The Black Riddle

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Ch 6. Tortuga


Reaching Tortuga had taken less than expected in spite Jack’s ‘malfunctioning’ compass. He and Bella had spent almost every spare moment together talking about magic. She would explain to him how to channel the energy the way she did, and spells she knew. Jack would show her how to unleash, let the magic do what you wanted it to without giving word to it, just simply want it.

They talked about her life. She told him about the wedding to Lestrange and the spell, but not about her training. Jack talked about his life after he got the Pearl. If anything had something to do with the time before that, his lips would be sealed like oyster shells. The Pearl had been a gift from his mother when he was fifteen. It had been hers, and her father’s before her. She had told him that if he should get in trouble, he should ask for Jonathan Sparrow, his grandfather. That was about as much as he told her about his family. The compass had also been handed down in generations since before the founder of his family who Bella found out who was in less than a minute.

He would keep her up at the helm with him, shoulders touching, or he would stand behind her and shield her from the winds she had summoned as he captained the Pearl to her destination. All of this had not done a thing to help ease the almost visible sparks that flew in the wind every time their skin touched.

The crew had been playing amused smirks all week. They knew their captain well and they could tell he was smitten with the girl the moment he saw her unconscious on the deck, but now they were inseparable. They had even set up a bet of how many slaps Jack would receive from the local girls when they reached the same conclusion as the crew. They would probably have to stand in line. While they were happy for him, curses were spoken for his denial and recently acquired and very much unnatural shyness.

………………………………………………………………

Jack landed lightly on the dock as he jumped from the ship and turned to catch Bella. She landed not so gracefully in his arms, but he caught her and put her gently down on her feet. She stood with her nose to his lips with her hand on his shoulders trying to regain her balance. She was not used to sailing, therefore she also was not used to the feeling of steady ground beneath her feet after a week at sea.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my balance.” She giggled as she swayed back and forth still holding on to the captain. Jack laid an arm around her wait and pulled her close. The dock shook as Gibbs landed by them.

“Don’t worry ‘bout that love, I’m sure the Capt’n will take good care of ye.” He said with a wink. Bella blushed crimson and found the tips of Jack’s boots very interesting.

She had slept in the captain’s cabin, sharing a bed with Jack the entire voyage. There had simply not been enough beds and Jack’s was the biggest and cleanest one. Every night they had fallen asleep on each their side, and every morning they had woken up with either Bella’s head on Jacks bare tanned chest or Jack’s head on her moon pale soft tummy. Legs always entwined. After a few nights they gave up and went to sleep cosily nuzzled up to one another and convinced themselves that it was because of the cold….in the middle of June, on the Caribbean seas.

Jack chose to ignore Gibbs’ remark and walked towards solid ground with Bella safely tucked in his side, because of her poor balance, of course. He silently revelled in the feeling of Bella’s swaying hips against the palm of his hand and his side, also thinking he needed to get a hold of Anne to take care of his increasingly persistent ‘problem’.

Bella was equally distracted by Jack’s strong hand on her hip and the swaggering moves of his body. She was pulled out of her hedonistic daydream when a loud and angry looking blond in a red tacky looking dress and at least a kilo of white powder in her face and a fake beauty spot, came stomping down the dock and stopped before them. She felt Jack stiffen and when she glanced up at him he had plastered on a strained smile in his chapped lips- he had been worrying them a lot lately.

“Anne. Just the lass I was hoping to run into…” his voice came to a sudden halt when a flying palm met his chin. His head snapped to the side and his mind spun.

“Who is she?” Anne said gesturing to Bella still held to Jack’s side by a strong arm.

“Not sure I deserved that.” He mumbled and shook his head. ‘And hell swallow me whole if I’ll take it’ he thought. He turned to the angry blonde and smirked a charming and predatory smile. A scheme formulated in his head, one that would take care of all his problems if the cards were played right. Get rid of Anne, Bella in my bed- naked.

‘forever’ his mind added

‘I’ll be free of this obsession. I just want her for sex and information. Just sex and information, nothing more.’ He though to himself while his subconscious mind simply stated;

‘Yeah right’

‘Shut up!’

“This, my dear Anne, is Bellatrix, and she will not be leaving my side for a second, as she has not all week I see no reason for our daily routine to change due to your inconvenience, savvy?” Anne looked miffed for a second before she regained her posture.

“Are you telling me that she even shares your cabin bed?” She asked snidely. Jack never let anyone sleep in his bed, or fuck in his bed for that matter. He always went to their beds; his own was just for him, and no one else.

“Aye, she sleeps in my cabin bed and stands by my side at the helm. Be sure to spread the word lass.” He said and moved to walk past her. Bella looked at the other woman’s face and saw both fury and tears in her eyes.

They walked in silence while Jack showed her the town of Tortuga, the better parts of it, that is, and where for her not to go, ever. Most of the shops were open and the streets were crowded, but they walked side-by-side through the entire town anyway any enjoyed the touch of the other. Jack was busy convincing himself that the hardly suppressed desire was due to a month of celibacy at sea, and Bella’s excuse was that she had never been this close to another man before. Denial is just a river in Egypt, or so they say.

“So, going to tell me what all that was about?”

“ ‘bout what?” he asked, though he knew perfectly well.

“Anne” Jack sighed. How to get out of this one? The truth would do, a bit polished, but the truth.

“She’s a local prostitute” he said, knowing that calling her a ‘whore’ could, and would be taken the wrong way. “She’s just miffed ‘cause she just lost a well payin’ customer.” Bella raised a brow.

“You use whores?”

“Aye, well, I did. It eased my conscience, what little I have, to know that I would pay for her food and the roof over her head, instead of picking myself a non-working girl, and then leave her to the wrath of her parents when they found out. It’s not grand choices, but the lesser of two evils. Just the idea of a steady relationship with a…” he waved his free hand in search for words, “ someone on land…” he finally settled on, “would only leave her miserable and mostly alone, and I would feel caged, forced to return to a specific port, convenient or not.”

“Yeah…” Bella in a quiet breathe and could not help but feeling a slight disappointment, but he heard it. His eyes darted to study her expression of disappointment.

‘This is your shot mate’ his mental companion whispered in his ear. Jack paid his thoughts no mind. He turned her in his arms and stroked his thumb across her cheek and tipped her head up.

“But if she would sail with me…” he said while searching her eyes. “I would not hesitate to belong to only her…” his voice had deepened a notch and he looked calm, but his thought were in turmoil.

‘What the bloody hell am I saying?!! Bed her, not bloody ask her to marry you, ‘cause that’s what you’re practically doing you daft sod’ he though

“Would you sail with me Bella?”

‘Please say yes. Please say yes’ he silently begged and then chided himself for acting like a lovesick puppy, even if it was just in his mind.

Bella could not believe her ears. He wanted her to sail with him. He wanted to be hers, completely, hers alone.

She nodded numbly.

“Yes” she breathed. Jack felt an inhuman rush of joy at her one simple word. Bella gave a loud squeak as his strong arms circled her waits and swung her around.

“Put me down you soddin’ pirate!” she laughed in utter delight. Jack obliged and sat her carefully down before him, but didn’t let her go. He stroked away a strand of black hair that had escaped her braid and tucked it behind her jewelled ear. Bella closed her eyes and leaned into the touch of his roughened palm.

“Bella…” he breathed and leaned into her. “May I?”

“Yes.” She whispered. For the second time in the space of a few minutes he felt the rush of joy not even a successfully robbed treasure could give him. His thumb moved from her chin to gaze her lips. Bella sighed and her tongue darted out to tasted him. The skin on his finger was rough and tasted like the ocean.

Jack drew a sharp breath when her teeth nipped his thumb. He dipped his head and brushed her lips with his. She leaned into him and responded to his soft kiss. His tongue swiped along her lower lip, asking for entrance. She parted her lips and felt her mind spin at the intimate contact.

Jack now remembered why he never kissed those he slept with. It was intimate so many ways that sex was not. Kisses were precious, and should not be wasted on the undeserving.

Their lungs began to ache from lack of oxygen. Breaking apart gasping for air and their bodies thrumming with the thrill of the lightnings flashing across their skin and through their bones.

His arms slipped behind her waist and leaned his forehead to hers with a content sigh. Bella raised her soft hands and laid them around his neck. Gently she ruffled the baby hair at the nape of his neck underneath dreadlocks, trinkets and faded crimson of his bandana.

Jack grinned at the pleasant sensation of her nails scraping his skin. He snatched her braid and asked a silent question with his pleading eyes. He so wanted to see her hair flowing, not tied up tightly like it at the moment was.

Bella rolled her eyes and nodded. Jack had a wide grin on his face while he unbound the thin leather strap at the end and plucked apart the braid, separating the black hair from the thin, but heavy silver chains she had embedded in her thick and now very curly hair.

It lay heavy almost down to her waist and it whipped in the newly arrived wind.

“C’mon” Jack murmured. “We’ve got to meet the crew at the tavern. We’ll get something to eat as well.” She nodded and tucked herself in the crook of his arm. The warm feeling in her chest felt foreign but very pleasant. She stuck her hand in his belt for support while his arm rested on her shoulder as they made their way towards the crowded tavern.
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A/N; this was a decent lenght chapter so i'll be waiting for reviews. i know many of you wanted an OMC, but it wont be all uphill fo rour birds.... and dear Cherrybelle, just ask, and i will answer, that goes for all of you. you wont be able to enjoy the story fully if something confuses you. and i do want you to enjoy.... please review :)