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

stretch… but charming, well, you will just have to find out.”
    I wasn’t naive; I had played these tricks among the rougher mermen, the ones who wanted to show me they would rule over me. I was too independent to be told what to do by any man.
    “You carry rum on you, I assume. Care to share?” Perhaps it would help me clear my head and calm me down, and I was curious as to what it tasted like.
    “Of course.” He cocked his eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting me to ask that, but he wouldn’t show the surprise. Stepping back from me, he reached into his jacket and retrieved a flask. He took a large drink of it before handing it to me. “You are not what I expected.”
    I took a gulp of the liquid inside and gagged in response. My throat felt as if it was on fire, and I had to shake my head in response. The stuff was fowl and cheap. As I met his gaze again, he was studying me as if to figure me out.
    “My men caught you out in the ocean in their net, but there is no land for miles. How did you end up way out here?” He took the flask from me and hid it away again.
    I had no good answer for him. Anything I came up with in my head sounded ludicrous so I didn’t say anything. Crossing my arms, I leaned back against the wall. He moved closer to me and placed his palms on each side of my body once again to trap me.
    “Listen lass, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but you should know that me mates are putting bets on it. They aren’t too happy with finding you, and you should be thankful I’m letting you stay here with me. You’re safe with me.”
    Whatever. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that. Being on a ship full of humans was more dangerous than being chased by the giant squid.
    “I don’t owe you any information, you dirty pirate.”
    “Dirty?” he asked. His mouth fell open with an amused smile as he leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You have no idea.”
    I slipped underneath his arm to get away, but my feet took on a mind of their own as I tumbled backward toward the bed. The post caught my fall, and I grabbed at it to hold me up.
    “What’s the matter with you? I didn’t take you for a clumsy one.”
    What was wrong with me? I was handling all this the wrong way. Had I forgotten everything I learned about charming other races? Mermaids had the ability to charm the opposite sex of other races of creatures. Had the fear of being trapped with humans taken away my bravery? I needed to correct my mistake. With lowered lids I looked back up at him and smiled.
    “My name is Raewyn.”
    That should be enough information for him, at least I hoped. I wanted to inquire about what his suspicions were exactly, but he wasn’t under my spell yet.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Raewyn.” He took my hand and planted a soft kiss on it with his rough lips.
    That was my cue to lay it on thick and use those mermaid gifts to my advantage, but the sudden feel of his lips on my skin sent a jolt of electricity through my body. I jerked my hand away from him and frowned. “You’re a scoundrel Aiden.”
    “ Captain Aiden,” he clarified.
    “I’m not calling you that. You’re lucky I haven’t—”
    “You haven’t what ?” He called my bluff and reached out to run a finger down my cheek.
    His touch was soft but perilous. Aiden Flynn was cleaner than the pirates who frequented the bars I spied on from the safety of the ocean. This pirate was rather tidy, except for the unshaven scruff across his face. It was almost easy to forget he was a pirate.
    Without an answer for him, and all these confusing thoughts swirling in my head, my instinct was to show him he didn’t have the best of me.
    I slapped him across the face. The sound echoed throughout the cabin as his head jerked to the side. A sly smile came over his face as he laughed.
    “That’s what I thought,” he said and took a step back from me. He motioned over to a door towards the right. “You won’t be going anywhere anytime