Revenge of the Siren Song (Rogues of Sea and Sky Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

was a lithe young lass staring back at her.
    “I had no idea until after the Black Dragon had been attacked,” Liam admitted. “She had been serving aboard for months with no hint that she was anything other than the lad she represented herself as.” He turned again to the girl. “Why don't you tell your story to Captain O'Malley, Pip. Sorry, lass, I can't seem to break myself of the habit.”
    “No worries at all, sir. I rather like being Pip,” she addressed Captain O'Shea in the thick accent of Wapping. Turning to Grace, she continued, “The name me mum gave me is Constance. But I haven't ever been able to live up to it, or any of my mother's expectations. You see, me mum died when I was very young. And with no Da about, I've had to fend for myself. There aren't many choices for a young girl to care for herself on her own. It always seemed to me that the boys had a much easier time of it. So, one day I decided to see if I could convince folks that I was a boy instead. It worked out so well that, eventually, I decided to put to sea and see how that worked out. I signed onto the books of a merchantman out of London. I had the captain and crew convinced that I was Pip and no other, sure enough. But the captain was a very cruel man, and I quickly discovered that there are very few places to escape your shipmates while at sea. As soon as we made port, I jumped ship and determined never to leave dry land again. I did for myself for a time, but these little Caribbean ports are much smaller than London, and it was hard to find honest work.”
    “My luck changed one day when I met the cook of the Black Dragon . He was in the market gathering provisions for his galley. He offered me a shiny new shilling if I would help him get his supplies back aboard. I didn't much like the idea of going aboard another ship again, but a shilling would feed me for a few days. So I agreed to help him tote his goods. Once aboard, the cook offered me another shilling if I'd stick around and help him get everything stowed away. I figured I'd be a fool indeed not to stay a little longer for two shillings. While I was in the galley, I met several of the rest of the crew. These people were much different from the men of the last ship I served on. They were more like a bunch of brothers. I rather liked them. I guess the cook thought all my questions about where the ship was going and how long she'd be at sea was a sign that I might be interested in signing aboard. He told me he could use a good helper in the galley and promised there would always be plenty of food to eat. He had been kinder to me than any man I'd ever met, so I decided to take the chance once more and agreed to join the crew.”
    As she talked, she drew her hair back up in her cap and once again adjusted her clothes to hide her girlishness. She was genuinely nervous to be so exposed in a tavern full of men, but being Pip seemed to give her courage, and she continued.
    “All was fine for several months. I made friends and was happy for the first time in my life. One of the other younger men, Thomas, had become a very good friend. We talked a lot about home and how we'd lost our parents early on. Anyway, I took sick, very sick, and Thomas took care of me. That's how he found out I was a girl. But he didn't take advantage of it at all. He kept my secret and even helped when I needed a little extra privacy. But knowing all the truth did eventually change things between us. At some point we both fell in love with each other. We were even making plans to leave the ship and try to start a life together and be a real family. But the Ocean’s Whore attacked us,” she paused, trying to control all the violent emotions that began to well up. “I lost my Thomas, ma'am. The only man that every truly loved me. She took him from me. He died in my arms,” she said haltingly, unable to stem the tide of tears. “I vowed over his lifeless body to have my revenge upon the person responsible. And