When Whitley winds up on the top of a pirate hit-list thanks to her con-artist father, she must hide her identity and board another pirate ship, trusting in one shape-shifting pirate named Bluff to help her escape. Too bad you can never, ever, trust...
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Whitley
Bluff slowly opens the pantry door, peaking out. My hand is wrapped around his arm which I can feel growing larger. Harder. I watch in awe as he changes into the dark skinned pirate right in front of me.
A shape-shifter. How is this possible?
I feel like I shouldn't touch him anymore. I pull my hand away.
He opens the door all the way and turns to motion me forwards. "Hurry," he whispers.
I follow him out, tip toeing, but my heels make it difficult to be completely silent. We reach a stair case and hide under it. He gives me a stern look. "Take them off."
"What?"
"Your shoes. You can't escape from a gang of pirates with clickity shoes on."
I have a small desire to laugh. Unfortunately, or fortunately, which ever, the feeling of dread is too overwhelming to even break a smile at his endearingly strange comment.
I pull off my shoes, secretly reveling in the freedom it gives my toes.
As I child, I used to love to run around barefoot, but as I got older I was no longer allowed. More and more my father insisted on me behaving "like a lady". At the time, I wanted to be one. To grow up and be beautiful, marry a rich handsome man and live happily ever after. Now I have trouble seeing the point. I find myself wanting to go backwards. Be the girl who played baseball in the muddy streets of New York.
Furious father or not.
Bluff grabs my hand and pulls me through the dark house. We come to a stairwell that leads to a wine cellar but he stops. A creak of wood echoes up at us. Someone is down there.
He looks around then pulls me again, this time towards a staircase up. "Where are you taking me?"
"They're blocking all the exists and you can't stay in here forever. They'll find you eventually." He pulls me faster. "No matter how massive this God damn place is," he says under his breath.
"There isn't a way out up there!" I say as follow him, practically running to keep up.
"There are windows."
My gasp is stifled by him pulling my arm harder, it's all I can do to keep from falling up the steps.
We reach a room, white walls with lace hung around a windowsill. No furniture but I get the feeling this will be a nursery. That thought makes my stomach ache for Mary. In more ways than one.
"They must suspect you could still be inside, so while some of the pirates are searching the town for you, the rest are guarding the exits. The only way out is the only way they won't be expecting."
