I'll Protect You (Re-Edit #2, 2016)

I may be Captain Park Sparrow, but I definitely can't commandeer this ship

Logan's expression grew even stonier, and the atmosphere grew thick with an animosity that I could've sliced it with my nails. Darkwood and I grew still as Logan approached us slowly, his black boots thudding heavily against the wood. 

"Back away from her," Logan said, his voice low and threatening. 

Darkwood and I weren't to the point of being the best of pals, yet, but I figured the kid had a very rebellious streak in him for he pressed his arm against mine. "Make me," he challenged.

Great. Now I was stuck between two boys with pride and ego as great and high as Mt. Everest. Someone was going to throw a punch, and I really didn't think another fight was necessary. 

"Ladies, ladies," I sighed, moving between them to place my hands on their chests and pushing them away from each other, "you're both very pretty."

"Shut up, Sparrow," the two of them snarled, sending me identical looks of annoyance. Since this whole alpha wolf glowering was something that clearly shouldn't be interrupted, I stepped backwards and threw my hands up in surrender. 

"Alright, I guess I knew better than to interrupt a cat fight," I muttered, turning my back and hoping to escape. However, someone grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back. 

"Take Jasper and Darkwood back to the ports on the jet skis. Jasper's wounds require medical attention, and Mister Darkwood here needs to be questioned," Logan ordered. Alarm spiked through me at the last sentence. Darkwood and I exchanged a quick look but an agent pulled him away before I could say anything. 

"I think I should stay with Darkwood," I spoke up, but Logan blocked my way, allowing the agents to take off with Darkwood. 

"A Darkwood?" Logan mused, giving me a skeptical glance. "Isn't he dead?"

"He's walking, he's talking, so clearly he's not dead," I said, keeping my tone light. 

"You seem awfully concerned with him," he pushed, and that's when I noticed that the iciness had been dropped from his voice. Rather, he sounded...jealous?

But why would Logan be jealous? Maybe I'm just reading too much into things. 

"He's gone through a traumatic experience," I explained. "Are you okay?"

His head jerked up, eyes widening a tiny fraction as he stared at me. "Am I okay?" he repeated. "Park, you should take a look at your own face."

On reflex, my hand came up to touch the cut on my face and found that it was wet with blood. "That's gross," I noted, wiping away the rusted scarlet onto my fingertips, staining them an ugly crimson that made me want to go take another bath in the ocean. 

Logan only stared at me, his expression full of shock as though my reaction was unbelievable. His own hand came up, reaching towards me before he put it back down and headed towards the edge of the deck. I figured I was supposed to follow him, so I trailed his steps and  watched as he climbed down one of the ladders fit himself onto a jet ski.

He glanced up at me and gestured for me to do the same. I climbed down and joined him on the vehicle, tentatively wrapping my arms around his waist. Logan revved the engine and we were speeding through the ocean. Salt water sprayed onto my face, seeping into my wound and I suppressed a cry.

In a few minutes, I was being hauled on board by an agent gripping my arms. Once I was on, a woman wrapped a grey towel around my shoulders and sat me down at the front of the boat before handing me a water bottle. 

A while after she was gone, Logan showed up, plopping down beside me with a white towel in his hand. "Hold still," he said before taking my chin. He began dabbing the towel tenderly against my cheek, gently scraping off the blood. Once he was done cleaning my face, he held the towel against my cut, using just enough pressure to stop any more bleeding.