A/N- Wow! Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and read my story so far. Waking up this morning to read all the kind reviews made my day and I hope that people are still enjoying my story. A big thank you again and hope this chapter is enjoyable!

Chapter 10

Captain Salazar took a deep breath and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. The nerve of the girl to not only raise her voice at him but then to slap him! He was beyond irritated. He had turned his back on her in an attempt to calm himself down as he was not to be bested by a woman. Yet as he closed his eyes for a moment he heard the voice of his Lieutenant shout him from nearby. Spinning around his eyes widened a fraction as the women's body was falling slowly to the ground.

Without thinking properly, he shot his arms out and scooped the now unconscious girl up against his chest. Noticing that the majority of his crew had been watching their little spat and were now gawking at him from below, he carefully rearranged her and picked her up completely, so her feet were no longer touching the floor and cradled her.

"Get back to work!" He snapped impatiently and glared at his crew who scattered back to work, all attempting to not make eye contact with the moody captain. Armando stood for a few seconds and looked down at Constance who looked rather peaceful in his arms. It was only when his Lieutenant coughed from nearby that he snapped out of his trance.

"Would you like me to take her to her quarters Captain?" Lesaro asked, his hands fumbling with the wheel and eyes lowered.

"No, that will not be necessary. Make sure the men are doing their work and I shall return momentarily". He spoke quickly and after adjusting the girl once more in his arms, he made his way down the stairs and towards his cabin, glaring at any officer who happened to look his way.

Once he reached his Cabin, he kicked the double doors with his foot rather harshly and allowed himself to sigh now that he was no longer being watched. Carefully he walked towards the couch, and lowered her gently. Her eyes fluttered and for a moment he considered walking back out as fast as possible to avoid her waking up. But her eyes eventually stopped their fluttering and she seemed at peace once more. Taking off his gloves, he stalked to his table and threw them down on the wooden desk, knocking a few model ships that happened to be in the way. He then proceeded to run his fingers through his long hair. Throwing the ribbon down as well and shaking his head to relieve the slight soreness caused by having his hair up for so long, he walked round the desk and sat down rather ungraciously. He knew that he would have to return back to the stern deck soon to give orders but for now he wanted to rest.

He glared at the girl who looked so at peace and the image of her slapping him replayed itself in his mind. But oddly enough he was not annoyed at her, in fact he wasn't annoyed that she had shouted at him now he thought about it. He was annoyed at how he felt when she had done it. He had felt his heart pound and had hardly listened to what she said. It had only been when she slapped him that it was as though she had slapped some sense into him. It had been a long time since someone argued so passionately against him.

Overall, he was more offended that she had dared compared him to the scum that were now floating at the bottom of the sea. He supposed she had never been familiar to death but he would have some strong words with her when she awoke. Or at least he wanted to. For the time being, he allowed himself to openly stare at her. He had not been given much opportunity to admire her and the last time he had found himself looking, she had spotted him. He grimaced at the thought of her face through the telescope which clearly said that she had noticed him looking and shook his head.

As he watched her, he felt a small smile tug at his lips and coughed catching himself. She was charming and feisty he would give her that. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the women he had met in the past. They had always fawned over him and agreed with everything he said. No matter where he went, he would always have a few women hanging on his every word. And although some men would love this, for Armando he found the whole ordeal boring. He found hunting pirates was far more entertaining and he supposed that's why he had never wished to settle down. The idea of being on land with a wife and children did not quite appeal to him. No, for him he would spend his entire life purging the sea of those who wished to contaminate it.

Sorting out his hair and placing his gloves back on, he stood up slowly. His eyes never left her form and he growled as his imagination was led astray. He told himself that it was because he had not had female company for months and that it was only natural to find her attractive. After all, he wouldn't deny that she had a unique sort of beauty that was captivating.

Yet again he found his mind wandering and shook his head, hoping to remove the thoughts. Straightening his posture and patting out invisible creases from his immaculate coat, he made his way to the doors. But he felt himself pause as he looked back at Constance. Biting his lip, he walked over to her figure and tentatively moved a lock of her pale hair from her freckled face. She made a small noise and he jumped back, annoyed at his skittish behaviour. He could not understand how he, a man who would not think twice about killing, was anxious around a young woman. He told himself that he was only concerned for her health and that he felt resorbable for her, but even Armando knew when he was lying. Knowing he had to get back to his duties and away from the sleeping girl, he walked back to the doors and left the room, hoping that his thoughts would be left behind as well.

As he got to the stern deck, Lesaro was holding a telescope and looking at a small shape in the distance. Glad to have a distraction, Armando grinned knowing exactly what his Lieutenant was looking at. He didn't need to speak as Lesaro directed the telescope for him and held it in place for him to look through. He opened his mouth slightly as he stared at the large vessel which was now quite some distance away. But his eyes were not concerned with the ship, rather the black flag that fluttered against the wind. He allowed a large smile to grace his lips as he observed the grotesque looking skull and cross bones painted across the flag.

"Shall we pursue it Captain?" Lesaro asked.

"Of course". Armando replied, thankful to have another opportunity to rid the sea of such scum. He took the telescope off Lesaro who began to shout orders at the officers down below and he stared ahead, excited to play the game of cat and mouse once more.

"Is the girl well Captain?" Lesaro asked quietly, his eyes still fixed on the men who were moving around quickly. Armando didn't even bother looking at his Lieutenant and instead remained focused on the pirate ship in the distance.

"I believe that she is well. But it is not a priority at the moment. Keep your mind on the current situation". Armando said calmly. However, he was not quite sure who he was telling to remained focused.

He was well aware that this would cause them to go off route but he would keep that information to himself for now. He could only guess that Constance would not be happy knowing that she had to spend a few more days than she first thought on the Silent Mary. He thought he would be just as unhappy to have her company for any longer and he frowned as he realised he was not unhappy. Rather he was quite pleased.

Putting it down to the lack of sleep he had for the past few days, he stood proudly and watched his men get to work. He could always catch up on sleep later, but for now, he had some pirates to hunt.