There's a barely leashed anger inside me, a simmering rage that is not cooled one bit by my lust. I watch as the woman, the princess, makes a mad dash towards my bed. Clad in little more than a pair of thin white stockings, and a flimsy pair of panties that hug her heart shaped derriere, it is exactly that kind of sight that makes my already fierce lust fist stronger inside me. I can feel the front of my trousers, feel how that soaked leather fabric strains a snug fit over my groin. The uncomfortable feel of it, and that of my trapped desire, makes my teeth grind together, a growl escaping despite the clenching of my lips.
The harshness of that feral sound, it draws her to a halt, the princess' fingers frozen where she has now gripped hold of a blanket. She has turned enough so that I can see that pretty face of hers now, those blue eyes wide with fright and uncertainty, and holding a complete lack of understanding. I nearly laugh then to see it, but there would be no joy in that sound. There almost never is, true happiness a sensation, a feeling, that has long evaded my grasp. I don't have to wonder how long it has been, not when I can count down to the very second such emotion died within me, that feeling and my sanity soon following after it.
Such things long buried, the rage and the hostility inside me, that burning need for vengeance, has been the only thing keeping me going. For years now, I have not dared dream or hope of anything else, my every conscious thought built on my need to avenge the wrongs done to me. With revenge fueling my blood, with hatred in my heart, the lust that has it's grip upon me is an unwelcome and startling a surprise. It's not supposed to be this way. I am not supposed to want her even half as much as I find myself now actually doing. It doesn't matter that she is beautiful, that her body is so unbelievably sexy. She is the blood of HIS Blood, and for that reason alone I should hate her.
With another growl ground out from between my lips, I snatch hold of my sword. Her look becomes even more pronounced in alarm, the princess surely thinking the worst yet of me. She'd not be that far off, though I doubt her relatively innocent mind could fathom the true depth of depravity that monsters like myself and her father are capable of. But she will learn soon enough, and it will be by my hands that she is taught.
The thought of her education gives me more pleasure than it should. I am not a man accustomed to forcing himself on a woman, on ANY woman, but for the princess, I might almost make an exception. And that too makes me angry, the princess having no right to make me want her in this way. So what that she is insanely beautiful, and that she makes my blood boil with need. Raping her had never been part of the plan, but then very little of tonight has been going according to my schemes.
With one last sour faced glower at her, I turn and march out of the cabin. There's no real need to lock the door behind me, not when her clothing lays in tattered pieces on the floor, and yet I do it all the same. It's not her I am lacking the faith in, but my crew, the princess simply too tempting a morsel to leave unguarded against them, even with a hold full of captured women. Already a few men find reason to linger in the hall outside my cabin, and I feel their shrewd eyes not so much on me, but on the key that I pocket.
Naked sword in my hand as both a potent threat and a reminder of just who is captain here, I shout at them to get back to work. They are so visibly disappointed that I find myself snarling under my breath. "A hold full of woman, and yet they have to be after MINE." That then gives me pause, that sudden possessiveness as unwelcome and as unwanted as the lust, the princess' sweetly sensual appeal working to cast a spell over me. I fight it, and fight her, determined to not feel, to not want anything but her father's head on a platter. But not even that will appease me. I don't want to just kill Maurice, I want to make him suffer. To have him tortured in a way that exceeds any and all of my own pain and damage. I want him ruined, I want him destitute, and I want him hated and hunted for the rest of his miserable life.
His daughter key to at least part of that, has earned a place on my ship where as the women in the hold have not. They are an unwanted, unneeded baggage that is sure to complicate everything. I am uneasy with their mere presence on board my ship, with what the desire for them will cause my men to do. Kinder would have been to have killed them, and yet the princess had begged for not only their lives, but their virtue. The first I could have written off for selfish motives, reasoning that what sane woman would want to remain on board a pirate ship all alone, but then to go so far as to barter away her body and her obedience? It was astounding, my mind boggled, unable to reconcile the idea that such a selfless princess could exist, let alone share the same blood and lineage of that selfish a king.
My head hurts with the attempt to make sense of it, my thoughts spiraling away from me on the sound of a woman's scream. That shrill sound was then repeated, louder than any of the men's shouts. It deafened me to the words that were being spoken, to everything but the fact that a good number of my crew had gathered in the hold. I bite back a curse of my own, my fingers tightening their hold on my sword, while the thump of my booted feet hitting the wooden planks of the steps at a neat, resounding clip is lost to the scream, to the volatile mood down below.
All but flying those last steps down to the hold, expecting the worst and coming away unprepared for what I did find, it was not an all and out rape and debauchery I had came across. For one thing my men were fully dressed, though I did spy the unbuckled belts about the waists of more then a few of the pirates. But for all their eager and aroused state, none of them were between the legs of the woman that was STILL screaming. Instead they milled about, angry and agitated, some pounding their clenched fists on the door that should have led deeper into the hold. The screaming came from behind that closed door, the female frantic, and faintly, underneath her shrieking voice, I could hear the other women speaking, many of them trying for a soothing, nonsensical cadence in an effort to calm down the worst of their hysterical friend's fears.
From the sound of it, they weren't having much luck in that endeavor, the wild screaming continuing. It seemed to grow worse in response to the pounding of fists, and the pirate's rattling attempts to force open the door. It was then that I understood what was happening, my lips fighting not to twitch with amusement. The women hadn't been content to wait for the imagined worst to happen, they had used the very things inside the hold to stand firm against my crew. It was a desperate kind of genius, their fright and self preservation lending the women the strength needed to move enough heavy things to barricade the door against it's opening.
"You can't stay in there forever!" One of my men was growling, as his fists pounded harder against the door. "Sooner or later..."
"You've no room to bargain!" Added another, but for all the violent attacks against it, the door held strong.
"Come out and make things easy on yourselves!" A third man shouted.
"Not before hell freezes over!" Came a fierce shout, the woman's voice a calm sound compared to that of her companion's screaming.
"You'll eat those words before the night is through!" One of the men threatened, a loud, resounding cry taking up amongst the crew, as they laughed and jeered in agreement. The wild screaming seemed to intensify in response, the sound of it only heightening the tension of everyone, no matter what side of the door that they happened to stand on. It was abundantly clear that I had my work cut out for me, both in calming the women down, and in reasoning with my own men.
The odds against me on both sides, I slammed a fist against the wall. Alone, it added only so much more noise to the sounds of many hands banging on the shut door, but my voice, barking out at it's loudest, and in the most commanding of tones, drew attention to my arrival. And once my presence amongst them was realized, a kind of collective shout broke through the men's anger.
"Captain!"
There was more than one relieved look on their faces, as though the men thought I held all the answers to their prayers. As if they believed I could somehow magic the door open, or use my considerable charm to seduce the women into willingly submitting to their intended rapes. But I was no worker of miracles, no God among men. I was nothing more than their flesh and blood captain, whose schemes of the night had gone awry in more ways than one.
Counting off all the ways in my head, starting off with the princess' first plea for mercy that had resulted in the stand off before me, I let my foul mood show. The anger that colored my eyes, the scowl that twisted on my lips, the ramrod tension of my body, all this lent my presence the fury that I needed to let my displeasure be known. My crew who had looked so relieved just seconds earlier, now turned uncertain, some shuffling in place, others actually stepping away from the door. I took a step forward, and it was as though the crowd itself parted, the men hurrying out of my way.
I glowered at each and every man there, and in turn, they all took in my appearance, from my half naked state, to the sword in my hand, to the aroused flesh bulging noticeably against the leather of my pants. I let them see the state I was in, let them know that I was not any more satisfied then any one of them. I didn't give them time to wonder, to speculate on why. Instead I took center stage in the hold's drama, sneering my displeasure to all ears' within reach.
"I understand congratulations are in order." A pause and then I continued. "You've made an already tense situation, an out and outright mess." A few gazes narrowed in response to that. "They're NEVER going to open that door now. And do you know why? Because you have them so thoroughly, so absolutely terrified of your intentions, and frankly I cannot blame them."
"What did you expect us to do?" A voice that was insolent at best, spat out in response. "You can't bring aboard such an abundance of booty, and ask us to WAIT."
"And where has your lack of patience gotten you? Have any of you had satisfaction this eve? Hmm?"
"The night is still early." Came the protest. It was accompanied by many a nod.
"Your lust has made you optimistic...when the reality is a far different truth." I let out a harsh, chiding sound. "Congratulations, you have let a bunch of women defeat the scourge of the realm's seas." A rumble of dissent rose through the crowd. "Oh, you think I exaggerate?" I let my eyebrows convey the mocking disregard I now held for my crew. "Perhaps you think the women will have to come out sooner than later? That they will wither away and starve...Ah but from the way most of you are nodding, I see that is EXACTLY what you think." It was no act, the disappointment that I voiced.
"Branson!" I suddenly snapped out a name. "How much food do you estimate the kitchen currently holds?"
"Erm..." The man had to pause to think about it. "If everyone eats the bare minimum? Maybe five days..."
"Five days...when we have enough food and water stored in the hold to last us WEEKS. Weeks! These women are in no danger of dying from thrist and starvation any time soon. Worst yet, they KNOW it."
Anger gave way to uncertainty then, several of the crew exchanging side long glances with one another. "Captain, then what are you saying?"
"He's not saying much of anything!" protested the most insolent of my crew. "He's as much at a loss as any of you!"
The crowd parted once more, this time retreating away from a pirate whose scowl nearly matched fury with my own. I locked eyes with his one, and gave the slightest nod of my head. "And you, Hackersin? You think you have a better idea as to what to do?"
"I know it for fact." He smiled, and it was all pearl and gold colored teeth that showed in that lecherous grin. "If the women won't come to us, we MAKE them."
"But how?" A pirate, young Thomas wanted to know. "If the captain says they have what amount to weeks worth of food and water..."
"Oh aye, they may indeed have that." nodded Hackersin. "But, can they really in good conscience, enjoy their limited freedom when it comes at the cost of one of their own?"
The smiles that followed those words sent a chill through me, my vision swimming red with my rage as I acknowledged what Hackersin was implying. "I have my own plans for the princess."
"Oh yes, I am quite sure." Hackersin agreed, to the laughing cheers of my randy crew. "But whether on her back or on her knees, forty men can ruin a princess just as well as one man can."
I lost control then, shoving at a man who had foolishly dared step in my way, as I went for Hackersin's throat. Hackersin just barely got a sword up in time, the metal of our blades sparking in the dark of the hold, and around us I could hear other weapons being drawn.
"I'll kill every last one of you before I let you filth lay a hand on the princess!" I saw the sparks and spittle fly, my angered strength forcing Hackersin back a step and then another, and another until his back hit against the wall. And still he fought me, while needing both hands to hold onto his weapon.
"He's gone mad!" Hackersin cried out, then amended. "Well madder than usual..." Already there showed signs of strain on him, his arms fighting to keep my blade back. Around me fighting was heard, not all of the crew yet ready to side with Hackersin over this.
"We'll just have a taste!" Hackersin cried out in a desperate tone of voice, but it was not I who the man was trying to appeal to. "One taste, one scream, and we'll let the women decide the rest..."
"Captain, what would be the harm?" I heard young Thomas ask. The lovely, young princess and her perfectly formed body flashed to vivid life in my mind, such a sight and a memory, a treasure that was mine alone to behold.
"NO!" I bared all my teeth in a feral snarl. The sounds of the fighting grew more wild around me, and somewhere to the right of me I heard a dying man's groan. I didn't take my eyes off of Hackersin, watching as the whites of his one remaining eye started to bleed through. And then I was spinning in place, blocking the dagger thrown my way. A blade from behind then bit into my shoulder, a grunt of pain erupting from my throat as I turned again, Hackersin's wheezing attempt at laughter dying down short as I ran my blade straight through to his black heart.
"You would have never been satisfied with just one taste." I told him, and just as cruelly, jerked my sword free of his chest. He coughed and gagged on mouthfuls of blood, his sword arm falling limply to his side, his other hand clutching at the wound that gaped open in his chest.
"Now..." I sounded far too calm, given the chaos and fury swirling to life in my head. "Those who stand with me, will be justly rewarded. The rest of you however, won't make it out of this room alive."
Screams and questions erupted around me, many of my men killing one another, while wondering what this just reward could actually be.
To Be Continued...
I know...abrupt ending, but I am really hating on this chapter. I have been struggling to write it in a believable way, and feel it just sucks more and more. I'll spoil, but basically Killian is going to pay the survivors a handsome sum to keep their hands off the women in the hold for the three days it takes to get to the pirate's cove. But I really hate this chapter, and feel this is such an inferior quality example of my writing. but I can't seem to do any better. This is like the fifth attempt too...
In other new, lot of craziness going on in my life. Long story short, my dad nearly died. he went into cardiac arrest, and they thought he was gonna be brain fried but then he pulled some kind of miracle and woke up...but there is all this crazy drama around him cause of neighbors and friends, and I have been just so stressed out by all this, so no writing has been happening. And every time it seems to calm down, something else upsetting happens involving him and them. So that's why I haven't been updating anything in so long...=_=
I also don't think I did a good job to establish in this chapter Killian's mental state. I won't spoil why, but let's just say he is mentally unbalanced. How unhinged remains to be seen, and it doesn't all have to do with Liam dying.
I probably could ramble on more, but right now I feel so exhausted and stressed that I can't remember what else I might have wanted to say in the author's note. Maybe I'll come back and add to this chapter. Or maybe I wont, and just pick up with Killian returning to his cabin and explaining to Belle what went down. I don't know for sure right now. I'm just so stressed from battling myself to make this chapter read even halfway good. =/ And I do want to try and update some of my other Hook Belle stories, though right now your guess is as good as mine as to which one will be next!
Laters!
-Michelle
Woilada, thank you! I am so happy you liked his POV in three so much! I probably disappointed you with this chapter though. but hopefully future chapters will be better AND easier on me!
Once19, thank you! Ah Trade Off. I have several drafts of that one, for the latest chapter...but I am always being too much of a perfectionist to like anything I have tried to write for it. Sad fact, I have tried updating that one, have actually reread it several times, and I always end up failing at writing the next chapter in a way that I like and can live with. But I really, really want to update it someday! It's actually been on my mind a lot to try and force out a chapter for it anyway! Anyway, for the untitled pirate au fic, expect Ruby to have more scenes! I have plans for her!
Actually I am a little mad and frustrated, cause in my notes, I wanted Ruby and Killian to have some kind of interaction, where he privately notes that she's trouble. But I didn't get to put that in this chapter. But in my head, Ruby is the leader of the women in the hold, instigating the whole let's barricade ourselves in with the treasure and supplies movement! XD
Female wraith, ha ha, seems that way doesn't it! But for how long?! XD
Elite Wolf, thank you! Always happy to have a new reader on board, and oh my, new to the pairing too? Awesome! Doubly awesome!
Sunny bird, thanks! Sorry for the wait...real life sucks at times. =/
Miss Jones, OMG! I am blushing with happiness after I read your comments. Thank you so much! And yes, I have been loving the captain beauty scenes we are getting. Though I wish they had been shipmates longer, and we could have gotten some scenes of them both rooming on the Roger together!
Guest, you're a clear attempt at a flame, and make so ridiculous a claim, that I can't take you seriously.