Chapter 4: Product of Greed

Thane Drogos

Well, fuck.

An impressive amount of profanity flew from Princess Evelyn's pretty little mouth. Here I thought she was a polite, pretty little noblewoman in the wrong place at the wrong time, but no, she was the fucking princess with the vocabulary of a sailor.

Her doe eyes were frenzied, clearly terrified, and running high on adrenaline. With one more look, she grabbed the half-wall and plummeted sixty feet into the freezing water below.

"Shit," I growled. The naïve little girl would die.

The tide would kill her, pull her under, if it didn't break bones first. Churning like a meat grinder. And without proper use of her arms, she would drown.

Fuck me. Damn it all to hell.

Kicking off my shoes, I dropped my jacket and weapons, diving headfirst overboard. I wasn't thinking when I captured her, but I wasn't interested in letting Evelyn drown.

If I had known who she was when I followed her cries into the alleyway, I would have let them kill her. Save myself the trouble.

But I had made my bed. Time to sleep in it.

My hands cut through the water, and I was submerged. The cold water of the ocean felt like home.

I took a deep breath underwater, swimming deeper.

Where was she?

My eyes glowed even brighter, intensifying my vision in the dark water. I could see about twenty to thirty feet through the darkness. The churning water easily threw the petite woman around, slamming her helpless body against the ship's hull.

Her entire body convulsed multiple times as I could practically see the reaper nearby, scythe on the ready for her soul.

Not so fast. She was mine.

Death was not an option.

Dark curls suspended in the water; freckled, sunkissed skin, pallid and cold. I swam, my arms effortlessly carrying me through the waves, and I coiled one arm around her, bringing her flush against me.

My mouth found hers in the abyss, breathing life into her limp body. Offering her oxygen. If the ship wasn't docked, I would have shifted, my dragon form much nimbler in the water than my human one. I swooped upwards, dragging her through the waves that desperately wanted to keep her.

Desmond dropped a rope down to me and, with Rio's help, pulled both Evelyn and I to the top deck. I flopped onto the wood, throwing her down with me. I ripped off the belt I had used to restrain her.

The princess lay motionless, her lips blue. My breath could only do so much after she took on that much water. "Get the physician!" I barked. "Only the physician."

Desmond went off, rushing down the stairs to find Doc, no doubt to wake him from his drunken stupor.

I pressed my palms flat on her chest, one over the other, and made a rough pushing motion. Pulsing in time with what should be her heartbeat. Compressing her heart.

This damn corset.

With both hands, I gripped the top of her dress and tore it open. I tossed the ruined garment to the side, leaving her in only her translucent, white slip. My hands returned between her modest breasts to resume compressions.

One. Two. Three. I squeezed her face to part her lips. My head dipped down to puff breath into her mouth.

One. Two. Three. Another breath. I looked up at Rio, her glossy eyes watching. My Bosun was always eager to help. She just wasn't good at it. Fixing ships. That's what Rio was good at. "Go to my cabin. I need blankets. Towels. Now." She took the orders, taking off toward my cabin.

One. Two. Three. One more breath. Then all at once, Evelyn's torso lurched, gurgling and coughing as she spewed up sea water. I rolled her onto her side. Her entire body trembled with every painful retch. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, her chest heaving greedily.

I leaned back on my heels, watching Evelyn's eyelids flutter open.

Recognition was clear in her eyes, and she stiffened, her back bowing like she intended on scrambling away. I flattened a palm against her shoulder. "No."

Then she fell slack, exhaustion consuming her. That angry line forming on her forehead relaxed, and she seemed peaceful for the first time that evening. Color slowly rose back into her face, turning the tip of her nose red.

Rio returned with the quilt from my bed. That'll do. "Come with me," I ordered, scooping a limp Evelyn into my arms. With every step, I shook droplets of water from her saturated hair. Rio followed me as I laid Evelyn across the furs on my bed. "Would you undress her, Rio?"

The princess was soaked to the bone, and the last thing I wanted was her damaging my mattress. Well, that, and I didn't save her just to have her get a cold and die.

"Of course, Captain," Rio agreed.

I turned, pulling my shirt over my head, sick of the clinging wet feeling. It was one thing being wet in the water, but as soon as the air touched my skin again, I hated it. I left the cabin to give them some privacy while Rio undid the laces on Evelyn's skirt.

Desmond rose from the lower deck with Doc. The old physician stumbled, drunk as a skunk, but he always did his best work while intoxicated. I don't even think Doc knew what it was like to be sober anymore.

"Is she…?" Desmond started, noticing me looming outside the cabin door.

"Alive. Yes. Did Emily send men over for the merchandise?" I asked, changing the subject.

My First Mate nodded. "That's done, Cap."

Rio emerged from the cabin, "I put her in some of yours. She's sleeping."

"That's fine." I paused, looking directly at Rio. "Get Jack and set sail for safehold. Do not tell anyone about Evelyn. Do you understand?"

"Aye. Aye." Rio departed, doing exactly as she was told. It was late, but sleep seemed like a distant thought with all the excitement.

I opened the door for Doc. "Keep an eye on her. I don't want her dying overnight."

"Of course, Cap," the physician hiccuped, offering me a salute before taking a seat in my cabin. I closed the door behind him, pressing my thumbs into my temples, on the verge of a headache, when I noticed Desmond glaring at me.

"I'm not in the mood, Des," I retorted.

But we were in private, and he could chew me out now. He wouldn't dare in front of the crew. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I didn't know she was a princess," I replied, crossing my arms.

"So kidnapping is completely valid if she wasn't a princess? Well, your morals have taken a nosedive."

A tick formed in my jaw.

Desmond sighed, "How did you even run into the princess?" He snorted. "Was she at the tavern?"

Her broach was still in my jacket pocket, strewn on the deck. "Yes. I saved her from a group of scoundrels."

"You dragons really can't help yourselves from a pretty girl in danger," my first mate chuckled.

A stereotype.

But a completely accurate one. Another reason I usually stayed aboard.

I frowned, remaining silent.

"This would have been so much easier if you had just let the girl drown, Thane."

The image of Evelyn, consumed by the water, lifeless, didn't sit well with me. Moments before she spat lively insults someone like her shouldn't even know. So much spirit just to have it snatched away. I didn't like it.

But Desmond was right.

The situation was complicated, and now more so. "You think I don't know that?" I paused, shaking my head. "You want to talk about morals? Letting a girl die isn't very knightly of you."

Desmond scoffed. "Ha. Says the prince." He pinched the bridge of his nose again, a frequent gesture he made during our conversations. "What do you want me to tell the crew?"

"Nothing yet. I don't even know what I'm going to do with her." It was true. What to do with a princess. She had seen him and threatened their heads.

A moment of silence passed between Desmond and I.

Then Desmond finally asked, "Do you think she knows who you are?"

I shook my head, remembering how her eyelashes fluttered, her cheeks darkening as she handed me the seal of her fate. "No."

He slapped my shoulder. "Well, there may be hope for us yet. Your mother isn't going to like this, though."

"Let me worry about my mother," I snapped. "I'll tell her when I figure out what to do with the princess."

Desmond sat down on the steps, watching Rio pull the anchor, sails set for the voyage with Jack in tow. Des and Rio were always a package deal. Twins, attached at the hip. But even though Rio was a few minutes older than him, Desmond always acted like a big brother.

Nice to see, but it left me with this ache inside of the relationship I could have had with my older brothers.

But they were gone.

Only the pain remained.

I know my mother grieved the loss worse than I did. She never talked about them. My memories were blurry shadows. I didn't know who they were. I didn't know the type of man my father was. All I knew was that I survived, and they didn't.

"Drink with me," Desmond said, interrupting my thoughts, holding a home-brewed bottle of alcohol out to me. "Not like we'll get much sleep. Might as well drink the night away."

I accepted the bottle, gulping down the drink. I passed it back to Desmond. "Who made this? Tastes less like piss than usual."

Desmond laughed. "Good ol' Doc."

"Figures. The drunk knows his booze," I replied.

Several crewmen came up from the lower deck, preparing to depart the harbor. Sailing took at least twenty men, but I always like to have double that in case we wanted to overtake a larger vessel. For now, most of the crewmen remained in the lower deck.

I leaned back, staring up at the starry sky, the full moon. Pointing out constellations.

Nothing like it.

Feeling small, enveloped in darkness with only the stars to guide your way back home. I preferred the ocean to the city. So did my crew.

We came to life on the open seas. The sound of waves lapping at the ship's hull as we cut through the water. In the distance, Rio raised our flag.

The blue sea serpent.

A warning. A biting reputation.

As we sailed into the open ocean, I passed the finished bottle back to Desmond. "I'll let you know what to tell the crew in the morning."

"Aye. Aye."

I opened my cabin door. Doc sat in my desk chair, leaned back, eyes heavy.

"How is she?" I asked.

Doc jerked up, "Oh. Evening, Cap. Lass is fine."

"Good." I gestured to the door. "Go back to the crew bunks, Doc. You need it."

Sleepily, the man didn't argue.

I stopped him, putting an arm out to block the doorway. "This stays quiet. Understood?"

"Aye, sir."

The door closed behind him.

I turned my head. Evelyn finally got all of her color back, curled up in the furs on my bed. Long brown hair matted against the pillow, wheezing quietly.

My eyes narrowed, taking in her bare shoulder peeking up from beneath the blankets. Freckles sprinkled generously there too. How far did those freckles go?

As much as I wanted to know, this woman was not an object of desire. She was a woman I stupidly brought back to my ship. She lived the life stolen from my family. Evelyn was the product of greed. A greed that was paid for with blood.

It didn't matter how big and round her eyes were, that fact would never change. She looked innocent now, like she didn't have a sharp tongue. Like she wouldn't bite. But underneath all that loveliness was a rat.

A powder keg. Ready to blow up in my face if anything about me went back home with her.

I had to walk carefully. Tie her up and throw her in the brig if necessary. Regardless of her blood, I didn't want her dead. It felt wrong to murder someone for the sins of their father.

That didn't mean I wouldn't kill her if it came down to it.

I would protect my mother from her. From her violent, greedy bloodline.

I turned my back to her, changing into something dry from the chest at the foot of my bed.

I untied the bandana from my hair, draping it across my clothesline.

Wait.

I glanced over once again at Evelyn, just knowing she was going to put up a fight as soon as she woke up. Returning to my chest again, I retrieved leather restraints. Not my favorite use for them, but it'll do.

Gently grasping her wrist, I brought it to the headboard. She barely stirred when I clipped the cuffs in place. The brown leather looked good on her.

A small, sharp pang of lust struck me like a bolt of lightning. A pulse that went directly to my cock.

No. Not now.

I palmed at myself, too tired to do anything about it. Instead, I sat back on my chaise lounge, legs parted. A groan slipped from my lips as I stretched, settling against it. Evelyn was in my sights, so I would know when she awoke.

With one arm tucked back behind my head, sleep found me.