Lucian lunged for the side without thought or reason. Santos grabbed for him. Bones and Jolly jumped for the captain as well and other crew members flung themselves at him, preventing him from jumping after Catherine. It took ten men to contain him.
"Lucian," Santos yelled, attempting to get through to him. "Lucian, think. You can't help Catherine by throwing yourself into the sea after her. You'll never reach her. You can't help her that way."
His words finally penetrated Lucian's mind and he ceased his struggles. One by one the men released him just in case he had a change of heart.
Santos was the last to let him go.
"I'm going to kill him," Lucian announced calmly, his hands gripping the wood rail so tight that Santos thought for sure the wood would splinter. "I'm going to gut him and feed him to the fish."
Santos felt the same way, watching as Catherine struggled to keep her head above the water. He pointed to her. "Catherine fights to survive. You can do no less for her."
Lucian looked and caught sight of her pitiful struggles, causing his heart to rip in two from the pain she had to be enduring. She would slip beneath the surface and just when he thought she could breathe no more, her head surfaced to drink deep breaths of air before the sea swallowed her once again.
"Breathe, Catherine," he whispered his encouragement. "Breathe as I taught you. Don't give up. Please don't give up."
"Captain, an island up ahead," Bones shouted from atop the mast.
Lucian realized then Charles's intention. Charles was drawing him into a confrontation, using Catherine in such a horrid manner that it would enrage Lucian beyond control and reason, leaving him vulnerable to Charles's attack.
But Charles had made a dreadful mistake. He had harmed what belonged to Lucifer and in so doing released the devil's wrath from the fires of hell.
o0o
Catherine surfaced once again, a prayer trembling from her lips as her numb fingers fought to grasp the rope and hold her above the water. Her body ached, her arm muscles burned, she was completely worn out, her strength gone.
The water would swallow her soon and this time she would not have the strength to fight against it. This time it would claim her forever.
The rough tug startled her and slowly she was drawn upward away from the sea that clawed at her body, fighting to claim her. Weak, grasping the rope feebly, her wrists, arms, and shoulders torn with pain, she was hefted up over the side of Charles's ship and deposited on the deck.
Catherine breathed deeply and slowly, not caring that her soaked nightdress molded against her skin, leaving her almost naked before the crew. She was alive and Lucian was close by. He would come for her. She had no cause to worry. None. Then the pain ripped through her lower belly and she fainted.
She woke to shouts and chaos as the anchor was dropped and the longboat lowered. Before she could gather her thoughts she was scooped up over a large pirate's shoulder and carelessly taken down the rope ladder to the longboat below.
She huddled in pain, cradling her belly with her arms and moaning almost silently to herself. "Hurry, Lucian. Please hurry."
The distance to the beach was short and in no time she was once again handled carelessly, being roughly deposited on the white warm sand. She stayed crumpled as she was, the pain having subsided momentarily and having no wish to disturb the blissful peace.
Shouts and hammering went on around her and she glanced up briefly, catching sight of the Black Skull's longboat being lowered and the men dropping down into it. Lucian would be here soon. Very soon.
"Stake her!" Charles shouted. "I want her clearly visible as he rows toward shore."
Abject terror widened Catherine's eyes and she screamed when a pirate grabbed her and dragged her to the stake not far from the water's edge. Two other foul-smelling pirates helped the other one to tie her against the stake. Her hands were secured tightly behind her back and her ankles were wrapped with rope, drawing them firmly against the stake. Another rope ran under her breasts just above her pregnant belly, flattening her completely back against the splintered wood.
She couldn't move and when another pain consumed her stomach all she could do was bite down on her lip and pray for Lucian's speedy arrival.
"He's coming," a pirate shouted. "The devil is coming."
Catherine lifted her head slowly and with tearful relief caught sight of Lucian. He stood tall at the bow of the boat, his eyes focused on her. His red hair blew wild around him and his eyes glared with murderous revenge. The sea wind rippled his black shirt against his chest and whipped his sash around his thick legs. He held his cutlass in his hand ready to battle, ready to free her.
She smiled as another pain attacked her and before she bit down on her lip to stifle her cry she whispered softly, "Lucifer."