A Pirated Heart

Her Pain and Suffering

Arabella stared at the door as anger and confusion rocked her.  

Had Kaden just locked her in his room?

She stood and stomped to the door. As she jiggled the handle, she found that her suspicions were correct. Suddenly she slammed her fists against the wood, hearing the door creak beneath her strength.

“Let me out!” She screamed, fury filling every molecule of her being. She ignored the angry barbs of sharp pain that originated from her still bleeding wounds. They wouldn’t kill her, but she knew exactly who she would kill. And his name was Kaden Lockes.

Arabella ignored the pain in her back as she continued to pound and kick the door, demanding her release. When her demands weren’t met, she turned to threats. Threats aimed at one very annoying and completely dead man. She cursed his existence until fire exploded throughout her body. Before she could even scream, Arabella crumpled to the ground and darkness consumed her.    

Kaden could hear her from the other side of the ship. The pounding on the door was constant and unwavering and her threats were nothing to laugh at. Every crewman he passed gave him a look of confusion and mild fear.

Had he made a mistake? Quite possibly, he conceded as he stood outside of his door. It was quiet now. Silent, even. He wondered if Arabella had calmed down. He quickly threw out the thought. She was furious. She was planning, calculating her next move. After he took a moment to steel his nerves and square his shoulder, Kaden unlocked the door and let it open slowly. When was he wasn’t instantly in pain, he ventured a peek into his room. His heart stopped when he saw her.

“Arabella!” Her name fell from between his lips before he could stop it. Desperation clawed at his heart and he didn’t have time to think about why. He dropped down on one knee next to the motionless woman. He watched her for a moment, waiting for her to breathe. When she did, he let out the breath he had been holding. In less than a second, he had Arabella in his arms and he was on his feet again.  Blood continued to ooze out of her back and it trickled down his arms.

“Stupid woman,” he growled as he carried her out of his room. Jarrus happened to appear in the hallway and the man’s eyes widened.

“What did ya do to her?”

“Nothing. She’s unconscious,” Kaden answered in a growl as he tightened his hold on the injured woman. Jarrus frowned as he approached the pair.

“Take her to my room. I’ll grab what supplies I can, although it’s not much,” Jarrus ordered. Kaden nodded and the two men went their separate ways. Kaden easily found Jarrus room and opened the door. Inside, he found two cots. Each one had an ornamental trunk at the foot and a name carved into each one. On one, Jarrus. On the other, Arabella. Kaden frowned as he laid Arabella down on the cot that had her name plastered on the trunk.  He easily turned her on her side so her wounds weren’t stifled by the mattress.

“Why do you sleep here?” he grumbled to himself as he tucked wild strands of dark hair away from Arabella’s face. He studied her. It was the first time he had ever seen the woman look anything less than a warrior. Arabella had never let anyone see any sort of weakness, but Kaden knew she had to have one. Something that pushed this violent, angry woman to be better than any man or woman she came across. He wondered if betrayal had sent this woman over the edge. A seed of anger built in his gut at the thought.

Who could betray her? Who would want to?

The thought had never even occurred to Kaden. From the moment he met her, something drove him to protect her and when she didn’t accept his protection, it drove him to question her very existence.

“Stop glarin’, boy. She can’t see ya,” Jarrus’s voice brought Kaden out of his thought and he turned to face his predecessor. The man carried a leather satchel filled with what Kaden assumed were medical supplies. Kaden glanced over at the ugly wounds that trailed along Arabella’s back. Jarrus followed his line of sight and grimaced.

“That girl, I swear. So damn stubborn,” Jarrus grumbled as he grabbed a nearby trunk and pulled it up next to the edge of Arabella’s cot; he sat down on the lid, putting the bag next to him. Kaden couldn’t decide whether to leave the man to his duties or stay. The moment he decided to turn and leave, Jarrus stopped him.

“Ya can’t leave yet, boy. I need ya to hold her down in case she comes to.” Jarrus explained as he pulled a bottle of clear liquid and long, frightening needle out of the bag. Gauze and a spindle of thick thread came out next and Kaden’s eyes widened.  

“Bring her to the edge. It’s easier to clean the floor than the bed,” Jarrus ordered in the same commanding tone he used to use to captain the vessel that rocked around them. Kaden nodded as he walked around to the other side of the cot and lifted Arabella up enough to move her to the edge of the cot. In an attempt to keep her hair from getting in Jarrus’s way, he brought the braid around her shoulder.

“Stay alert boy. Ain’t no tellin’ when she’s gonna wake up and if she does, she ain’t gonna be happy with us,” Jarrus remarked before he bent over and began working to clean and stitch up the jagged tears along Arabella’s back. Kaden pinned his eyes on Arabella’s face, expecting some sign of pain. However, all he saw was peace. Dull thunks were heard as Jarrus removed the barnacles and coral imbedded in her skin and dropped them onto the wooden floor.  

The procedure took hours and even Kaden was exhausted by the end of it. Jarrus had gone slow, taking the time to carefully remove all the barnacles and coral shards before closing the wounds with the needle and thread.

“Sit her up. We have to wrap it,” Jarrus remarked as Kaden nodded. He did as the ex-captain ordered and held Arabella’s limp form up by her waist. Unconsciously, she tilted her head forward and pressed it against Kaden’s chest.

“Close your eyes, boy,” Jarrus’s words brought a frown to Kaden’s lips.

***

Kaden sighed. It had been almost three days since Arabella had been injured. Jarrus was worried since it was the longest he had ever seen the woman out of commission. Against his better judgment, Kaden changed the ship’s course when he found a closer port. Because it wasn’t a pirate port, Jarrus thought it might have better medicines to help Arabella heal faster.

Sudden shouting brought Kaden out of his morose thoughts as he was surprised to see Arabella storm out of the forecastle. Jarrus growled in the doorway before he waved the woman off and turned to head back inside. Kaden watched Arabella storm toward him as if she had been unconscious for three days and severely injured.

“Why did you change our course, Lockes?” Arabella stopped in front of Kaden to pin a withering glare on the large man. Kaden ignored her look. He was more surprised that she knew they had changed course.

“How did you know…”

“Jarrus told me. Now why did you change our course?” Arabella growled as she shoved her hand against Kaden’s chest.  

“This port is closer,” Kaden snarled at the woman in front of him. Arabella ignored his anger.

“Warrick is a Navy port!”

“Those whales knocked a few cracks in the hull. This port will have the tools necessary to repair them,” Kaden lied as he watched something akin to panic flit across Arabella’s face before fury replaced it.

“You are a fool, Kaden Lockes.” She hissed before she stomped away. Kaden stared at her back, knowing he was possibly making a mistake. While he knew the navy didn’t know what he looked like, he wasn’t so sure about Arabella. She seemed like the kind of pirate who pissed off every navy officer she came across. However the wound across her back needed medicines that Sortega wouldn’t have. Her anger he could handle; her death he could not.