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I didn't remain long in that state.
It was maybe due to combination of surprise and pure bad luck that Bonnie got me pinned down like this. It wasn't like she was better than me at threatening…I think.
She didn't look like the threatening type. This fragile little lady resembled the protected, not the protector. She looks totally out of place now, a petite female wearing a long expensive gown and pressing a dagger to my neck. It was like trying to imagine an ugly mermaid, or a friendly kraken. Something that just went against nature.
Eventually, I managed to put that ridiculous thought out of my head and the pirate in me immediately focused on the current crisis at hand, and the solution.
Escape.
I didn't want to remain in this vulnerable state, nor did I want to hurt her. Unfortunately, I couldn't achieve one without the other. I mulled over my options. Was I afraid? No, I wasn't. Honestly, what was the worst this little thing could do?
"Bonnie," I began in one what I hoped was a reasonable tone of voice. "Let's be rational, shall we? For one thing, the ship doesn't even belong to me-"
She moved the dagger dangerously close to my neck. "Will you or will you not give me the ship?"
"It's not mine to give. It's my father's-"
She chuckled. I could tell that she was very amused by what I was saying. Well, that makes one of us.
"I thought your father gave the ship to you," she said in an amused tone of voice.
"I wish," I muttered darkly. "He isn't too willing to give the ship to me."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Why not? I thought you were the first mate now…"
"I might be," I said, relieved that distracting Bonnie had worked. She actually seemed genuinely interested to see why I wasn't going to inherit the ship. "But he wants Stefan to have it."
"Stefan? Your brother?" she looked totally curious now, though her hold on the knife wasn't lessening.
"Yes." I said bitterly.
Her next answer totally surprised me.
"I can make the ship yours."
"You?" I blinked at her. There was a mischievous grin playing on her lips, and her brown eyes were sparkling in the dim light of the alley. "What can you do?"
"I know some people," she murmured. "They will be more than willing to give you the ship."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "I think you might have got your wires a little crossed in that noggin of yours. I've been a pirate for more than ten years, and I lived with them all my life. I know fellow pirates don't offer unconditional gifts like this."
"I don't care if you were born yesterday. What I do know is that you're right. We have some conditions."
"What?"
"You won't be captain of the ship…for now."
"You realise this cancels out whatever you said before this, right?"
"For now. You will be in the foreseeable future, but not now. Understood?"
"Mm, does your plan involves killing my father and brother?"
"I'm not going to say no one won't get hurt in the process."
"Then sorry, Bonnie, they may not be my most favorite people in the world, but they are all I've got."
Her next words surprised me.
"You don't want to trust anyone too much. You'll only get hurt."
"Pardon?" I asked politely. I had been raised to be a gentleman. I may be a rogue pirate, but when you had my mother as your mother, she doesn't expect anything less than 100% courtesy. Especially to ladies.
Bonnie's eyes had a faraway look in them as she stared into the distance, looking but seeing nothing. I watched her, mildly curious. She was nothing like any other girl I had ever met. Her brown eyes were filled with sadness, like the kind of disappointed sorrow that takes a skilled actor to hide. For a moment, her mask dropped, and I could see that although she was here physically, her thoughts were a million miles away. Then the eyes flickered, the mask reappeared, and I knew that the rogue femme fatale was back. The warm chocolate in her eyes solidified and hardened, and her lips cracked into a smirk. The moment of vulnerability had been so brief, I wondered if it had even occurred, but these sappy thoughts soon melted away when she spoke her next words.
"Any self-respecting pirate wouldn't let himself get close to other people emotionally. They will only get hurt in the process. You really have a lot to learn, Damon Salvatore. Pirates can't trust one another."
"I resent that," I snapped, but the quirky redhead ignored me. This time, she carefully maneuvered the dagger so that the sharp point pressed against my chest, directly over my heart. She used enough force to break the skin, but not enough to fully penetrate through it yet. "My patience is waning, Captain Salvatore," she said, and her lilting voice no longer had that playful tune to it. In fact, it was devoid of emotion: cold, sharp and business like. "The ship, if you please."
Now it was my turn to smirk at her. "You won't kill me."
"Why not?" she demanded and her eyes narrowed at me. If looks could kill… "Because I'm a girl?"
Damn, she was hot when she was mad.
"Are you kidding?" I asked innocently. "You haven't given me any reason to doubt your ability. Unless you are trying to back out now?" Unfortunately, she was no longer in the mood for jokes.
"Do you have a death wish?" she asked coldly, pressing the dagger in deeper until it was really starting to hurt. I winced and a cruel smile played over her lips. "It hurts, doesn't it? Who knew dying by being stabbed through the heart could be so painful?"
"I do now," I rasped.
"Damon Salvatore," she said in the same cold voice, and I had to admit, I was a little – mind you, a little- afraid of it. "Do you think because I need you for the ship? I won't kill you?" Okay, more than a little afraid now. "Like you said, you aren't even the REAL captain of the ship. Giuseppe Salvatore is. The only reason I came to look for you is because, for some reason, my brother needs you. Alive. If he didn't, you will be a piece of pirate meat roasting on the pyre now. If you refused to hand over the ship, your brother and your father will not live to see the sun set today. Which is approximately two hours from now. I'm not the only player in this game, you know."
"I…" I was at a loss for words. This girl was brutal. Either she was a very good actress, or she had a double. She was a total, complete, polar opposite from the girl who had tried to seduce me earlier. There was no way Bonnie could be the person she was just mere moments ago. Had I imagined her laughing, or teasing the lady earlier?
All I knew what being a pirate does funny things to people. That's all I'm saying.
But they also sharpened our senses, and more importantly, our instinct for survival.
Seeing that I was basically disarmed of my only weapon, and the fact that I didn't want to hurt Bonnie McCullough, I weighed my options. What can incapacitate her for a moment so that I will have a better chance to escape? An idea immediately planted itself in my mind, an idea so poisonous it was eagerly spreading its toxic roots through my grey matter, providing me with images I rather not see. Damn it.
I didn't want to do this, but she basically left me with no choice.
"Hey," I said, playing for time. "If I agreed- IF- to your little threat, what will happen to my father and Stefan?"
Bonnie's eyes widened. "Threat? What threat? Am I threatening you? You are just going to give the ship to me on your own accord…"
"Er…you can't be serious…" I looked down at the knife pointedly. It was really hurting.
She released a little of the pressure on the wound. Immediately, a few drops of blood bloomed on the surface and stained my shirt. Great.
"This? You call this a threat? It's nothing. I call it 'persuasion.'"
"Only you, can call this persuasion"
"If you think flattery can get you out of this, you are dead wrong."
"Do you think so little of me? I was merely stating a fact, that's all."
"Why don't we concentrate on what is really important, Captain Salvatore? Your two hours deadline is short-"
*RIP*
I winced as the extremely loud and embarrassing sound filled the whole alley. It echoed up and down the grimy walls and resounded in my ear drums, an unwanted reminder of what I had to do in order to get away from Bonnie McCullough and her 'persuasion.' It was against the principles of a man to do something so low, but then, I was a desperate man. And, I had to find and save my father and brother before Bonnie's fellow 'players' got to them. So really, my actions were somewhat justified. And it wasn't like she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Ladies wore plenty of petticoats under it all the time/
The long green train of her gown broke away and fell to the ground. I didn't stop to take a peek at what may lie under that material, which was totally uncharacteristic about me. But, I wasn't about to take advantage of her that way. I won't do that to any female whose permission I didn't have. I decided I owed this much to Bonnie at least. So I quickly averted my eyes and pushed her arms away, which had slackened due to the fact that she had been taken by surprise by my behavior. I may have used too much strength, because she went flying to the wall opposite. Oops.
Run, Damon. Run.
I ran out of the alley, hoping that she will be too caught up in her current semi naked state to realize what had happened. But before I had even cleared the end of the alley, I heard footsteps behind me. Too light and sure footed to be anyone else. Bonnie.
I looked over my shoulder to confirm the identity of the pursuer and my jaw dropped opened when I saw her.
She was wearing a completely different outfit. Her red hair was falling loose from its bun, she had drawn a cutlass, had on a long sleeved loose white shirt and black three quarter pants. And now that the pirate outfit offered a better view at her neck down, I could see she had a tattoo.
Okay, how did she manage to scrape a new outfit together so quickly?
Behind her, I spotted a flash of green and white. Her gown and petticoat(s), slashed and ripped to shreds, lying on the ground in the middle of the alley.
What the hell was going on?
Even though she was still way behind me, I could see her smirking. Her lips mouthed the words :
"Your. Family."
And then she drew a finger across her neck.
Dammit. I had to find them. Inside my head I cursed Stefan. Why couldn't he choose to remain indoors this time as well?
We reached the busy main street, her still hot on my heels. I darted and wove through the hordes of people. Behind me I heard angry cursing in Spanish. But I could still hear her footsteps, so I didn't slow.
"Oh mi dios!"
WHAM.
!#$%^&*()_+!
"What the HELL is your problem?" I screamed at the cowering figure who had ran into me.
"Cap'n!" the grimy figure gasped. "Cap'n, it's me, Jem!"
Jem? Oh, Jem. The quarter master. And full time baby sitter for Saint Stefan.
"Jem?" I peered down at the quarter master's face. "What's going on, Jem? And be quick about it. I'm being chased."
"O Cap'n, it's awful! I was with the young master when I popped out to have a chat with me friend when I overheard the Tia Dalma tying Stefan up. I heard her say meself that she-oh, she-"
My heart leaped in my chest. Tia Dalma, the voodoo priestess. So she was the psychic that my brother and the crew went to see?
"Stop that boo-hooing, Jem, tell me!"
"She's takin' him aboard the Equator, sire! The ship of the English! They know we are here…"
"Those fiends! Where is the ship docked?"
"Same port as us, sire, same port as us. They want to bring him back for questioning. They know that he knows a few pirates! We're goners-"
"Calm down, Jem, listen you me. You round up all the others and bring them back to the Blacksmith. Leave father alone. DON'T let him aboard the ship. Then, prepare to cast off moorings. We set sail when Stefan and I return-"
"Aye, Mister Mate!" and with that, Jem turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"Hello, Salvatore. We meet again." Oh God, not her voice. However lilting it may be, I was getting tired of hearing it. And I didn't really want a repeat performance of earlier.
Screw the fact that she was a girl. I wasn't going to hold back this time. As I jumped around into a defensive position however, something heavy fell onto my head, and the world turned black.
I hope you guys enjoyed this! Because of all the positive reviews I'm getting, I'll be posting a preview here:
Bonnie crossed the room with a strange look on her face. Then, to everyone's surprise, she reach out and put a hand to my brother's face. I tensed myself, in case she was preparing to hurt him.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally opened her eyes and looked straight into Stefan's green ones. "You're a psychic."