Lilliana ducked her head low and pretended to be busy in preparing the noon meal. Normally, she made herself something small because her father slept until dusk, but now there were three people to feed with no notice given. If there was business to discuss, it would be rude not to offer the handsome man a bite to eat.
Her father and the mysterious stranger sauntered inside. The air was thick with tension. She dared not look or inquire about the man's visit to their home unless she wanted to spend the next week locked in the cellar with rats and no food.
Visitors were rare, and travelers even rarer. Lilliana had lived in the Enchanted Forest her entire life, along with every other person dwelling within the kingdom.
There was no way in or out, unless you held the magic to portal between realms. She'd never met anyone capable of such a feat, though she'd heard tales of its truth.
"Have a seat, pirate," her father grumbled, the heavy chair making a terrible noise against the wooden floor as he pulled it backwards before taking a seat himself.
Pirate? Lilliana's hands shook. A pirate? In her home?
She'd heard terrible stories of such men. They only cared for riches and pilfering, raping women and murdering the innocent. Perhaps his devilish teasing eyes and sinful smirk were far darker than they appeared at first glance.
"Don't you think the girl would be more comfortable somewhere else while we discuss our agreement?"
"I don't give a damn about her comfort. Lilliana," her father barked. The pan in her hand fell to the ground, causing beans to splatter around her feet. Her father groaned. "Stupid girl."
"Here, miss," the man said, bending down to help her clean up the mess. She dared to raise an eye when she noticed him trying to garner her attention, but why? Pirate or no pirate, he was absolutely breathtaking. He smiled. "No need to cry over spilled beans. Name's Killian," he offered, whipping a towel down from the countertop and wiping up the mess, a brilliant grin lifting his lips. "Killian Jones."
That's when she noticed he only had one hand. A silver hook decorated the other which he held back far enough as if he were trying to keep her from getting hurt by it. How had she not noticed he was missing a hand before? She'd been so distracted by how charming and attractive he was, that it didn't matter.
"Thank you, sir," she offered, daring to reach out and take the towel from his right hand. She stammered, "it's my mess. I'll clean it up."
He handed the towel to her without a fight, but he made no move to stand. "Lilliana," he said her name slowly, trying it out for himself. It flowed from his lips like warm honey on a summer's day and she'd never loved the sound of her name so much as she did that one brief moment. "What an enchanting name for an enchanting girl."
"Jones!" Huxley said, causing Killian's kind and teasing blue-grey eyes to instantly darken. "You can play with her after you've won, and not a second before. Now get over here and let her clean up her own mess. Cleaning is women's work anyway."
Her father said, lighting his pipe before shuffling the deck of cards.
Play with her?
She remained rooted on the floor as Killian stood, who took a seat on her father's right-hand side. She'd always been instructed to not ask questions where men-folk were concerned. A woman's place was to remain obedient and silent. But suddenly, the thought of cleaning up her mess was the furthest thing from her mind. Killian must have noticed her gaze upon him, because he gave her several glances from the corner of his eye as he rearranged his hand.
He cleared his throat.
"Your father is exaggerating, love. No need to be frightened," he said in a light-hearted tone for her own benefit, she was sure, because he gave Huxley an annoyed gaze as he spoke. The older man didn't seem to notice. He was too preoccupied with winning. "Frightened of me, that is."
Huxley let out a breath of smoke. "Don't mollycoddle the girl. She knows how the world works. I've never sheltered her before, and I'm not about to start now," he turned his attention to her. "I lost my money to this here pirate last night," her father said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I tried offering him something else, but he wasn't interested – not until I mentioned you. If I lose, you're his."
Lilliana's ears began to ring. Her father sold her to…a pirate? What? She wasn't sure what she should be feeling in that moment. Fear? Anger? Resentment?
But all she was managing to feel was numb.
She turned back towards the mess and absentminded wiped the remained beans up.
Lilliana lifted her finger to her eye, wincing at the tender flesh that was three days old. Since her mother died, her life had meant nothing. She was beaten, both physically and emotionally on a daily basis. Her father was a neglectful, abusive man. But he was still her father. She never once thought of running away. He was all she had.
But maybe there was more outside of these four tiny walls. And if this man was capable of traveling realms, then she could really experience a true adventure for the first time in her short and miserable life. Adventures like the ones her mother used to read her about.
She stood slowly and began to work on the meal once more, a suprising smile playing on the corner of her lips.
Pirate or no pirate, her one ticket to freedom may lay within his hand. Even if he would possess her from this moment on.
"You travel light for a little girl," Killian said, swinging her bag back and forth as Lilliana tried to keep up with his long strides.
She was slightly out of breath. "I don't have many possessions. Just a few things that belonged to my mother."
"And clothes?"
"I…I have one other dress, sir."
"Killian, my dear," he corrected. "The name's Killian."
"Killian," she appeased him by saying. It wouldn't do any good to start off on the wrong foot. "Do you mind if we slow down for a moment?"
"Tired already?" he teased, but turned around and stopped all together, his eyes lighting with laughter. "Not much for walking, are we?"
"I – I don't get out much," she breathed heavy, pushing her long dark hair back from her flushed face. "How much further are we traveling?"
"Just over the ridge until we hit port. The Jolly Roger is just within reach, I assure you."
He must have noticed the nervous expression on her face, because he walked slowly towards her, the laughter in his eyes dying out and replaced with concern. She was tempted to back away, but did her best to stay rooted in place. He dipped his head to catch her gaze, the scent of sea air and sandalwood clung to him, making her head dizzy. She was used to smelling the stale sweaty scent of her father and it was a welcomed change.
"I already told you little, Lilliana. There's no reason to be frightened of me. I'll never lay a hand on you. You have my word as a gentleman."
That's not why she'd been nervous, but suddenly she felt self-conscious, as she again reached up to touch her tender eye. "It doesn't hurt," she lied, but the pity in his gaze was unsettling. "Am – am I really yours now?"
"Do you want to be mine?" he asked, his voice low and surprisingly heavy with seduction.
She swallowed hard. "You won me, did you not?"
Killian froze. "Did you want to stay with your father?"
"No," she answered instantly. "No, I didn't want to stay. I should thank you for my freedom, sir…Killian."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," he said, turning on his heels as he literally began to swashbuckle away. "Not much further now. Come along."
With a sigh of relief to once again gain some distance from this enigmatic man, she followed from a safe distance until they made it over the hill. Her breath caught at the majestic site. It was a real pirate ship in all its glory; big, impressive, and dangerous. There were men on board, cleaning and singing, just like the stories she'd heard about, but never experienced.
"May I introduce you to the Jolly Roger," Killian beamed with pride as he looked to her for a reaction. "Your new home."
"Its…"
"She, love!" he corrected. "A ship is always referred to as She."
"She – is beautiful."
"Isn't she though. Come along," Killian said, leading the way down towards port. "She's made of enchanted wood; the fastest-moving vessel in all the realms. She's taken more hits than I can count and can still put up one hell of a fight. Mr. Smee!"
"Yes, 'Capn.," a shorter man said, coming to instant attention. He wore a sock cap on his head as he waddled to stay before them.
"Mr. Smee. I'd like to introduce you to Lilliana. Lilliana, this is Mr. Smee, my first mate and most trusted ally. Anything she may need, you're in charge of procuring. Is that understood?"
Mr. Smee gave Lilliana a once over, his eyes darting back and forth between the two with a mixture of uncertainty and disbelief. "Is she our guest, Captain?"
"She's more than that," Killian said, turning his gaze back towards her and giving her a heart-stopping wink. "This is her new home."
Mr. Smee looked just as faint as she felt. "Captain. Can I speak to you a moment…over there," he said frantically, nodding his head in a direction far away from her ears. Killian sighed but followed the man. Lilliana tried to act disinterested, but she watched as Mr. Smee ranted away and Killian just grinned. Her 'rescuer' did have a jovial demeanor, which she was increasingly grateful for. She wasn't used to someone so kind and light-hearted.
Killian gave Mr. Smee a whack on the back, causing the man to falter, before he rejoined her. He lifted his hook up to her as a means to help her on board. She hesitated, looking at the gleaming silver.
"It won't bite, I swear on my ship's life."
She laid her hand over the cool surface and walked the three steps down onto the ship, swaying lightly beneath the deck as it rocked against the waves.
"Steady, girl. It may take some time before you get your sea legs. Now I've talked to my first mate. He's going to draw you a bath and get you something to eat, seeing as you never did finish that meal you were trying to prepare."
"If you show me to the kitchen, I can prepare my own food, thank you," she said meekly, kicking herself for her weak tone of voice. Since her mother's death, no one had offered to prepare a meal for her.
"We have a passible cook in the gally, my dear. It's his job to feed us. His food is edible, I promise. Do you like boiled Mackerel and fresh bread with raspberry jam?"
"Whatever you have will be fine, thank you."
"You are far too easy to please, Lilliana," Killian said, once again giving her a heart stopping wink. He needed to stop that. "Let me show you to your quarters."
He held an elbow out for her, which she took hesitantly as he guided her a few paces to the right and down a set of steps into a room filled with rich mahogany and maroon drapery. A decent sized bed sat against the wall and an empty tub was placed close to the fireplace on the far left. It wasn't lit considering the comfortable temperature outside.
The scent of sandalwood instantly reached her senses, and she tensed as realization dawned.
"This is your room," she stated, having no need to ask the question.
"Yes," he said, walking to his desk and taking a seat. He motioned with his arms. "What do you think?"
She gazed around once more. It was impossible for her not to notice that one lone bed.
"You want me to stay…in here…with you?"
Killian rose an eyebrow, placing one finger against his chin while the other rested against his temple. He sank deep into this massive chair and steadied her closely. "Do you have a problem sharing my chamber?"
Lilliana didn't want to sound ungrateful. After all, he had won her in a game of cards fair and square. She was his for him to do with as he pleased, and the thought terrified, yet thrilled her all at the same time. But this situation was still highly improper. "Is there not another room I can occupy?"
"There are cabins below deck, but unless you want to bunk down with a bunch of randy pirates that rarely set their eyes on a woman, I wouldn't suggest those accommodations."
"Are you going to marry me?"
Lilliana couldn't believe those words just fell from her lips. She held her breath. For the first time since leaving her home, along with a raging father who was angrier about losing his coin than her, his face fell. He suddenly looked nervous as he began to absentmindedly arrange the large spread-out papers on his desk.
"No, love," he said. "You're a beautiful girl, but…you aren't my type."
Not his type? Embarrassment flooded her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. So, he really had won her because she was a pathetic abused girl. She tried to hide the hurt on her face. "What is your type?"
Her question came out as evenly as she could muster considering the sting she felt inside. She could have sworn he had been flirtatious with her, but maybe he was like that with all women.
"Hmmm," he said, standing once again, a strand of dark hair moving in front of his eye. She had to stop thinking how attractive he was. He'd just made it very clear he didn't want her. "I prefer my woman to be more – mature."
Mature? Her brows knitted together. "Old?" she inquired innocently.
Killian let out a barking laugh. "I wouldn't say ancient, love. Older. Mid-thirties to early forties. Worldly, but not clingy. They don't expect much from me and I can take from them without guilt or commitment." She hadn't known she'd folded her arms in a protective way. It was something she did naturally when she was anxious. Lilliana visibly flinched when Killian reached up to tuck a stray hair behind one of her ears. He faltered at her wincing but touched her non-the-less.
"I'm not much for teaching little girls, sweetheart. If you understand my meaning."
It took her a moment to comprehend, but Lilliana's cheeks burned from his connotation.
He jumped back from her like he'd been burned, turned around and begun to rub the back of his neck like he'd been caught doing something inappropriate as Mr. Smee and another member of the crew banged the door open upon arrival and rushed inside, each carrying two steaming pales of water. "This should warm your bones nicely, Miss. I have some soap for you right here," Mr. Smee said, producing a bar of soap and lying it out on the small round table that was beside the tub after dumping the water into the large gold receptacle. "Anything else, Captain?"
Killian seemed to hesitate as if he were recollecting his thoughts. "Yes. Bring her up a dress from the chest below deck."
"But 'Capn, those belonged to Mi…"
"Just do it!" he barked. Lilliana winced. So, he wasn't always so cheerful and carefree. There was an anger inside of him that he couldn't fully suppress.
"Yes, Captain," Mr. Smee said, hurrying away while ushering the other man along, as well.
"I'll leave you to bathe," he said, daring one last look in her direction, his breathing suddenly heavy. "I'll see to that dress and meal."
And just like that, he was gone. Killian Jones was the most maddening, yet compelling man she'd ever met. And while she wasn't afraid physically, she feared there were many more ways in which this mysterious pirate could hurt her.