Destined for the pirate Beta

Shark bait

*Anne*

I don't know why I'm nervous. It's only dinner, after all. Before I went into mourning, I dined with all sorts. Even lycan royalty. I thought little of it. I can carry my share of a conversation. I know how to present myself well.

Dining with a sea captain should be nothing. Yet when I'm in his company, I can't help but wonder when he will demand his payment. I wish he would do it soon. I don't like having debt hanging over my head.

"Do you want to change your attire?" Martha asks.

I glance at the open trunk. I have brought a gown for dining. I'm not sure what prompted me to do so. I have also packed a lilac gown that was Walter's favorite, but I won't wear it until I'm ready to disembark the ship in the dark lands.

I shake my head. "No need for anything formal. I'm sure his invitation was out of politeness."

"I haven't noticed him being especially polite." Martha huffs.

I grin. "I'm not sure how you can say that when he had one of his men prepare something to settle your stomach."

"I don't like the way he looks at you." She says, sounding all motherly.

"And how's that?" I ask.

She makes a face. "As if he is contemplating devouring you."

"It's just his way of constantly appearing intimidating to prevent a mutiny." I explain.

"Do you know him that well?" She asks.

I place my hands on my hips. "Your brother recommended him."

"Yes, and I'm thinking he has lost his mind." She points out.

"Don't be silly. Everyone is polite. No one has acted inappropriately." I tell her.

A quiet knock on the door interrupts our conversation. Is it time already? My heart leaps into my throat.

But when Martha opens the door, it's to find the lad… Mouse… standing there holding a pail.

"Cap'n was thinkin' ye might want some warm water." He says, smiling brightly.

"Yes, thank you." I reach for it.

He steps back. "I kin carry it in."

"Yes, well…" Martha starts.

"We would appreciate that," I say, interrupting what I'm certain would be Martha's refusal to allow him entrance. Martha gives me a confused look, but I'm fairly convinced it's the boy's pride speaking up.

He walks in with his uneven gait, and now I can see that his leg is severely bowed.

"Have you been with the captain long?" I ask.

"Ever since he saved me from the shark," he says with no inflection, as though he might be saying that the captain had merely spread jam on his toast. He concentrates on pouring the water into the bowl without splashing a single drop.

I wait until he is finished to inquire, "The shark?"

He faces me. "I was born kinda funny-lookin', no one wanted me, so they used me to bait the sharks."

"I don't understand." Although I fear I do, and the thought horrifies me.

"My pack was shark fishers, they tossed me in the water. I didn't know how to swim then, but the cap'n taught me later. Anyway, I would thrash about. They would pull me out when the shark got close enough so they could spear it." He shrugs.

I hear Martha gasp. As for myself, I think I might be ill. "And the captain?"

"They were sailin' by. He jumped in, cut me free, and took me aboard his ship." He grins mischievously. "Then he fired a cannon, blew their boat out of the water. Sharks had a feast that day."

"I see." My stomach tightens into a painful knot. To think I was angry because my father wanted me to begin making the social rounds again, to attend balls, soirees, and dinners. I'm not in danger of being eaten.

"Will ye be needin' anything else?" he asks, as though he hadn't just told me the most horrific story I have ever heard.

"No, thank you." I tell him softly.

He doffs his cap and limps from the room. Once he leaves, Martha sinks into a chair. "You don't suppose all that was true, do you?"

"Why would he lie?" I ask, still feeling uneasy.

"Sympathy. Or perhaps he simply enjoys spinning a good yarn." She says hopefully, I Think she simply does not like it to be true.

I cross my arms over my chest. "It's strange, Martha, but I can very well see Captain Crimson Sam jumping into the sea to save someone."

"You are not starting to fancy the fellow, are you?" She asks with huge eyes.

"What? No." I walk to the windows and gaze out on the choppy water. "I have, however, decided to wear my proper dinner gown."

Martha makes a snort of disapproval, but I couldn't care less. Tonight I will pay my debt. Get that matter over with, so he will leave me alone, because the more I learn of the captain, the more he intrigues me. And that path can only lead to disaster.