The next morning, there was breakfast, dancing lessons, a brief "bath", and then Jack and Ash went about finding Hernando Calderon's son, Felipe. They made a pretense of enjoying the festival going on around them and looked to be casually chatting with the locals while they went about their secret quest. But something was off with Jack. Oh, he flirted with Ash and charmed her, but... he was distant, all the same. They were directed to the home of Felipe, and Jack rung the doorbell while Ash shifted on her feet. She kept glancing up at Jack as they waited, then finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Is everything alright?"
"Course it is, why shouldn't it be?" Jack answered, a little too quickly and casually for her liking.
Ash was opening her mouth to answer, when a young man threw the door open. Jack introduced them in fluent Spanish, then waited for Felipe's reply as his eyes shifted back and forth between them.
"You are not from here," he said in English.
Ash and Jack exchanged a glance.
"No," Ash admitted, "But we have business to discuss with you that's best said in private. It concerns your father."
Felipe arched one eyebrow and opened the door wider, gesturing for them to enter.
"I live a quiet, simple life here," he said as they looked around, "I keep no servants. I like my privacy better. But might I offer you some refreshment? You must have had a long journey to reach me."
"You have no idea mate," Jack said, "Have any rum?"
At the look Felipe gave them, Ash shook her head. He wasn't helping their first impressions.
"We would accept whatever you happen to have on hand," Ash said, "And we thank you for your hospitality."
Felipe gave a little bow, then stepped away. Jack began surveying the décor, and when his hand reached for a small, pocket sized trinket, Ash slapped his hand down. When he looked at her, aghast, she shook her head firmly. They were there for something far more valuable, and it would not do to get on their host's bad side. He had to give the map piece willingly. Jack sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling. There came the sound of breaking glass, and Ash immediately looked to the archway where Felipe disappeared to, drawing two daggers. She glanced at Jack, and nodded her head to the second entrance down the hall to the room Felipe stepped into. Jack nodded back to show his understanding, and they separated.
Ash slowly stepped into the adjoining chamber after Felipe, and saw a masked man dressed all in black swiftly put a dagger to the Spaniard's throat, holding the young man in front of him like a shield. The threat was clear. Ash's eyes narrowed, and she began to calculate her odds of getting a dagger in the assassin's eye before he could slit his captive's throat, but there was no need. Jack came up from behind the enemy and shot him. As the intruder dropped to the ground and Felipe breathed a sigh of relief, something came flying through the window. Ash was moving before she knew what she was doing, so she was on top of Felipe as the grenade exploded, hurling both of them off their feet and to the floor a few yards away. They landed near Jack as they heard the front door kicked in. Jack hauled them to their feet and dragged them through the house.
"You okay?" he asked roughly.
Ash nodded weakly, though her ears were ringing and she was sure she'd have bruises later. Nothing had hit her or Felipe, which was a small blessing.
"Not through the back," Ash gasped as she saw where Jack was taking them, "They're sure to have more that way."
"Then what do we do?" Felipe asked.
"We fight of course, some where hard for them all to reach at the same time," Jack answered.
"Upstairs," Felipe said, "There's a bedroom in the center of the house, no windows, only one entrance."
They ran up the stairs, hearing the boots of their pursuers thundering behind them on the hardwood floors.
"Can you shoot?" Jack asked Felipe as they raced down a hallway.
"Of course!"
"Then guard our backs, mate."
When they reached the appropriate bedroom, Felipe barricaded himself behind a thick, sturdy table at the back of the room, drawing a pistol. Jack drew his sword and got to one side of the door, Ash stationed herself on the opposite side with her daggers. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then the door was kicked in, which wasn't even locked, causing Felipe to cry out in dismay as it was ripped off it's hinges. The first man that came through the room was met by Ash and her daggers. The next was run through by Jack. But they were soon driven further into the room by the numbers against them, and almost took no notice of Felipe firing at their enemies, they were each so caught up in their own battles. After what seemed hours, but was likely only a few minutes, all was silent and still again.
"Felipe?" Ash called, "You okay back there?"
The Spaniard slowly peeked up over the table he hid behind, his face gone pale, but he nodded.
"It's the map piece you're after, isn't it?" he asked.
Ash didn't think she could deny it, and was looking for an eloquent way to agree and ask for it, when Felipe continued.
"You're not the first to ask for it, you know. But you are the first to save my life."
Neither Ash or Jack dared to speak. In fact, they held their breaths as Felipe released his in a great sigh.
"The map is buried in a cave. I shall draw you a map to it," Felipe said, and grabbed a piece of paper, a quill, and some ink.
He gave the map to Ash, and she and Jack left to follow it to it's end. The cave the map led them to was dark, damp, and crawling with scorpions. Ash made a face and stepped carefully to avoid them, Jack following in her footsteps. When they reached the exact spot they were looking for, Ash realized she'd neglected to bring a shovel. Then she shrugged and got on her knees, digging into the dirt with her bare hands and scooping the dry earth aside. Jack knelt and helped her, and it wasn't long before they were pulling a small chest out of the ground. They opened it, but there was no map piece. There was, however a note. Another hoop to jump through.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ash growled, and read the note aloud for Jack's benefit, "'To the craven Hernando Calderon – the mapmaker thought he could hide his precious map from me, but to no avail. I have stolen his ship, his gold, and his map. And now I'll take Cibola for good measure. Sincerely, Captain Steele.' I've never heard of him."
"I have," Jack said grimly, "A dark and vicious enemy. But where to find him... that I do not know."
"Maybe Felipe will," Ash suggested, "Sounds like Steele and his father were bitter enemies."
They trekked back to the wrecked house, where Felipe was attempting to clean up and dispose of the dead bodies.
"Turns out the map piece has been taken by a Captain Steele," Ash said as she entered the room, waving the note around in the air, "Any idea where we can find him?"
Felipe dropped the table he'd been attempting to put to rights and whirled to face them.
"Captain Steele? I can't believe it! My father buried that map to keep it away from him in the first place! You've got to get it back!"
Ash only stared at him, utterly unmoved.
"Uh huh. Yeah. For sure," she drawled.
What, did he think she was going to walk away now?
"Captain Steele was an infamous pirate, but tales say he died long ago," Felipe said.
Of course he did, Ash scowled, but didn't voice her thoughts. She let him continue.
"He had a secret lair around here, but it was never found. 'Course, some say he was so twisted, even death itself wouldn't claim him."
Not another undead pirate, Ash wanted to groan, I barely survived the last one.
"Then again... someone else might know better than me. El Sombreador."
Ash frowned, and looked at Jack, who also frowned.
"The shadow?" he queried.
"Yes. Not an easy man to find, if he is a man," Felipe said, "He wears a mask, and dresses all in black. No one knows who he is, he has never been beaten! He moves like a shadow whose name he bears, strikes swift as the wind with no warning, fights with the strength of ten men, then vanishes without a trace. Legend says he fought Captain Steele. He might be able to aid you, but... his identity is a complete mystery."
Ash was getting close to wanting to shoot something.
"There must be someone who knows something about this... this... shadow," she insisted, almost spitting out the last word.
"Maybe," Felipe said dubiously, "There are rumors, whispers only really, that Don Leonardo can get in contact with him."
"A Don?" said Ash.
She didn't know much about the Spanish upper crust, but she knew a Don was some sort of lord and as such would be far above their ability to reach.
"How are we supposed to talk to him?" she demanded, frustrated.
"Well... the dance contest at the end of this festival draws a big audience," Felipe said slowly, "Especially nobility. They both participate and observe. I would be willing to bet that Don Leonardo will be in attendance."
"Still, there's no way he would be willing to speak to us common folk," Ash muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing as she thought through the problem.
"It depends," Felipe replied, smiling now, "If you enter the contest and dance well enough to get his attention, he might invite you to one of his parties."
Ash looked at Jack, who smirked at her.
"We already have to do the bloody contest to convince the authorities we're not up to anything," Jack told her, "This way, we can kill two birds with one stone."
"We won't win," Ash said mildly.
"We don't have to. Just do well enough to accomplish our goals."
That would be challenging as it was. Felipe promised to listen for word of Don Leonardo's arrival and said he would send word when he got it, so they returned to the ship for another meal and dance lessons with Renzo. After the noon meal, Ash thought she had better prepare for a future fight with another undead pirate, just in case it came to that. So she meditated and put her energy into some pecans, which made her exhausted and ensured she slept until Jack shook her awake for dinner. After that, Renzo trapped her in the training room they'd set aside for dance lessons and put her through her paces for another hour. Ash then fell into bed and was asleep in seconds.
That was the pattern the next few days took on. Food, dance lesson, store energy in pecans, sleep. Occasionally they would go out into town to keep up the illusion they were enjoying the festival, but Ash didn't like it as much as she thought she would, because she came to realize more and more that Jack was hiding something from her. She couldn't figure out exactly what it was for the life of her, she just felt like there was this invisible wall between them now.
"I wish you would tell me what I've done wrong," Ash sighed one night once they were in their quarters, "If you've gone off me, just say so. I can take it."
Jack looked at her, surprised.
"I could never," he said honestly, "But why would you think you've done something wrong?"
Ash gave him a look, then shook her head and turned away from him, removing her clothes as she always did before sleep. Jack felt a certain part of him stiffen immediately as his eyes drank her in greedily.
"I can feel the distance between us," Ash told him, "You forget I can do that."
Jack went to the side of the room and pulled a sheet off of the floor length mirror he'd hauled into his cabin while she had been sleeping one day during the past week.
"How can I ever get tired of you?" Jack wondered, walking up behind Ash and kissing the side of her neck.
Ash sighed and closed her eyes at the feeling. She was so very sensitive there and whenever he kissed her neck, it was practically guaranteed to get her wet. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she shoved him away impatiently. She wasn't going to let him distract her so easily.
"Then what's going on, Jack? Talk to me."
Jack frowned at her. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to kiss her. He sighed heavily, recognizing he would have to do a bit of negotiating. His only option, then – the truth.
"I had a rather disturbing dream," he said, and launched into a brief description of what he'd seen in his sleep roughly a week ago.
Ash said nothing for the longest time. Finally, she began to nod slowly.
"Well, that's interesting. Dreams of your partner betraying you with another can mean someone in your life has disappointed you. Not necessarily your partner, it can be anyone, but..." she raised her head to look at Jack, "Have I disappointed you?"
"No, love. I know exactly what it means, actually. I'm afraid of losing you."
Ash frowned and moved over to him.
"You're not going to lose me," she said, "I had no idea you were feeling this way."
"Here you were, worried you aren't good enough for me. But I'm afraid it's the other way around, love."
Jack took her hand and brought her over to the mirror, where he made her face it and stood behind her.
"Look at you," he said huskily into her ear, "Look how perfect you are. See how your waist is perfect for my arms? How the curves of your hips give me a perfect hold? How your breasts fit perfectly in my hands? Can you feel how much merely caressing your soft skin excites me? Keep watching, love. Let me show you how much I adore you."
Ash's lips parted as she stared into the mirror, watching his deeply tanned hands move over her pale body, felt the roughness of his palms against her smooth skin and reveled in the sensation. She couldn't look away. Her breath caught in her throat as his strong fingers massaged that special spot between her legs.
"Oh," she gasped.
Jack groaned at the sound and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent deeply. Ash sighed and leaned her head back, eyes closing as she rested the back of her head against his chest.
"No," Jack said hoarsely, "Watch."
Ash's eyes fluttered open at the feel of his hand on her throat. He could feel her erratic heartbeat under his fingertips. Her bright clear eyes met his smoldering dark ones in the mirror, and she could feel his hardened length against her backside, which she ground against slightly, just to see how he would react. Jack's nostrils flared as he took a deep, sudden breath, and Ash gave a sleepy, seductive smile, her eyes glittering. Her eyes reminded him of stardust, shimmering and distant and deadly. He slid the hand on her throat down to her breasts, where he rolled one nipple between his fingers just hard enough to make a bolt of lightning shoot straight between her legs. The hand rubbing her clit went even lower, sliding into her soaking wetness easily, and he lowered his head to kiss and suck at her neck. He almost lost it at the sound she made, the helpless, breathy moan that he extracted from her. Then she made him surrender with just one word.
"Jack..."
He put his hands on her hips and stepped with her towards the mirror.
"Put your hands on the glass, love," he said.
She did so, feeling the icy coolness on her skin, a stark contrast to the heat of him at her back.
"Easy now," Jack whispered, sliding a hand under one of her thighs and lifting it into the air.
That allowed him to enter her more easily. Ash gasped and arched her back, which caused her breasts to press onto the cold mirror. Her nipples had long ago hardened, but this sensation, this difference in temperature, made her moan. She held onto the mirror and Jack held onto her as he slid into her languorously, taking his time enjoying her. Their gazes burned as they met and held in the mirror. There was nothing in the world like this.
"No one has ever, will ever, be your equal," he murmured in her ear.
Ash whimpered, feeling him hit a spot so deep within her that she almost whined. Jack sensed her enhanced reaction and his thrusts became sharper, more insistent.
"Yes," Ash panted, "Oh – there – so close."
Jack put one hand to the mirror, right above hers, his other hand still holding her thigh up. He drove into her a bit harder now, intent on bringing her over the edge. He wanted to watch her shatter. He didn't have long to wait. Ash's entire body went rigid as she cried out in pleasure, her head tilting backwards. She was exquisite, without even knowing it. How could she not see what he saw? The sight of her climax, the feel of her squeezing suddenly even tighter around him was too much, and he groaned as he let himself spiral into oblivion after her.
Ash felt her head spinning as she came down off her high, and realized she was firmly pinned against the mirror by Jack's hard body. He finally let her leg lower to the ground, but she found herself unable to support herself on them, so Jack simply picked her up in his arms and brought her to bed. He saw her golden hair fan out on the pillow, saw the glazed look in her eyes and the way her body curved, and suddenly found he needed more of her. He kissed his way down her body, ignoring her squirming as he did so. He tasted himself on her, and licked their combined tastes away before plunging his tongue into her. If he went deep enough, he could taste how sweet she was. If she would only keep still... He had to slide his hands under her and grab her full rump in his palms to keep her in place so that he could fully enjoy feasting on her.
She couldn't believe it. His tongue was the most amazing thing she had ever felt. Her toes curled in bliss and her hands grasped handfuls of the sheets beneath her as she moaned. Her hips bucked, unable to stand the pleasure, but he kept her anchored firmly in place. For the second time that night, she came undone for him. Yet he kept going, coaxing yet another orgasm out of her before he crawled his way back up her body, trailing wet, open mouthed kisses on her skin. Thoroughly sated, Ash curled up against him and purred like a kitten as she nuzzled him with her nose. She was so impossibly lucky that he loved her.
Jack felt Ash's breathing slow and looked down at her, realizing she had fallen asleep with a tiny smile curling her pink lips. She was so beautiful, so fierce and stubborn, he didn't deserve her. Still, she was here, with him, despite everything. It was foolish to worry. She was not a woman that made decisions lightly. She would not leave him on a whim or fleeting fancy. She would not leave him for another such as Fitzy because she thought he might be better. No, his Ash was as steady as stone, loyal to the last breath. He was determined to be just as loyal in return.
Author's Note: So sorry this update took so long, I was in the hospital for about a week because my eyesight in one eye went blurry out of nowhere. Optic neuritis the doctors called it. Let me tell you, having a needle in my arm for a week and being on steroids was not pleasant. It messed with my sleep patterns, left a nasty taste in my mouth, and when I finally finished the steroids and was released, my muscles ached like someone had been pounding me with a hammer for a week. On the bright side, I get free health care, so I didn't have to pay for any of it. Hope you enjoy this very belated chapter.