The Pirate Fairy by A.J. Llewellyn Read Free Book Online Page B

nothing mattered to him without Denny. He’d allowed Fortunata such power while in his depressed state that he now realized this new-found power had gone to her head. Well, not anymore. He touched the sandwich, closed his eyes and willed his head to empty itself of all thoughts. Nothing came at first then he saw the faint light in the corner of his mind. No matter how hard he tried, the image remained blurry.
    Concentrate.
    His head pounded and he opened his eyes, looking down at his fingertips. They were black. He’d absorbed magic from somewhere. Was it the sandwich? He looked beside it. The candle. Whose blood was it? He knew he needed to release the negative energy in his hands before he could work on the candle. The only thing that could release such dark magic was love. True love. Merritt closed his eyes again, and Denny’s face was right there. Merritt’s heart almost broke remembering how they had come to know each other. The stolen kisses, the furtive touching and hand-holding. He’d loved taming the fierce pirate of the high seas just by loving him.
    Merritt smiled, remembering how he was the one who’d planned Denny’s seduction in a rented room in Tarragona, a busy sea port in Spain. Denny had some weird history with the place, that Merritt still didn’t understand but suspected it had something to do with a man. He’d sent a message to Denny, who’d come to meet him. Freshly shaved and washed, he’d smelled divine. They’d shared frantic kisses, Merritt touching Denny’s crotch. He had delighted at the thick, hard cock eager for his touch. Merritt knew that Denny’s tastes were a bit kinky. Not by anything Denny had said, but by the occasional snatches of memory Merritt had gleaned from him.
    Just as he was getting to the good part of his reverie where he sucked Denny’s cock, another image shifted into his mind. Fortunata shimmered into view, then Gremma. Then he saw the horse. Poor, dear Cillian. Merritt gasped. He glimpsed Elvin in the palace kitchens assembling the package of food he’d given Merritt earlier that day. One of the kitchen maids was in there scrubbing vegetables and she chided him for ransacking the food stocks.
    “It’s for the prince,” he said, his voice sounding loud in Merritt’s mind.
    “Ah, well, if it’s for him, then that’s okay. Give him an apple. He loves those. Especially the green ones.”
    Elvin smiled and plucked one from the bowl. He wrapped the package and went to Merritt’s bedroom. The image shifted just as Elvin opened the door.
    The food wasn’t poisoned. I don’t think it was the apple.
    Merritt’s eyes flew open as a flash of pain hit him right in the side. It was as though somebody had stuck him with a knife.
    He fell over on the cave floor, panting, sweat beading on his head.
    In his agony, he reached for the black candle. Instantly, the image of Fortunata cutting Cillian’s shoulder with a small, pointed blade flew into his mind. She laughed as Cillian whinnied and reared. The horse took off and she ran back to Gremma’s house, smearing the candle with the horse’s blood.
    “What are you doing?” Gremma asked. “Who have you cursed now?” She paused then waved her hand over the altar. “Isn’t this enough? Haven’t you done enough now?” Gremma looked horrified. “You hate your brother that much?”
    “No. I love his power that much. His pirate lover will soon be here, and I’ll get rid of him, too.” She threw back her head and unleashed a wild cackle that left Merritt shaking in the dark cave.
     
    * * * *
     
    Denny dreamed of Tarragona and his life in the cell there. He felt as though he had gone back in time and relived the moment he fell asleep sitting against the wall there. Somehow, he’d gotten through a rough night filled with strange noises, weird smells and severe hunger pangs.
     
    * * * *
     
    Tarragona
    A few years earlier…
     
    The morning after his captain had left them, a jailer brought him a cup of coffee