“My mother is dying of a weakening sickness. The physician says she has less than three months.”
“Then why aren’t you with her instead of plaguing me?”
Why, indeed? “Well, Mama’s last wish is to see her sister, my Aunt Mary, again. So I promised my mother I would fetch her.”
He shot her a skeptical glance. “And what does the rest of your family think of this journey? I doubt they approved of you, a young, unmarried woman, traveling alone.”
She cast her gaze down, hoping to look forlorn instead of frantic. “The only other member of my family is my younger sister, Helen. She stayed home to care for my mother.” A sister named Helen? Her imagination was indeed fertile today.
“Where is your father?”
“Poor Papa. He was such a happy little merchant,” she lied as fast as her tongue would speak the words. “He died of the same weakening sickness Mama has.”
He cocked a considering brow. “And I’m to understand your Aunt Mary lives in Grand Bahama?”
Christina smiled in a way she hoped the captain found grateful. “Exactly.”
“If you’re on such a saintly errand of mercy, why didn’t you tell me that to begin with, instead of inventing a husband?”
“Well…” Christina hesitated, her mind frighteningly blank.
Well what? The captain’s suspicious stare told her he was already skeptical of her latest tale. The crew hovered nearby, pretending involvement in their chores.
“You thought you’d be safer from lascivious attentions if the crew and I believed you were married?”
The excuse seemed so believable that she overlooked his mocking tone.
“You are clever to have figured me out so easily.”
-29-
Shelley Bradley
The captain stepped closer still, until only a whisper of wind passed between their bodies. Christina was cognizant of a tingling pull, the oddest urge to touch the vital, solid breadth of him. The intermingled zip of fear somehow added to her excitement.
Blast it all, she was fighting for her freedom, her life! She did not want to grovel for it, especially in front of dozens of prying eyes, especially to him. In a couple of weeks, she would be a scrap of a memory to him. For her, he would bridge the way from a life controlled by Grandfather to the shore of independence and women’s rights.
“Your reason for stowing away makes no difference. Either way, you’ve made a big mistake.”
He looked so sure of himself, that Christina felt a surge of apprehension.
“Have I?”
For a long moment, he studied her, a furrow creasing his dark brow.
Christina’s anxiety multiplied.
“Do you know the name of the ship you’re on?” he finally asked.
“No, I chose the first one bound for the Bahamas.” At the time, it had hardly mattered which.
His deprecating laugh sounded between them, further rousing her unease.
“Welcome, princess, to The Dragon’s Lair.”
In an instant, his stowaway lost all color in her beautiful countenance.
Clearly, she’d heard of his exploits. And while Drex was glad he’d finally penetrated her bravado, he needed no great genius to see she was terrified.
After a series of rapid blinks, she swallowed hard. “Does that mean… Are you…?”
He flashed her a shark’s smile. “The Black Dragon.”
“Oh, dear God.”
If possible, she paled another shade. Part of him was angry as hell she’d defied him, since her presence didn’t fit well with his plans. He had to punish her, he thought with a disgusted sigh. Order and equality had to be maintained
-30-
The Lady and the Dragon
with the crew. He couldn’t afford to tolerate stowaways. But he saw no purpose in frightening her further, especially if she had told the truth about fulfilling her mother’s last wish, something he had not had the opportunity to do, to his deep regret.
“What is your name?” he asked.
Mutely, she retreated two unsteady steps, then a third. Frowning, Drex pursued. Damn it, was she going to faint?
When her back hit the mainmast, she gasped, jumping with fright. Drex reached out to steady her. The minx whirled about and scrambled away until he grabbed her arm.
As he turned her to face him again, her rigid body trembled. On her pale face, he read a struggle for courage as she lifted her chin and asked, “What are you going to do to me?”
Drex suppressed a laugh. Whatever lies she’d heard about him must have been greatly exaggerated. “At the moment, ask your name again.”
“My—my name?”
He raised a challenging brow. “I assume your mother named you before her illness.”
She pulled on her arm discreetly. He let her go without a word. She paused, then choked, “Lillianne. Are you going to throw me overboard?”
“Can you swim from here to Grand Bahama?”
Around her, some of his men chuckled. She cast desperate glances in their direction. “I cannot swim at all.”
“Then we’ll have to think of something else.”
She stepped back. “Oh God, you’re going to whip me.”
He shook his head. “That’s really my least favorite method of punishment.
Too messy.”
“That only leaves…” Lifting her chin another degree, she met his gaze directly. “Please, if you’re going to ravish me, don’t do it in front of the other men.”
Another chorus of guffaws sounded from his crew. Drex stifled a groan.
“Hancock!”
-31-
Shelley Bradley
Within moments, his diminutive first mate appeared. “Take our…guest to my quarters.” He addressed her again with a brief glance. “I’ll be below shortly.”
* * *
Christina hovered in a corner of the captain’s cabin, recalling the last time she’d been here. The dragons—sewn on his bunk, tattooed on his back—now made sense. What a terrible tangle! From the unpleasant prospect of a Swiss prison, to the savage master of the seas, the Black Dragon. If her situation deteriorated any further, she’d soon be meeting the Grim Reaper.
Mercy, she was exhausted. She had slept mere minutes both of the nights she’d spent below. She glanced again at the captain’s precisely-made bunk. It looked inviting, as if she could rest on that soft surface in sweet slumber for hours.
But the captain was coming for her, probably sooner than later, and she needed her wits about her to stay alive and out of his bed. She only thanked God she’d had the presence of mind not to blurt out her real name when he told her his identity as her grandfather’s number one nemesis. Now she’d have to remember to answer to her middle name for the rest of the voyage.
The short man, Hancock, entered and tossed her a blanket, along with a suspicious scowl. “Are ye hungry or thirsty?”
Christina grabbed the soft, woolen cover and wrapped it about her. “Both, and I require a change of clean clothing. My valise is below, in the hold.”
“I’ll find ye something for your stomach. You can fetch yer clothes later.” A smirk shaped his mouth. “After the cap’n is finished with ye.”
On that ominous note, Hancock exited, shutting—then locking—the door behind him. Dread plunged her stomach somewhere between her feet. She was trapped here, at the mercy of a vicious privateer who ate small women like her for snacks. And soon, he would descend to his cabin, ravish her and do God knew what else.
Her voyage to the Grand Bahamas seemed doomed to be less
adventuresome, and more hellish, than she’d ever imagined.
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The Lady and the Dragon
She fought surging panic at the thought that dark, dangerous stranger would ruin her, of the pain his defilement would bring. Or would ruination at his hands be as enjoyable as their kiss?
No. Notorious privateers weren’t noted for their gentle natures, and she wouldn’t play whore to one. Why, she’d heard Grandfather say the Black Dragon had once executed an entire boat load of nuns, after ravishing them, of course. Not the kind of lover she’d imagined having someday. But if Grandfather’s tale was true, why hadn’t the captain harmed her yet?