Sea Captain's Ghost by Frances Stockton

Author:Frances Stockton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc.
Published: 2013-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Two weeks later—Atlantic Ocean

The horrible screams of a man in agony tore through the walls of the great cabin and drew Jocelyn from her dreams. Vaulting from the bed with a strength that continued to amaze her, she stood in the center of the cabin before realizing she was naked and alone!

“Adriano,” she called out, a strange sense of foreboding slithering up her spine.

A simple look about the moonlit cabin revealed Adriano was not there, nor could she feel where he was on the ship. Since they’d become lovers, she usually knew where he was at all times.

The easy glide of the galleon through calm waters meant a storm had not risen to pull Adriano out of bed in the middle of the night. Worried as to why he’d withdrawn from her, she ran to the clothing trunks and riffled through until she found something to wear.

With a suddenness that took her breath away, sharp cramps twisted deep within her womb, warning that by morning her courses would begin. As she’d quietly feared for the last fourteen days, her pain was returning. Taking a few calming breaths she straightened, discovering the cramping was more bearable than it had been in the past.

Hoping the pain would continue to mellow, she grabbed the modified breeches she’d made for herself weeks ago and worked them up over her slimmer hips and flat abdomen. Constantly awed at the changes within her body, she almost lost track of why she’d awakened so suddenly.

An eerie garbled roar suffused the cabin, cloaking her in fear. Frozen in place, she looked around the cabin again, her gaze turning toward the silvery glow of the full moon shining through the back windows of the cabin.

“Bastian,” she cried, recalling the significance of the full moon.

No longer afraid of the continuous, animalistic cries, she finished dressing in a simple underskirt and plain pale blue bodice. Ignoring boots and crinoline, she rushed from the cabin.

Sebastian Blakemore was in the midst of his first change. He would need help and Jocelyn prayed there was something she could do to help him in his time of need.

With the full moon lighting her path, Jocelyn descended into the waist of the ship. The light of a few small lanterns showed Jan, Brian and Abd al Jabbar waiting in the tight confines of the passageway leading to the crew and passenger cabins.

“Has he changed yet?” she asked, worried for Sebastian regardless of knowing she wasn’t his favorite person.

“He’s close,” Jan answered after scooting out of the confined space. “The tiger’s mark was complete this morning.”

Another gut-wrenching scream tore through the ship as a violent thud shook the starboard wall with such force Jocelyn imagined the ballasts shifted when the galleon listed to the right.

“Isn’t there something we can do?” she asked.

“Ryder and Adriano are in there. They know how to handle Bastian,” Brian said.

She should have known they were inside with their friend. Now Jocelyn grew worried for all three men. Adriano told her that the first change was the most violent and the most painful for a panthera Abcynian.

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