Cinnamon leaned forward, trying to keep the rope loose between them. He smiled, satisfied, and then coiled the end around his forearm, pulling her towards him until she could feel his breath on her cheeks.
“If you promise to behave no harm will come to you.” Cinn lifted her eyes, nodding. The Captain pursed his lips skeptically, “You promise not to shift?”
“I don’t know how to shift.” She said steadily, her chin rising higher as she met his gaze.
“Is that so? Interesting.” His lip curled on one side as he coiled the rope around his arm again, giving her so little leeway she was forced to kneel in front of him. With his other hand he pressed his fingers under her chin, lifting her face to peer curiously into her eyes. Cinnamon’s mouth twisted into a sneer of disgust.
“I’m not an evil man.” He said softly, “Just a desperate one. Centuries of torment have made us this way. Time has driven us mad - but we cannot lose our humanity.” Cinnamon made a small sound of doubt and he narrowed his eyes at her. “But what would a creature like you know of humanity?”
Cinnamon pressed her lips into a thin line, exhaling through her nose, “I was raised as a human. I lived among them my whole life. Their capacity for goodness is only equal to their capacity for cruelty.”
“You think I’m cruel?”
Cinnamon didn’t need to answer.
When he didn’t continue, she began to feel brave.
“How did you come to be stuck in this place?” She asked quietly.
“The wrath of fate. Regrets we cannot atone for—”
He stared down at his hands and after a moment twined the length of rope between his fingers, hardening his fist.
Leilani tapped her apprentice on the forehead to draw her attention and Cinnamon blinked up at her in surprise, “This exercise, on the other hand, is all about control - or your lack of it. You might as well practice while we have the opportunity.”
Cinnamon heaved a sigh, dropping down onto her haunches before plopping her butt down onto the deck.
“I’m hopeless. You make it look so easy.”
Leilani gave her a sympathetic smile, “I’ve had all of Time to practice. It’s part of who you are. You’ll figure it out eventually.”
All of Time…
Cinn wondered sometimes just how long her Mistress had been riding the Waves of Time. Countless centuries - forward and back - into infinity. The prospect was both exhilarating and daunting. It was as if the Rapturous Dawn existed out of time entirely, and the ship and its passengers only existed in the time-line of the world for the brief intervals when they docked with dry land.
It was fascinating, feeling the familiar, intimate curves of her body on someone else. Hearing the passionate sounds she made - coming from someone else’s lips.
“Let’s play a new game.” The doppelganger purred into Cinn's ear.
“We haven’t even finished the last one.” She responded breathlessly. He twined his fingers into her hair, kissing her hard as they stumbled backwards down the hall, the candle sconces sending shadows flickering in their wake.
I love RELEASE DAY!“You dare to speak to the King of the Wolves with such a tone?” He growled, rising to his feet.
Cinnamon lifted her chin defiantly, staring him straight in the eyes.
“I would not - but you aren’t a wolf, and certainly not the King.”
His chest bellowed a horrifying howl that sent the small hairs running down Cinnamon’s arm - and then he laughed.
“Smart girl. Your Mistress has been teaching you well.” He grinned cunningly, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement as he slowly dropped back down into his seat.
Cinnamon clenched her jaw, “You invited me here under false pretenses. I wish to return to my ship immediately.”
He narrowed his eyes, small slivers peering at her in the dim candlelight. Cinn startled as thunder boomed overhead, echoing through the castle. The sound faded and an eerie silence stretched between them.
“When the storm passes, I will summon a carriage to take you down the mountain.” He said, “In the meantime, allow me to entertain you.”
Cinnamon wanted to refuse, but she didn’t have any other choice.
“If you’re not the King of the Werewolves, then who are you?”
He chuckled, waving his finger back and forth in front of his face, “Tsk tsk - that would be far too easy. Let’s play a game to pass the time, shall we? I’ll give you until the end of the night to figure it out.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll never know.” He grinned.
The Rapturous Dawn is no ordinary vessel. It travels the Waves of Time, ferrying its supernatural crew across every ocean throughout history.“You want to know what it would be like to love your own body the way you do others?” The familiar sound of her voice poured from the creature’s mouth, “All you have to do is kiss me again.”
Cinnamon couldn’t lie, knowing her voice would fail and betray her, so she simply shook her head.
“But aren’t you the least bit curious? You have a dark side. You yearn for things you know you shouldn’t - chaffing at the shackles your Mistress has bound you with…”
“You know nothing about me.” She said breathlessly.
“I am your doppelganger. I know every dark desire of your heart.”
“You’re just a very talented shifter with an uncanny eye for detail.”
The creature smiled and Cinn shuddered at the strange way her own mouth curled on its face, “Perhaps.”
Sebastian peered at her from under his eyebrows across the threshold into her room. His silver eyes shimmered and Cinnamon felt her cheeks warm under his smoldering stare.
“They’ve spotted an island in the distance.” He said, his voice much more casual than his expression.
Cinnamon swallowed hard, unable to take her eyes off him, “Do they know where we’re going?”
He blinked slowly, “It doesn’t matter.”
She licked her lips, trying to find her voice. Sebastian slowly took a step towards her and Cinn's heart began to race.
“About what happened—” He took another step and Cinnamon rushed the words before she lost the nerve, “—I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have kissed you—” Sebastian reached out, sliding his hand behind her head, pulling her towards him. Cinnamon’s eyelids fluttered, her lips whispering into his, “I was just so relieved to see your face.”
He grinned, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, “It never happened.” She could almost taste him, his mouth teasing just out of reach, “No one has to know.”
Sebastian pressed her hard into his chest, his lips locking over hers as the door slammed shut behind him.
