The moon was not yet at its peak when Anna reached the pond at the forest's edge. Her little coastal town was long asleep, leaving her to quietly visit her hideaway. Sitting on a large rock next to the pond, she deftly twisted a crown of little white baby's breath flowers, dipping her toes into the cool, calm water. Anna breathed in deeply the smell of the encroaching forest, not satisfied from a day of assisting in the flower shop, dragging pots and packing dirt. The cool summer air soothed her tired muscles. She might as well have been one of the dock workers or a mule, the way Mr. Gotfard treated her.
Mr. Gotfard was the worst kind of employer. Never satisfied, a drunk aging man with leering eyes, he was not a person Anna liked, but she loved her flowers. It was all she had. There was no one else in town to hire a poor, orphan woman such as herself. Placing the crown of flowers on her head and closing her eyes, she felt relieved from the stench of fish and human refuse that burned her nose in town.
Anna heard a rustle of leaves behind her, but assuming it was just a tiny night creature scurrying about its own business, she thought nothing of it. It wasn't until the tiny brown hairs on the back of her neck started to rise that she thought it might be something more.
"I did not know fairies now haunt the edge of Port Wilby."
Anna jumped up and whipped around at the sound of this deep, gravelly voice, like silk rubbing against jagged rocks. Her ankle twisted as she turned, making her fall back into the shallow pond. The voice laughed heartily at the sight before it, a beautiful fair-skinned and dark-haired nymph wearing nothing but a thin white dress, soaked and sitting before him.
She looked up with wide eyes past her crown, the waves of her ocean home reflected in them. The voice finally stepped out into the soft moonlight, revealing a tall, shadowed man. Anna could just make out his strong jaw, dark hair, and wild, piercing green eyes. He took another step forward and bent down. A wall of sleek muscle rested in front of Anna. She felt energy thrum through her body, a mix of foreboding and excitement coursing through her.
"Captain Beckett, my fair nymph." He nodded his head in greeting, showing the strong muscles of his neck. He stood up and held out a hand.
"I don't need your help," muttered Anna as she fumbled up, falling forward into that wall of muscle that was there to stand her straight. He laughed a confident predator's laugh.
"A rude nymph."
Anna blushed and lowered her head, looking up at the stranger through her thick lashes.
"'Scuse me, sir. I was just surprised. Anna." Anna threw her head back as she said her name, sticking out a hand.
Beckett pushed down Anna's hand and took a step forward, forcing Anna to walk back into the pond. "A little fairy like you is quite the prize, Anna."
"I am not some prize." Anger flared up her cheeks. She did not like the sudden change in course their conversation had taken.
"You are forgetting yourself, Anna. You are in the presence of a captain."
"You're no captain I know. Excuse me now, sir, but I must be going."
Anna started to walk, trying to skirt around the tall man before her, but Beckett grabbed one of her wrists and pulled her back.
"I'm Captain Beckett of The Voyager. Perhaps you know of her?" A dangerous look filled Beckett's eyes as he gazed down at the delicate beauty trembling before him. She stared hard back at him, trying to maintain her air of annoyance despite how her limbs vibrated in fear.
"So then you're a pirate. A thief and a murderer. I will not associate myself with the likes of you. Goodnight."
Anna wrenched her wrist from his grasp, throwing herself back toward the safety of her town. "No so fast."
His lithe body crashed into hers, pushing Anna up against a tree. He could feel her small, rounded breasts heaving against his chest, and nipples rubbing his loose shirt.
"I can't let you go back to town now. You see, my men are just about to start our raid, and we can't have you ruining that."
"What? Why raid such a small, desolate place. We have nothing for you." Anna's throat caught, thinking of how she also had so little.
"Oh come, Anna. You know there are a few wealthy men here, taking everything from you dock workers and peasants."
"And what of the people? Will you not attack them as well, killing innocent men trying to protect the little they own?"
"My men ignore those who do not bother them. Our aim is only to ruin the rich. But that does not concern you, little Anna."