Red woke to the lapping of waves on the beach. Sand matted her hair and, as she glanced down at her tattered purple dress, she saw blood stains on the fabric, on her hands, and felt the crustiness on her chin. Leaping to her feet, she ran to the water and splashed herself until the blood ran from her, staining the waves around her. The red color dissipated quickly as the tide moved in and out, and she trudged out of the waves, examining her surroundings. Feeling stable land beneath her feet was such a relief she sighed audibly and closed her eyes, leaning her head back and feeling the sunlight on her neck. Opening her eyes, she realized she was alone for the first time in weeks. She had no idea how long she'd been cooped up in the hold of the pirate ship before Hook had allowed her the week in the sun, but she imagined it hadn't been just a few days. Time got lost in eternal darkness.
Peering into the dense foilage clustered next to the sand, she smelled the fresh air and wondered how she'd gotten here. She remembered the night before when Hook had released her from the terrible spell he'd placed on her. She still remembered that glint in his eyes that she didn't understand: an unspoken understanding that she was going to disappear. There had been a disappointment there she didn't understand, but she hadn't taken time to examine his reaction. He was an enigma to her, confusing and complicated yet there was a simplicity to him that was unfathomable. She imagined he was multi-faceted, but didn't want anyone to know there was more to him than a loutish pirate.
Shaking her head, she walked into the shade of the trees, chiding herself for spending her time thinking about a man she didn't even like. She was free. Sitting on the moss-covered ground several yards from the ocean, she stared out across the undulating water and remembered the previous night.
Much of her vision was red when she was in wolf-form, and she saw in mixtures of heat and smells more than traditional sight. She shivered with a amalgam of pleasure and disgust at how she was when she was the wolf. It was thrilling to have that strength, that power, but her human side shrank away from the terrible things she did as a werewolf.
A flash of worry swept through her as she realized she didn't remember Hook escaping. Had she killed the captain as well in her wolf's rage? No. She knew she hadn't killed him. Even if she lost her humanity when she shapeshifted, her resolution to spare the pirate had been too deep-seated to forget when she was a wolf. She wouldn't believe she had killed him, even if a small shred of her worried that it was true. What could the dreaded Captain Hook do to defend himself against a werewolf anyway? Nothing much, to be honest.
Examining herself, she smoothed out the purple dress Smee had brought to her the day before and noticed the torn places, leaving behind tattered remains of a once beautiful garment. The color was tarnished from the blood she hadn't been able to completely remove, and she knew her hair was a terrible mess. As she ran her hands down her waist, she realized there was something tangled in the fabric. Frowning as she pulled her skirt up around her waist, she withdrew the item, recognizing it instantly: the ruby necklace. How she hadn't lost it throughout the night, she didn't know. Now that she had the chance, and no one was watching her, she admired the jewel. It sparkled in an otherworldly way, drawing her in addictively. Even if rubies hadn't always been her favorite stone, she would have been drawn to this one. Its magic was powerful, and she wondered what poor witch Hook had stolen it from. Smiling to herself, she wrapped it in the gold chain and dropped it into her cleavage, concealing it from the world without losing it altogether. She shouldn't keep it - it wasn't as if she could wear it and still live a free life - but she didn't want to get rid of it either. Now that she was free, she found herself missing the companionship of the pirates, and even the bothersome smirk of Captain Hook.
Feeling the layer of grime on her skin, she debated giving herself a proper bath in the ocean, but the idea of stripping naked in such an open place bothered her. Instead, she resolved herself to finding an inland pool to bathe. Her feet were bare, but her skin was toughened from many nights waking up in the woods in a similar fashion, and she stepped carefully through the jungle, listening for the sound of a stream or waterfall. She walked for an hour before she heard it and smelled the freshness of water rushing through the trees. Sighing with relief, she untied her dress and removed it, her shoulders sagging with ease at the lightening of the weight from her shoulders. Stepping from the skirt, she washed it in the pool until it returned to a semblance of its former color, and hung it over a bush where it could dry while she bathed. She draped the necklace safely nearby where it would remain hidden in case some wandering soul happened on her.
Slipping her feet into the water, she exhaled happily as the cool water met her skin and she lowered herself into the pool. Birds chirped pleasantly in the trees and the water kissed the shore as it lapped in reaction to her movements. She heard other animal movements as well as bunnies leapt through the underbrush or foxes stopped to take a drink, leaping away agilely when realizing they weren't alone. The entire experience was so relaxing, she allowed herself to float on the surface with her eyes closed, the speckled light of the sun shining through the trees danced over her eyelids. Sweeping her arms along the water, she pulled her slender body through the water, feeling completely safe in the small pool.
Killian stood at the helm of his ship as it floated in the ocean a few miles off the shore of the Port of No Hope. He was annoyed. The town glittered in the distance, and he itched to return, but he knew he couldn't. His prize was on that island - he knew she couldn't escape - and he ached to have her in his grasp again. He denied having any feelings for her other than the lust for riches, and it chafed him when Smee gave him that knowing look whenever mention of the search for the girl came up in conversation. She was his trophy, his treasure, and that was all. He'd voiced this a few times already, and even snapped that they wouldn't be talking about it anymore, but that didn't stop his first mate from staring sadly at him. The lost puppy look wasn't doing anything to boost Killian's mood.
He was a pirate, damn it. He didn't pine for women; they pined for him. He didn't beg them or plead with them, he used them for his pleasure or even invited a few to spend some time on his ship, and when he tired of them they walked the gangplank and he was through. Milah lingered in his mind, the care he'd felt for her unlike any female before, and he felt a twinge of guilt that he would ever dare to feel that way again. So he determined his desire to see the black-haired goddess again was only because he wanted her pelt, he wanted the fortune that accompanied her existence.
Last night, he had seen the full glory of her wolf side, and it had both thrilled and petrified him. The snarling growl, the dripping fangs, the ruthlessness with which she had attacked the men, it was all so wild and untamed. He hadn't expected that sort of unkeptness out of her, and he now understood her better than before. He understood that sense of understanding he'd felt when he looked into her eyes and told her he was going to release her. And that understanding gave him a sliver of hope that she wanted to come back to him as badly as he wanted her to return.
So he stood on the deck of his ship fuming over his inability to depart and leave this woman behind. He felt impotent and drawn to her, addicted to her in an insatiable and unsatisfying way. She challenged him, and that alone attracted him to her. He may dislike his inability to allow her to escape for personal reasons, but he missed the banter between them.
None of this would he admit to anyone. He reluctantly admitted it to himself, and even then, he denied its truth. Openly, he ordered his men to circle the island at a safe distance, searching the shores for their lost prey. Not only had he misplaced the wolf-girl, but the talisman she'd worn around her neck had gone missing as well, lost in the intensity of her shapeshifting and the screams of her victims.
His boots creaked as he shifted his weight, and he growled under his breath. If they were going to stay this close to land, he needed to walk, and this ship didn't have enough room for the pacing he needed to exert his pent up energy. "Pull ashore," he ordered, keeping an eye on the sandy beaches as the ship turned and cut through the waves to the beach. Several hundred yards off the beach, he leapt into the small rowboat strapped to the ship's deck and rowed in to the shore with two other men designated to accompany him.
Impatiently, he leapt from the rowboat before it had crested the waves and trudged through the wet sand onto the land. He generally preferred the ocean to the shore, but he was restless and out of sorts. He didn't understand what was going on in his mind and his irrational desire for the woman he'd taken as a prize. Always retaining control over his emotions, and even his lusts, he felt helpless against the tug he felt toward the black-haired beauty. That, in turn, angered him, and he scowled as he stalked into the jungle, not caring if his men were behind him or not.
Finally, Red began bathing, wringing out the tangles in her hair and combing her fingers through her ebony locks. Scrubbing her skin as best she could, she felt clean for the first time in the weeks she'd been trapped at sea. Soon, she knew she must climb out of the pool and continue on her way: whatever way that was. Without the pirates, she had no clue where to go. Remembering the night before served her with the memory that she was stranded on an island. Unless she intended to steal a ship and get away without so much as a crew, then she was stuck here. The realization was worse than being stuck on a pirate ship. No one from her life knew she was here, and she had no hope of being rescued. The appropriateness of the port's name seemed a bit too coincidental right now.
Diving to the bottom of the shallow pool, she gathered a handful of sand and burst through the surface, using the rough sand to scrub her skin. She scoured her skin until she felt raw, and rinsed herself off in the cool water beneath the shining trees. She could stay in this pool for the rest of her life, just become part of the water, but she knew that wasn't realistic. Maybe if there was a fairy around, it would be a reality, but she didn't want that for her life. She needed more adventure than that.
Swimming toward the shore, she pressed her bare feet into the soft sand and pushed herself out of the water. Her heart stopped in her chest as she realised she wasn't alone. Grabbing her dress, she shielded her naked body and spun to see Hook standing a few yards away, watching her with a mixture of surprise and desire. The open lust in his eyes made her heart leap before embarrassment and anger rose in her throat.
He'd been trying to get alone, so wrapped in his thoughts he hadn't realized he was about to run headfirst into a pool of water until the splashing of the water against the sand caught his attention and he stopped. That was when he saw her. Her porcelain shoulders were bare above the water, and her black hair was stuck to her back. She was just emerging from rinsing and rose from the pool, her perfect body rising from the liquid like a naiad.
His first thought was his imagination was getting the best of him. He'd been thinking about her far too much since he'd released her the night before, and it didn't surprise him that he saw her now. But he knew he was awake. He stared, his mouth gaping open before he caught himself and stood silently admiring her. Her body curved smoothly from her breasts down to her round bottom, and he found himself wondering what her skin would feel like beneath his fingertips. He wanted to plant his mouth on her and lick the softness.
Then she heard him and spun, a miriad of emotions flickering across her face in the flash of a moment. Her cheeks reddened, and suddenly, she grabbed the nearest weapon and threw it at him. He ducked just in time to miss a coconut smacking into his face. Scowling at her, distracted by the fact she was naked behind the dress, he managed his characteristic smirk and moved toward her.
"What kind of pervert are you? Have you been standing there the whole time just watching me bathing?" she asked exasperatedly. She was highly aware of her nudity as he moved closer to her, and she wished she could just slip her dress on and be done with it. Unfortunately, women's clothing wasn't quite that simple.
"I regret to admit I haven't been here the whole time, just for the end of the show," he remarked, watching with amusement as her cheeks grew darker and she glared at him.
"At least have the decency to turn around while I put my dress on," she commented flatly, her voice breaking as she tried to control herself. The nearness of him was almost more than she could take, but she stubbornly stared him down as he paused only a few feet from her.
"But I have no decency, love," he noted, his mouth drawing up in an amused smile as he took another step closer.
"Stop," she commanded, holding up a hand but finding her resolve crumbling. She shouldn't be imagining what his weathered hands would feel like against her skin. She shouldn't be imagining burying her face in his neck, breathing in the sandalwood and leather that lingered on him like a cologne. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered herself and opened her eyes to see him closer than he was before. "This isn't..."
"Appropriate?" he concluded, shrugging slightly. "You're right, but you're a free woman now, and we're alone." His closeness was tangible to her now, and she gripped the purple dress so tightly her knuckles turned white. She could see the flash of lust in his blue, dark-lidded eyes, and her heart beat wildly in her chest. Each drop of water that dripped from her body to the ground was like a drumbeat in her ears as she became enraptured in his gaze.
"Just because we're alone doesn't... make it right," she concluded, her voice quiet and weakened by his nearness.
Lifting his good hand, he gently brushed the side of her face, pushing her wet hair back behind her ear. She wanted to close her eyes and lean in to the feel of his calloused fingers, but she watched him instead. Her green eyes boldly examined him as he admired the softness of her skin and looked at her. Damn, her stubbornness only made him want her more.
"What would make it right?" he asked, equally as quiet. He wanted her, he knew that especially now, and he could barely contain himself. Shifting his weight, he felt the curve of her hips through the fabric she held between them like a shield.
She wondered how she could be so aroused by a man who continually reminded her how much of a scoundrel he was. He was the captain of a pirate ship. She was a girl who lived with her granny and turned into a wolf when the moon was full. They were nothing alike, yet they were so similar it scared her. She'd gotten to understand him while on his ship (whether she liked it or not), and she was reluctant to admit they were very alike indeed. They were both stubborn and headstrong, and she knew by the look in his eye that he wanted her. She'd seen that look before when men looked at other women, but she'd never seen it so intensely focused toward her.
As he pressed his hips into hers, she lost part of her control and a gush of air released noisily through her lips. "If I loved you... that would make it right," she managed to answer, remembering that she hated this man. Her lust for him didn't make her hate him less for treating her like a piece of property.
"You don't love me?" he asked, feigning surprise as a smile passed over his lips. She glared up at him.
"This isn't a game."
"I never said it was," he replied. Without allowing another word to exit her mouth, Killian circled his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in to kiss her on her lips. A wave of heat seared through him, setting his nerves on fire as he roughly claimed her mouth. His brain rang with sensual overload as he felt her kiss him back. At first, it was unwilling, but it turned into a desperate, searching thing. Her hands continued to hold the dress between them, and her fingertips stretched up to brace herself against him as he leaned against her, pushing her back into a nearby tree.
His hooked arm encircled her back, and she gasped as the cold metal connected with her skin. He smiled and kissed down her jawline, hearing her moan with satisfaction as he nipped at the most sensitive areas beneath her ear.
"Stop... stop," she urged, pushing against his chest until he stumbled away from her. He looked at her in confusion and a bit of irritation as she shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Not like this. I don't even..."
"Say it," he commanded, his anger at being denied rising in his tone, "You don't even like me."
Her eyes told him all he needed to know, and she didn't have to repeat the words. He wanted to scream at her that he didn't give a damn if she liked him or not, he just wanted to fuck her, but he didn't. Instead, his right hand clenched in a fist and he ground his teeth together. Turning away from her, he stepped back toward the beach where his crew and rowboat awaited him, but he stopped and turned to look at her.
"You're a fucking tease."
Red's mouth fell open at the foul language, and she stood up tall, clenching her fists around the fabric in her hands. "How dare you! You treat me like a possession and ignore me after the one sincere moment we've shared, and you expect my legs to fall open for you?"
Killian glared at her, every muscle in his body on edge as he tensed at the words. "I am Captain Hook!" he cried, jabbing a finger at her through the air, as if that explained it all.
"Oh! Excuse me! I forgot you're the almighty captain who takes whatever, and whomever, he pleases," she barked angrily, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't belong to you, and I'm not one of your whores who will beg you to screw her."
His eyes flashed dangerously, but he didn't move to hit her as she half-expected him to do. Instead, he seemed distracted by something on the ground. He stepped toward her, and she tensed, expecting him to strike her or grab her, but he ignored her and picked something off the mossy ground. As he stood, she recognized the ruby in his hand, and her heart fell. He stared at it with a blank expression on his face, and she wondered what he was thinking.
Why had she kept it? Why hadn't she dropped it in the ocean the first chance she had? She was smart enough not to put it back on, but she hadn't discarded it. Some subtle thought came to his mind as he stared expressionlessly at the jewel. She could have made her shackle disappear forever, but she held on to it. Gripping the gold necklace in his hand, he sighed and turned away from her, walking off into the forest with the necklace.
Confused by his sudden calm, Red hastily pulled her dress on and cinched it up her back, racing to catch up to him. He hadn't gone far, and she caught him easily, grabbing his arm to stop him just beneath the treeline. She had never been afraid of him, and she wasn't now even though she thought he may have just come close to killing her. She couldn't know without being able to read his mind, and she didn't want to know what he was thinking.
"Are you going to leave me here?" she asked, worriedly.
Hook snorted and looked down at the necklace in his hand. "You're free now. You can starve to death in the forest for all I care," he snapped heartlessly.
"What about your precious pelt?" she asked, a challenge and a hint of hurt in her tone. His blue eyes raised to look at her, and she couldn't read the mixed emotions there.
"I could force you, but you would resist. It would be this constant struggle between us, and honestly, I don't have the energy for it. I have no desire to play this game with you," he admitted in a low tone.
"I'm not playing a game. You're the one who kidnapped me, intending to skin me and sell me for your own gain. I'm not the one at fault here," she retorted defensively. She was disturbed that he would attempt to place the blame for this whole situation on her.
"I never said you were, and I would still do it if I had the chance," he said, his eyes sharp as he looked back down at her. "I'm a pirate. We don't have hearts. We run only on desire and gold. It's as simple as that."
He was lying, and she knew it. She'd seen something else in his eyes right before he'd kissed her, and it wasn't only lust. He had a soul. It was deeply hidden beneath the layers of salt and sand he'd used to protect himself from pain, but it was there.
Hook turned from her and moved toward the rowboat once again, but she grabbed his arm. She didn't know why she stopped him, but she couldn't bare the idea of being alone on this island with her only future becoming a barmaid in one of the taverns in the town (if she ever made it back to town alive through the wilderness). He didn't balk from her touch, but instead, he sighed and stood looking away from her. They had reached an impasse. If she went with him, she would become his prisoner again and the awkwardness of the kiss would always hang between them. If he left her, she would surely die anyway.
When she released his sleeve, Killian looked over at her, seeing the defeat in her eyes. She knew he hadn't conceded his intent to turn her into his profit, and he saw no other option. That was all she had ever been to him: a pelt for gold. Feelings weren't part of the deal. He couldn't cope with the probability of emotions, and he wouldn't.
"Kissing you was a mistake," he stated simply, a wall rising between them once more. Red lifted her chin and looked at him, her eyes examining his motives as he spoke. Part of her disagreed with him - she had enjoyed kissing him even if it was the wrong place and time - but she also knew he was right. Even if she was free now, she wasn't really free. He had told her that much when the ship had first docked at the Port of No Hope. His crew was free to roam the shores and get their pleasures, but she belonged to his ship. That remained true even if he'd freed her for the night. He had required her help to save his own life, but she had nowhere to run.
She supposed he had known this all along, from the moment he'd removed that necklace. Her hope that he had a heart had soared, only to be shot down when she realized he was right: he only desired wealth and satiating his personal lusts. That was what the kiss was really about, she told herself. It was about him proving he was in charge, proving he could make her want him even through her hatred. That realization steeled her against him, and tears rose in her eyes at the hopelessness of it all.
"I was never truly free," she stated, a tone of question in her voice.
Killian smiled sadly. She was wrong; he had truly intended to let her go, but he hadn't been able to do so. The thought that he would sail away on his ship and never see her raven hair appearing out of the hold again tore him in half whether he liked it or not. Not willing to lower his defenses and let another woman into his heart, he raised the icy walls around his heart once again and flicked his eyes toward her, hardening his gaze against her.
"No, you were never free," he answered simply.
Her eyes shined with tears she fought back, and she set her jaw firmly, grinding her teeth together to keep from crying. The walls were back between them, and the positions of master and possession were firmly reestablished. Reaching toward his hand, she snatched the ruby necklace out of his grip, and he watched her as she lowered the chain around her neck.
The burning pain of her power suppressing itself made her wince and a hiss escaped through her clenched teeth, but she opened her eyes to show nothing but firm defiance. "Let's get this over with." She walked past him, expertly twisting so she didn't touch him as she stalked off across the sand toward the rowboat which would carry her back to her prison.