Chapter Seven
About a week passed before we reached Tortuga. Steel and I hadn’t talked much since the night he’d had rum. I still had no idea what rum was, but I wasn’t too keen on finding out. The morning after his fainting episode, Steel avoided me like I had the plague and continued to except for at night while we slept. But even then, he only came in after I was already passed out. Because of these recent events, I was surprised when Steel came to the room—during daylight—to specifically talk to me.
Steel lingered at the door as he said, “We’re about to port in Tortuga. Have you given thought as to whether or not you want to stay there or come with us?”
“No, but I figured I should see this Tortuga place before I make up my mind. I’m afraid I still have no gold so might not have the means to stay there even if I wanted to.”
“We got a lot of gold from the merchants, so I can spare you quite a bit. I also brought this for you to change into since it’s more human-like than that piece of fabric you always where. You’ll want to fit in where we’re going.” He finally stepped fully into the room and held up a beautiful white dress.
It was adorned with glittering white and blue jewels and had a low-cut neckline. It mesmerized me as I took the fabric into my hands. It felt soft like my silky pink dress, but this one was longer in length and sleeves. The sleeves were also sheer and it made the whole thing even more stunning.
With a shaky breath, I said, “I can’t accept this.”
“I want you to have it.” He pressed the dress into my palms and let it go.
“No, I can’t wear this when it was stolen. Blood was shed for this.”
“No, blood was shed for the gold, not a dress. It was just a little bonus.”
I placed the dress on Steel’s desk and sat in the chair. I couldn’t look at Steel so I kept my eyes on the dress. “How can you be so okay with killing people? You’ve probably taken them from their families.”
“I’ve already told you. I’m a pirate. It’s all part of the job.”
“So you don’t feel any remorse?”
“Not at all.”
“Are all humans like you?”
“Me? No, I’m one of a kind.”
I picked at a scratch in the wood and still couldn’t bring myself to glance at him. “Do you remember what you told me a week ago? We haven’t talked about it, but I think we should.”
“You mean when I said I wanted you to want me? I remember.”
“Is that why you’re avoiding me?”
I heard Steel sit on the bed. “You’re the first woman I don’t want to throw away. I’m not okay with killing women, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t. You, however, make me want to impress you. It’s why I brought the dress aboard this ship. When I saw it, I immediately thought of you rather than just myself.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“You’re correct, but if you leave then I’ll never get the chance to.”
“You guys don’t really act like pirates when you aren’t pillaging. Most of you seem more refined than I expected.”
“That’s because you don’t know us very well either. Some of us, like Bastian, come from wealthy, educated families.”
I recalled Bastian talking about missing his family. “Why’d he join piracy to steal gold if he had a family who was already rich?”
“Piracy is a choice for everyone, especially for those who don’t feel like they belong when they are home. It isn’t only about the pillaging and gold.”
“Oh,” was all I could manage. I truly didn’t know them at all.
The sound of Steel standing finally drew my attention from the desk. He made to leave, but stopped at the door to say, “It’s up to you if you want to wear the dress. I’ll meet you on the deck when you’re ready.”
He didn’t look at me before he exited, but I was okay with that. I was baffled that this pirate—who was best known for killing—wanted to get to know me. The question now was did I want to learn about him? Sure, he was sexy, but he killed and stole for a living. Murder and thievery was unbecoming and I couldn’t expect him to change because of me.
Dad didn't change just because the other sirens told him he couldn’t be with Mom. Instead, he chose her and lived in seclusion for us. I wondered what they would say if they were here. Dad would probably tell me to look beyond what I can see—to what was inside of Steel. I was a little nervous to find out. With his curse, Steel’s heart might never fully open up to me. I was worried he was dark on the inside and it would remain that way until the end of his days.
I shook my head. That wasn’t fair of me. It wasn’t Steel’s fault he was cursed. He shouldn’t be judged for what he couldn’t control, especially since he couldn’t even remember it. The answer I had to uncover was whether or not he killed for sport or if the curse was making him relish it.
First things first, I needed to determine if I liked Tortuga. My eyes returned to the dress. Was it terrible of me that I wanted to try it on? It would go to waste if I didn’t. As I undressed and slipped the soft material over my head, I felt like the most horrible person in the world. What made it all worse was that it fit perfectly. It barely brushed against my bare feet, so I didn't have to fear tripping over it.
When I walked onto the deck, Steel stopped mid-conversation with Gregor to stare at me. I decided to keep the dress on rather than put it back in the hands of pirates. I would make better use of it anyway. I hoped this wouldn’t curse me to Hades after I died though.
“You look beautiful,” Steel said when I reached him.
“Thank you. It’s a lot more comfortable than the first dress you gave me.” I gave him a small, strained smile.
“I’m happy to hear that. When we first step in Tortuga, stay near one of us. The men can be brash and coarse.”
We passed Stan and I grimaced. He was much thinner than before and was currently unconscious.
“Is he alive?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’re feeding him the minimum until we get to the island where we leave our enemies,” Steel said.
“We should leave him here rather than tied to the mast only to leave him to die somewhere.”
“We?” Steel raised his eyebrows at me.
“I-I mean you. You should leave him here.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not the pirate way.”
“And why not? Is this ‘pirate way’ set in stone?”
“Well, no but—”
“I’m the one he attacked. I think I should have a say.”
Steel looked to Gregor who was trying not to laugh at our exchange. Gregor’s smile dropped when he realized Steel really wanted his input.
Gregor cleared his throat. “Oh… um… you’re the captain. You make the ultimate decision, but the lady does have a point.”
Steel grimaced. “Very well. Newt! Hoyt!”
Two men paused in their disembarkment and said, “Yes, captain?”
“See to it that Stan is removed and thrown onto land right before we set sail. I don’t want him to have the opportunity to sneak back on.”
The two guys looked confused, but didn’t question Steel. They only replied with, “Yes, captain.”
“Happy?” Steel asked once they were gone.
“Very.” I grinned.
It was terrible that Stan had been tied to that mast for as long as he had. I couldn’t imagine him stuck there any longer. I felt terrible and he didn’t deserve it. Sure, he threw me overboard, but it was to protect his fellow crew members. It wasn’t out of meanness—not that he was nice or anything.
“I wish I could see the best in people like you do,” Steel said as we disembarked. I didn’t say anything so he elaborated, “Well, Stan for example. He wanted you dead, yet you still think he doesn’t deserve to suffer.”
“If he truly wanted me dead, then I would be. He threw me in the water. I’m a siren and it’s common knowledge that we are excellent swimmers.”
Steel said something else, but I didn’t hear because the loudness of Tortuga distracted me. People were bustling everywhere. Some were yelling, others were observing. Some were stumbling, others were running. Overall, it was chaotic and nothing like I’d imagined a human island to be like.
As we walked, a few men whistled and winked at me. It caused me to instinctively move closer to Steel who’d been walking slightly ahead. Not feeling safe enough, I forced myself between Steel and Gregor since they were walking side-by-side.
“Thinking of staying here?” Steel asked with a smirk.
“No way. This place is a madhouse. Why do you willingly come to a place like this?” I frowned.
“It’s a safe haven for pirates and also a relatively cheap place to restock the ship,” Steel said.
“And the women are easy and come with no strings attached.” Gregor waved to a group of girls who were standing outside of a building. They all wore dresses that revealed more of their breasts than mine did. “Excuse me, you two. I’m making my move.”
Steel and I watched as Gregor strutted over to them with his head held high. The women giggled flirtatiously and a couple of them started rubbing the muscles of his arms.
“Is that the reason you like this place too?” I shot Steel a knowing look.
“Me?” He pointed to himself, then pointed behind me. “Oh, look at all those shops. Let’s go buy some things.”
I laughed at his change of subject and quickly followed after him. There were so many different types of stalls with all kinds of goods to purchase. I, of course, had to stop at the fruit stand. Steel told me to pick out what I wanted, so I grabbed some pears, apples, and oranges. Steel paid the man and I thanked both of them.
As we continued to pass the various stands, I said, “I think you should invest in stuff for your men to clean their mouths. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re losing their teeth. Rotting right out of their gums.”
Steel chortled. “They have the option to buy some when we stop at ports like this one, but choose not to. It may come as a surprise to you, but some of them just don’t care.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am.”
I paused in front of the most beautiful shoes. I’d never owned a pair before. “I wish I had money.” I admired the pair I would’ve bought. Steel moved forward, so I told him, “I don’t want you buying me everything.”
“Well, it’s a good thing this is yours then.”
Steel handed me a small, velvet purple bag that jingled. I gasped at the amount of gold it contained. “What’s this for?”
“The crew agreed that you deserved a share for saving Bastian. Well, it would’ve been Stan’s share, but you’re getting it instead. It’s your choice whether you want to buy stuff to bring back on the ship or use it to find a place to stay.”
I chewed on my lip. There was no way I was staying in this place. The men were too creepy and the women were too rambunctious. The shoes on the other hand… they would be nice to wear with this dress. They, too, were white with jewels on the toes. I chewed my lip as I debated on what to do.
“How much are these?” I asked the merchant who’d been watching our exchange.
“You a friend of Captain Bloody Steel? I give you a deal. Two pieces of gold.”
“Really? That’s it?”
The man nodded, so I handed over two pieces as requested. My grin was huge as I slipped on the shoes. They really did compliment the dress and I looked up to see Steel smiling at me.
“I have some business to attend to, so I’ll bring you back to Gregor,” Steel said as we headed back in the direction we came.
The shoes were awkward to walk in at first, but it became easier and easier.
“You sure he’s not too… busy?” I crinkled my nose in disgust.
“He’ll be fine. We’ve given him all the time he needs.”
“But we haven’t been that long.”
“Trust me, he doesn’t need much time.”
I didn’t comment on that because I didn’t want to hear something else I didn’t need to. Instead, I said, “What type of business do you have?”
“Doing some trades, meeting with some new potential crew members… that sort of thing.”
He didn’t elaborate any more and I didn’t ask. Gregor was sitting between two women on a couch in a building that Steel said was called a bar. His shirt was unbuttoned and his hair was disheveled. The girls were the same ones from before and were currently twirling Gregor’s chest hairs in their fingers. It made me shudder.
“Do I really have to stay here?” I asked Steel with pleading eyes.
Gregor smirked, but didn’t move to button his shirt back up. “We’ll behave. How about a drink while we wait for the captain to return?”
“That’s an excellent idea. I’ll even get it for you before I go,” Steel said without giving me a chance to say what I preferred.
He returned not too long after with a drink that reminded me of the smell of his breath from the other week.
“I don’t want that.” I pushed the cup away, not being able to tolerate the stench.
“You haven’t even tried it. Don’t knock it until you at least take a sip.” Steel slid it back towards me.
My stomach turned at the memory of Steel after he had this. Gregor and Steel were both staring and I could tell they weren’t going to let it go. After chewing my lip for another few seconds, I tensed, held my breath, and took a taste. It burned my throat as it went down, but it wasn’t as horrible as I’d been anticipating.
“Well?” Steel and Gregor asked at the same time.
“It’s not completely terrible,” I said.
“Good, you can take your time finishing it. I’ll be back once I’m done and we’ll reboard the ship.” Steel left once again before I could say anything.
Gregor went back to his women while I looked around. This bar was full of people. It was packed, just like the streets when we first walked in. There were humans of all different sizes, shapes, and colors. As my eyes were scanning the various faces, they stopped on an elderly man who was staring right at me. It was almost as if he was looking through me.
His dark eyes were unblinking and his cheeks were marred with scars. His beard and hair were both long and white, but there was a bald spot right above his forehead. He didn’t avert his attention away from me even after I’d caught him. Instead, he stared with an extra dose of intensity.
Even though the man’s gaze wasn’t friendly, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. He sat at his table, unmoving and it was hard to tell if he was breathing. I wondered who was going to be the first to break the eye contact when he suddenly stood and made his way over to me.
The animosity in his face made me stiffen, but it was as if I were frozen in place. My feet refused to move. I looked to Gregor, but he was too busy shamelessly flirting with the painted-faced girls to see what was going on. I didn’t realize the old man was holding a cane until he was jabbing it towards my face.
“Yer kind ain’t welcome here,” the old man growled.
Gregor finally noticed him and stood between us. “What do ya think you’re doing old man?”
“The witch has entranced ye.” The old man looked Gregor up and down. “Poor lad. Ye didn’t even notice. She’s a siren and will drown ye as soon as she can get ye close enough to the water.”
Gregor’s mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t say anything. His eyes were wide with bewilderment at the brashness of the old man.
Taking Gregor’s silence as an okay to continue, the man reached around him and started poking me with his cane. “Out with ye, ye filthy animal. Out.”
I stood and moved out of his reach. “Leave me alone. I’m not some kind of animal and I mean you no harm.”
“Maybe not me, but this lad ye do. Out with ye.”
Gregor pushed the old man so he had to back up, but it wasn’t hard enough to knock him on the ground. We were drawing a crowd and I was getting even more nervous. That drink Steel had me try was about to come up violently.
The old man continued with his babbling, “Witches like ‘er kind killed me brother. Sirens are the reason me face looks like this. They should all be killed.”
The people around us were starting to whisper and the word “siren” left a few of their lips. It was said with apprehension and I noticed that a few of them were beginning to close in on us too.
“Gregor, I think we need to leave.” I tugged on his sleeve and he moved backwards with me.
“Yeah, let’s get back to the ship,” Gregor said.
Bastian broke through the crowd to grab my arm and the crowd reacted. They took Bastian’s move as an invitation to grab ahold of me, but Bastian started pulling me out of the bar.
“My lady, sorry to yank you around, but we’ve got to get out of here,” Bastian said without even looking back at me.
My breaths were coming in heavily and I didn’t say anything in return. Since Bastian was directing me, I stole a glance back towards the bar. Gregor had his sword drawn and was fighting several people all at once. Some of our crew members quickly joined in to help him.
Bastian halted suddenly and I slammed into his back. We both tumbled over and a new set of hands grabbed me by the shoulders. It was a woman and she was glaring at me.
“Your kind killed my husband,” she seethed and a sharp pain pierced my abdomen.
The woman pulled away from me with a sickening sound as the blade was yanked out of me. Bastian cried out my name, but I fell to my knees as I held my stomach. I pulled my hand away only to see red. It was blood. I was bleeding… The woman’s hand was outstretched. Her knuckles were white from holding the knife in her grasp so tightly. She didn’t look upset about stabbing me. Her eyes were twinkling and a vengeful smile twisted her lips.
“My husband was just a sailor. He meant no harm. But your kind does. Your kind kills and you monsters stole him from me, but I’ve finally got my revenge,” the woman said.
The blood rushed to my head from the shock of it all and there was a roaring in my ears. I could no longer hear what she was saying. Her lips were moving, but I couldn’t make anything out. My hands shook as they pushed against my wound. The strange thing was that I didn’t feel any pain. Was I dying? Was that why my senses were failing me?
I didn’t know where Bastian was. I didn’t know where Gregor was. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Only that I was starting to feel woozy.
I didn’t react when someone lifted me up bridal style. My vision was blurred so I couldn’t see who it was. I couldn’t even make out their muffled words as I bounced up and down in their hold.