Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Explanations

Ava was spiraling. Every time her mind focused on one train of thought, another one swooped in to take center stage. Her breathing became a bit more labored as the panic started to set in. Cooker knew her name, knew who she was. There would be no time to get off the ship, she would be turned in to the angry mob of women upstairs. She tried to quickly think of a solution but she went blank. She remembered her dagger that one of the women had retrieved for her after she left it behind on the island after the raid. She pulled it from it's home on her waist and she stood up, pointing it at Cooker.

Cooker held up her hands and backed away from Ava, "Listen, I could disarm you before you could blink. Why don't you put that down and we can have a civil conversation."

Ava knew what Cooker was saying was true. There was no way Ava could overpower the other girl or make any significant impact. Even if Ava did, what good would a dead pirate do except incriminate her? However, Cooker knew Ava's secret and she was just as likely to get in trouble if she let Cooker go.

"I can't," Ava said and made her way to the locked door, making sure Cooker couldn't make a run for it.

"Avery, I already told you that you are safe. If I wanted to turn you in, I would have done that a long time ago," Cooker admitted, her hands still held up.

"Do not call me that!" Ava said, the dagger still pointed in Cooker's direction.

"Fine, fair point. Just put it down and we can speak. Ava, the last thing I want to do is hurt you," Cooker said, this time she took a step towards Ava, "I am trying to be on your side."

Ava lowered the weapon after a few moments of careful consideration, "Carrie Cooker. You're supposed to be dead."

"Aye, so are you," Cooker responded.

"How are you alive?" Ava asked.

Carrie Cooker belonged to the Great Cooker family which was one of the thirty-five great houses that were under her father, Vaith's, command. The Cookers were one of her father's closest allies and Carrie Cooker along with her siblings spent a lot of time at the Vaith estate. None of the Cooker children were Ava's age so she would sit back with the chambermaids while all her siblings went to play. Ava kept kicking herself for not figuring it out sooner, all of the clues were right in front of her, Cooker's name, her disdain for the rich, the amount of knowledge she had of the houses. On the other hand, Ava never really did spend any time with Carrie Cooker and after ten lengths she looked different- shaved head and tattoos up to her neck- so it was no surprise Ava didn't recognize her. Plus, Ava had believed up until that conversation that no one had ever successfully run away from the Cooker family before. Carrie Cooker was dead to her up until a few minutes prior.

Cooker shrugged, "I was never dead. Or in any danger really. I just ran away from home and my parents thought it would be the perfect political opportunity. Concocted some story about how I was taken and killed by some militia group so they could justify going in and killing them."

"My family mourned you. My sister mourned you," Ava said, shocked at the things some people were willing to do.

"Mallory mourned me? You know I was her first kiss right?" Cooker bragged.

Ava wished she could undo the past three hours. As if the pile of information on her lap wasn't enough Cooker had to open her mouth, "Cooker, please! That is a blindside a completely not relevant to this very serious conversation."

"Right. Good idea, Red. Let's talk about you," Cooker sat down in her special chair and crossed her legs.

"What about me?" Ava responded.

Cooker laughed, "You're joking right? Am I going to have to pry the story out of you? You are dead Avery Vaith."

"Avery Vaith is dead. I am not," Ava corrected.