^“I was looking for you,” Jacob says as he comes into the moonlight. It’s the only light out here on the dark night. The wind howls through the night, and the sails catch the wind, making the night seem louder. I’m sitting on the steps on the deck of the ship after dinner, as I wanted to see the stars.

“I’ve been in the same place for over an hour, you couldn’t have looked well,” I comment, and his lips turn up in a smile. Jacob takes off his hat and walks over to me, he sits on the edge of the steps like I am and leans back on his elbows.

“How was your first real day on the ship?” he asks me.

“Well, most of the people run away from me, the children look at me like I’m two steps away from eating them. I keep falling over when the ship rocks as I’m not used to the wet floors up here, and that cat does not like me,” I say, and Jacob bursts into laughter, laughing so much that I end up joining in. It takes us a while to calm down.

“Salty Sam doesn’t like anyone, so don’t take that personally,” he says. Well, I guess that’s one thing. My leg still stings from the scratches.

“The cat scratched my leg as I walked past him earlier. I nearly jumped out of my skin,” I say, and he chuckles a little as he bumps my shoulder with his.

“Have Chaz take a look at it, he will find some cream to help,” Jacob says looking down at my legs, and then his eyes drift up my body until he gets to my eyes.

“I will,” I say, leaning back and looking up at the stars to break some of the tension.

“Do you know the names of the ten stars?” Jacob asks me, pointing up at the nine stars that make a weird shaped circle. There is one star in the middle of the circle, and I don’t know much about it. My father didn’t know the names, and none of my books talked much of the stars.

“No, I don’t,” I reply.

“Well it’s said that the star in the middle is called Love. That the nine stars around it were her lovers before they all died keeping her safe. They are called Fondness, Devotion, Adore, Lust, Desire, Warmth, Beloved, Sensation, and Compassion. Love couldn’t survive without her lovers, so she died and joined them in the stars. The stars circle around Love to protect her, so she can be free to give her love to anyone who needs it. They say when you’re alone, you only need to wish upon the star of Love, and she will help you.”

“She had a lot of lovers then,” I say, wondering how any woman could cope with nine men in her life.

“Some people are destined for more than one person,” he tells me, and I look up at the circle of stars in the sky. I don’t think on his words much more than I have to.

“Such a lovely story,” I say.

“My mother told me it once and many other stories. She loved the stars,” he tells me.

“So do I. As I grew up, the stars always seemed so . . . free. Something I thought I could never have, and I loved looking at them,” I say.

“I once read a story about the god of the sea,” I say, thinking about a book I read.

“Would you tell me?” Jacob asks.

“The book said the Sea God lives in all the seas, and they say that the ones who truly believe can ask for a deal. Many ask for love, for fortune, and most for power. It said that the Sea God will make you a deal, but the deal always benefits him,” I say, and he nods.

“Only the chosen will be treated fairly,” he says. I look at him, and he shakes his head.

“Something else my mother once said. She said her mother talked to the Sea God once. I do not believe it, but then again, there are stranger things in this world,” he says, and I silently agree with him.

“Would you tell me about your life?” he asks me gently.

“There is not much to tell. My father kept me hidden because of the mark, and I was found. So, I ran to the sea,” I say. I ran to sea and was saved by pirates. Pirates who turned out to be better people than I could have ever expected them to be. How very odd, the way my life has turned out to be.

“I ran once from my past, and pirates also saved my life,” he says and stops mid-sentence and changes his mind, standing up instead. Jacob offers his hand to me, and he pulls me up.

“Where were you from?” I ask as I stand up, our bodies pressed closely together, and he doesn’t let go of my hand.

“I was born on Sevten,” he tells me. We both just stare at each other, neither one of us looking away, and the urge to move closer to him is worse than before.

“You’re sleeping in my room tonight, as I’m running the ship,” he says, moving away slightly, but he keeps his hand in mine.

“I can sleep with the guests. I have no idea why you think I need to sleep in your rooms,” I say, having to speak a little louder as the wind blows hard against the sails.

“Cassandra, remember how the people looked at you with fear?” he asks me.

“Yes,” I respond, remembering the woman and how the other men have stayed far away from me today. I don’t know how to explain that sometimes it bothers me how people treat me, how they fear me.

I’m not sure what to do as his fingers rub my hand, but it’s comforting. I wonder if he knows how I’m feeling.

“People do unimaginable things out of fear. The very fact that they would hand over a baby to be killed because of fear of what that child may or may not become, is proof of that. Let us keep you safe because we do not fear you, Cassy,” he says.

“Why don’t you fear me?” I ask him, my breath haunting as he steps that little bit closer to me. Our breaths coming out like clouds as the chilly night air blows around us.

“I do fear you, Cassy, but not for the reasons that the others do. I fear you because you could take my heart, and I would never want it back,” he says softly. Jacob leans down, his lips briefly brushing mine before he sharply pulls away.

“Ouch,” Jacob shouts, stepping back quickly and rubbing the back of his head. I was so lost in Jacob’s words and the ghost of a kiss, that I didn’t notice Laura coming over to us. I didn’t notice the fact she just hit Jacob on the head with her wooden stick, and I try not to giggle. She lowers the stick and winks at me.

I have no idea why she just did that.

“Laura, how many times have we told you about hitting people with that damn stick?” Jacob says, still rubbing the back of his head.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Laura says before walking off and whistling to herself. I watch her in disbelief and try not to chuckle.

“Don’t laugh,” Jacob groans as he takes my hand and walks us off, following Laura. I watch in surprise as she opens the doors that lead below deck and walks down them. The doors are about the size of her, and she is an old woman.

“She’s stronger than she looks,” Jacob says, making me giggle.

“What did I say about laughing?” Jacob says with a cheeky grin and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

“Jacob,” I say throughout laughs as he walks down the stairs with me. Jacob just tickles my stomach with his one hand, and I can’t stop laughing.

“Should I ask why you have the little bird on your shoulder?” Hunter’s deep voice comes from somewhere in front of us.

“She is being a pain in the ass,” Jacob replies with a laugh and walks us past Hunter without waiting for his reply. I lift my head a little, just in time to see the smirk that Hunter gives me before he walks up the stairs. He clearly agrees with Jacob.

“Are you going to behave, Cassy?” Jacob asks before he slides me down his body. I’m way too aware of how every part of his body touches mine as he lowers me to my feet.

“Yes,” I say, my voice breathless and strange to me.

“This is my room,” Jacob says, leaning a hand past me and opening the door behind me.

“Thanks,” I say, struggling to understand my feelings for the pirate, and he nods, stepping back. I’m surprised he doesn’t say anything about the near kiss, and I’m not sure if I want him to.

“Sleep well, Cassandra,” he says before walking away. I watch him disappear into the shadows of the corridor before I walk into his bedroom. The room has a candle inside a glass lantern on the wall and one small window that lets in a little moonlight. There’s a small bed with red sheets and a large dresser in the corner. The dresser has a pile of books on it and a heavy-looking crossbow balanced against it. There is a holder full of arrows next to it. I look at the crossbow, knowing there’s no way I would be able to even pick that up.

I kick my shoes off and take my coat off before leaving them on top of the dresser, loving the soft rug I can feel under my feet. The room smells like Jacob, and I’m concerned how comforting that is to me.

“I’m going mad,” I mutter to myself before walking over to the bed and realising that I need the toilet. I find his bathroom, which is similar to Chaz’s, and quickly wash my face while I’m in there.

After I’m all sorted, I make my way back to the bedroom and slide into the extremely comfy sheets.

My eyes close in seconds, and my dreams are filled with handsome pirates.