When I come to, I’m ready this time.
I take a steady breath. This is beyond thrilling.
“Daddy! Piercy hooked us up! You captain this ship!”
As I continue to scan my surroundings, I put on my game face, tapping down my excitement. Pierce put me in this spot for a reason, and I will not let him down.
The ship is massive, with towering, ripped sails that pierce the night sky like black spirits flapping violently in the wind.
A glowing green mist surrounds us, almost like the ship is possessed by all the evil deeds it’s done and bargains gone bad.
“We have the power of the Dragon Heart,” Dolly whispers beside me, gripping my arm.
“Legend says that the pirates of Boaba Bay are cursed from all the souls being sold to the underworld. But it’s the power of the Dragon Heart still in your bloodline that gives you the power.
“It’s you and the other men and women with this bloodline fueling this. It makes your ship faster and stronger, and your men sharper.”
I slowly look down at Dolly with a grin, seeing the excitement in her wide eyes. “Very informative of you.”
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel this intense energy coursing through me, like a power lurking in the shadows of my mind.
It’s hard to describe this feeling, like I’m not alone in my body. As if something is there. A different side of me.
I hear men shouting and pulling the sails violently to turn the ship to the right. I shift my weight. To my shock, seeing all of my men, I know most of their names and positions, like they were uploaded into my brain.
“Insanity,” I breathe, smiling, feeling my adrenaline kick in.
“Sail, ho!” one of my men yells again.
I look down onto the lower deck and see a tall man running in my direction with a short man running after him. My eyes widen when I realize who the first man is.
“Claus?” I whisper, squinting to see better in the night.
“Look! It’s Daddy Number Two!” Dolly says, clapping. “His agent is Ash—me like him!” She looks at me with a pout.
I frown at her, only half paying attention. “You did what?”
“Black Heart!”
I look up and see Claus jogging over to me, smiling, a long sword at his hip. He’s at least half a foot taller than me, looking the part in his black-and-red pirate getup.
“I wondered where you were! What happened?” he asks, slapping me on the shoulder with his lanky arms.
“Look at you! Damn! What do you think you’d bench now?” He laughs, eyes alight with excitement, and holds out his arms.
I don’t blame him. This is beyond exciting.
I observe his agent, a nondescript, short pirate in all black. Not threatening, but not a wuss either.
I glance at Dolly and see her giving him what I would describe as chilling sex eyes. Ash looks pale, not making eye contact with her, almost hiding behind Claus.
I can tell Claus is curious about his agent’s sudden fear. As he looks over at Dolly, his eyes widen. “Damn, bro. Is that your agent?”
I sigh, fighting a grin. “Sure is.”
Claus frowns, looking between her and me. “That’s…cool. I mean, I’m sure she is good at what she does,” he says, like he’s trying to reassure me.
Claus blanches, mouth dropping open at her sultry tone. I pinch the bridge of my nose and hide my grin. Dolly is fucking nuts.
A part of the mountain breaks away, as if hit with something powerful, like an explosive. I stare at it in shock when I suddenly realize.
It looks familiar.
Maybe it’s the crumbling mountainside that rings a bell—me falling to my lifeline death.
“Dolly! Is that the same mountain we spawned on?”
Dolly types. “Oh! Yes—yes, it is.”
“You spawned on that mountain? We were informed there was an extraction issue with you guys and that Pierce made—a mistake!” Claus yells over the loud explosions.
I ignore him as my heart pounds from the deep vibrations of the blast. Pierce didn’t fucking make a mistake. “Who the fuck is shooting?!”
A rough-looking man, large and muscular, runs up to us. “Captain, the naval ship is warnin’ us to back off! Orders, Cap’?”
Claus points, and my eyes follow. “See there. The Bridgedell Army is off the coast. That’s why I was trying to find you to tell you that they are warning us to back off.”
I see a massive ship in the distance firing again at the mountainside.
“Why are they firing at our island?! That’s Boaba Bay! Are they waging war with us? Wait…” I trail off, thinking. “Isn’t that Felix’s ship? He’s the naval captain, right?”
Why the fuck is he hitting our land? So many questions race through my mind at Pierce’s warning.
Claus’s agent speaks, his hand moving. “They’re not waging war with you. They are hunting mermaids.
“They actually caught one—a rare one, possibly a princess or royalty—it doesn’t specify from what I’m reading.
“They’re trying to demolish an underground tunnel system by hitting the side of the cliff, so they can’t escape.”
I look at him, breathing hard. “They caught a fucking mermaid?”
Ash nods. “It’s pretty huge. Unfortunately, humans rarely ever catch sight of them, making some believe they are just myth.”
My mind is reeling. “So they caught a mermaid? Why, again, is this important?”
“Dude, the mermaids have two pieces of the medallion,” Claus answers, looking at the distant ship. “Allegedly.”
He continues, “Don’t worry. We are all on the same team with Felix over there. Maybe he can get the mermaid to tell us where the other pieces are or who the mole is.”
That’s right. Mermaids are the bad guys—need to find the mole.
“Shit,” I mutter, remembering what Pierce said about a player working for the Legacy Association and what shitstorm he could create with two medallion pieces.
Fucking Vincent. I don’t even know the prick, and I want to put a bullet in his head.
“We need to get that mermaid,” I say.
They all look at me, confused. “I don’t trust Felix, and neither did Pierce!” I yell over another explosion, my body tense as I watch more of the cliffside fall into the ocean.
“Pierce thought one of the agents is here to sabotage the mission and that Felix guy seems like the type.”
Ash frowns at me, eyes widening. “He told you that?” He looks up at Claus. “Pierce is never wrong.”
“Sure as shit did.” I glance at Dolly with a grin, and crack my neck to the side. “Hey, Doll baby, you want to blow some shit up?”
She screams, causing lots of men to look in our direction. “Yes!” She pants like I just told her the best news.
“Cap’?” my first mate asks.
I almost forgot about him. I walk up to him and stand at the edge of the deck overlooking the bottom levels of this impressive rig, eyeing everyone.
They’re all rough and muscular, wearing primarily black and red, and equipped with weapons.
I clear my throat, seeing all eyes suddenly on me.
“All right, you scallywags!”
I frown. The words just left my mouth before I could think. I quickly glance at Claus’s raised brow and continue, ignoring him.
“Weigh the anchor and hoist the mizzen! Head toward the naval ships! We have us a mermaid to catch!”
The men frown at me, then reluctantly scurry off to do my bidding, not wanting to question my crazy. “Load the chase guns!” I order in a harsh tone, feeling a rush of excitement.
“Cap’, we wagin’ war?” The dark pirate looks hesitant. “We ’ave not been at war with the navy in years.”
I look at the man to my left and oddly know his name is Wolf and that I can trust him. So strange.
“I want the mermaid, and we’re going to get it—now. Those medallions belong to us, not Bridgedell.”
He ponders this, then nods, a slow smile spreading across his bearded lips. “Aye, Cap’.”
“Prepare for battle! I want that mermaid!” I yell. I whip out my sword and glance at Dolly. “All we have are swords?”
I glance up and see Claus ordering men about, preparing our ship to charge the navy. I look back at Dolly and see her eyes alight.
“No, much better here. You have man-held cannons!” she yells, her eyes sparkling with dark purpose.
“Get me one,” I order, chuckling when she squeals in delight.
I have to spin to get it, so I do, feeling like a moron. But holy shit, Dolly ordered me a shoulder cannon from the FGI armory, saying she picked it out herself.
Now I’m holding the largest bazooka-looking weapon I have ever seen.
It rests on my shoulder, and if not for my Dragon Heart bloodline, there was no way I, as a mere man, could support it and live to tell the tale once it goes off.
Actually, it might be dangerous for me to use even with my new strength.
“Dolly, can I use this without a lifeline?” I ask. I really don’t want to end up back at headquarters. Again.
Whatever, that works. “Dolly, let’s fuck some shit up,” I say, leaning over the rail to grab a low-hanging rope. Gripping it hard, I jump down with the heavy-as-fuck gun on my shoulder.
I still manage to land on the lower deck gracefully, surprised the wood didn’t split with the weight. I can’t wipe the smile from my face at my new abilities.
I wish I could see the look on Felix’s face when this little puppy is fired at his pretty boat with my mermaid in tow.
“Holy shit, bro,” I hear Claus behind me as I hoist myself up on a ledge for optimal firing position, bracing my weight to support this weapon. “Where did you get that?”
“The Fairy Godmother,” I say with a wink. “She’s great.”
Then I turn to my men, all bearing looks of shock at my mini-cannon. I’m sure they’re wondering where I got this lil’ beaut. “Get me into a better position!” I order. “That mermaid is ours!”
I look back and see my crew now gawking at Dolly as she lands on the deck next to me, twirling her large gun expertly in her hand.
“Who is the ’hore?” a man yells.
Then murmurs everywhere. “’Tis bad luck! She ’ooks like a witch!”
She does. I won’t argue with that. I sigh, feeling the weight of the gun boring into my shoulder painfully, wondering how to handle the discontent.
I relax a bit, looking from man to man. “This is…” I pause, trying to think fast. “This is my sister,” I proclaim.
I’m met with confused and shocked expressions.
My men’s eyes widen as Dolly waves at them all, looking like a creepy pervert.
“Fuck,” I whisper in frustration, glancing at Dolly, not knowing what to call her. “Dolly,” I whisper desperately.
She’s still eying the men like she wants to do bad things to them. She’s not even hiding that shit.
“Dolly!” I hiss a little louder.
Then, finally, she looks at me, like she is out of her lust trance. “Sorry, Daddy.” She sighs. “So many men—lots of muscles.”
“Control yourself,” I say under my breath, feeling all eyes on us. “What’s your name? What do I call you?”
“Sugar Tits,” she says, point blank, with zero expression.
My jaw clenches. Lowering my voice even more, I hissed back, “I’m not calling you that.”
Dolly looks hurt, like I just slapped her in the face. I groan. Fucking awesome.
No, she would like that. I will lock her in a room with a damn nun.
“Stay away from her if you like your balls where they’re at. Consider yourself warned!”
Murmurs break out, so I get back on track. “Get me into position! Move! Now, maggots!”
The men start steering the ship as I ordered, so that we align perfectly with the naval ship.
The ship cuts fiercely through the black waters at an alarming pace, straight toward the naval vessel.
“They say it’s the soul of the ancient dragons,” Dolly whispers beside me. “The green mist.”
Interesting. I cock my massive gun with a loud grunt and lock it into place, knowing exactly what to do with it. “Fire in the hole!”
I’m on the ground and realize I’m laughing, coughing through the smoke. “Dolly! You’re fucking crazy!”
“Ohhh! Amazing shot, Big Daddy!” I hear her through the smoke as she pulls me up. “You hit the side of the ship! Money shot!”
I hear shouts and chaos all around me as I cough more. I pull my large body up and prepare to shoot again.
Felix will not know what the fuck to do with the pirates of Boaba fucking Bay chasing their ass.
“Fire!” I yell.
Cannons go off.
My right ear is ringing, but I care not because never have I had this much fun in all my life.
I feel alive.
“Black Heart!” I hear Claus through the ringing in my ears. “We sunk their battleship! She’s going down!”
I laugh in evil delight as I run to the edge of the ship to peer at the sinking ship in the distance, engulfed in sky-high flames.
“Pierce!” I yell. “I hope that’s what you wanted!”
“The mermaid is on that ship,” Claus reminds me, sounding panicked.
“You’re right.”
I need her.
Without thinking, I pull myself up on the rail and swan-dive into the monstrous dark water. I’m a strong swimmer, and as soon as my body plunges into the cool, black sea, I kick with all my might.
If she won’t come to me, I will go to her.
Hearing Dolly loud and clear, I break the surface. “That’s weird,” I sputter. I start to swim. When my head breaks the surface again, I ask, “Can you hear me?”
I go under for a few seconds, then come back up, swimming with powerful strokes. “Where is the mermaid? No, I didn’t fall in!”
I can feel the current pulling me as I see lifeboats near the massive rig and men yelling. I bet Felix is on one of them, shocked that I would fire on them. I hope the prick used a lifeline like I had to.
“Is she on the ship?” I pray not as I see the burning rig sink lower into the sea, swimming harder toward it.
I break the surface again and tread water. “Stop?” I sputter.
I kick with a big wave to stay above water. “Under me?” I breathe. “I can’t see. Damnit!” I look back at my ship as it nears us.
I can’t lose the mermaid.
It’s night, and the water is pitch black.
“Shit,” I say, then take a large breath and go under.
Straight down.
I use powerful strokes to plunge my body deeper into the black ocean, and my arms feel around, reaching for anything.
After a while, I’m not even sure if I’m swimming straight down anymore. I feel around and—nothing.
My air is running out.
I let out a frustrated yell underwater, feeling the air bubbles zoom around my face.
I’m about to go back up when I feel something touch my foot. Something soft. My body reacts, and I reach down and grab at anything.
My hand latches on to something, and I feel it jerk as if to get out of my grasp. A thrill shoots through me as I grab more of what I’m now guessing is hair.
Hair.
And I need air.
Like, now.
I jerk whatever it is up with me, and I know I have the mermaid from the thrashing, like a giant fish.
I reach for more of this creature and find that it’s now pressed to my body, held tightly to me from my strength. This creature is no match for me, it seems.
The bizarreness of this situation escapes me. I just need to break the surface and get this fish on my boat as fast as possible. I don’t want more of the Bridgedell Army arriving, giving us more of a battle.
I finally break the surface. “Got her!” I gasp. “Tell Claus to throw me a rope!”
And that’s when I lock eyes with the sea creature pressed into my chest. I tread water as my eyes tell my brain what I’m seeing.
She—or the mermaid—has stopped trying to fight me, knowing her attempts were futile.
I stare into a woman’s eyes.
She looks like a fucking woman—with stunning, glowing yellow eyes and spectacular features that make my mind misfire in confusion and shock.
As I grip her delicate upper body, it feels like skin—not slimy and fishy as I expected, but soft like satin.
“Let me go,” she whispers in a voice made for a seductress, a siren of the sea. I feel it all the way through my body.
I recover, trying to focus. “Sorry, love,” I murmur back to her, kicking to stay above water, holding her naked torso tightly to me. “We’ve only just met.”
