Chapter 2

Laina stared at the man, taken aback by his outrageous demand. On the other hand, he asked instead of just coming in and doing whatever he wanted, which was more than she was expecting. Still, it was disgusting and frightening and- Lamar's scream from above interrupted her thoughts. It was getting worse. He didn't scream before. At the start, he laughed and cursed at the men. Later, he grunted and groaned but mostly suffered in silence. They were wearing him down, fast.

"Fine," Laina heard herself say. "I will let you… But you will take me to the captain right after that."

The man revealed his rotten teeth in a wide grin. "Aye aye, my lady."

There was no way to know whether he was telling the truth or just playing her but Laina had to do something. Anything. She couldn't just let Lamar die. The keyring rattled loudly as the man searched for the right key to unlock the door. His stench was nauseating, making her gag when he crouched next to her to take the shackles off her ankles. He kept her wrists chained together and waved his index finger in front of her face as he pulled her up. "No funny business, lass."

He led her outside, to a dark passageway and locked the door behind him again. Laina caught a few sympathetic looks from the other prisoners but most of them had their eyes closed, desperation and resignation written all over their faces. The pirate pushed her against the wall, his hungry look making her wonder whether he was going to stop at just touching her.

The chain attached to her wrist jingled as she reached for his hand, guiding it under the skirt of her dress and up her thigh. She had to bite on her lip not to start screaming when his dirty fingers slipped into her underpants, caressing the soft hair between her legs. It hurt. His nails were sharp and his movements rough. He moaned in pleasure when he reached the hot wetness of her core, engulfing her in his disgusting breath.

"Fuck yea." He leaned closer to her, his other hand groping her breast, his hard manhood rubbing against her thigh.

With all the courage she could muster up, she pushed him away. "That's enough." It was supposed to sound authoritative but the words came out as a quiet squeal.

To her surprise, the man grumbled but took a step back, raising his hand to his mouth and licking his fingers. "Mmm," he mused. "Yummy. You sure you don't wanna have some fun? Cap'n said hands off the merchandise but if you stayed really quiet…" His fingers slid along the edge of her cheek.

"No," Laina blurted out. "T-take me to him. To the captain. Please." So that was why nobody has touched her. The captain's orders. She should probably be grateful but all she felt was horror from this entire situation and shame and disgust from the lingering sensation of the pirate's fingers inside her "cunt", as he so bluntly called it.

Laina was far from being a virgin, back in the palace she had lots of suitors to choose from and she didn't have any issues with enjoying herself. Love was never involved, it was just fun. Back home, nobody would ever dare to touch her against her will. But that was in civilization. Such rules didn't apply here and she needed to learn how to play this game fast if she wanted to get out of it alive. Right now, her body was the only thing she could barter with.

The daylight was almost blinding but Laina gratefully filled her lungs with fresh air as soon as they climbed up on the main deck. A burst of laughter drew her attention to the side where a large group of pirates was watching a large bald man whip Lamar. The whip had several thin leather tails and there were metal hooks embedded into the ending of each one. Entire Lamar's body was covered in bleeding cuts, his back especially, but they didn't seem to spare his chest or legs either.

One of the men stepped closer to the Orellian, tugging on the shredded remains of Lamar's shirt. It used to be white but it was all red now, drenched in blood. "The sharks are hungry," the man grinned and tossed the shirt over the side railing right into the water. The wind wasn't very strong and the ship was moving rather slowly, so they all had plenty of time to watch a couple of sharp, triangular gray fins approach the bloodied fabric. There was a lot of splashing and tearing before the water stilled again. "Let's just lower him down there a bit to see how fast will they eat his legs! That is always so much fun to watch."

Shit. Laina stifled a cry, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She needed to hurry. Her guard led her over to the captain's cabin and knocked on the door. "Captain Ersey?" he asked carefully, suddenly nervous. "The woman wanted to talk to you."

"Did she now?" The voice sounded amused. "Send her in then." The door opened and Laina was pushed inside, finding herself face to face with the captain. He was tall and bulky. The shade of his skin was darker than Lamar's but not as dark as some of his men's. His eyes were black and cold and Laina found herself wondering what the fuck was she even doing there. But it was too late to turn back now. "Well?" He raised an eyebrow. "What is it you want, my lady?"

She took a deep breath in an unsuccessful attempt to keep her voice from shaking. "I… It would be foolish to kill that man outside. You said you wanted to sell us as slaves and he is strong, wouldn't he fetch a good price? Isn't it a waste to let your men kill him?"

"I'm touched by your concern for the profits of my little enterprise," he smirked. "Why is it that you are so worried about his well-being? Is he family? No…" His thumb caressed her lips. "A lover, perhaps?"

"No! He is… a travel companion. A friend. Please, you must stop them," Laina added quietly, unable to look away from his eyes.

The corner of his mouth curled up higher. "Must I?" Something cruel passed through his expression and Laina subconsciously backed off from him. Not too far though, because soon she found herself with her back against the door. "He killed several of my people. The men want revenge, to blow off some steam. Are you offering yourself to… entertain them instead?"

Captain Ersey seemed much more civilized and polite than the others and yet, Laina was more frightened of him than of the man from earlier. His presence was imposing, he had an undeniable aura of authority and danger around him. And not the good kind of authority. "P-please," she sniffled, no longer able to stop the tears.

He snorted in contempt and turned away from her, walking to the other side of the room and leaning against a heavy wooden table filled with maps and scrolls. It was quiet for a few moments that felt like an eternity. Even Lamar's screams died out, which was not a good sign. "I might be willing to consider it," Ersey finally said, turning to face her. He curled his finger, gesturing at her to come closer.

Laina took short, hesitant steps forward until she was standing right in front of him. His words didn't give her any relief, it was clear that it was not going to be that easy. "Please," she repeated. "Don't let them kill him."

"I'm used to people being on their knees when they are begging me for something," the pirate smirked. Laina didn't allow herself to think about it too much and quickly got down on her knees. Ersey straightened up, towering above her. When she lowered her head to avoid his intense gaze he grabbed her hair and forced her to look back up. "Make it worth my while, girl, and I might save your 'friend'." His other hand pulled on the strings tying his breeches, leaving no space for doubts about his request.

Men were such assholes. Yes, bastard, you are stronger than a helpless tied-up woman! Does that make you feel better?!

Taking great care not to let even a hint of the raging emotions show in her expression, she reached for the captain's breeches. The chain between her wrists was long enough to allow her to move her hands almost freely. She pulled his sizable dick out and carefully ran her palm over it. It was already half erect and quickly got even harder under her touches. The captain let out a quiet, satisfied moan. His hand was still in Laina's hair and he pulled on it, making her lean closer to his crotch.

Knowing she didn't really have a choice at that point, Laina wet her lips and licked the tip of the penis, still working her palms all over his length. Thank all the gods in existence that, unlike his crew members, the captain at least seemed that he had been washing himself every once in a while. Sure, he smelled sweaty, but it wasn't the horrible stench of a body unwashed for weeks that was coming from the others.

Opening her mouth even wider, Laina finally took him in, or at least as big a part as she could manage before starting to gag. He groaned when she started to suck him, her hands stroking the base of his cock and reaching to tease his balls. "Fuck, you are good, little lady," he chuckled. "Sa'zeer!" he called out. At first, Laina thought he was cursing in some language unfamiliar to her, but when the door opened, she realized it was a name.

Startled, she tried to pull away, not wanting to be seen in such a compromising position, but his grip on her hair didn't allow her to. "Keep going, girl," Ersey growled at her before turning to the newcomer who Laina couldn't even see since her whole field of vision was filled by the captain's muscular abdomen. But she did as she was told, continuing to move her head back and forth in a measured rhythm, trying to ignore the petrifying shame she felt. "Oh, wow, okay," he breathed out. "Sa'zeer, put the bastard with the others. Give him some water or something, make sure he doesn't die. And remind the men that this little bitch is mine. You lay a finger on her, I'll cut it off and shove it up your ass."

While it was undeniably better to be used by one man than sixty, Laina still couldn't help herself but shudder. The captain scared her and she was beginning to think that drawing his attention to herself like this was an exceptionally bad idea. "Aye, captain," a voice behind her said and the door closed again.

"See? I'm a man of my word," the captain chuckled, his hand forcing her to move faster. Since his dick was stuffed in her mouth, Laina couldn't answer even if she wanted to, she just kept sucking him off like the good little bitch she apparently was now. How insulting. Lamar was alive, hopefully. But at what cost?

She didn't get an opportunity to ponder about it further because Ersey groaned and pushed his hips against her, making her gag as the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat. Soon, the hot, sticky liquid started squirting into her mouth and Laina had no choice but to swallow it unless she wanted to suffocate. When he finally let her pull away, she coughed and gasped for air desperately, trying to control her stomach. If she threw up on his boots, he would probably not be very happy.

"Well, well. I thought you were an innocent thing, one of those uptight cunts who are saving their precious virginity for 'the one'. But you are an experienced little vixen, aren't you?" Chuckling, he leaned against the table again, watching her still on her knees in front of him. "But since you've held out your end of the deal, your friend gets to live."

"Thank you," she muttered, the aftertaste of his cum still lingering on her tongue. Gods, she needed a drink. "Could I go see him, please?" Even though they have stopped the torture, he might still die from the blood loss or if his wounds festered. Those needed to be cleaned, stitched up, dressed in clean bandages. Laina couldn't imagine any of those things in that dirty storage room the pirates had stuffed the prisoners into.

Ersey tilted his head to the side, watching her with unadulterated lust. "Hmm," he mused after a few moments, "fine."

Laina let out a shaky sigh of relief and stood up, keeping her head down. "Thank you, captain." Some pleasantries couldn't hurt, right? "I…" Now she was just pushing her luck. "Would it be possible for me to get some medical supplies, please?" Did they even have such a thing on this ship? "Even just a thread and a needle and a bit of clean water, I'd like to-"

Her speech was cut short when Ersey suddenly reached after her, grabbing her throat. "You are a bossy little bitch. Everyone always does what you say, right? Guys jump through hoops to get a bit of this." His other hand reached between her legs, stroking her through the clothes. Laina tried to protest but she could barely get enough air through her throat not to pass out, talking was out of the question. The captain's voice was cold but there was still a hint of amusement in it. "I like confident women," he smirked. "They are much more fun to break."

He let go of her throat and Laina stumbled backward, trying to catch her breath. A leather casing appeared in front of her and, once she was back in control of her breathing again, Laina hesitantly reached for it, surprised to see needles, threads, salves, and ointments in it. There was even a small, sharp knife.

"If you try something stupid," Ersey warned her, "I will let every single man aboard this ship fuck you into every hole you have for as long as they want. And then toss whatever is left of you to the sharks." This time there was nothing but a silent threat in his voice, not a single trace of playfulness, sending cold slithers of horror along Laina's spine. "I'll send someone over with water and some bandages. And you will join me for dinner. I'm not done with you just yet."

***

Regular updates will begin on September 20.