What in the world am I doing? Letting myself have feelings, letting myself be touched by, nearly give myself to, a man that I hardly know? What the hell am I thinking?
But, what in the world is that intense electricity between us… What is that flow between us? That has to mean something, right?
That’s just because he has never let his guard down enough to connect with someone before. He is pouring too much emotion into me. It’s overwhelming us.
This is stupid. This is all just so stupid.
I yelled and berated myself as I ran, my turquoise dress whipping at my ankles as I ran to the docks. I quickly found my little sailboat where she was tied up, white paint and wooden accents gleaming in the after-midnight moonlight. Yes, I had said I would stay with my guard that Axis was going to assign, and yes, he said we were under attack, but I couldn’t see or hear any cannons firing, and I wouldn’t go far. No pirates would care about some little sailboat in the water just floating around the bay.
I loosened the painter and pushed off from the dock, quickly unfurling the sail and finding the wind. It rushed into the sail, luffing it up, luffing my hair back with it, and I steered the rudder into the stream to lead us upwind, hardening the lines, and setting a swift pace to leave the docks behind.
I let loose a delicious sigh of relief. There was no sign of Axis running behind me on the shore. He hadn’t tried to call out to me telepathically yet, either, which I was fully expecting. He would probably be furious.
I shook back my shoulders. I didn’t care. I wouldn’t take the sailboat out for long. I just needed… I just needed to be free…
I imagined his hands on my body, his lips on mine, his hands in my hair… The starlight painted the memory of his touch on my skin and I couldn’t help but smile. Something felt so right about his touch… His hands were so sure and strong…
What am I really running from?
This boat was sure and strong, too. She was a beauty. A gift from my Commander. Maybe he really did care for me… He surely seemed to be trying… And his compassion for the animals was heartwarming. He was giving his all and he was capturing my heart—
A shuffling at the bow of the boat caught my attention. Had an animal found a little nesting place in the canvas tarp?
The shadow’s movement grew into the shape of a burly, stout man, a silhouette in the darkness, stepping toward me into the moonlight’s beam, hands out wide to keep his balance. His visage appeared. My heartbeat quickened and I looked around quickly for any weapon. He had beady eyes, a pointed black beard, stocking cap on his head, the tattoo of a raven fleeing up the side of his face. A pirate!
“Hello, Princess…” He snarled, then lunged for me.
I swung the boom around into his face, nearly capsizing the boat, but it caught and hove-to with a sharp uptick, wake rushing in the turned side of the shallow boat, drenching our feet, and I scrambled to the other side. I gathered my telekinetic power, heart in my throat, standing on the side of the boat, ready to leap off and into a teleport, but just a moment before I had enough power gathered, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back inside, slamming me to the boat's wet floor. I hit my head on the other railing and lights split my vision. I rolled aside as he tried to slam his fist down into my head again, but instead, his fist splintered the seat. I jerked his hand that held my wrist hard as I rolled, so that he plummeted downward, thumping his head into the railing this time. I won’t go without a fight!
He hadn’t released my wrist, but I managed to twist his arm around to the other side of the mast, strung it out backwards as he tried to gain his feet back. I leveraged his arm, then I rammed my foot down hard on it right at the elbow joint.
He roared as it snapped and he released my wrist. I jumped toward the bow, across the listless boom, gathering the teleport power again, but he was there before me, his one arm hanging limp, his other fist coming at me before I could dodge it, and then it slammed into the side of my head and I could hardly register that I was falling before everything went dark.
Thirteen
Axis
I could tell as soon as I stepped out the door that there was no one at the gazebo. I cursed and looked around wildly. Where the hell did she go? My best bet was to go to the gazebo and wait for Bravo Ilisa to meet me and send her looking for Ceritha. And tell others to hunt for her as well. A whole search party would need sent out for the Princess.
“I don’t have time for this!” I yelled to no one in particular, brandishing my fists in the air and tearing at my hair. Where could she have gone? Perhaps back to her room? Down to the docks? To her sailboat? There’s no way she would risk taking out her sailboat when there are pirates about, right? Well, there’s no way she could have risked it if I had told her they are seeking her out in particular…
I sprinted to the edge of the dock and looked down, trying to see if I could tell if the StarChaser was missing. There were just too many small sailboats. I couldn’t remember exactly which slip hers was tied up in. Damnit… I would need to go closer.
I didn't want to make an open telepathic call to her, just yet. That would be open
