Of Magic and Rum (Beyond a Contemporary Mythos)

Chapter 17

The rising sun blazing through my eyelids awakes me the following day. Jack’s salty, citrusy scent hits me immediately—strong and potent. I’m curled in his lap, my head resting on his chest. I’m still topless, but Jack has his frock coat on, minus one sleeve, so I’m snuggled within it—warm and safe. The crew is stirring in patches, groaning and stumbling to the water’s edge to relieve themselves before dousing the fire that’s dwindled to nothing but glowing embers. I remain still, smiling at Jack’s steady mortal heartbeat thrumming against my ear.

Jack is slumped in his chair, his head propped on the seat’s back. He jolts awake, smacking his lips together. “How long was I out?”

Murmuring against his skin, I flutter my eyes open. “All night, I’d imagine,” I answer, chuckling.

Jack rests his chin on my head so easily that it makes my heart burst. “And how are you feeling this morning?”

The buzz from the alcohol has disappeared entirely, and I feel more rested than I have in a long time. “Fine. What should I feel like?”

“Considering how drunk you were, I’d say a splitting headache, nausea, and a penchant for repeating the words, ‘I’m never drinking again’?” Jack sits up, taking me with him.

“Can’t say I feel any of that.” I bite the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile.

Jack’s squint morphs into a glare. “None of it? How much do you remember from last night?”

“Mm.” Sitting straight, I press a quick kiss to Jack’s lips. “Don’t think I forgot about your claims to ravish me skillfully.”

Jack clears his throat and drums his fingers on my hip. “You remember everything, don’t you?”

I can’t answer without bursting into laughter, so I nod emphatically.

“Fucking hell,” Jack growls and bunches his hair, pulling it. “You know, there’s still time, and I saw a thicket of bushes back there that’d hide just enough to?—”

My stomach dips, and I press a finger to his mouth before I do something rash and take him up on his offer. “But you’re the captain, Jack. And it’s you that’ll get us underway and sailing again. And trust me, they’ll need all the instructions they can get.” I nudge my chin at the hungover crew shuffling around us, holding their hands above their heads to block the bright sun.

Jack moans in protest before his lips trail kisses over my neck, the tip of his tongue teasing my skin. “Why don’t you stage a mutiny? Let someone else take over?”

I chew my bottom lip, his caress lighting my skin on fire, and I close my eyes, moaning and tilting my breasts toward him. “As enticing as that is—” Snapping out of it, I cup his chin in my hand. “—you’re born to lead, Jack. Besides, you’d hate me for it later.”

Jack peels back, frowning, and a deep groove forms on his forehead. “I could never hate you. Perhaps greatly dislike you in a given situation, but never hate.”

“Oh? What if I cut off one of your toes?”

Jack stands, lifting me from his lap and resting me on the ground. He slips the jacket from his arm and slings it over me. “That’s strangely specific, but I’d throw the bloody stump at you, and we’d be square.”

Scrunching my nose, I playfully swat him in the chest. “I should get situated on the ship.” After scooping my shirt into my palm, I turn away.

Jack pulls me back to him. “Have you entranced me somehow, Anne?” His eyes roam my hair, and the back of his hand trails down my cheek.

“Maybe,” I whisper, nuzzling against his touch. “But I wouldn’t need to. A nymph’s magic serves to get your attention.”

“You have it.” Jack’s words are clipped and stern. “You’ve had it since the damn tavern.”

A breath hitches in my throat because I can rationalize this in every way imaginable, denying my immediate attraction toward him when his boots crossed the bar’s threshold. But I’d be lying to myself. We’ve spoken no words, but actions have always been far louder, and ours have declared it to the world: he and I, Jack and Anne, are together .

Tears sting my sinuses, and I hold them back. Pressing a hand to his cheek, I rise to my tip-toes and give Jack a tender kiss before flopping back to my heels. “I’ll meet you at the helm later, yes?”

Flashing a debonair grin, Jack bows, bending from the waist and extending one arm to his side. “M’lady.”

Chuckling, I clutch Jack’s coat around me, lifting the collar to inhale. Mary, hair unkempt and dark circles under her eyes, hobbles toward the ship and groans.

“Is this the Afterlife?” Mary asks, opening one eye and squinting with the other.

Frowning, I smooth back Mary’s hair from her face. “The Afterlife?”

“Yes. Because I surely must be dead.” She moans, holding her stomach, and her cheeks puff.

“How do you all have celebrations like this and still function so well the next day?”

Mary waves me off and lifts her shirt to scratch her ribs. “Little bit of water, a few vomits over the side once we haul away, and we’ll be right as rain. It just stinks first thing in the morning.” She snorts and elbows my side. “And you, darling, are a little vixen, aren’t you?”

“Pardon me?” I feign innocence, my boots thudding against the wooden ramp as we clamber on board.

“Don’t even try it. I saw you all over Jack, swaying your hips, tits in the wind whilst on his lap .” Mary prods me. “I like you more and more with each passing day, friend.”

“It was a fun night,” I say, flashing a cheeky grin.

Glog scurries past us, and I trot to catch up with him, quickly switching the frock coat wrapped around me for my linen shirt. “Glog,” I call after him, folding the jacket over my arm.

Glog is in his own world, distracted, but his face brightens when he notices me. “Anne. Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, but I need to ask what you put in that drink. I’ve never felt that kind of buzzing in my head before.”

Glog stands proudly with his fists on his waist. “Sea snail mucin.”

Queasiness forms in my gut, and I stick my pinky in my ear as if I’ve suddenly become hard of hearing. “Mucin? As in secretion ?”

“Precisely.” Glog snaps his fingers. “This particular species of snail’s mucin is poisonous to small predators, and as a toxin, I thought to myself, it may act as a sort of psychedelic in correct doses with humans.”

My eyes grow wider with each passing word. “Your skills are wasted on food and drink alone, Glog.”

“Nah. It’s my passion. But I do get ravenous for outside exploration, and it’s not like I expected everyone to go around licking snails to test their effects.” Glog barks a laugh and scratches the back of his head, gaze glossing over in lost thought again.

“Well, it worked. I felt uninhibited but still somehow acutely aware.” Absently, I trail my fingertips down my throat, remembering Jack’s hands on my back and breasts as he poured the rum on my chest to make my scales appear.

“Splendid. I’ll whip you up a batch whenever you like, just let me know.” Glog gives me a tender smile before continuing.

We’ve hauled anchor and set sail within the hour, and by mid-day, most of the crew are back to normal, some puking their guts out several times to get there. I’ve kept myself useful by swabbing the decks and touring the ship, asking where others needed help. Every time I near the helm, I can feel his gaze on me, which bursts butterflies in my stomach. I’m constantly battling between keeping my distance from Jack so as not to arouse the crew and planting a million kisses on him when I pass. And proudly, I’ve only snuck several kisses and a few careless whispers by the time the sun sets.

When the first blast hits, it’s minor enough for me to feel only the slightest vibration through my feet, and I think nothing about it. But moments later, when the second one goes off, it sends a chill down my spine, and an ominous pang clutches my gut.

“No,” I whisper, rushing to the ship’s side to watch the rolling dark waters. “It’s not possible.”

The first ripple is the faint call of Atlantis—a summoning I cannot heed. But the second wave, the much more intense one, belongs to a creature answering it—the Charybdis. It never breaches the surface. It waits for its prey to be underwater, where it has the advantage. And why would it try to attack me on a ship this large?

The creature calls my bluff when a colossal wave hurls against the ship’s side, turning the hull cock-eyed before leveling. I grip the railing and snap my attention to Jack and Duke at the wheel. The crew panics, looking to the captain to give them direction. But he has no idea what we’re up against. How can he?

“What the hell was that?” Duke asks, his gaze lifting to the blue skies void of ominous dark clouds suggesting a storm.

Jack peers over the ship’s side and sprints to the opposite end when he doesn’t spot anything. “Ready the cannons,” he yells, and the crew scrambles below deck while others keep their eyes peeled on the water.

I remain still, perking my ears for further signs of the Charybdis. Is it so much to ask that the monster got courageous at first and quickly realized it wasn’t worth the effort?

The ship violently lurches, only this time, there’s no wave accompanying it, only the alarming sound of wood cracking and creaking. Sucking in a breath, I run to the helm, grabbing the stair railing when the ship jerks to the right, my knees buckling.

“Jack, it’s the Charybdis,” I shout.

Jack fiddles with his rings, an exasperated stare wrinkling his forehead. “Can you please get to the part where you tell us how to get rid of it?”

We can’t. We can only hope to attack it enough to will it away—for now.

“Don’t bother with the cannons,” I yell, a loud thump resonating as the creature launches against the bottom of the ship.

“What?” Jack asks, rage coating the word.

“It won’t be able to penetrate its skin. We’ll waste ammunition.”

A wave crashes over the ship, drenching Jack, Duke, and me. My nymph form slowly appears, reacting to the wetness, but Jack isn’t enthralled by it this time.

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?” Duke barks, circling his mouth with a hand to remove water.

Jack stomps his boot three times, an unspoken order to the men downstairs to stand down on the cannons.

I’m already freeing the belt and cutlass from my hips and heading for the ship’s side when I reply, “Let me fend it off. Catch the wind and get out of here.” Standing on the railing in only my linen shirt, I hold onto the rigging and stare at the water.

It’s the least I can do, considering I’ve led this thing straight to them.

“Like hell you’re doing this by yourself.” Jack removes his belt and sash, yanking a rope with a grappling hook on one end and winding it around his shoulder.

A tightness seizes my chest, and the fear of losing him soon consumes me— devastates me. “Jack, are you insane?”

Jack kisses the tip of my nose and smiles. “Why do you think I’m so good at my job?”

Before I can protest further, he dives into the water with perfect form. My knuckles turn white from gripping the railing. I watch, waiting for him to surface before I jump into the depths. The Charybdis’ mouth protrudes from the water, hundreds of overlapping spiky teeth in a circle surrounded by thick, scaly skin and its throat sucking in water and anything else unfortunate enough to be in its path. And latched onto one of its dozen broad tentacles—is Jack. He sputters water once breaching the surface, tossing his hair behind him in a mist of sea spray. His feet press against the monster’s body, the hook lodged in its flesh keeping him secured.

Ragnar runs to the railing right as I’m readying to jump in, his pistol raised. I grab his forearm and shake my head. “Don’t bother. It’ll only feel like a tickle to that thing, and you might hit Jack.”

Ragnar clenches his jaw, winces, and lowers the weapon. “ Pokker . Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Keep the ship moving and the crew from panicking. We need our wits about us.” After squeezing Ragnar’s arm, I launch into the water, morphing my legs into my tail before hitting it.

Underwater is a flurry of bubbles, and my heart races, being this close to the monster who’s haunted my life and dreams for as long as I can remember. The Charybdis is so massive its bottom half disappears into the darkness below. Three giant tentacles with barbs on the ends shoot from its mouth, aimed at Jack, still riding its back. I throw my hands forward, sending an immense pulse through the water and catapulting it into the creature’s side. It dives, taking Jack along with it. Jack crouches, still keeping his arm wrapped with the rope.

Flicking my tail, I’m a harpoon with my sights set on one of the Charybdis’ barbed tentacles. Materializing my Atlantean sword, I hold the hilt in one hand, using my other arm to plunge through the water like liquid lightning. The monster makes a sharp turn, hurling Jack off its back. The grappling hook tears into the creature’s flesh, carving out a chunk that floats away. The Charybdis’ focus now lies on Jack, and it bares its teeth, sucking the water through its lungs and creating a whirlpool that pulls Jack towards it.

No.

Gritting my teeth, I push my fins faster, straining through the effort. Lifting the blade, I swing it down on one tentacle, cutting it in half, sending crimson tendrils through the surrounding waters. The monster screeches and halts, spinning to face me, the remaining barbed tentacles in its mouth splaying and vibrating. Its black tail rises from the depths and plunges into my side before I can maneuver away. My back slams against the ship’s side, the wind knocking from my lungs. The Charybdis darts a barb at my midsection, and I push off the boat to twirl away, but it still manages to flick my stomach, cutting it. I wince and hiss but push through the pain. It’s only temporary and will heal before night’s end.

Jack is yelling and on top of the creature again, beating his fists against it, luring its attention away from me. His lungs must be burning for air by now, and if the brave idiot doesn’t surface for air soon, he’ll pass out. Swimming to the creature’s opposite side, I dodge the slashes of its tentacles and dart from the snapping pointy teeth. When I reach Jack, his cheeks are puffed, and he stares at me wide-eyed. I grab his shirt and pull him toward me, clamping my mouth over his to give him enough air to get back on deck. After pulling away, I push his chest and send a blast of energy through the water that’ll forcibly move him to the ladder. And I can only pray he’ll be smart enough to use it—to get to safety.

Turning to face the Charybdis, I know there’s no way I can defeat it, especially not alone. Only one being in the cosmos stands a chance against it—my father. But he isn’t here, and it’s only me. I can’t kill it, but I sure as the Seven Seas can send a message that I won’t be easy to destroy.

With my hands poised at my sides, I dig into ancient power I’ve rarely summoned. It’s like recalling muscle memory, and the power isn’t full force, but maybe it’s just enough to scare the terrorizing monster. As the magic courses through my veins, my scales glow brighter, shimmering until my eyes blast open, and I hurl the power from my chest, using my arms as weapons, throttling the energy at the Charybdis. It sends the creature flipping, toppling, and spinning into the abyss below. The monster roars as it plunges into darkness, and soon, silence blesses the sea.

I float motionless for what seems an eternity, my chest heaving, waiting and praying the monster doesn’t return. Not so soon. I can only hope the blast is enough to make the creature take time to regroup before it attempts to attack us again. And when there are no signs of it returning, for tonight at least, I lazily swim to the ladder, dreading what will undoubtedly wait for me on board.

I’ve returned to the ship with human legs, while the rest of me remains in nymph from being soaked to the bone. The linen shirt clings to my skin, and my finned ears flick water from them when I scan the shocked faces of the crew.

“It’s not supposed to surface,” I whisper as if they can hear me.

Jack, his hair and clothes still wet, storms to me, glaring daggers into my gut. “You knew about this damn thing, didn’t you?” His words are loud and cut me to the core. The moment we shared last night was a striking contrast to the venom seething in his gaze now.

Opening my mouth to answer him produces nothing but a gurgle in the back of my throat. Water beads on my eyelashes blur my vision. Or is it tears?

Jack scrapes a hand over his beard, his nostrils flaring, and he paces before pointing at his cabin. “My quarters. Now .”

I flick the ridges and grooves over my knuckles as I fold my hands in front of me and make the walk of shame to the captain’s quarters. My ears droop at the sight of Red frowning at me. From the back of the ship, Mary frowns, too, but her expression is far more sympathetic.

Keeping my head held low, I step into Jack’s cabin, wincing when Truffles’ claws scratch against the wooden floor and he retreats to his hiding spot in a darkened corner. Sucking in a quick breath, mustering my courage, I turn on my heel. “Jack, let me?—”

My words are cut short by the door slamming with such force it rattles the frame. Jack holds up a finger between us and invades my space, towering over me like a Titan. “I’m going to speak my theories, and I need you to tell me if any are wrong. Understand?”

I stare at my hands, the scales starting to fade, and nod.

“You knew this thing was after you from the beginning. Not only did you fail to mention it when I caught you on my ship, but also when I blatantly asked if there was anything else I should know that’d put the crew in danger. Am I right so far?” Jack moves closer, gaze ignited when those brown eyes catch the hanging sconce firelight.

I nod again and blink at him.

“And I’m going to guess you did not say anything either time out of fear that I’d say to hell with the jewel or maroon you to keep the crew safe because the creature is after you .”

There’s no point in saying anything. He’s right about all of it. The man is far too intelligent for his own damn good.

“And you still kept mum about it for your own gain because you needed me, this crew, and the ship to get to Greece.” Jack dips his chin, forcing me to look at him. “Am I wrong about any of it, Anne?”

Lifting my chin, I widen my stance. “No.”

Jack’s pupils dilate, his breaths quickening, and his mouth crashes against mine. He bunches my hair in a hand, his head tilting from side to side, and his tongue plunging in my mouth, lapping at mine. I whimper against his lips, my fingers greedily roaming the muscular arms beneath his wet shirt.

Without pulling away from the kiss, Jack wraps one arm around my lower back and guides me backward until the coolness of wood presses to the backs of my thighs. He lifts me with that one arm, resting me on the edge of his desk. His other hand has been undoing the clasps of his trousers, lowering them far enough the top of his bronzed ass pokes out. Gripping his wet shirt, I chew on my lip and grunt in protest as it keeps sticking to his skin. Jack takes hold of my wrists, and with me grasping the tunic, he pries them away from each other— hard, and the shirt tears in half.

He cups my ass and pulls me as close to the desk’s edge, balancing me on it, his eyes growing feral when my nails scrape his bare chest. But this first time together isn’t about ogling the other but coming undone. It’s about claiming . As if he can read my thoughts, his hand pushes my blouse up my hips and bunches it at my stomach.

His cock is in his hand now, thick, hard, and ready . Jack presses the tip to my entrance, barely giving me time to prepare myself before plunging into me, filling me to the hilt. My head throws back, and I cry out, not caring if the crew can hear me. Seas, I don’t give a damn if the stars can hear me. He’s thrusting with such passion that it’s smacking the desk’s side against the cabin wall with repeated thuds .

Jack keeps a palm pressed to my ass, pulling me harder onto him each time our hips meet. I tangle my fingers in his hair, my nails digging into his neck, almost enough to draw blood. Not only does the pain not faze him, it drives him further over the edge. Jack presses his forehead to mine, our skin a mix of sweat and saltwater. I circle my legs around his waist, locking them together at the ankle. He pushes a hand to my chest, coaxing me to my back, and once my skin meets the wood, he’s over top me, his arms caging my head.

His hips grind against me, pumping faster and faster. And the sight of him above me, those dark strands framing his face, and the carnal yet tranquil expression playing in his gaze, is enough to carry me to a blissful, exhilarating release. I cry out and scream through the climax, my back arching from the desk, and I cling to his arms to not fall off the fucking planet.

Jack’s teeth nip my neck, a guttural snarl following as he gives two final harsh thrusts and pulls out of me to shudder through his own release, expelling it on the floor. One of my legs rests on his shoulder, and he trails kisses down my calf, playfully biting the skin on the inside of my knee.

“Jack,” I whisper, sitting up on my elbows. “I’m sorry.”

Jack sighs, tracing absent circles over my thighs and stomach. “I wanted to be angry with you. But then I’d be a damn hypocrite.”

I move to sit up, but Jack strong-arms me to stay put with a palm pressed to my belly. He dips his fingers in the water basin he uses to wash his face, cupping some of it in his palm and trickling it down my chest. His gaze brightens as the scales and ridges appear, mesmerized by them. “You say the word, and I’ll abandon ship. I don’t want to see you or anyone on the crew hurt.”

“Annie,” Jack starts, settling between my thighs and resting one arm on the desk beside me. “Things are different now. You are a part of the crew. And if there’s an incredibly terrifying sea creature after you, we do what we need to protect our own. And that isn’t abandoning you when things get tough.”

Between the satiation and his words, I could burst into tears.

“Thank you,” I say, hushed and strained.

“For the ravishing?” Jack grins.

I laugh and swat him.

Jack catches my hand. “Just promise me one thing, Anne. From here on out, we’re partners—you and me. No more secrets that endanger us. No more lies.”

Partners.

“I promise, Jack. You and me.” I comb his hair with my fingers, a heaviness swelling my chest.

You and me.

“Good.” Jack stands, patting my thigh, and rips what remains of his shirt from his chest. “We should get some rest, yeah?” He drops the shirt, using it as a makeshift rag to scrub the floor with his foot. “But I seem to remember you saying something about never being caught dead in my hammock?”

Sitting up, I hug one knee to my chest and let the other foot fall from the desk. “That’s before I laid eyes on that .”

Jack’s cock pokes from his trousers, still so damn inviting and thick. He looks down, the muscles in his stomach flexing, and he drags a hand through his hair with an arrogant smile. “Oh, yeah? I should’ve paraded it in front of you when you were pretending to be a cabin boy, then. Would have outed you sooner.” He yanks the trousers down fully with zero shame and folds them over the desk chair.

It’s all I can do not to grab both of his ass cheeks and squeeze until my fingers go numb. Instead, I bite my knuckle, my face blazing with heat.

“Have you ever been in a hammock with another person?” Jack asks, crossing in front of me, that glorious butt flexing and somehow becoming perkier with each step.

I turn on the desk to face him, shaking my head.

“This’ll be easier if I get in first. Just try not to flip me out of the damn thing, hm?” Jack pulls his hair into an unruly knot at the base of his skull before expertly crawling into the hammock. Once it stops swaying, he beckons me with a curl of his finger.

I slip the shirt over my head, discarding it with Jack’s trousers, and saunter to him. His hand is behind his head, and his gaze devours me. Once at the hammock, I grip the side, lift a leg, and stumble—a laugh, bordering on a giggle, bubbles from my chest.

“Almost had it,” Jack says, smiling, the hammock swinging from my failed attempt. “You’re going to have to just go for it.”

Taking his words to heart, I try again but jump onto it this time, shrieking as I fall on top of Jack and he grunts. My elbow lands in his gut, and after he helps me adjust, keeping me from falling out, I’m secured and curled into his side, our legs entwined.

Jack kisses the top of my head, wrapping one burly arm around me. “Comfortable?”

“Very,” I coo, already feeling the lull of sleep tugging at my bones.

He reaches for a blanket hanging on the wall and pulls it over us. Truffles harrumphs from his hiding spot, flicking his tail at us as if to say, “Finally,” before he makes a mad dash across the room. He’s airborne over a maroon pillow and lets out a tiny meow when he contentedly plops onto it on his stomach.

I settle against him and drag a finger over his sternum. “Why piracy, Jack?”

“Long story short, I got tired of waiting for my country to take care of me. I had been a merchant for years, already knew the workings of a ship, and decided to start taking care of myself for a change.” Jack folds his arm behind his head and gazes at the wooden ceiling.

I’m exhausted but still feel this urge to know more about him.

“I’m curious what your mother thought of your chosen career path.” I grin against his chest because the answer here makes no difference.

A buttery chuckle escapes his throat. “My mother passed long before she had a chance to question my life choices. And my father and I have been estranged for the past decade when I refused to follow in his footsteps and join the Navy.”

I’ve always felt a bit cheated not having a mother for most of my life, but I often forget how much worse it could’ve been if Dad and I didn’t have as close of a relationship as we do.

“I lost my mother as a child, too, but my dad and I became a lot closer because of it.”

The ship sways, making our hammock swing.

Jack’s chin rests on my head. “Is your father like you?”

“He’s a sea deity, if that’s what you mean.”

Jack taps my arm with his middle finger, not speaking again straight away. “And he can sprout a tail and all of that?”

Craning my neck to look up at him, I smile. “Yes.”

“Huh,” Jack replies, his gaze going glassy and distant.

The jagged scar slashing his chest captivates me, and I trail my touch over it, starting at his right collarbone and dragging it diagonally until I reach his left pec. “Did a sword do this?”

“That’s a parting gift from our dear Charles. It’ll be the first and last time someone bests me with a blade.” Jack takes my hand and presses my palm to the center of his chest. “It taught me to always to be the one they underestimate and never the other way around.”

He’s learned so much in his mortal life it almost makes me envious.

“I like it. It gives you extra character. And besides—” I prop on one elbow and run my thumb over his hairy jawline “—you can’t be too perfect, or your head might pop.”

Jack’s gaze is drawn to my lips before he leans in to kiss me. It’s brief but still has my toes curling beneath the blanket. “You’re not wrong, Annie.”

We grow silent, staring, captivated with each other and grinning.

“I’m glad the universe saw fit to place you in my path,” Jack mumbles against my forehead.

I run strands of Jack’s hair through my fingers and steadily let my eyes shut, relaxing into his arms.

For whatever reason, his words don’t ring true in my mind. My godly intuition says to me that this wasn’t happenstance. What is the more accurate statement?

We finally found each other.