Free Crimson Rapture by Jennifer Horsman Page A

of pellets, the ship rocked with a dizzying motion, and waves
crashed over the side, making him gasp like a woman, expecting to see the men
below washed over. The gale wind was even worse. He had seen one man pushed
over the side by a freak gust and the strength in his arms, the ropes binding
him to the mast, all seemed but a precarious security against the same fate.
    The
pole lifted but dropped as the ship rocked back and Justin, managing his side,
shouted at the men again. Jacob swore and loudly cursed Cajun who could not be
found and who was the only man strong enough to hoist the pole. Before he had
even finished his colorful damnation, Cajun appeared and as always seemingly by
magic, just suddenly there.
    The
huge man took hold of the pole opposite Justin and, exercising an ease of
strength surpassing even Justin, he single-handedly hoisted it into place.
Jacob wasted no time in positioning a spike and swinging the hammer with all
the strength he was worth, still cursing Cajun. No doubt the savage was
smiling, amused by his fellow human beings' inferiority.
    The
pole was finally secured and, not for the first time, Justin wondered what
benevolent god had sent Cajun into his life. All his men were good, though, the
best to be had, and, thinking of this, he felt a sudden surge of hope. After
eighteen hours of the fiercest battle of his life, the ship had passed through
the eye of the storm and while she had lost two masts and nearly all sails, she
had survived.
    They
had survived!
    Justin
raised his voice above the wind and ordered the sail secured before he turned
to Cajun with gratitude. "We're going to make it!"
    "Always"
came an expected reply.
    Justin
almost laughed and felt his triumph ride his exhaustion. He was just about to
turn the ship over to Jacob and head for the small cabin when suddenly he heard
Jacob shout what could not be believed. "Land ho!"
    Justin
braced himself as that sound filled the air, louder than the storm. The hellish
sound of wood crashing on rock. The ship jolted on its side, throwing men hard
to the deck and, before anyone could get to their feet, a huge wall of water
carried them into the churning black water.
    Elsie
screamed suddenly and Christina woke with a start. The sound came from the very
bowels of hell; not the wind or waves or rain but all of these, with a
deafening grating sound of two unyielding forces, smashed together. Then the
furious crash of a wave, more grating, and the room turned sideways, not
quickly as before, but slowly, frighteningly slow.
    Christina
froze as Marianna screamed. The room was dimly lit by some unknown source, one
she couldn't identify, for the violent black night had seemed to be forever.
Hanna and Katie were both unconscious. Elsie's small face was frozen with shock
or fright and, while Marianna's hands covered her face, she could not stop
screaming.
    "What's
happened?" Christina cried out.
    "A
crash... the ship crashed on something, but... oh my God!"
    The
door, now where the ceiling had been, burst open and a huge wave of water
spilled into the room. Christina watched in horror as the water swiftly filled
the room and within short minutes Beau and she, occupying the far end of the
room, were waist-deep in a pool of water. The waterfall continued, the danger
obvious, and while Christina stared in mute horror, Beau struggled against the
ropes, growled and barked viciously at this.
    "The
whistle, Christy!" Elsie cried. "The whistle!"
    Christina
brought the whistle to her lips, covered her ears, and blew long and hard. Beau
cried in sudden intense pain and fell desperately into the water to escape,
head and all. The whistle dropped from her mouth and, not knowing what had
happened, she reached forward to pull the dog up. She could only get his front
legs and had hardly enough strength to budge him.
    Beau
lifted his head from the water and shook. Seeing he was all right, Christina
lifted the whistle again, but just as the whistle touched her lips, Beau