Chapter 4

They had a while on the front deck, watching the morning sunrise, basking in the rays that shone over the water. The warm sea breeze blew Elena's hair and she breathed deeply, relaxing completely which she found unusual in the situation she was currently in. Damon's arms were still hooked around her waist, pinning her to him. He seemed to tighten his hold whenever another sailor came past and it made Elena want to laugh out loud about how barbaric he was acting towards her. He was such a caveman!

But, true to his word, he never touched her inappropriately and always asked if she was comfortable in a small whisper. Well, it wasn't exactly all correct. The way he was touching her had completely overstepped the mark any other man would have crossed in civilized society. Then again, he was a pirate. Also, even though she wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, she managed to grin and bear it. After all, it could have been a lot worse than this.

Elena felt his hand move through her hair again, smoothing it back as the wind swept it in to his face. His nose nuzzled the side of her head, as if he was smelling her before he slowly retracted his hands from her body.

"Now, Miss Gilbert," The pirate captain purred in her ear, warming the area with his breath. "I believe that our breakfast is ready."

Elena nodded shorty, offering a small smile before following Damon back to his cabin, her arm hooked over his elbow. The breakfast was already set out with an array of different foods from fruit, toasted bread and a side of oats. Damon indicated for her to take and so she made herself comfortable at the table as he filled a cup full of water. Elena couldn't help but notice several old scars that covered his arms. They were faded, but still evident, and it made her wonder what his life was like.

"How did you get those?" She asked out loud before she even realised what she had said.

He looked surprised, glancing down at his arm before handing her the cup. "These?" He asked, rolling up his sleeve revealing more scars and marks on his skin. "Just battle wounds. Do you recognise this one?"

Damon's fingers ran up his inner arm to the above his elbow, pointing to a bruised area that looked to be a fairly fresh mark. In an instant, Elena realised that it was the wound she had given him when she'd attacked him with her hair pin. It looked sore and she cringed a little, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty that she had done that, marking him again.

"I-I apologise, Sir," She began to mumble, looking down at her shaking hands. "I didn't mean-.."

"It's fine, Miss Gilbert." Damon smirked, falling back in his own seat as he began to peel an apple with a dagger.

Elena cleared her throat awkwardly, not being able to say much more, however she didn't want to end up alone in silence. She turned to Damon again and caught him looking at her already; making no effort to hide it. Did he have to be so obvious?

"So, uhm, how old are you?" She asked, tugging her hair around her fingers.

"And why do you want to know, Miss Gilbert?" He teased.

She blushed. "No reason."

"I'm twenty-three," He smirked anyway. "And you are, what? Sixteen?"

"Nineteen," She deadpanned.

He grinned at her outburst and was about to tease her even more when he heard Alaric arriving into the room.

"The plank is ready, captain," Alaric announced. "We'll be awaiting your presence."

Damon sighed, taking Elena firmly by the arm as he marched behind Alaric.

The pirates had the plank firmly rigged up, all muttering among themselves. Damon said nothing, but gave a short nod towards two men before they disappeared below deck, dragging a growling Mason with them. He looked worse for wear now, a great black eye and dried blood coming from his nose. Elena noticed that his shirt was also missing along with all his things such as sword, belt and any personal items he may have had.

Mason's gaze caught Elena's and he launched himself at her, yanking away from the other men's hold. She yelped when she felt his cold, slimy hands latch on to her arm, but he was quickly pushed back by Damon with a swift punch to his jaw. Mason staggered back and collapsed before he was pulled to his feet again, his hands bound behind his back.

"Filthy, gutless traitor!" Damon roared.

"Traitor?" Mason chuckled, glaring up at him. "You're a fine one to talk about that!"

Elena saw that Damon's hands were shaped into fists, literally shaking with pure rage, but trying to hold back. His lips were set in a thin line and his breathing was harsh. Cautiously, Elena reached out and placed her hand gently on his arm. She felt him stiffen under his touch, but relax after a moment. His muscles became loose and a smirk came on his lips before he gripped Mason's hair and dragged him across the deck and to the plank.

"You, Mason Lockwood, are a foul beast of a man." Damon spat.

"We're pirates, you moron!" He growled back, rising to his feet.

"Pirates we may be, but we are not monsters! We do not take what isn't ours to take. And I will not tolerate the likes of you going against me. She is mine and you touched her. Now you must face the consequences of that."

"Ha! She was mine, fair and square. You never claimed her! I demand a vote from the crew!"

Damon paused and started to pace around the deck, seeming to be in deep thought for a moment. Elena's eyes darted around the ship, all the men talking amongst themselves. With each passing moment, she was becoming more nervous. What if the rest of the crew agreed and Mason was released? What did that mean for her? She swallowed thickly at the thought of becoming vulnerable without Damon's protective claim on her.

However, her breath caught in her throat and she jumped out of her skin when she felt his fingers graze her arm, moving up to hook a small curl of hair around his fingers. He was grinning a little and her breathing spiked when she felt his other arm wrap around her waist, pulling her to him. She could hear whispering, whistles and jeers from the other men at this display of affection by Damon, whose face was currently nuzzling her neck. He was stroking her collarbone with his hands now and she started to shake, afraid of what he had in mind. He hummed contently before pulling back, smirking at the crowd of men.

"It's true, gents," He started, shaking his head. "I didn't claim Missy here for myself at first."

His confession was met with glares and angry muttering amongst the crowd, to which Elena panicked. No…no…no!

"But," Damon shouted, raising a finger. "I think I have always made it clear that, being the captain, I get first…pickings on which treasures I choose to have."

Everyone laughed as Damon strolled towards her again, making a very obvious point to look her over as he did. He circled her again and trailed a finger over her shoulder blades. Elena let out a choked breath, unsure of what to do.

"The rules," He continued, staring at Mason now, "Are very, very clear."

"You lying bastard! That was never a deal on this ship." Mason shouted, looking to his crew mates for support. "Besides, I was the one who first spotted her on the ship days before the attack!"

"Ah yes, but I believe the term is…finders keepers?" Damon chuckled. "I found this stunning jewel, therefore she is mine. You, my old friend, abused my trust in you by taking advantage of your power and touching what is mine. Which of you agrees, say aye?!"

"Aye!" A chorus of shouts came from the crowd.

"This is stupid!" Mason cried, clearly panicking. "What about the rest of the men? You get more than them by claiming her!"

Elena could tell that Mason was clearly trying to shift the blame over to Damon again, but it didn't work. Many men and stepped closer to their captain and two other men hauled Mason to the side, almost ready to throw him over board at any second.

"I realise that I have more treasure now than most, so I have a deal for the rest of the crew." Damon smirked, gripping Elena's arm. "I will get to keep the stunning Miss Gilbert here for my amusement and, so to be fair, I will share my ransom winnings with all of you once we return her to Mystic Falls. Isn't that fair?"

"Aye!" The men shouted again as Damon smiled.

"You're not even making sense!" Mason shouted at the top of his lungs. "You accuse me of being a monster and yet you are saying that you're going to claim her. How should any of us believe you? We are both doing the same thing! You'll be raping her too."

At that, there were some whispers by the men.

"I'll make sure that Miss Gilbert here submits to me completely without the need to use violence," Damon said, the choice of words making him sick but having to do it anyway. He saw a tear escape Elena's eye. "I will take her like every pirate should, with warning beforehand, and not as a monster. You'll be a good girl, right, Miss Gilbert?"

He gripped her arm and pinned her to his body, kissing her neck gently. She started to shake in his arms, however she didn't fight back. His other hand curled around her body, pulling her back against his chest. His lips found their way to her ear, gently nipping at the lobe.

"Will you be a good girl and obey me tonight?"

"Y-Yes, s-sir," Elena whispered, knowing that fighting would get her nowhere.

"Good," Damon said, letting Elena go as he turned to the men. "The girl is, and always will be, mine. I'm the one who found her therefore I can do with her whatever I please. You, however, cannot use rape as a method of punishment. In fact, I'll be the one to discipline her when there is the need to."

Elena tried to suppress her sobs as Damon looked at her with lustful eyes. She couldn't understand why he was saying all of this! He'd promised not to hurt her and now..!

"Well then, by the power vested in me and all that rubbish, I hear by sentence Mason Lockwood to walk the plank for breaching and breaking the rules on my vessel."

"No!" Mason shouted, trashing around in the men's grip as the pulled him on to the plank. "You can't do this, you bastard!"

"Send him to the depths, men!"

Damon's arm went around Elena again and she watched in horror as four men picked Mason up before throwing him to his watery grave. A collective cheer sounded in the air as the sound of the splash was heard and the last, dying screams of Mason before the waves took him. She stood frozen as she watched all this happen.

She looked around and saw that there was no sign of any island or ship in any direction, meaning that he was truly doomed. A sense of relief washed over her at the fact that the monster was gone, but soon realised the nightmare was still not over.

A shiver went up her spine as she remembered everything that Damon had said and done, the promises he'd made and what he planned to do with her. She felt his heat radiating from his body, his arm still locked firmly around her body. His fingers were almost digging in to her skin because he was squeezing so tightly.

"Ric!" Damon called as his friend passed. "Change of plans. I want to stop off at the nearest port for supplies before we head to Mystic Falls."

"Of course, the nearest is Tortuga which is about three days out."

"Perfect," He nodded before turning back to Elena, who was still shaking. "Now, Missy, will you come quietly into my cabin? We need to get you all pampered for tonight, now don't we."

"N-no, sir. Please don't do this to me," Elena begged him, causing the other men to start whispering again.

"Submit to me, Miss Gilbert, and stop fighting your stubborn nature!" Damon spat as he dragged her into the cabin by her arm. "I know you want this, so let's just make it easier for both of us. Don't make me punish you."

Elena's mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish, trying to come up with something to say but came up blank.

"Say 'yes Sir'," Damon mouthed in the smallest voice possible, his fingers digging into her skin.

Another tear escaped from Elena's eye. "Yes, Sir."

She was dragged toward the door, as the other men looked on, laughing. Elena struggled, but it did nothing to help as they were both soon in his cabin and the door was slammed shut behind her. The next moment she thought her heart might stop as Damon gripped her shoulders, pushing her against the door as his nails bit into her skin.

Elena rubbed her sore arms and cried as he looked at her, his eyes burning into her. One of his hands trailed up her neck and ran his thumb over her jaw, now looking at what his own fingers were doing.

"Are you going to r-rape m-me?" She asked him as tears fell like a waterfall.

He kept touching her hair and neck, as if he was trying to calm her down, twirling her locks around his pinky. She swallowed soundly, wanting nothing more than to close her eyes and just disappear.

"A-Are you g-going to m-make it h-hurt?" She tried again.

He was breathing deeply, his face a complete mask as he started at her before he slowly released his hold, gently trailing a finger under her chin so she looked up at him.

"You owe me for that," His voice was hushed and came out almost like a hiss.

He stalked away, slamming a fist against his desk causing her to jump. She fought to get her trembling body under control and her tears of fear and frustration. She wasn't successful at all, but she managed to remain silent as the tears fell, going over again and again what just happened. Damon was still pacing the room, muttering under his breath before he noticed Elena's unsettled face.

He hadn't meant to scare her like that, but everything could have literally blown up in his face. If Mason had managed to convince the others, then he would be the one over the ships railings and Elena would be left unprotected. He was just luck that he had such loyal mates among his vessel. And, to top it all off, he had just given away any money he'd win when this ransom was complete.

But, he'd done it all for her. Despite what he had said to the crew, Damon had no intention of touching her in anyway at all.

Yes, he was a pirate, but it was never his intention to touch her like that or in any way that made her uncomfortable. He didn't believe in sex as long as it was consensual, and even though many pirates got women to submit themselves to them by the use of violence, money or even sweet, fake words, he had never done that. He believed that sex was about two people who were doing it out of their own free will and not because there was an agenda involved.

Then again, he had to put on a show for the boys and make it more convincing. He knew she hated it, but for now, she would have to deal with it.

"Please," She said again, "Don't do this to me."

He felt his heart broke at the sound of her voice, begging, pleading for him not to hurt her, the beautiful, young girl in front of him. He cringed at the thought of even hurting a hair on her head, yet alone raping her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Elena," He said, using her first name for once to show her how serious this was. "I'm not going to rape you. I'd never do that to you. If you have to believe in anything I say, then believe that."

She let out a small cry as he took a few steps towards her again, using the pad of his forefinger to brush away the tears.

"Did you honestly think I would do that, after everything I told you last night?" He said sadly as he stroked her cheek.

"I didn't know what to think!" Elena cried out, "You could have! I wouldn't have stopped you. I'm too weak to stop you. How was I supposed to know?"

He heaved an exasperated sigh and with a great roll of his eyes pulled out a chair, gesturing for her to sit. Elena, quite unsteadily, made her way to the seat as Damon fell into his own, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. After a minute he opened them again, letting his hand fall to the table as he stared at her.

"I apologise, Miss Gilbert." He spoke plainly and calmly. "I understand that you must have been upset and scared by my outburst, but you have to understand that I barely saved you out there. With the way Mason spoke and without my actions, you wouldn't have stood a chance. Savvy?"

Elena was in no position to argue at this point, understanding what he meant, and so nodded weakly.

"You have to understand by now that although this is my ship and I'm the captain, I have to work to the needs of my crew. Otherwise it's fifty of them and one off me. I have to make sure that I carry out their wishes and keep them happy."

"I-I understand, Sir." She said softly, looking down at her hands.

Damon sighed and reached forward, gripping Elena's cheek again, gently. She tentatively looked up at him, tears now gone but a little fear still in her features. His gaze focused in on her lips, lusciously pouty and pink. There was a warm glow in her cheeks as well, blushing a little, but he wasn't sure why. She truly was a beauty and he found himself moving closer towards her before he realised what was happening and pulled back.

"Did you really think I could stomach doing that to you?" He asked her again, this time rhetorically. "You, out of all people?"

He sighed and let go of her face, however his expression soon turned cold. His mask was back as he tried to think of things logically and what had to be done to ensure that the men thought that he was having his way with her.

"You'll be sleeping in here tonight, in my cabin."

"Why? Can't I have my own cabin? I-.." She started to say, however she bit her lip.

Of course, she scoffed. He wanted it to look believable. He wanted his crew to believe that she had submitted to him. Besides, she highly doubt that he would allow her to have her own room to stay in for the rest of the trip.

"Yes, Sir." She finally sighed.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and barely another word was spoken between the two of them. Damon had allowed Elena to look around the vessel as she wished to, promising that no man would go near her. She was grateful for the small amount of freedom he allowed her, using her time wisely. She searched the ship and watched the other men as the worked.

It fascinated her as the all were busy, some drinking, others cleaning and some attending to any repairs that were needed. It was nothing like she had ever seen before, compared to that on her Fathers ship were order was something every man followed. Here, although there was order, each man seemed free spirited and content in their work, all happy with what they were doing.

As the sun began to set over the horizon, Elena sighed as Damon called her to come to his cabin for food. On the way there, she could feel every man's eyes on her. She knew what they were thinking, what they were imagining, but choose to ignore it.

Dinner was already set out with roast pork as the main course. Again, no more words were said between them as Damon downed his glass of bourbon, seeming to be going over a page full of notes. Elena decided it was best not to interrupt him, quietly finishing her dinner as she waited.

When he was finished, a few men came to collect the food and Damon left for a few minutes, giving Elena enough time to dress in to a night gown. She chose the biggest one from the trunk, hoping it would offer her some of the same protection that her day clothing did. It wasn't that she didn't trust Damon to keep him word, it was more down to her own wellbeing, not wanting to be seen too underdressed by him.

Moments later, he returned, pulling off his coat and boots before unhooking his belt from his waist, hanging them up on the wooden screen by the bed.

"Get into the bed, Miss Gilbert." He said, not looking at her.

"Where will you be sleeping?"

"I'm not giving up my night's rest if that's what you're thinking," He said firmly, pointing towards the mattress. "Bed. Now."

Elena nodded and immediately complied, getting onto the bed and curling up into a ball, her knees pressed to her chest. She slid on her side and pulled one of the covers over herself, watching Damon as he proceeded to dowse each candle light in the room, leaving only one left. She tried not to look at Damon as he got in as well, dangerously close to her.

The bed was large, bigger than she had expected, but she could feel Damon's weight and where the mattress was dipping in the middle. Clearly, he didn't understand the idea of personal spaces, especially in a situation like that. She shifted uncomfortably and her breath caught in her throat when she felt him grab her waist, pinning her to his body.

"No, Sir, please don't," She begged him, struggling against him.

"I promised you that I'd never force you into having sex with me," Damon said as he separated her hair and started to place butterfly kisses on the back of her neck. "But I didn't promise you that I'd never hold you. You're still mine, Elena, and right now, I want you in my arms."

Elena stood frozen as he hugged her tighter to his body. His lips stopped their attack on her neck when he felt how uncomfortable she was, and so settled for burying his nose in her hair, loving her scent.

"Why are you so stiff? Relax," He told her with a smile. "I meant what I said. I'm not going to hurt you."

She finally nodded and tried to relax, thinking of herself as a way to calm Damon down. In fact, even though to Elena it seemed possessive, to Damon it was sweet. He liked holding her and he would've preferred it if she had actually curled up on his side and let him hold her, but instead the damn girl had lie on the very edge of the bed and away from him as possible. It was this that made Damon want to hold her close even more.

They were both sleepless that night, and even though none of them spoke a word they both knew that the other one was awake. Neither one was relaxed nor were they breathing steady, even though it was way pasted midnight. It was Damon who finally broke the silence.

"Are you awake?" He asked her, running his hand down her side gently.

She considered not answering him, but she knew she'd lose anyway. "Yes," She finally told him.

He sighed. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Elena nodded her head quickly as he closed his hand around hers and lifted her out of the bed. Elena chewed at her lip as he led her into the cabin, opening a large door that led to what appeared to be a wash room and wardrobe. He turned to the side door of cupboards and once he opened it, Elena gasped. They space was full of gold, money, and jewellery.

"These weren't stolen," Damon finally said, watching her face intently. "These are all things that I managed to get through hard work and determination." He gave her a half smile and put a small box in her hands.

It was a velvet, purple box and only just fit in the palm of her hand.

"Open it," He said.

She hesitantly opened it but let out a gasp as she saw a heart shaped golden necklace which was the most beautiful thing she had seen in her life. It looked to be hand carved with small flower shaped patterns over the pendant, making it look ever more mesmerising. She eyed him questionably.

"I want you to have it. And no, it's not because I want my property to look nice," He smiled sadly, pulling it out of the box and closing it around her neck. "You're more than that on this ship. I want you to have it because you deserve it."

Elena fingered the heart and glanced up at him, watching in awe as some of the candle light highlighted his strong jaw and cheek bones. Despite everything that he was, Elena couldn't deny how beautiful he looked. Beautiful…it sounded strange in her head because men weren't supposed to be beautiful, but that was exactly what he was. There was something about him. Something that he wasn't telling her because there was no way that he had always been a pirate.

It frightened her, but she found herself drawn to him, wanting to suddenly get to know him.

He sighed. "I'm really sorry about tonight, Miss Gilbert. I never meant to scare you, and in all honesty, I hated hearing you beg me not to hurt you. I'm not blaming you, but it's just that I really thought you didn't see me as a complete monster." He took a deep breath. "But it's just what I am, I guess."

Elena wanted to say something, but nothing at all came to mind. She was wordless.

He smiled sadly at her, nodding towards the cabin again. "You go sleep for the rest of the night. I have some work to catch up on anyway."

Damon escorted her back to his bed, helping her under the covers before he pulled the net curtain around her. His eyes focused on her for a moment and he smiled, to which her lips twitched up as well.

"Thank you…Damon," She spoke softly, yawning a little as her eyes started to drop.

"Good night, Miss Gilbert."

Hey guys and gals! Finally I have another chapter for you! (The big paragraph below is a repeated message on all my stories, so if you've read it once, this is the same.)

Some of you my have noticed that I have update all three of my stories in one go and there is an important reason for that! Today, November 7th, is my birthday (19 years old!), but it is also around this time of years that I started to write FanFic. So, I thought as a treat for you guys, I would update all three stories in one go. I know, I know, I have been awful at updates at the moment, so I guess this is kinda me making up for the long delays. Also, I won't go into all the horrid and sappy details, but this long year has been a difficult one. There have been so many bumps in the road not only with my writing but personally as well. So much has happened and it is unbelievable to see where I have ended up now. I wanted to take this time to just thank everyone for all the amazing support over such a small space of time. It has been a pleasure writing for you all so far, and I hope you stick around for what I have planned in the future. Doing this, writing, has really helped me out a lot with so many things like getting to know some amazing people, to improving my work. So thanks all so much!

Anyway, thanks to LiveBreatheVampires for all the help with this chapter, so go check out her stories! Let me know what you thought of this chapter and I will update as soon as I can!

Next chapter: The ship is off to a pirate port and Elena struggles with the idea of being there with a bunch of criminals. But, will Damon be able to convince and show her that not all sailors are the monsters she believes they are...Stay tuned ;)