Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. You guys all rock! 82 already. That's awesome. Anyway, I don't know what you're going to think of this chapter. Aron Chiltingham shows another side. I love having him as a villain, because he's so interesting and can be so nice. Of course, you guys might not like it, but I think he's better than a straight-forward villain. Anyway, review!
Chapter Ten: Enter The Pearl
Carmen swallowed. How long was Chiltingham going to make her wait? The longer she sat on his bed, the faster her heart raced, and the tighter her fingers gripped the sheets. She found herself praying under her breath for Jack to come. She could almost imagine him bursting through the door suddenly and slinging her so casually over his shoulder, as he had done before. Then he would take her back to the Pearl and kiss her softly...
Carmen shook her head. She needed to stay on her feet. At that moment the door opened and she looked up, expecting to see Aron Chiltingham. Instead, she saw the bitter face of Pussy Hawke.
"Bitch!" Pussy hissed, blue eyes glinting. "Feel free to have my leftovers- that is, Jack Sparrow- but I am going to make you pay for flirting with Aron!"
"Flirting with Aron?" Carmen asked, face flushing. Was Pussy going to fight her? Or kill her? "I have done no such thing! He is a pirate, and I am an honourable lady!"
Pussy grinned, showing sharp little white teeth. "I know all about you, Princess Carmen, or rather Lainey Poelle- the bar wench, the poor, Tortuga bar wench."
"I am Lainey Poelle no more," Carmen said, and her old name sounded strange to her.
"Either way, you can't wait to get your grubby little fingers on Aron," Pussy snarled back. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you two have been looking at each other."
Carmen was starting to think that Pussy was perhaps a little insane. After all, she had only really met Chiltingham this morning, and had certainly not given him any 'looks'. "Pussy-"
"Oh, you'll say you haven't been leading him on, but you must have done, whore, because he dived into the water to save you." Pussy looked almost like she was going to cry. "It's me he loves, not you!"
"You're unhinged," Carmen said coldly.
Pussy slapped her, bringing her hand down hard against Carmen's cheek. Carmen gasped in pain. But she was on her feet a second later, returning the slap twice as hard. Pussy staggered back but then lunged for Carmen, sending them both to the floor. Carmen got hold of a handful of Pussy's curly hair and pulled hard as the smaller woman scratched at her with long nails.
"Get off me!" Carmen shrieked, punching her hard.
"I'm going to kill you!" Pussy screamed back, her saliva flying all over Carmen's face. "Aron is mine!" Her hands found Carmen's pale throat. Carmen cried out in horror as Pussy began to strangle her. Was this the end?
The door was opened suddenly. A voice that was quiet yet hard and firm said, "Tally."
Pussy froze at the sound of Chiltingham's voice and slowly turned her face to his. Carmen looked up at him, too. He was leaning against the doorframe, his expression unreadable. She supposed that Tally must be Pussy's real name. Either way, she was thankful to Chiltingham for saving her.
"Tally, leave," he said. She rose without question and walked out with an air of sadness. Chiltingham closed the door behind her then turned to face Carmen.
Carmen just lay on the wooden floor, panting. Her face was aching and bleeding. She knew she would have bruises on her neck. She closed her eyes. Could this day get any worse?
"Miss Carmen, are you alright?" Chiltingham asked. She felt his gloved hands lift her gently from the floor and place her on the bed. She watched as he took off his gloves, jacket and hat, then leaned against the desk opposite her.
She blinked at him. "Captain Chiltingham, you ask me if I am alright. I am bleeding. My lip is burst. My very bones ache. But deeper than that, my soul aches. You have taken me away from my life."
"So I'm not your favourite person," he said, with a little smile. He folded his arms. "I am doing this as a favour for my favourite lover and her brother."
Carmen laughed without humour, reaching up to push some of her tangled hair behind her ear. "Your favourite lover? No wonder she's so jealous if you have more than one." Then she rolled her eyes. "I can't pretend I'm surprised, you are after all a pirate."
"Do you believe the same about Jack Sparrow?" His green eyes glittered.
Carmen was stung. "Captain Sparrow and I are not together." She tried hard not to let any emotion enter her voice. She didn't want to present any weaknesses.
"Then Sparrow is a fool," Chiltingham replied softly, his expression very different. Carmen opened her mouth, not sure how to reply, but he continued, "The only reason Tally is jealous is because I have been looking at you like this..." The look in his eyes was smouldering, flaming, and very attractive.
Carmen forced herself to look away, her heart thundering. "You're trying to seduce me to hurt Jack," she swallowed, a hard lump in her throat.
"Seduce you? Who mentioned that, darling?" Chiltingham asked gently, moving away from the table and squatting down before her, so their noses were practically touching. "Besides, there would be no point in seducing you to hurt a man you said yourself you aren't with..." His cool breath washed over her, playing over her lips.
"Then you have some other hidden agenda," she replied quietly, tense and nervous and excited.
He chuckled. "I can hear your heart racing, feel your tense, excited body, Carmen. You want this as much as I do, but..." He leaned closer, so that his lips brushed hers as he spoke. "But you feel guilty because you know Sparrow has feelings for you. Am I right?"
"Yes," she whispered, his soft lips brushing her chewed and bloody ones. He pressed them closer, briefly, then pulled back slightly.
"Princess Carmen Regalia of Evaneta," he muttered. Then he kissed her properly, capturing her mouth. Carmen gave into him, her tongue exploring his cold mouth. There was something wrong about this, something horrifyingly wrong, and Carmen pulled back suddenly.
"What are you?" she asked, scared. Aron Chiltingham was not human. She had tasted it on him, felt it in his mouth.
He stepped back, laughing. "Jack Sparrow and his Black Pearl don't stand a chance." His green eyes moved to the window and his lips quirked into a wider smile. "We're about to find that out."
Forgetting her fear of him, Carmen stood up and looked out. Sure enough, the Black Pearl was sailing towards them. She smiled, then it faded. What was going to happen to Jack and her friends?
"At least I proved one thing about you, Carmen," Chiltingham said lightly, and he draped an arm around her shoulder.
"What's that?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"You want what you want because you want it," Chiltingham said. "You kissed me just there because you wanted it, without sparing any thought of your title, your honour as a lady, the fact you're my prisoner, or dear Jack Sparrow." He smiled as her face burned, and placed his mouth beside her ear, saying into it very quietly, "Deep down, you're no princess. You're not even a bar wench. Deep down, you're a pirate..."
"That's not true!" Carmen said, lowering her head in shame.
A scream from below made her jolt. No... it was Mar. But Chiltingham had said- she looked at him, feeling sick, and saw the answer in his amused eyes. They were killing Mar. Carmen had to save her. She dashed for the door, but the Captain grabbed her and pushed her to the floor, holding her down with a sadistic smile.
"Listen to it, girl," he whispered, watching tears roll down Carmen's face.
Another scream, and another. These were screams of agony, each one cutting into Carmen's heart like a rusted blade. She was helpless, pinned against the floor by the hard, perfect body of the most evil person she had ever met. From down below, she could hear Pussy's laugh mingled in with the anguished screaming. Chiltingham had let her kill Mar instead of Carmen... Carmen cried even harder as she listened to Mar's last, dying screaming.
Then silence.
Carmen closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and Chiltingham's eyes. Mar was dead. Poor, innocent Mar, who had only been involved because she had tried to save Carmen. And Carmen had been stuck pinned under Chiltingham, all because she had given into him.
"I hate you," she whispered.
"Are you talking to yourself or to me?" he asked softly. She felt him get up, but she just lay still.
"I'm going to kill you. I promise you, I'm going to kill you." The words shocked her, but they had definately left her lips in a cold, angry voice.
He just laughed, as though it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. She heard him put on his gloves, hat and jacket, then left, closing the door behind him.