“You should have come straight to me,” Lord Morant said with an authoritarian stare.

They were standing on the deck of the fishing boat as it pulled away from the docks. Morant, Lynch and Jack had joined them without a word as they boarded the ship. Will had started to speak, but Morant had cut him off.

“Why would I do that?” Will snarled back, still fuming.

“Nae, Will. He’s right,” Captain Vex said. She wore her hat and coat, but her other clothes had still been wet and were packed away, so she was wearing borrowed clothes from Will’s bedroom. She looked a bit rumpled in his oversized breeches and shirt. “As Captain, it was my duty to inform Lord Morant of anything that jeopardized th’ mission. Ye have my apologies, m’lord. We were in a jam and worried about gettin’ caught on the streets. Still, we could’ae figured somethin’ out.”

“A representative of the Kidd family came to me looking for you, Captain. Needless to say I was quite shocked at what I heard,” Morant said sternly.

“I doubt they told ye how things really went down,” Captain Vex said bitterly.

“I do not care, Captain. Guilt in the matter does not concern me. You could have stabbed a dozen of those pretentious backwater nobodies and I would be unmoved. My point is that I should have heard the news first, from you.” Morant’s pale blue eyes were hard as flint.

Captain Vex nodded. “Aye, m’lord. Won’t ‘appen again.”

“You left Janie behind!” Will snapped, his tone pure rage.

“She was never intended to come in the first place. You negotiated for the addition of one extra mouth, not two,” Morant said, one white eyebrow raised.

“I accepted her as part of the crew,” Captain Vex said, “She was going t’ be my Purser.”

“Hmm. If I had known that, I might have been able to make alternate arrangements- yet another reason you should have come to me directly,” Morant said.

“You were the one who suggested that she be taken hostage in the first place!” Will snarled.

“Indeed. She is Magistrate. Half the soldiers on the island watched Mister Kidd put a gun to the head of one of their own. Captain Vex’s earlier brash actions forced the Magistrate into a position where they had little choice but to tacitly support those pathetic pirates. Now that is over,” Morant smiled in satisfaction.

“You planned this?” Will asked, angry and shocked.

“No,” Morant waved his hand dismissively, “As I said, I did not know she would be there. When I saw her, I saw an opportunity and seized it. I dare say everything worked out nicely.”

Will just stared at the nobleman. “I’m not going to forget this, Morant.”

“Lord Morant, if you please.” The pale-eyed nobleman stared back, utterly unmoved by Will’s anger.

“I’m not a citizen of the empire,” Will said. “You aren’t any lord of mine.”

Will turned and stalked away. Bella followed him. Jack watched them leave, then turned around and looked back at the docks shrinking in the distance. They passed the outer reaches of the cove and were in open waters.

The Kestrel sat moored a short distance away, waiting.

_____________________________

“Captain on deck!” Danica North shouted.

The crew of the Kestrel stopped what they were doing. Those that could stood and faced the Captain as she stepped onto the deck. They didn’t salute. This wasn’t a military vessel. Still, they gave Captain Vex the respect her station was due and waited to hear if the captain had any specific orders.

“As you were,” Captain Vex said with a small nod to her first mate.

“As you were!” Danica bellowed. The deck began to bustle again.

Belita’s boot heels echoed hollowly on the wood. Danica and her husband fell into step along side her. “How are you two holding up?”

“We’re alright, Captain. Lingering headaches,” Danica said.

“No worse’n a good hangover,” her husband added.

“Colin is going to be recovering for a while. We never did find a doctor willing to sign on for this trip, so we can’t tell for sure how bad off he is. Seems like a nasty concussion and some torn muscles in his shoulder,” Danica continued. “He’s insisting on working though. He’s at the helm now.”

“I assigned him a mate to help him out if he needs it and take over when he needs a break,” Mister North added. “He’s mostly fine when he’s leaning on the wheel, but when he has to walk it’s pretty clear he ain’t doin’ well.”

“That’s fine in calm waters. If things get rougher, pull him,” Captain Vex said.

“Aye, cap’n,” Danica said.

“Give me the report.” Captain Vex stopped midship to look around. Her studied eyes scanned the rigging first, then took in the deck itself, looking for anything amiss.

“We’re rigging the last of the smallboats now. As long as we stay out of choppy waters, we can do that on the move,” Missus North said.

“We had to leave without some supplies. We’re close to fully stocked, but we might need to put in an extra stop for provisions along the way. I’ll know for sure once I finish going through what we brought in with the smallboats,” Mister North added.

“Some of that is Sterling’s personal effects. Have them delivered to my cabin,” Vex said looking over the ship.

“Aye, Cap’n,” Mister North said.

The Captain finished her visual assessment. Everything looked good, save for the ugliness on the perimeter of the ship. There was a lot of improvising happening to secure all nine of the smaller craft. It looked like her master rigger had brought in some rigging ladders meant for a larger vessel. They’d already been hung from the main mast and were somehow being used to help secure the smaller boats. The Kestrel was a mess of excess rope. The smaller boats lined the entire perimeter of the upper deck. There were four on each gently curving side, and one already hung from the aft, right behind the helm, over the kestrel’s nameplate. The Captain sighed. “This is going to make her very topheavy.”

“Aye,” Danica agreed.

“Mister North, can we bring on extra ballast?” Belita asked her Quartermaster.

“We have a lot of Sterling’s barrels filling our hold already. I’ll have any that aren’t being used moved to the low deck and filled with seawater,” North said.

“Let me know when it’s done. We’ll want to do some turn tests. For now, have Mister Strong set the wheel knots at… thirty degrees. Better safe until we know for sure what she can handle right now,” said Captain Vex.

“Aye, cap’n,” Danica replied.

“Oh, and Sterling’s partner has a monkey. Inform the crew,” Captain Vex added.

Danica laughed. “Aye. I’ll pass the word.”

“I’ll make sure the food stores are locked down tight,” Mister North smiled.

“And the valuables. Everything, really. Tell the crew that anything they don’t want to go missing is to be kept in their lockboxes,” Vex smirked.

“Not very well trained, is it?” Mister North asked, amused.

“Oh, quite the opposite,” Captain Vex shook her head. “I’ll be in my quarters. I was up all night, so don’t wake me for anything short of a fire. Get underway as soon as we’re able. You have the ship, Danica.”

The Norths looked at each other, wondering what she could have meant about the monkey, then gave Vex sharp nods and turned to go about their work. Captain Vex unlocked her cabin door and disappeared inside.

_______________

Once the fishing boat had the Captain and the others offloaded, the men who had rowed the smallboats out to the Kestrel disembarked. Lines were cast off and the fishing boat waved away. Danica called out for the anchor to be weighed. A few moments later the sails dropped and fully unfurled.

The Kestrel began to move.

In spite of his seething frustration and anger, Will felt glad to be aboard a ship again. The bustling top deck felt like coming home. The deck moving under him made him realize how much he’d missed the rolling of the waves. He stepped off to the side next to one of the smallboats to get out of the way and watched, getting a feel for the Kestrel and her crew. He liked what he saw.

Bella was not so glad. She felt like she was instantly in the way, and the listing of the deck made her feel unsteady. Her monkey climbed onto her shoulder and hid beneath her hair. Mister Lynch brushed past her carrying a sizable lockbox on his shoulder. For being a thin man, he was apparently quite strong. Lord Morant followed, not bothering to introduce himself to Bella or speak to Will further. Jack followed him, but stopped as she began to pass Will and Bella. She looked back and forth between them.

“You did not tell me you were bringing Bella into this,” Jack said to Will.

“There’s a lot I don’t tell you,” Will shrugged. After leaving Janie behind he was in no mood to deal with Jack.

Jack’s eyes flashed. “This is dangerous,” she snapped.

“You can talk to me, Jack. I’m right here,” Bella said sharply.

“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. You should not have come,” Jack said. She was trying to sound reasonable, but her voice was intense, almost pleading.

“That’s exactly what he said,” Bella pointed to Will. “He was smart enough to let me make my own choices though.”

“It was the wrong choice,” Jack said flatly. “He knows that. You should have listened.”

“He needs my help,” Bella said. “So do you.”

Jack gave her a withering look. “I most certainly do not.”

“That’s not what the cards say,” Bella shrugged.

Jack’s brows furrowed. She knew what the cards represented. “I do not want your help.”

“You don’t know what you want,” Will said flatly.

“Oh, that is rich coming from you!” Jack snapped.

“I’m here, Jack. Deal with it,” Bella said curtly.

Jack fumed, collecting herself. “Fine.” She looked at Will. “If she gets hurt, I’m taking it out of your hide.”

“Of course you will.” Will started walking away.

“Nice to know you still care,” Bella said sarcastically, following Will.

Jack looked hurt for a moment, then her temper rose. “Me! I wasn’t the one who-” she cut herself off.

Will stopped and turned around. “Go ahead,” He said patiently. “Finish that sentence.”

Jack just looked at him. Emotions roiled beneath the surface, but none of them came out of her mouth. Finally she just shook her head and began leave. She stopped halfway.

“I am sorry about your... friend. I hope she will be alright,” she said quietly.

“Janie’s tough. She’ll be fine,” Will said. “Thank you, though.”

Jack left.

“Well, this will be a fun trip,” Will said deadpanned.

Bella shrugged. “That could have gone worse.”

“True. I’m pleasantly surprised, really.” Will sighed.

“She’s worse now,” Bella said. “Harsher.”

Will nodded. “Might just be us.”

“Hard to say.” Bella suddenly grabbed onto Will as the ship went from gently listing with the waves to surging beneath her feet as the sails finished unfurling and caught the wind.

Will steadied her with a smile. “You’ll get your sea legs soon. Let’s go to the rear of the ship. It’s more stable there.”

“I’m exhausted, Will,” Bella said. “Is there somewhere we can sleep?”

Will hadn’t even noticed how tired he was until she’d spoken. He’d been awake all night, with his blood up for most of it. He nodded. “Good idea. We’ll get the tour later.”

They crossed the deck. A number of the sailors paused their actions to watch Bella walk. She was clearly having trouble with her balance. As if that wasn’t comical enough, her haphazard swaying and jostling was doing impressive things to her chest. Will sighed and rolled his eyes. “You’d better get your sea legs soon, or you’re going to cause accidents.”

Bella glared at him. “You’re one to talk, Curse Boy.” All around them, sailors’ eyes wandered toward the gorgeous N’madi newcomer.

Behind them someone dropped something heavy and swore. Bella looked surprised, then glared harder. Will laughed, then looked sheepish. “That probably wasn’t your fault. Maybe.”

He knocked on the door to Belita’s cabin. A few long moments later the Captain opened the door with a glare that could have matched Bella’s. “Don’t knock. It’s your cabin too. Just come in.”

Will and Bella entered and shut the door. Bella grabbed the wall as the ship listed. It was dark. All the lamps on the walls were out save for the small one next to the door. They could make out Belita’s outline but not much else as their eyes started to adjust. She had pulled on her captain’s coat like a robe to answer the door. Now she pulled it off and hung it on the wall below her hat. Her silhouette, only faintly lit by the door lamp, was glorious. She wasn’t being teasing. In fact, she seemed a bit grumpy. She gracefully swayed with the ship to the bed and unceremoniously tossed herself into it.

“There’s enough room for all of us. Crawl in an’ shut up,” Belita grumbled.

Will and Bella looked at each other in the dim light, then started undressing.

________________________

“I don’t know what to do, Quinn,” Jack said. “I think I could have handled Will alone. I’m not ready for both of them. I’m… I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You rarely speak of them,” Quinn said. He sat on the bed, his back against the wall. Jack was leaning back against his broad chest, her head in the crook of his shoulder.

“There’s too much to say. They hate me now. I thought there was some way to… I thought Bella at least would understand, but she sided with him. Now, they’re… together. I guess. I just have to accept my fate,” Jack sighed.

“Do they know what you did?” Quinn asked.

“They know the consequences. I tried to tell Bella once, but she didn’t listen. All she heard was that I’d left Will behind and she lost it,” Jack shrugged.

“Would you like me to speak with them?” Quinn asked.

“And say what? That is was you? Take the blame for me? It was my choice. Both times,” Jack said.

“Your motives were selfless,” Quinn said firmly. More than anything, that mattered to him.

“I still screwed up. It didn’t work. Well, not for Will anyway, and Bella doesn’t… she thinks her own power got her through.” Jack rubbed her face and tried to calm her nerves. “She’s proud. Maybe she’s right? Who knows?”

“I do,” Quinn said. “Miss Fortuna would not have survived without you, and Mister Stirling has thrived because of you. The fact that neither of them understand that does not change the facts.”

“But it does change how they feel about me,” Jack said bitterly. “I don’t know what to do about it without breaking your rules.”

“You know how you could change this,” Quinn said gently.

“No! I do not want to lose you.” Jack turned to Quinn and put her hand on his face, gazing into his black eyes. “You are all I have left. I fought too hard for you just to lose you to amend my own mistakes.”

“I am glad for it,” Quinn said with a small smile. “I have enjoyed our time together. I would not want to see it end so soon.”

“How is it that you are the worst and best thing to ever happen to me?” Jack asked.

“It is my nature. The price of getting what you want always has been getting what you once wanted,” Quinn said with a small smile. “Often, the desire of a thing is preferable to the having.”

“I suppose you would know.” Jack took a deep breath. “What should I do, Quinn?”

“It is not my place to say, Mistress,” Quinn said gently.

“Well, what would you do in my place?” she asked.

Quinn was quiet for a time, thinking. “I would prefer not to say, Mistress. I am afraid my answer may influence you.”

“That’s the point, Quinn. I’m at a loss, and I trust your judgement. I’d really like some influence. Please tell me,” Jack slid herself down and repositioned so that she was laying with her head on Quinn’s thigh instead of against his chest. She looked up at him, waiting.

“I would tell them the truth,” Quinn said.

“I thought I couldn’t? Doesn’t that break the rules?” Jack was confused.

“You misunderstand, Mistress. You have been careful not to deviate from my instructions, but you never asked their purpose. Most of what I told you was in regards to the limits of what I can or will do, but others are simply preferences. You did not ask for clarification, so I did not give it,” Quinn said. “I cannot command you, and would never wish to.”

“So, all those rules… they were just… guidelines?” Jack asked.

“Strong ones, but yes,” Quinn said. He did not sound happy at having to admit that.

“I feel a bit like you tricked me Quinn,” Jack said with a small smile on her face.

“I did, Mistress. I have learned that it is best to give new masters very firm guidelines right away. I had hoped you would never find out. I will submit to whatever punishment you feel is necessary,” Quinn said. He did not sound upset or remorseful, merely resigned.

“You were protecting yourself. You did not know me then,” Jack shrugged.

“I appreciate your understanding,” Quinn said with a small, rare smile.

“So I should just tell them?” Jack asked, somewhat rhetorically. “I can see why you didn’t want to answer. That could create a lot of problems.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Quinn agreed.

“You didn’t have to tell me just now, did you?” Jack asked, still trying to work everything out in her head.

“Not so directly, no,” Quinn admitted. “I may have been able to come up with a way of wording things that would not have revealed my earlier deception. I have come to respect you in addition to simply serving you. I know this issue has caused you great pain for years now, and you have endured it for my sake even when the fastest way to be free of it would be to disregard my feelings on the matter. Having met both Mister Sterling and Miss Fortuna, I am willing to accept the risk to my wellbeing to help you. Neither one of them is what I would consider deeply selfish or immoral.”

“Isn’t it a bit soon for you to be able to tell that?” Jack asked.

“No,” Quinn said simply.

Jack chuckled. “Well, I appreciate that. You really don’t know them, though. They’re both utter scoundrels in their own ways. That’s why we got along so well,”

“You make my argument for me. You may consider yourself a scoundrel, but it is a superficial description. Of all those I have served, few have matched you in terms of selflessness and loyalty,” Quinn said, stroking his knuckles along Jack’s arm.

“They might disagree,” Jack sighed.

“Then they would be wrong,” Quinn said.

“I’ll think about it. I want to at least try to mend things without putting you at risk,” Jack said. She closed her eyes and, using Quinn’s leg as a pillow, drifted off to sleep.

“As you wish, Mistress,” Quinn said. He didn’t move at all while Jack slept.

____________________

Will hadn’t moved at all while Bella and Belita slept.

The bed was large, especially for a ship’s bed, but not large enough to sleep three easily, so they’d found the most comfortable position was for Will to be in the middle and Bella and Belita to press their backs against his sides. They’d piled their pillows against his shoulders. Bella had held onto Will’s arm like a child with a stuffed animal. On Belita’s side he just hung his hand off the edge of the bed.

He hadn’t moved in hours. When he woke up he was sore and a tad hungover. Had the drunken misadventures at Merry Mary’s really been just last night? It already felt so long ago. His hands were numb.

He never would have guessed that sharing a bed with two beautiful women would have so many logistical issues.

As he began to stir, Belita woke up. She was one of those people who slept lightly and adjusted to wakefulness near instantly. She rolled her head on his shoulder and side-eyed him for waking her. Then she sighed and swung her feet off the bed to sit up.

“Sorry,” Will said quietly. Belita stretched like a cat, putting her hands on the low ceiling and pushing, arching her back and throwing her hips back. Her profile was exquisite and Will could feel himself responding beneath the blankets.

Belita opened a small door on the rear wall and ducked through it. Will worked his hand, letting blood flow bring feeling back. Bella made a small, uncomfortable noise and rolled closer against him, rubbing her own hand. He adjusted to give her some room. She opened one eye and glared at him. She shook her hand. “Issat you ‘r me?” she mumbled.

“Me. My arms fell asleep. I didn't mean to wake you up. How long will this connection thing last?” Will asked.

“Should be over soon.” Bella rolled face down and lifted her head long enough for Will to free his arm. Then she flopped back down into her pillow and pulled the blankets up over most of her head.

Will achingly sat up and started working on his other arm.

“Owww,” Bella whined from under the blankets. Will managed not to laugh out loud. He stood up and stretched, bones popping and muscles protesting. Bella dragged the pillow he’d just vacated over her head, as though that was going to help muffle their shared sensations.

Belita came back into the room and saw Will staring at the pile of blankets and pillows. She raised an eyebrow at him in the dim light. He put a finger to his lips and then pinched himself on the sensitive skin beneath his tricep.

Bella squeaked the blankets jumped like there’d been a small explosion beneath them and then suddenly there was a pillow flying at Will’s head. Belita tried to hold in her laughed and snorted a bit. Then a small smile mischievous smile spread over her face. Her fingers darted out and started to tickle Will, who yelped and tried to fend her off for a moment until he noticed the blankets beginning to twitch and squeak again. He put his hands on his hips and endured. “Do your worst, pirate! I’ll never talk!” he said, his face scrunched up with the effort of not laughing or squirming away.

Belita’s fingers lightly dug and traced along his ribs and the witch in the bed rolled out from beneath the blankets, kicking her feet and shrieking like her monkey. “I’m hexing you both!” she squeaked out between peals of breathless laughter. “The black spot! The evil eye!” She kicked and flailed, then started throwing more pillows. Will turned around. They hit him in the back. Belita ducked behind him and redoubled her efforts. Her hands moved higher  and tickled harder. Bella’s shrieks escalated. “Curses! All the curses!” She held onto herself and tried to fend off the phantom fingers but there was nothing she could do. She came off the bed like a wild animal, but Will caught her, wrapping his long arms around her shoulders and squeezing her while Belita continued her assault on his ribs and underarms. He was laughing so hard he was practically crying, but he endured it willingly. Bella thrashed and trying to get Belita’s hands to stop, or to pull Will away from her but nothing worked. Her shrieking laughter continued, laced throughout with breathless profanity. “I give up!” she finally wailed. “What do you want, you evil pirate?”

“I think I’m going tae make ye my new cabin girl,” Belita said, finally stopping. Will exhaled in relief.

Bella laughed. “Is that all? You didn’t need to tickle me for that. I’d have volunteered.”

“This was much more fun,” Belita said, coming out from behind Will and wrapping her arms around Bella’s waist.

Bella kissed the Captain and then glared over her shoulder at Will. “You traitor.”

Will grinned. “You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first.”

“Harumph,” Bella said, full of over-exaggerated indignation.

Will walked over to the small door and slipped through it to relieve himself. After all the tickling, his bladder was not happy with him.

The small privy was long and narrow, running most of the length of the back of the ship with few small porthole windows. The shallow shelves were like small trenches so that the items in them would not fall off with the waves. There was a claw footed bathtub in the back corner. Captain Vex even had a large plant growing out of a bucket next to the tub, it’s fronds drooping over the lip. Will looked at the narrow door, and then at the bathtub and wondered how she’d managed to get it into this narrow room. He opened the lid of the commode and saw the rolling, sunlit ocean straight down below.

When he came out again, the Captain had her new cabin girl’s head between her legs. He leaned in the doorway and watched for a while.

They were amazingly sensual, but after yesterday Will was honestly too sore and overworked to get more than a partial erection. He was doing a good job of ignoring it, but he was hurting. His burns were an oversensitive ache. There were a few places where the skin had blistered, the white scorched skin bubbling up and filling with liquid. His lower body hair was a prickly, badly shorn mess. It was really a wonder he’d been able to sleep as well as he had. Apparently mental and physical exhaustion was stronger than the discomfort of burned skin.

Still, he watched them. Bella played the Captain’s body like an instrument. Her fingers and tongue worked together to build Belita’s pleasure in a constant swell. Will licked his lips. It was a baffling sensation to be able to feel the sensation of Bella’s mouth on Belita’s soft folds, to feel her lips brushing and tugging on the Captain’s golden rings and the swirling of Bella’s tongue on Belita’s clit, but not be able to taste it.

Belita writhed, her strong, tanned body stretching like a cat. She gripped the blanket beneath her and took a shuddering breath. Her breasts rolled, her golden nipple rings glinting in the lamp light. She looked over at Will in the doorway, her eyes full of heat. She ran her hands into Bella’s dark curls. Will felt Bella slide two fingers into the Captain’s warm, wet depths. Her eyes went wide and her back arched. “Yesss,” she groaned.

Will glanced at his hand. He could feel the pressure in his fingertips, the warmth and the wetness as Bella began to tug and rub on that wonderful internal spot. Belita’s breath quickened. She began rolling her tawny head back and forth, small shudders sparking through her body. Her breasts bounced and the muscles in her thighs quivered. Will could feel himself responding more, somehow managing a somewhat aching erection.

Belita’s orgasm hit her hard and fast. She came almost silently, her breath caught in her chest from the overwhelming tension. Her whole body rocked with one hard jerk after another. Bella didn’t let up her pistoning fingers or sucking mouth or swirling tongue until the Captain’s whole body finally went limp. “Mmm,” she finally groaned. “I’ve never had a cabin girl before. I can see the appeal.”

Bella slowly slid her fingers out of the Captain and sat up on her knees. Belita sat up as well, hanging her legs off the end of the bed and bending town to give Bella a lusty, thankful kiss. “Thank ye. I’d love tae return th’ favor, but I really have tae see tae th’ ship. She’s a demanding wench.”

“Go,” Bella smiled, “There will be more time later.”

Belita got up and pulled a new change of clothes from a set of drawers beneath the bed and tugged herself into her tight pants. Her full breasts bounced and jiggled. Bella rolled herself onto the bed and sprawled. She beckoned Will over. He came and sat down on the edge of the bed. She reached over and started gently massaging his erection through his pants. “Feels a little sore,” she said, commenting on what she could feel through their link. “Still good though.”

“It’s a good ache, I suppose,” Will shrugged.

“I want to see if I can heal you,” Bella said. “Think you’re up for another ritual?”

“Probably not one as intense as the last one. Also, I’m going to draw the line at being lit on fire again,” Will snarked.

Belita laughed. “No more fire. None. Not on my ship.”

Bella held up her hands in mock surrender. “No fire. Promise. I’m a much better healer than I am an evoker.”

“Now I really want t’ stay. This magic stuff is fun,” Belita smirked.

“You’re the Captain,” Will said. “Who’s going to tell you no?”

“Me,” Belita shook her head. “We’re already hours underway an’ I don’t know what the Kestrel’s current capabilities are with all yer small boats hangin’ off her. Things go wrong, I really need tae know how she moves. You two have fun.” She untied the cord holding her hair back and worked a brush through it. “Feel free tae get started though. You know I enjoy the show.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Bella said enthusiastically. She untied Will’s pants, tugged them down and slowly put her mouth over the head of his cock.

He took a deep breath. She was being very gentle, but the soft wetness of her lips and mouth were intensified by the faint ache in his shaft from being overworked. Belita gave him a lascivious grin while she finished pulling her hair back again. She lifted her breasts with her hands, kneading them and tugging gently on her rings. She winked. His cock throbbed in Bella’s mouth. She slowly plunged deeper. He rolled his hips upward. She took it and didn’t pull back. He felt himself enter her throat. “Holy fuck,” he groaned.

The captain pulled the shirt she’d stolen from Will’s place back on and buttoned it halfway, tucking it into her pants. “That’s damn impressive,” she said, watching Bella’s completely engulf Will’s length.

Bella was laid out flat on her stomach with her head in Will’s lap. She wagged her hips back and forth in acknowledgement. Will ran his hands into her dark hair and pushed harder. He felt her lips make contact with the sensitive burned ring at the root of his cock. It hurt a bit but he didn’t care, the pleasure overrode it. Bella moaned deep in her chest and finally pulled herself off Will’s cock.

“That feels amazing,” she said happily. “I wish I didn’t have to come up for air.”

“You and me both,” Will laughed. “How much longer is the sensory link between us going to last?”

“Probably not too much longer, so I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can,” she plunged back down on his cock again, bobbing slowly and deeply.

“She cums at least twice, Sterling. One for you, an’ one for me,” the Captain said, shrugging into her coat.

“Aye, Captain,” Will groaned, pushing into Bella’s throat again. Bella echoed Will’s groan, loving feeling what he felt.

Captain Vex dropped her hat onto her head and opened the door, letting the bright sun in for a moment. It was practically blinding. Then the door shut and she was gone.

Bella came off his cock again. “Ready to get started?”

“I thought we had started?” Will asked.

“Nope, that was just the warm up,” Bella said. She rolled over and rifled through her bag, coming up with a makeup kit and a small wooden case. She opened the kit and used a small brush to make five white dots on her body. Her forehead, each shoulder, and each hip bone. Then she put five more in the center of her chest, in the same pattern but inverted. Two rough pentagrams, one inside the other.

When she was done she tossed the makeup kit into her bag and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached over to grasp Will’s cock again. She started stroking gently. “Normally, I’d be the focus. I’d be using my own sexual energy to channel into the pattern, and then when there was enough, I’d use it to perform a healing spell. With the sensory link, your pleasure is mine, so I want to try something new.”

“Nothing dangerous?” Will asked, still a bit wary. His curse had definitely acted up last night, and he didn’t want to tempt it.

“Not at all. Worst case scenario, nothing happens and we try again later, the usual way. As long as the sensory bond is active, I want to experiment a little. If I time things right, I think I can experience your orgasm, and mine, at the same time, and pour it all into the spell. If I’m right the double dose of oomph will make this far more powerful than my usual attempts at healing,” Bella said excitedly.

“Alright, what do I need to do?” Will asked.

Bella opened up the case and pulled out Rocky, her enchanted stone phallus. “Nothing. Let me do the work. This will be easiest if you don’t surprise me.”

Will propped himself up against the headboard. “Alright.”

Bella whispered to Rocky and Will heard a faint buzz, like an angry wasp, start up. She brought the phallus down between her legs and let Will enjoy watching her play with herself while she continued to stroke his shaft. After feeling what he’d been feeling while she gave him head, she was wet and ready. Rocky found her clit and she shuddered as the vibrations shocked up her spine. She leaned forward, her knees tucked beneath her, one hand between her legs and the other propping her up on Will’s thigh. She held his cock gently in her hand and engulfed it with her mouth again, pushing all the way down. When his cock entered her throat, she pushed Rocky into herself, loving the sudden stretching feeling of fullness and the vibrations that spread heat through her core.

It was almost overwhelming. Will could feel the stone phallus inside her, the deep, warm penetration mirroring the deep, warm wetness of her mouth and throat. They groaned at the same time.

She plunged Rocky in and out of her, angling it, pushing the rounded head against that divine internal spot, bumping it with the buzzing smoothness. Will’s eyes went wide. She bumped her mouth down against the base of his cock, letting him as deep as he could go before coming up for air and then pushing again with her mouth and the toy. Beneath her body a soft white glow began as the ritual pattern began to charge.

Will’s soreness and ache was all but forgotten. Bella’s mouth was magic. He brought his hands to her head, taking a tight grip in her hair, but not doing more than holding her, following her as she stroked his length with her mouth. She rolled her head against his grip. He could feel it in his scalp. She really loved having her hair pulled like that, and now he understood why. He pushed, his hips rolling. She took every inch, working Rocky in and out of her even faster.

He fucked her mouth, occasionally relenting as she came up to breathe, but starting again as soon as she took his length into her throat again. It felt amazing. Her soft, warm wetness rippled along his entire length. He could feel the heat rising inside her from the buzzing phallus. “I’m getting close,” he said.

“Mmmhmm,” she nodded against the base of his cock. She started pulling up and pushing all the way back down again, long steady strokes. Her hand cupped his balls from below and rolled them gently. She pushed the phallus inside her against that divine spot firmly and pulsed it. The warm light beneath her swelled until it was brighter than the lamps on the walls.

She felt his balls tighten and his cock flex and pulled back, her mouth working his head and her hand working his shaft. She pushed Rocky inside her hard, almost to the point of pain. Her pleasure suddenly reached its breaking point and she held it there, waiting. She felt Will’s intense, almost painful orgasm as well, her mouth filling with ropes of salty spend and she released herself to her own orgasm. It crashed through her body, and through Will’s. They each came. Twice. At the same time. Together.

Bella held her concentration through the double intensity, unable to completely surrender herself because of the focus her spell required. She triggered the prepared energy in the pattern simultaneously with their orgasms. It robbed her of some of the intensity of the pleasure she was feeling, but that was the price. All magic demanded a sacrifice. The prices she paid weren’t really so bad by comparison. Two muted orgasms at the same time were still about the same as one really big one that she could fully give into.

The cum in her mouth went from warm to hot. She milked the last drops out of Will’s cock and closed her mouth, careful not to lose any. Then she crawled up his body and let it slowly dribble from her lips onto his chest.

He watched, confused at first, recovering from his orgasm. Having her drip his own spend onto his chest wasn’t something he found particularly erotic, but he wasn’t squeamish about his own cum. She drooled the last of it around the base of his cock, and then began to slowly spread it on his body like a balm.

He realized the background pain of the burns were vanishing. She spread the enchanted cum on every line of scorched skin, and it turned brown like a tan, and painless. Eventually she pressed more firmly, working it thoroughly into his skin.

“Wow,” Will said, looking down at the healed skin. He felt great. The burns were gone. The soreness in his cock was gone. The residual aches and pains he’d been feeling from all the stress and long hours of the last few days was gone. Even the bruise he’d gotten when he’d slipped in the bourbon at Merry Mary’s was gone. “I feel fantastic.”

“It worked! Hope you don’t mind the mess,” Bella grinned happily.

“Not normally what I’m into, but the results speak for themselves,” he grinned back. “I think you could make a killing as a nurse.”

Bella scoffed. “Not really, no. That kind of magical healing is actually really inefficient. Almost every other discipline has better spells for healing flesh. The Magistrate especially. They just all require kinds of magic I know almost nothing about beyond theory.”

“So what now? The Captain said you have to have to get off twice. Want me to…” Will trailed off, but his intent was very clear.

“I did come twice. Yours and mine. So did you,” Bella laughed. “I’m actually a little fatigued from the ritual and from being woken up too soon, so I’m going to curl up and sleep more. You can join me if you want.”

“I’m up. I think I’ll go explore the ship and see if I can scrounge up a meal. I’ll ask the cook to set something aside for you too.”

Bella pulled the blanket around herself like a cocoon as Will stood up. She snuggled in and Will gave her a lingering kiss. “Sweet dreams,” he said.

Bella pulled the other pillow over her head to block out the light. Will got dressed and stepped out into the bright, tropical sun.