Loves' Conqueror. Renee Hand

for Miranda to leave. She did so, but not before leaving him with a breathtaking smile.

      As Miranda left the galley, Billy felt happy, his soul lifted. It had been weeks since he had felt good about himself. Now, with the encounter of Miranda in his head, Billy went back to work cleaning the galley, whistling as he worked, a permanent smile upon his lips.

      Miranda decided to check and see how the crew was faring on deck. As she climbed the stairs to the deck, she noticed the water dripping down them. The storm was fierce, rocking them violently back and forth. She had to grab onto the railings for support. Once on deck, she could see the splashing of the waves as they crashed onto the crew forcing them to hang onto ropes that were tied to the bottom of the main mast. All that could be heard were the crew’s shouts as they lowered the sails and tightened the ropes. Rain pelted her face as the wind whipped against her, pushing her toward the railing. Her eyes searched for Davy, but she could not see him. Fear filled her chest but soon she heard him as he yelled something from the quarterdeck. She quickly exhaled a breath of relief as she gazed over at him. He did not notice her, but she did see Locand as he yelled his orders. He was standing by the helm, steering the ship. His face wasn’t as serious as she thought it would be. In fact, he almost looked as if he were enjoying himself.

      She couldn’t imagine why anyone would be pleased steering a ship into a storm that led them to nowhere. She could hardly see the prow of the ship less try steering in this weather. How Locand knew where he was going was beyond her, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Miranda looked away and focused her attention in front of her. It was then she noticed one of the men sliding across the deck careening toward the railing. He had been tied to the main mast with a short piece of rope, but it had been severed. Miranda quickly glanced around but couldn’t tell if anyone noticed what had happened. When nobody made a move toward the man as he scrambled against a wave trying to find something to hold on to, Miranda reacted. She took a deep breath and ran toward him. She quickly grabbed a hold of a piece of straggling rope that was left untouched around the bottom of the main mast, wrapped it tightly around her waist and then moved toward the man. He just got finished sliding toward her when the ship lifted in the water. She thought that she had his hand, but the ship lurched again. This time both of them flew to the other side.

      Miranda yelled at the man to grab her hand. She saw him hit the railing hard and was almost sent overboard when she reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, saving him. When the ship lifted again, and he was moving toward her, he reached out his hand and firmly held hers within his grasp. She then tried to pull him closer and when she did, forced her rope into his hand. She watched as his hands gripped the rope tightly, and he pulled himself toward the mast. Miranda tried to follow, but her feet slipped upon the slick surface and she fell to her knees. She looked up and saw the man tie another rope back around his waist. He then grabbed her rope and started to pull her. She could feel the rope tighten around her waist. Miranda glanced back toward the railing and watched as another wave washed over the deck. She had to hold her breath as the water drenched her from head to toe. She gripped the rope tightly as she felt the powerful wave cover her. Once it had passed, she felt again the rope tighten around her waist.

      She tried to focus her attention on the man in front of her and noticed, with surprise, as another crew member came to help. Soon, she was pulled to the large mast and found herself being pushed against it as the next wave hit, her head finding some relief as she turned her cheek toward the thick wood. When the wave subsided, she turned around and found herself eye to eye with Locand. They seemed to stare at each other for some time before another wave hit and he was forced to shield her with his body as he grabbed the rope and held it, one of his arms wrapping around her holding her close. Miranda could feel the dampness of Locand’s body against hers, but she didn’t resist. She could feel his cheek resting against hers and heard his labored breathing as she felt his muscles flex. As she breathed in his scent, he smelled of the sea. His body produced much warmth, but she wasn’t able to enjoy it for long. Soon, she saw a flash of silver as Locand withdrew a dagger from his waist. She then felt the slight tug as Locand cut the rope that was around her. He yanked her from the mast and dragged her to the stairs by her arm. Locand almost ran as he tried to beat the next wave that was about to pummel them.

      As the wave hit, Miranda found herself being thrown unceremoniously down the stairs with Locand following right behind her. When she hit the floor, she spun in the water that followed them. Locand almost fell on top of her but instead of catching his breath and resting for a minute, he quickly rose to his feet as if nothing had happened. He seemed to be unhurt, but Miranda could feel a sharp pain in her backside. She winced as she moved.