hard hits me on the back of my head. I let go of Cassandra and turn to see Laura standing there.

"I told you once before that I'm taking the stick off you and throwing it in the sea if you hit me again, grandmother," I say, and she smiles up at me with an innocent grin.

"I am the boss of this ship and I will hit you again, boy." She holds the stick up in the air. I swear by the seas, I want to kill this old lady. If she wasn't related to me, I swear to the Sea God I would have left her on an island somewhere .

"You are not the boss," I grit out.

"I am," she puts her hands on her hips, the stick hitting my leg as it's at a weird angle. I move backwards and look up at the ceiling.

"I just can't deal with this madness," I say and storm out of the corridor, hearing Cassandra's laugh behind me and hating that she makes me smile.

What is it with this girl?

A girl I can't stop thinking about, and she is slowly driving me insane.