his passion. As his thumb once again stroked her cheek, he murmured, “Have you come back to remove your curse?” Deegan studied her eyes, and said sadly, “I don’t think you can. I think that magic died with time of the chants and the drums of the dark women.”
Deegan pulled her onto his chest and threw a heavy leg across hers, trapping her. He felt her silent tears work their way through curls spanning his chest, and finally recognized her steady breathing of sleep.
When Monique woke in the morning, Deegan was gone. So were her clothes, so she wrapped the bed quilt around her and tried the door. She was not surprised to find it locked. A few seconds later it opened, and Monique realized he must have been on the helm overhead waiting to hear her wake up. “Come join your friends,” he said with pleasantness that seemed inane under the circumstances.
The thought of being reunited with the other girls had Monique moving forward until Deegan reached out and swept the covering off her. “The sun is quite warm today. I don’t think this is necessary.” He tossed the blanket back onto the bed and dragged her out of the door.
Monique blushed at the catcalls and whistles from the crew and was shocked to see her friends in the same state of undress, manacled in heavy irons and hanging from the fore boom. She whimpered and tried to fight Deegan’s strength as he lifted her arms to secure her in the remaining set of irons.
The girls balanced on their toes in the hot sun, and every time one of them tried to speak the pirate nearest to her placed a resounding smack across her face. Eventually, they were reduced to whimpers and an occasional quiet sob. Ladles of water were offered several times, and Monique would gulp frantically to quench her thirst. Even with the terror and pain of their circumstances, the day took on an almost monotonous existence in the back of their minds as the schooner cut through the sea and rocked up and down on the rolling waves.
In the afternoon, there was activity on deck and the women tried to turn their weary heads to see what was going on. There was a large cabin cruiser approaching, and the girls whispered excitedly the prospects of being rescued. They tried to thrash their strained muscles, and hoarse voices tried to scream for help.
The pirates quickly lowered their women, and Deegan ordered, “Get the women gagged and tied low to the scuttles.” Several of tired girls tried to wedge their hands between the rails to signal, as the engines of the cruiser became louder.
“Ahoy, you headed to the festival?” a man asked.
Deegan had become a master of answering unusual questions over the years. “We are plotting a course to Tortuga.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll appreciate you there, too. This thing is a beauty. How did you manage to age her so convincingly?” The man turned to his friends who were fishing off the back of the boat. “You guys should come take a look at this schooner.” He turned back to Deegan. “You really should consider hitting the festival in the Caymans. If they give prizes, this ship’s a shoe in for first place.”
The man continued to look across the deck, and occasionally one of Deegan’s crew would smile in bemusement and wave. They had only managed to capture one of the new vessels with engines when it had anchored for the night, and the thought of their prey actually approaching the pirates’ schooner amused the men. They waited patiently for the Captain’s signal.
The man finally asked, “Would you mind if I board and look around her? She really is amazing.”
“Perhaps your friends would like to join you,” Deegan suggested.
Monique discovered she had been staring fixedly at the pirate’s smile while he exchanged pleasantries with the stranger. It was an expression she was not even sure could
Deegan pulled her onto his chest and threw a heavy leg across hers, trapping her. He felt her silent tears work their way through curls spanning his chest, and finally recognized her steady breathing of sleep.
When Monique woke in the morning, Deegan was gone. So were her clothes, so she wrapped the bed quilt around her and tried the door. She was not surprised to find it locked. A few seconds later it opened, and Monique realized he must have been on the helm overhead waiting to hear her wake up. “Come join your friends,” he said with pleasantness that seemed inane under the circumstances.
The thought of being reunited with the other girls had Monique moving forward until Deegan reached out and swept the covering off her. “The sun is quite warm today. I don’t think this is necessary.” He tossed the blanket back onto the bed and dragged her out of the door.
Monique blushed at the catcalls and whistles from the crew and was shocked to see her friends in the same state of undress, manacled in heavy irons and hanging from the fore boom. She whimpered and tried to fight Deegan’s strength as he lifted her arms to secure her in the remaining set of irons.
The girls balanced on their toes in the hot sun, and every time one of them tried to speak the pirate nearest to her placed a resounding smack across her face. Eventually, they were reduced to whimpers and an occasional quiet sob. Ladles of water were offered several times, and Monique would gulp frantically to quench her thirst. Even with the terror and pain of their circumstances, the day took on an almost monotonous existence in the back of their minds as the schooner cut through the sea and rocked up and down on the rolling waves.
In the afternoon, there was activity on deck and the women tried to turn their weary heads to see what was going on. There was a large cabin cruiser approaching, and the girls whispered excitedly the prospects of being rescued. They tried to thrash their strained muscles, and hoarse voices tried to scream for help.
The pirates quickly lowered their women, and Deegan ordered, “Get the women gagged and tied low to the scuttles.” Several of tired girls tried to wedge their hands between the rails to signal, as the engines of the cruiser became louder.
“Ahoy, you headed to the festival?” a man asked.
Deegan had become a master of answering unusual questions over the years. “We are plotting a course to Tortuga.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll appreciate you there, too. This thing is a beauty. How did you manage to age her so convincingly?” The man turned to his friends who were fishing off the back of the boat. “You guys should come take a look at this schooner.” He turned back to Deegan. “You really should consider hitting the festival in the Caymans. If they give prizes, this ship’s a shoe in for first place.”
The man continued to look across the deck, and occasionally one of Deegan’s crew would smile in bemusement and wave. They had only managed to capture one of the new vessels with engines when it had anchored for the night, and the thought of their prey actually approaching the pirates’ schooner amused the men. They waited patiently for the Captain’s signal.
The man finally asked, “Would you mind if I board and look around her? She really is amazing.”
“Perhaps your friends would like to join you,” Deegan suggested.
Monique discovered she had been staring fixedly at the pirate’s smile while he exchanged pleasantries with the stranger. It was an expression she was not even sure could
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