Chapter 84: THIRD POV.

"This man right here," Jacob said, sounding completely unbothered by her reaction. He sat comfortably, looking out over the dark water as it reflected the first few stars of the evening.

He didn’t feel the need to explain himself further. In his mind, he had already survived enough close calls to know that dulling his senses with alcohol was a luxury he couldn’t afford just yet.

"You sure you’re not gonna take even one sip?" Priscilla asked, tilting her head.

Before he could answer again, she took a long, deep chug of the ale from her own mug, wiped her mouth with the back of her furry hand, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"No," Jacob said once more. His voice was firm but not mean. He just didn’t see the point in it.

"Don’t tell me you think I poisoned it..." Priscilla mumbled, She squinted at him, her ears flicking back and forth as if she were trying to catch a lie in his expression.

"If I was that wary of you, I wouldn’t have climbed aboard your ship, now would I," Jacob said, letting out a long sigh.

He leaned back slightly, resting his elbows on the crate behind him.

Her words weren’t unfounded.

If he really thought she was out to get him or kill him in some sneaky way, he would have stayed on the smaller boat or fought her the moment she landed on his deck.

"But I could’ve forced you either way," she muttered.

Her gaze had drifting off into the distance.

There was a strange tone in her voice, not quite a threat, but more like a statement of fact.

She knew she was strong, and she knew she had the upper hand in a physical fight.

That very confidence had him feeling a bit wary.

Jacob spared her a brief glance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He wasn’t sure whether she was still sober or not.

She was a large beast folk, and it probably took a lot of ale to actually get her drunk, but the way she was slumped over and mumbling made him think the alcohol might be the one in control.

"I bet you would’ve," Jacob replied in a low tone.

He didn’t sound angry. He knew she was right.

If a woman like Priscilla really wanted to drag someone somewhere, there wasn’t much a normal person could do to stop her. Even with his own strange strength, he knew she was a powerhouse.

"You’re a strange guy, you know that..." she mumbled, her head swaying just a little.

Most men she encountered reacted to her in one of two ways, they either ran away screaming in terror, or they tried to act like big, tough warriors to prove they weren’t scared of a "beast."

But Jacob was different. To her, it felt as if he replied the way he did because of his actual experience and not because of some sort of fake bravery or bravado.

"Which is why I can’t help finding you interesting," she added, her voice trailing off.

Suddenly, Jacob felt a shift in weight. Before he could react, her heavy, warm body leaned completely against his side.

Her shoulder pressed against his, and he could feel the heat radiating off her thick white fur.

He stared at her in surprise, his body tensing up. He didn’t know what to make of it.

’For a strong woman... she sure tends to let her guard down a lot,’ he said to himself.

He looked down at the top of her head, seeing the way her ears twitched in her sleep.

He wasn’t sure whether it was because she was just faking it to test him, or if she truly didn’t believe he could ever pose a threat to her.

Either way, it left him in a very awkward position.

The sounds of the party were still going on across the deck. The former captives were laughing and singing, though their voices were getting lower as the ale took its toll.

None of them seemed to notice their "boss" and their "captain" sitting together in the shadows.

"Alright... It’s clear you’ve reached your limits, let’s get you back to your quarters," Jacob said. He spoke softly, not wanting to startle her, but he knew they couldn’t stay like this all night.

’It’d be unfitting for a captain to disgrace themselves in front of their new crew the first day on the job,’ he thought. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

If the men woke up tomorrow and saw her passed out on a crate leaning on him, they might lose some of the respect they had for her authority.

He wanted this to work, and for it to work, she needed to look like a leader.

Jacob moved slowly, getting to his feet and helping to support Priscilla as she stumbled upward.

She was heavy, not just because of her size, but because her muscles were dense.

He had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from tilting over while supporting one of her shoulders as well.

He paused for a moment the instant he tried supporting her, surprised by how good her fur felt up close.

It was much softer than he had expected, and it didn’t have the rough, coarse feel he had imagined a wild beast might have.

’ What am I thinking?’

But he quickly shook off such thoughts, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He wasn’t here to admire her fur; but to get her back to her room.

He began leading her towards the captain’s quarters.

Earlier in the day, after they had first arrived, he had already made a quick trip through the ship to see what they were dealing with, so he knew his way around.

Plus, the captain’s quarters was literally the only living room above deck, located at the back of the ship under the raised poop deck. It was hard to miss.

They walked slowly, Priscilla’s boots dragging slightly on the wood.

Jacob reached the heavy wooden door of the quarters and pushed it open with his free hand.

He stepped inside, still supporting her, and looked around. The interior of the room was as lavish as it was magnificent.

There were gold-framed maps on the walls, a large mahogany desk covered in navigation tools, and a bed that looked large enough to hold four people.

The windows at the back showed the dark ocean stretching out forever. It made him wonder once more where she could’ve gotten this ship from.

No ordinary pirate "stole" something this nice without a massive fleet to help, yet she claimed she did it alone.

Not wanting to think too much about it and give himself another headache, he focused on the task at hand.

He helped her over to the bed. It was a struggle to get her settled, but eventually, she sat down and then laid flat on the soft mattress.

She let out a long, contented breath and closed her eyes immediately.

Jacob stood at the edge of the bed for a minute, watching her in silence.

The moonlight coming through the windows hit her white fur, making it look like it was glowing.

For a large cat, she sure looked so peaceful when sleeping.

All the coldness and the air of superiority she carried during the day had vanished. Now, she just looked like a tired traveler who had finally found a place to rest.

Seeing her like this, the images of two other peaceful sleeping beauties emerged in his mind.

A light smile appeared on his face. It was a sad smile, but a genuine one.

He realized that despite all the madness, he really missed those two sisters.

Jacob shook his head slowly, forcing himself to stop thinking about the past. He couldn’t afford to get lost in memories when he had a whole crew of people counting on him to keep things together.

He turned away from the bed and made his way toward the door. He moved quietly, his boots making almost no sound on the thick rugs covering the floor.

He reached the door and put his hand on the brass handle. Jacob then looked back one last time at the sleeping tigress.

"Goodnight... Captain," he said in a whisper.

He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him with a gentle click.

The moment the door had closed and the latch had clicked shut, Priscilla, who lay soundly on the bed, couldn’t help revealing a light smile.

Her eyes remained closed, and her breathing stayed deep and steady, but the corners of her mouth remained curled up just a little bit.

AN: So I’d like to ask, do you guys want me to keep writing in 1k words per Chapter or 1.5k words per Chapter. My exams are finally here. Bear in mind, the change in word count will reduce the number of Chapters per day. Of course if you stick with the usual, I’ll try my best to keep pumping out Chapters so don’t feel pressured! I’m here to write. Just drop your opinions in the comments below. Really looking forward to what decision you guys pic.