Thank you for sticking around through the long wait.
You are all amazing.
Let me know what you think.
Listen to Carry On My Wayward Son (Cover) by Zoe Fuller
- g.
As Edward and she stood above the darkening waves, torches stricken by eager pirates had looped throughout the village and had ascended towards them. Just as the first group of them came close enough to see them, Liete pulled away from the heat and comfort of Kenway's arms.
One man in particular, skin bright red from sun exposure and no shirt, bellowed loudly across the space between the stairs and their perch on the edge of the cliffs, refusing to come any closer to the duo lest the witch cast him to the shore below.
"Cap'n, we be needin' yur eye down to look at tha' loot the lad's 're pullin.'"
Kenway's arms had returned to his sides, nodding in the darkness, caring not if the man had seen his answer or not. His attention was back to Liete once more, whom having withdrawn herself from the circle of his arms had now wrapped her own around her waist once more.
Liete felt as if an anchor of her very own had fell to the center of her chest. Nothing had been spoken of, nothing cleared. His arms had only served as a shroud to cloud her mind for the time he'd had hold of her.
"I'll be back Liete, take a look inside till I come back. Anything you're wanting, I'll send your man up till I return."
Eyes swirling, defiant in despair, Liete nodded curtly before turning away from Kenway strode through the foliage in the dark towards the unlit manor.
"Ma'm wait."
Jerking in surprise, Liete found a young man rushing forward, she recognized his face as one of the men whom had welcomed her that very morning as a part of Kenway's crew. In his fist he held a wooden plank, wrapped his old rags alit.
He offered her the torch, standing far off to her. He'd been brave, but not brave enough to draw close enough for her to touch him, nor to volunteer to accompany her.
Liete snarled, a low gravel sound as she snatched the torch, anger shimmering beneath her very skin. She wanted his fear, all of it. Liete needed to feel as if she held some sway over some men's hearts still.
The man jerked back in fear so potent, he laid himself out flat against buttonbush and dirt, scrambling despite the scratches forming in the endeavor.
The other men had each given a gasp and taken a step back at her sudden change, none even dreaming of helping the flailing men.
Edward watched for only a moment before turning away and beginning to follow the path back to the shore. He didn't feel the need to interfere into Liete's actions which were her own to make. If he'd realized nothing else from their interlude moments before, it was that the last thing he needed to do was dictate anything to her. She was her own person.
She deserved the very freedom every single pirate sought for himself, freedom to do as they please.
Now he needed to direct his crew, and decide what the next part of the plan was with both Kidd and Thatch, but after all was said and done, he would need to have a conversation with Liete on what exactly she wanted now.
She'd wanted Nassau when they'd spoken that afternoon upon meeting, but now, now he wouldn't bet his last sack of gold he knew what she wanted.
Kenway wanted her, he wanted to wake up inside her, watch as she worked amongst his men, as he sailed the Caribbean on the pursuit of a better life.
An odd thought came to his mind as he trumped past a screaming and bawling woman clutching at the now broken door of her home.
Liete could have a better life, without him, easily. A Beckford name was equivalent to a fortune.
Deep in thought, Kenway continued on his way towards the Jackdaw.
Liete on the other hand threw open the double doors of the mansion angry and prideful.
It was dark, and all the furniture were covered with large white sheets that had seen much better days, marred with dust, dirt, and grime.
She stood in the doorway hating every inch she laid eyes on, the torch in her hand blazing, and for a split moment Mad Liete was giddy with the thought of burning the manor down.
It would be one hell of a bonfire to see, sparking into the night sky, leaving one more hell to dissipate into the Caribbean expanse.
Maybe she'd take the whole damn jungle with her, leaving this whole island as bare as her warped psyche.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness within the manor, she caught sight of a few rush lanterns, large tallow wax candles, and two large metal drums with rush and wood covering the bottoms, the sides perforated and designed.
Liete made her way over to each drum, dipping the torch she held, lighting up a large foyer in the middle of the flat mansion.
Leaving the torch in the second drum, Liete finally looked down to her hands and body to find blood now dry and browning leaving her white slip ruined.
The middle foyer was huge, and in the middle was a table that nearly took up the entire expanse of the room, two areas framed by columns held couches and chairs making up small seating areas, as large pots devoid of anything were littered around the area.
Three large French doors were thrown wide open, one on the side facing out towards the cove, and two others towards the inner island. Another set of doors led towards the back of the manor, where Liete could see an overrun and ill-kempt garden area.
She could hear the faint clicking of wood and rushing water, as she moved to enter the door closest to her right, one of the smaller inner rooms.
The room was large, and obviously a study of some sort, with a long dead fireplace against the far wall. Three large couches and chairs lay huddled in the center, sheets thrown over them as well.
The wall to her very right was bare but built as some sort of showcase or library. Although still dark, the light from within the main foyer lit up enough of the side rooms for Liete to feel comfortable.
"I personally wouldn't leave you alone until I was sure this place was safe. Kenway has a knack for assuming his plans worked out without confirming, the cocky lad."
Nearly rolling her eyes straight to the back of her head, Liete leaned against the door frame of the study, Edward Teach being the last human she wanted to hear speak.
She was already agitated and he'd already tried her patience once today.
"He knows I'm no lily in need of cover from a man. Unlike you, Mr. Teach, he knows I'm safe without him."
The moment he'd seen Kenway directing his men on their course of action without Liete by his side, Teach had extracted himself from the pirate bustle, leaving his first mate to take care of the orders he'd already barked.
He had faith his men would do as he said, scared of him even in their admiration. Similar to Liete, in a way.
The pull to the lady was undeniable, and even as he counselled himself to turn back, to leave Kenway's woman be, his feet continued their silent climb towards the manor which flared to life even as he watched.
The orange gleam that lit the windows of the mansion overlooking the cove felt like a damn siren call.
Once he'd entered the foyer to find her staring silently into a room, her arms wrapped around her waist, his inner fire peaked once again.
"Unlike me, he doesn't understand that safety is an illusion. Danger isn't always something you can fight."
Liete looked over her shoulder, her silver eyes burning as the flames from the metal drums reflected in them, her voice filled with amusement.
"Have you come to threaten me then, not with harm but..? With boredom perhaps?"
Teach laughed softly, moving to sit on a couch that although covered with a sheet, put him nearly directly behind Liete.
"I never said it was danger towards you, love."
Liete was no idiot, the moment she'd met the rough man behind her she had felt a kindred sly spirit, and with the sensation she'd also felt a warning.
She was angry, livid, absolutely crushed with Kenway's actions today, which left her grasping at the very bars of her souls cage screaming for help. Liete didn't want a pampered life, kept in some mansion, a prize put on some shelf to collect dust and age, but still beautiful whenever one came to peer on it.
That was all Kenway wanted in life, she understood that now with his actions and his mood swings.
He hadn't come from money, so he had no idea the poison that it put into the veins of those with too much. True, she hadn't come from poverty, with rancid food, thread bare shoes, and disease, but she'd experienced the torture of hunger, and pain that she'd been more than happy to die that late afternoon Kenway had shown himself.
He wanted the 'respect' money carried…
True respect only came to those who earned it for deeds of valor, love, and sacrifice.
Liete would rather be a lowly deck hand or farm hand scrapping at pigs backs for bristles to sell to a cobbler with nothing more than the love of a man, than a lady locked in a beautiful home to waste away sold off to an old geezer to be nothing by subservient.
There were bigger things than money, and even Liete, as mad as she'd been driven to be, wanted more than this.
Even with all those thoughts and anger towards Kenway, Liete still wanted him. There was something just under his skin that she could feel calling, a destiny or a spark that intoxicated her.
Edward Kenway was what she wanted, but this older pirate whom knew this when even blind man could see it, was trying to make his own intentions known.
"Master Teach, you do realize that my legs stay closed unless I want them to open? Whether Kenway were mine or not, I own the legs he's been between. I'm not a prize to be plundered or won."
Turning as she spoke, Liete moved her arms to cross over her chest, eyes spinning with a sickly speed, boring into Teach's own eyes who as she spoke, put his legs up on the small covered table in front of him.
She felt her anger increase sharply, angry to have bothered with the drama
"I'm not looking for any treasure, if that's what yer thinking, M'lady. Just interested in why you're looking so damn miserable walking a mansion that I'm sure Kenway has offered ye'. The molding not to yer' liking princess?"
"The windows actually, to open for scoundrels to look inside and think they know may lie inside."
Liete stood straight now, arms still crossed, and eyes biting as she skirted around the seating area Teach had occupied heading towards the doors leading out towards the cove.
Rustling instantly erupted from where he sat, moving quickly to cut Liete off, drawing closer than any but Kenway had dared.
He stood just an inch or so above her frame, his chest mere centimeters from touching her own, his hair touching the cravat covering his neck, and for the thin layer of dirt that resided on them all, his tunic and vest held no free threads or missing buttons. He was a vision of a well-dressed man who held himself to a higher caliber than most, intelligent and yet reserved for all his rugged spitefulness.
He was low burning embers, while Kenway was a blazing flame.
"Lass, yer' not happy here. I've seen this look in every man that sails under a black flag, an aching for adventure, and freedom. You can act as high and mighty as ye' like, but I made this same choice."
Liete, refusing to back down, looked Teach square in the eye and scoffed. She felt the suffocating sensation of amusement course through her mind, leaving her anger tampered. Her soul was crying out in agreement, but Liete didn't want to give him any satisfaction.
"I am free. I am free to choose whom to associate with, and I'm tiring of this game. Master Teach, you may approach-"
"I am offering my sails, to take you to where you want to go is all lass. Kenway mentioned Nassau was your destination. I am more than obliged to take you along when I leave in the morning with the galleon. No tricks, just safe passage."
As he spoke, Teach reached up to tuck a strand of hair of Liete's that was out of place, letting his hand trail down the side of her cheek to her shoulder and bare arm his voice soft.
"It's not in me to leave anyone caged."
Liete hesitated.
Freedom, whispered through her mind treacherously. Hunger erupted within her chest, and her mind swirled in excitement and escape.
The prospect of the mansion had brought her to breaking, and in a truly pathetic surge of hope, Liete felt her mind unfurl and purr at the prospect Edward Teach now offered.
Kenway, satisfied as the crew replenished the Jackdaws stores and began to create makeshift lodging to hold them for the night, began the trek through the village back to the manor. Some crew posted themselves through the town to keep peace, and keep stragglers from attempting to escape.
The village activity had died down, and as lookouts patrolled through the moonlit paths, it felt as if nothing had happened that day. This shanty town hadn't been taken over by three pirate ships, ransacked and threatened.
Picking up his pace, Kenway nodded to the two guards posted at the entrance to the manor he'd sent up an hour earlier as he entered through the large French doors. Taking in the mansion, the furniture of high quality as two fires burned low in metal drums on each opposite end of the room. A large pile of greying white linens lay near the door he entered, four separate doors surrounding him.
All of them lay wide open, even another set of door leading outside opposite him, all except for the closest door to his right.
The white door was closed but an orange hue and warmth protruded from the small opening underneath.
Not bothering to waste any time, Edward rushed forward cracking open the door just enough to fit his body through and to keep the cool night air from invading into the warmed room.
As he closed the door quickly, he found Liete with one leg softly swinging off the side of a giant four post bed, clean of all soot and dirt. Following her leg with his eyes, his heart pumping rapidly as he found her bare all the way up until a large feather tick covered the center of her boy, stomach and chest as she lounged arms up over her head.
Edward leaned his back against the wall as he took the vision in, with each breath the pit of his stomach tightening and ardor igniting like a powder keg.
The large fireplace on the far side of the room had been lit, leaving the room comfortably warm, and as Liete realized he was there, it only got warmer as she sat up causing the feather tick to fall away revealing one taut breast.
"Master Kenway, it's late."
Mouth suddenly over salivating, Kenway had to swallow a few times before he was able to speak.
"Sorry, love."
Liete smiled softly, and slid from the bed to stand before Edward in her full naked glory.
She'd used a few rags she'd found in a chest at the base of the bed and a small basin of water from the running creak outside to clean her skin and hair. She'd thrown the white slip into the fire, and although she'd found a simple servants dress to wear, she had opted for the shock and awe campaign.
Edward hardly took a breath as Liete nimbly crossed from the bed, to put her hands on his chest. He became hyper vigilant as she began to pull his guns from their holsters dropping them to the floor with a clatter. As she pulled his holsters from around his shoulders and began to unbuckle his leather armor, Edward sucked in a breath so sharp, as his member twitched and bulged.
This was the last thing he had expected when he'd come back to Liete. He had mentally prepared himself to have a bit of a show down with mad Liete, not be charmed by her.
Maybe she understood I don't mean to keep her here, do I not need to talk to her..?, he thought vaguely as she tugged at his own greying white shirt, his leather waistcoat, holsters, and linen sash already discarded to the floor.
Coming back to reality, Edward lifted his arms as she pulled his shirt from him lowering his arms to grasp her face between his palms pulling her close to lock lips feverishly with his woman.
She was intoxicating, and as he ran his tongue along her bottom lip causing her to open her mouth and run her own tongue into his both, Edward knew he could never leave her.
Living in a time of uncertainty and short life spans, he wasn't going to let her go. He'd figure out what to do about Caroline, until then he's wrap himself in Liete.
Edward gave out a gasp as Liete's hands snaked down into his breeches grasping the center of his body in her hand drawing out a deep moan as his mind went blank and fell into Liete's magic.
Liete rung her hands against the dark railing of the smaller vessel, watching as the Great Inagua jungle disappeared into the dawn's light.
Behind her Drew stood, under one of his feet the small chest she'd taken from Cat Island.
Wearing the servant's dress she'd found inside the manor, Liete had slipped into the sleeping village to the shore below.
Kenway had slept like a rock as she'd extracted herself from underneath his arms. Her soul and mind screamed at each other, warring as she watched him sleep peacefully in the dying light of the fireplace.
The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, but she couldn't remain a prisoner here. Edward had shown her a taste of true freedom on the waves, and Liete wouldn't give that up for the world.
He'd pulled her from the brink of madness, and for that Kenway would be in her every waking moment, but now she owed it to herself to live a life worth living.
"Miss Liete, I don' kno' if yer safe wit' Cap'n Thatch" Drew's entire demeanor was agitated as he rung his hands till they were both red. He didn't like this plan of Liete's, not one bit.
"I'm safe Drew, as long as you're here to watch over me."
Liete turned away from the disappearing island, holding her hand out to Drew who took it in his large palm squeezing it for assurance.
As she faced Drew, Liete had the first doubts of her life, fear slowly trickling into her veins. Fear and loss as pieces of her soul and heart rushed across the waves to nestle in the sleeping arms of Death.