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"Ah, but you are a different sort of lady, and it is the night, and we are alone And I think you won’t want to screaerit I was a roiling storm of eed against ainst the tight leather corset And rained behavior, the princess in me, was insulted that thiswords atcandy to an innocent Pinky child

I began to understand the bone-deep fear of prey Thison the Maybuck, whichclose to a fair fight? He was bristling eapons, and I was sorely haed to kill him, I would expose myself as a Bludwoman and follow him over the side to the sea far below

So that left irl: I was in his power I had to find a way to escape hi fury Or both

He took a step towardsmile on his lips I took a step back, hands still up

"Please," I said again "My uncle will be back soon He’s the Maestro He’ll be most upset if my person is assaulted in any way"

"He’s not your uncle, little flower And whoever he is, if he brought you on the Maybuck, he didn’t havearound, one hand on either side of ainst the wall So I played prey I cowered

"Besides, I’ll return you in good shape," he whispered in my ear, the scent of blood and wine heavy on his breath "I’ll get you warmed up for your future husband Do the hard work You’ll thank ulped and turned away as he nuzzled my neck where I’d unlaced the thick collar of my shirt One of his hands fuht before No wonder women wore so many layers of clothes My hands slapped his away, but his fingers only dug harder into ainst the corset Theer Even without unleashing his sharp teeth, he was besting an to push hiht me a little, vixen," he hed and jerked away from his hand And then I head-butted hiht me only a moment of mercy

"You nasty little bitch" He touched the split skin on his forehead and snarled, snagging both of ainst the wall over my head He tucked his blud-covered forehead intohis hips hard against me, he said, "You owe me your maiden’s blood now, little flower, and I’ll have it"

His tongue darted out to slide up my face, until he pulled back in surprise

"You! On this ship! How can--"

Before he could finish, he went completely stiff and shuddered, then vomited blood and wine all over my skirts He dropped my wrists and fell to his knees, and I screeched and danced away fro the wine-soaked filth from the only dress I owned

There was a loud thud as boot met face, and ain, Casper stood like a vengeful god over the e and his eyes pro murder His hands were taut white fists at his sides, and he was panting in a way thatas lovely as his lare and alert stance at odds with the frilly, diaphanous gown

"Did he hurt you?" Casper’s voice was soft, flat, deadly

Rubbing ave a weak chuckle and said, "No, but I split his forehead open"

He gave a huh black boot When he saw the h his teeth

"Knohat that is?" he asked

"A Bluds here"

"That’s a pirate An assassin or a scout, ot to get rid of hi the pirate up under his arrabbed thehirinned as I watched the body fall into the ht clouds and noted that I didn’t feel airsick at all

"We tell no one" Casper scanned the hollow sky as if expecting a skull-plastered ship to be waiting nearby "If Miss May hears of pirates, they’ll search every crevice of the Maybuck If they find what’s hidden in our room, we’ll be exposed and tossed out We’ll just have to hope he was alone" He rubbed his fist and cracked his knuckles "God, that hurts I must have punched hiht in the kidney" His lopsided smile was full of pride and di punched in the kidney"

"You didn’t read it I told you," Keen muttered "Learned it on the street"