Chapter Thirty-One

"Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave."

He had me up in the air, by my throat. I had lost the dagger's handle. I thrashed my legs around, trying to kick him. Finally I kicked in him the face, and he dropped me. I fell against the hardwood, and scrambled to my feet. I found myself on the other side of him, searching for my next step. He mummbled, rubbing his jaw. "Wrong move."

"How? Because I'm not a doll!" I screamed, throwing a vase toward his head. It hit his shoulder, and he laughed. Not a laugh you normally hear, a dark, deep laugh. I swallowed, passing the lump in my throat.

"Now... why would I think you are a doll." He leaped, grabbing my waist. I pushed him away, keeping his face far from mine. "Because if you were one, I could touch you and you wouldn't react." He hissed in my face, and I slapped him.

He slapped back, "What agreemeant do you want?" I hissed, spitting blood in his face.

"The one, where I get what I want, and you stay alive."

"How do I know you will keep the promi-" Before I could even finish the sentence, my head bounced off the wall from where he threw me. I watched as the bottom half of my dress ripped, from where he stood standing on it. I felt a cold breeze touch my legs, and I stumbled to my feet again. I grabbed the dagger from my stocking, and he laughed.

"Always carry weapons with you, Camille? Did you think you would need it?" He laughed, pulling his sword up to his chest. "It won't win against this."

"I don't need to win, I need to kill you." I leaped, hitting his arm with the dagger, it cut it open, letting blood begin to come to the surface. He gritted his teeth, lunging at me. He his my side scrapping it. I winced, but ducted as he other hand swung toward my face. I mummbled to myself, trying to remember Sebastian's dance. I lunged again, this time my dagger went flying and hit the ground, breaking in half. I watched, as he walked closer to me. He put his sword in the sheath. He grabbed my face with one hand, and his other grabbed my waist. He put his lips to my neck, and I felt vomit rising to my mouth.

I brought my knee up, kicking him, he doubled over, and I made my way out of the room, searching for a door that wasn't locked. He was following closely behind. I found a room, and before I could shut the door, he was stomping his way through. "Now listen," He growled, "We are not going to do it this way." He had my face in his hands again. Kissing me roughly. I chocked, and coughed till he stopped. He growled, "So that bastard, can kiss you, but I can't?" He growled.

"Maybe, it's because he isn't a bastard, you are!" I shouted, finding a fire pocker. He laughed, pulling his sword out.

"Maybe, I shall enterain you, with the fact you think you can win against me."

"It's not thinking, it's knowing." I blocked him as he swung the sword down on me, pushing him backwards. I gained leverage by standing on the trunk. The fight moved around, him cutting more of my dress open, exposing my corset, and thankfully not the dagger. I moved till he caught the fire poker, sending it flying and sticking in the wall.

"Now.." He smiled, dropping his sword, "Let's play my game." He covered my mouth, and picking me up by waist. He threw me on the bed, and ripped the rest of my dress open. I kicked, till he pinned me down, crushing my ankles under his weight. He kissed me rough, and held me down. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. "We are going to do, exactly as I want. Just like Serena did, and Rose did for Darius." Before I could say a word, he stuffed a rag in my mouth. I kicked hard, and he just laughed. He was kissing trying to undo my corset. I wiggled my body free. Moving, he grabbed my waist bringing me back in front of him, slapping me. "Stop."

I spit the rag out, looking at him. "No, I am not a slave." I growled.

"But you are." He laughed, and grabbed my hair. I winced in pain, and watched as he ran his fingers along my side.

"Is this what you want." I grabbed the chain, pulling the ring from underneath out.

"You wear it on you? Dumb, silly girl." He touched it. "And no, it's not what I want. Not yet, that would make life to simple."

"What do you want from me?"

'I want you." He hissed.

"No matter, how hard you try, or what you do. I will never be yours. I am not property. I am myself, and I belong to myself." I growled, trying to wiggle away again.

"It's adorable that you think that, Camille. But you belong to society, and me now. Least when you say I do you will." He laughed, throwing me underneath of him again. "Now, close your eyes, it will be over before you know it." He laughed in my ear. I sat there, and knew what I had to do.

"Okay." I touched his face, kissing him. Not like how I kissed Sebastian, but how he kissed me. Rough. He smiled into the kiss, believing it was real. I slid a hand between us, acting as if I was undoing my corset. I grabbed the hand of the dagger, pulling it out and holding it to the side of my body.

"Now, this is more like it." He smiled at me.

"I am glad you like it," I grinned, "But don't take this too personally."

"What do you mean?"

I grabbed the dagger from underneath me, and stabbed it into his heart. He winced in pain, and looked at me, beginning to hit me, over and over. I pulled the dagger out, getting out from under him. I threw the dagger at him, watching it stick in his back. He was coming off the bed now, blood gushing from his chest. I grabbed the sword he had dropped, holding it up.

"I told you, I would win...' I mummbled, "You shouldn't have done all of this, we wouldn't be here right now."

"You are wrong,..." He mummbled, stumbling toward me, "We always be here, long as you have that ring." He reached behind pulling the dagger behind out, and holding it toward me, "And you are going with me."

"No I am not!" I growled, and as he lunged at me, I brought the sword across his throat. I screamed, not from the blood that showered me, or his coughing. But form the dagger that sat in my stomach. I stumbled back against the wall, sliding down. I dropped the blade, and I swore I saw one last smile stretch across Henry's lips, as he took his last death.

I sat there, blood warming my side, the necklace exposed on my chest. I hummed the sea shanty, and felt tears falling from my face. I could hear the comotion that was going on downstairs, and people crying in different rooms down the hall. I looked at the blood that was now a puddle around Henry's lifeless body.

I felt my eyes becoming blurry, fading in and out of the room. In the darkness my eyes created, I could see different memories playing out. I could see Lucas and I as a child, my father reading to me, or taking me round the ship. I could see Lucas the day I left for boarding school, and the day I came home, still longing for him. I saw the first time Sebastian had kissed me and the last. I could feel my mother's hug, and the fight we had been in. I could see Aiden's face on the day he got married. I felt the darkness, becoming cold. I mummbled a prayer my father had taught me. He said those at sea said this when they felt death coming to take them. I shut my eyes, and let myself remember anything else that I could. I felt the light coming and going, as I watched the side of my stomach bleed.

It was then I heard footsteps, I leaned over to hear. I listened as they came frantically pulling every door open and searching, till I could see the shoes entering the room I was in. I had no strength to speak, but I looked up and met Sebastian's eyes. He smiled, and began to cry as he rushed to my side. He looked at my beaten up body, and at Henry's dead one. I reached my hand up, touching his face. He had been cut, and bruised. He touched my hand.

"Come on, we got to get you out of here." He mummbled, picking me up.

"Thank you..." I mummbled.

"I told you, you weren't going to die, till my last breathe, and I meant it." He kissed my forehead, and my word went black, and all I heard was my father saying the pirates prayer...

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The Dying Pirate's Prayer

Out from the rottin' barnacles and the harbour stench;

Out from the rusty ringbolts adown the weedy stairs;

Out from the roadstead green and the milky inshore blue,

Let me go! - it's all I ask of You!-

Out and away, out and through

To the whisper of bursting bubbles across the deepsea blue.

Let me clear for sea. Let me go aboard

Any old craft that pumps will float clear of soundin's, Lord-

Clear of the festered harbour and through the hole in the reef-

Out on an offshore breeze, clear o' the milky blue.

To the slosh of cloven waters and the lift of the outer blue.

Hear this sinner's prayer, Lord! He'd do the same for you!

I'll take all that's due me in the way of Hell-

But, Lord, to leave me strangle of this here inshore smell!

Me that was bred a seaman, through and down and through

Fathoms o' blue water, down in the deepsea blue,

Out of sight and sound and scent of inshore gear and crew-

Out of sight of every port a seaman ever knew.

There lays the careenage, white as curds in the sun;

White as Devon curds... God, the deeds I've done

Since the day I went a-fishin' and boarded the Sea Rover!

Fetch aft the rum, Darby! Lay aft an' ease me over!

Aye, the damn careenage! Sink it, God of wrath!

Hark'ee, God of mercy, to a sick man's prayer!

Let me clear for sea. Any old craft will do.

Drive me out on an offshore breeze to the jumpin' deep blue;

Then sink me clear o' soundin's, Lord! I'd do the same for You.

Fetch aft the rum, Darby! ... Lay aft and raise my head-

And pity a poor seaman bilged ashore in bed

With faces crowdin' 'round- mostly a long time dead.

From Leather Bottle