Jewel of the Sea [Black Sails]

Chapter Two

(Alira)

A calm focus washed over me as I stalked through the night with death at my heels. Death followed wherever I went, it was all I had ever known. I'd trained from the time I could walk in the art of assassination, learning techniques from various masters in various forms of martial arts. Loud raucous laughter from loose women trying too hard, and inebriated men poured from the pub. The nauseating scent of tobacco and the strong smell of alcohol hit me as I stepped into the pub.

"...took it right out from under that giant oaf's nose..." I heard a bit of conversation from a table in the center of the packed pub, and so my target revealed himself, bragging about what he'd done.

There were quite a few big-name crews present, might as well make this public. They needed to know, our crew wasn't to be trifled with. I slipped through the crowd of intoxicated men and women and stopped at the table in the center of the room fixing my gaze on a middle-aged man with wispy greying hair, a fat belly and the glossy gaze of one who'd had far too much drink. His jaundiced eyes swept up my body with a perverse smile, but widened when his gaze reached my face.

"A-Alira!" He yelped and attempted to leap out of his chair but only managed to stumble back into it and cause it to slide back, scraping the floor loud enough to draw everyone's attention. "I'll pay it back-."

"It's not about the pearls." I smiled sweetly.

"It's not?" His voice went up an octave and I couldn't help but smirk as I noticed a visible quiver in his lips.

"We've got plenty of money." I shrugged, "The problem here is that a dog such as yourself should know better than to bite the hand that feeds. We simply can't have that."

"Pl-please Alira, I swear I'll never do it again, I'll be loyal."

"We're not in the habit of giving second chances." I smirked as I withdrew my knife from a sheath tucked behind my back and hurled it at the fat drunken slob of a man with a deadly precision. The blade sunk into his chest before he'd even registered that I had moved. The other men at the center table sprung to their feet and drew their weapons.

"I don't know who you are, bitch, but he was our mate." One of the men closest to me growled and lumbered forward.

"Poor choice in friends." I scoffed as I darted forward to intercept him, eliminating his range of attack. Using another concealed blade tucked in the sleeve of my simple white shirt, I swiped at him with a practiced hand, slicing through his jugular in one swift motion.

Two others were headed right for me, I didn't miss a beat, using the momentum from my strike, I spun, parried the first attack with my knife and plunged the sword of the man I'd slain through my next attacker's skull. The other man, realizing now three of his friends were dead, made a move to run.

I hurled my knife at him and smiled to myself as the blade pierced through the back of his skull felling him in an instant. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I felt the gaze of a predator on my back.

Straightening myself up, I scanned the now silent pub and nearly swore under my breath as I noticed Captain Vane's crew sitting a table away and the very lethal Captain Vane regarding me with interest. He exuded strength and sex appeal. He was all sculpted muscle, hard angles and rough edges. Something about him made me think of a mighty lion, whether it was his mane of long dark hair with sun kissed highlights from his days in the sun, the predatory look of him or that he seemed like pirate royalty, I wasn't sure.