The Mermaid's Pearl (Tears of the Deep Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

had truly cried. My best defense mechanism was pushing the tears away, unless it was something extremely painful—emotionally or physically. It made me feel pathetic.
    With a sigh, he leaned over me and pressed cool metal to my restraints—a knife I guessed. I could feel him tugging on them as he sawed the rope away from me. When they finally broke, he sat back on the bed. I rubbed my pained wrists and frowned at the red burn marks left there.
    “You should know, it’s pained me to see you like this.”
    I shot him a glare. “It’s a pain to have to deal with you every day.”
    “I like to think I’ve shown you quite a bit of respect for someone who is being so difficult to get along with.”
    He stared back at me with a challenge in his eyes. Inside I knew I needed to give him some credit. Even with my constant disagreement, he had been patient with me. No one had ever put up with my antics like he did, not without some sort of repercussion. He was just holding off on his and making me wait for it. Instead of responding, I crossed my arms and stared back at him.
    “Listen lass, you don’t have to speak with me, but you must know that you are making this hard on yourself.” He gestured to a door on the other side of the room. “There are books in there you could read. Loads of them.”
    I scoffed. I never heard of a pirate reading before, or even one caring about learning how to. Still, I was determined not to engage in any activities he suggested.
    “There has to be something in there that would tickle your fancy. Legends? Treasures? Geography?”
    “Shut up.”
    A mischievous smile formed across his face. “You are just determined not to humor me aren’t you?”
    “If that’s what you would like to call it.”
    “Yet, you speak to the cabin boy…”
    “That’s because he’s not a thoughtless pirate!”
    Aiden laughed. “Oh but he is.”
    “Oh but he’s not,” I insisted, trying to hide the sudden smile that wanted to spread across my face. What was wrong with me? Could I not even argue with the captain without wanting to flirt with him?
    I stood up from the bed and did my best to walk over to the window seat to put some space between us. I still stumbled slightly, but I found it was easier than the first day. Practicing was definitely on my list of things to do.
    As I sat down, I cast my eyes out at the sea. It was a beautiful sight. The greens and blues flowed together as they splashed upon the ship. I couldn’t see any land. I ached for home and the feel of the ocean water across my skin.
    My hand came up to rest on my chest. Depression threatened to take me down with it, but I fought it off as much as I could. I could still feel the dulled pain in my lungs from the human air, made worse when I was trying to hold back tears. Staring out into the open sea was as close as I could get to home, so that’s what I did.
    “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Aiden asked as he came to stand beside me.
    I glanced up, readying a smart comment on my tongue but stopped when I looked at him. He gazed out at the ocean as he leaned against the wall, lost in some thoughts he wasn’t sharing with me. My mouth snapped shut.
    Hmmmm. Interesting.
    “I want to see all of it,” he said and looked down at me, connecting his intense green eyes with mine. My stomach did a weird excited flip, and I broke the gaze.
    “Are you going to eat dinner with me?”
    “No.”
    The answer was easy. During the day, he stayed away for the most part. Casey was the only company I had. But in the evening, Aiden always came to invite me to eat with him. My response was to glare at him until he went away.
    “Don’t you wonder what all is out there?” he asked.
    “No, not really.” It was the best I could give him. I had an idea of what was out there. My family, my friends, and my people who I missed dearly. I hoped I could find a way to return to them, even though I wasn’t sure where I would go or how far I would get without