Warrior's Bride (6 page)

  She could hide. She'd seen his quarters below deck and the stores the hull contained. Several hammocks hung at various angles alongside the crates and barrels of supplies, and most likely filled with dozing men between their watches on deck. If she tried to conceal herself aboard the ship, the men would surely see her. Besides, below deck would be the first place the man, the Black Wolf of Scotland, would look if she turned up missing. Nay, she had to be far cleverer than that.

  The silence on the deck gave way to the soft caress of the water against the hull as she searched for a solution. Her gaze moved across the deck to the dory winched near the ship's railing.
A boat
.

  And just as she took two steps forward, two sailors brushed past her on their way to the mizzen deck. As they arrived, the two sailors who were already there departed. A change in the watch.

  She continued walking slowly along the railing, her eyes never leaving the men. Could she use the change in the watch to her advantage? Her stroll down the deck brought her to a second dory. She examined the rigging and saw that it could be easily released should an emergency arise and the crew had to abandon the ship.

  Izzy tried to contain a smile when she noted that this dory was beyond the watchmen's line of sight. Her hand moved to the winch handle. Could she launch the boat and escape?

  Then, as quickly as it had come, her smile faltered. Not in the daylight she couldn't. She would be easy to spot as she rowed away. But perhaps when the watch changed at night... Darkness could cover her escape.

  As casually as possible so as not to arouse suspicion, she searched the sea beyond the boat for any signs of land. The coastline had to be out there somewhere. Izzy bit down on her lip. To put out to sea without knowing of any refuge would be foolhardy. She continued to look for a glimmer of land as she retraced her steps back to her mattress, awaiting the perfect time to act.

  It seemed to take forever for night to fall. Izzy lay awake, staring at the white canopy overhead, listening to the soft creaks and groans of the ship as it glided through the open water. When the final streaks of orange and red vanished into the sea, a soft whistle cut through the fragile darkness signaling the change in the watch.

  Shuffling footsteps sounded from behind her before heading below deck. The crew that had served the evening watch would wake their nighttime replacements.

  Hushed voices came from inside the ship, followed by the soft thumping of the men rolling from their hammocks. She must be quick.

  Her heart racing, Izzy returned Mistress Henny to the brown sack and crossed to the railing, racing to the dory in the back of the ship. She carefully placed Mistress Henny in the boat, then moved to the winch and froze as she gazed into the sea of blackness beyond the railing.

  A familiar panic seized her muscles and stole her breath. Could she do it? Willingly launch herself into that void of black? She staggered backward with the force of her fears. No matter how much time had passed since her imprisonment in the tower, the darkness always transported her back, crippling her body as well as her thoughts. She sucked in a painful breath, forcing a calmness she did not feel. Could she willingly thrust herself into that eternal darkness?

  Footsteps sounded on the ladder coming up to the deck. Not knowing what else to do, she scrambled inside the boat and pulled the sack containing Mistress Henny to her side. She could wait until dawn, until a gray haze could blanket her escape.

  At least then when they discovered she was gone she'd be far enough away. She could contain her fear of darkness as long as she knew the dawn would come shortly after.

  Until night fell once more.

  Izzy stifled a groan. If only she weren't so afraid of the dark.

Chapter Five

  Time passed slowly as Izzy lay silent beneath her blanket of dark, cold night. Her muscles ached from her confinement in the small boat. Just when she could stand the strain no longer, a hazy gray dawn lightened the horizon.

  Careful not to make a sound, she climbed out of the boat. Grasping the winch with both hands, she prepared to launch the vessel into the water.

  "Remove your hand," Wolf threatened from behind her, making no effort to disguise his annoyance.

  Izzy spun to face him. A soft cry escaped her as the force of her motion set her off balance.

  Wolf lunged for her, but too late.

  With no one and nothing to stop her, Izzy fell over the side of the ship.

  Water slammed into her back like the lash of a switch. Pain streaked across her flesh with red-hot intensity, driving the breath from her lungs and blackening the edges of her vision.

  Icy water surged around her, sucking her down. She flailed her arms, trying to fight her way out of the void, but the barrier was too solid, too strong. Pain seared her chest as the need for air became all-consuming. She tensed, every muscle becoming rigid. She could not give in—giving in would bring certain death. She could endure the pain, she had done so before and survived, but fear of the darkness threatened her where even pain could not.

  She had to relax, had to force away the despair that trapped her. Izzy closed her eyes, allowing her muscles to go limp. Her life could not end this way. After all she had gone through, all she'd endured, to drown now seemed so unfair.

  The words had barely formed as thought when weightlessness replaced the heaviness of her limbs. A warm arm snaked about her waist and pulled her up. Buoyant and free, she broke through the surface of the water. Wind touched her face, and despite her desperate need for air, she could not breathe.

  Wolf held her cocooned in his arms, his warmth, his strength as the water rippled around their bodies. Dark, angry eyes searched her own. "Isobel! For mercy's sake, breathe." He shook her. "Breathe, damn you. Breathe!"

  At his command she dragged in a shallow breath. Her lungs clenched, then spasmed. Pain radiated across her back as she tried to force more air into her lungs.

  He turned her in his arms, then pulled her against the solid wall of his chest. "You are safe," he whispered from behind her, his tone surprisingly calm. "Take another breath."

  Shouts from the ship carried back to them across the water. "Man overboard!" Beneath her back she could feel the steady rhythm of Wolf’s chest as it rose and fell with each breath. "Drop the sails!" The beat of his heart punctuated each shout from aboard the ship. "Launch the dory. Quick!"

  She drew in a slow, deep breath this time, then another, until the pain in her back receded, replaced by something else—something even more unsettling. Warmth fluttered inside her, underneath her skin like a burst of radiant sunshine surrounded by a sea of ice. She tensed at the contrasting sensations, determined to hide her reaction. A wave rolled past, sliding against her chest and into her face. She turned her head to avoid the full force, only to press her cheek into the sodden fabric of Wolf's clothes. "Relax or you will drown the both of us." His tone was firm, yet not unkind.

  "I have no wish to die ..." Her teeth chattered with each word. "I only want..." She let her words trail off. How could she explain what it was she wanted? How could she describe the need that burned inside her to make her own choices, to have a say in the way her life unfolded? Only one word came to mind. "I want freedom."

  The sky overhead continued to lighten around them. The ship sat still in the water not far in the distance. Wolf shifted her to face him, holding her by the arms. Any warmth she'd gained from his nearness dissipated, an icy chill taking its place. Dark, cool eyes searched her face. "Do you realize what it is you ask for? Or are you so young and naive that you have no understanding of what freedom might mean to you?"

  "I know what... I want."

  "Do you truly?"

  She bridled at his harsh tone.

  "How will you survive without a protector, with no money, with no food?"

  "I..." She had survived worse, but she would not tell him that. She had nothing of value that she could trade for money—nothing except one last remnant from her mother's own life. Izzy felt the weight of her mother's necklace against her chest. It was the only thing she possessed except her own will to survive. And that will brought a lie to her tongue. "You are right... I have nothing," she forced the words out through chattering teeth.

  The slapping of oars in the water filled the silence that fell between them. She felt the heat of his midnight eyes rake over her. "You have me."

  Saying nothing more, he pulled her hard against his body. She swallowed roughly as all her senses became centered on the feel of his steely muscle against her breasts. Time seemed to stop. She smelled the salt on his skin, saw the beads of water glittering in his hair, dropping onto the sodden linen covering his broad shoulders. This close to him, she felt small and insignificant and vulnerable and cold.

  As though reading her thoughts, he drew her even closer, sharing the last vestiges of his own warmth with her. "Thank you," she said, knowing the word did not express all she felt, though she would not give him anything more.

  Something reckless and sinful reflected in his gaze. "You are welcome," he replied.

  The sound of the oars cutting the water grew closer and the muffled voices of the men became more distinct with each beat of her heart.

  Wolf shifted her body slightly, bringing one hand up to toy with loose strands of her hair as he softly kicked his legs, keeping them both afloat. She tried to pull away, but he held her tight in the lee of his arm. He curled a delicate strand about his finger, brushing the edge of her jaw before he cupped her chin, tilting her face up to his. "I shall make you a promise if you will make me one in return."

  "What promise is that?" she asked, unable to keep the breathlessness from her voice.

  His gaze moved to her lips. A mindless drumming filled her ears, her blood, as she brought her gaze to rest on the sensual curve of his lips. "Remain in my care with no further attempts to escape and I promise to protect you by marriage and only marriage. Anything beyond that will be up to you."

  He slid his hand from her chin to encompass her waist. The pressure of his hands increased as he lifted her closer to his mouth. The air was suddenly too still, the bird too silent, even the rhythm of the sea had settled into stillness as though the waves were afraid to interrupt.

  "Are we agreed?" he asked.

  Her body trembled. Her thoughts grew faint, aware only of his mouth hovering above her own. A simple nod would bring her lips in contact with his. Afraid to do anything more, she released a breathy, "Aye."

  Never had she felt so sharply in tune with the world around her, yet dazed and disoriented at the same moment. Slowly, she brought her hands up to rest upon the bunched muscle of his chest. His heart beat thickly beneath her palm.

  His hands tightened at her waist and he lifted her toward his mouth. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she held her breath, waiting for the brush of his lips against her own.

  He lifted her higher, then higher. She snapped her eyes open to find herself suspended, her head above his. In the next instant she was swept from his grasp and unceremoniously dumped into the boat that had come to rescue them.

  Her cheeks flamed and she dipped her head to avoid Walter's curious gaze. "You are a lucky woman," he said with a scowl as he tossed her a thick woolen blanket, then turned back to the others, who hauled Wolf into the boat.

  The world around her resumed. And with it a bone- chilling cold weighed down her limbs, making her feel heavy and weak. The soft pulse of the waves caressed the hull of the boat. A bird screeched overhead. The breeze stirred, plucking away the last vestiges of madness. Her lips tingled with unfulfilled promise. She bit down, fighting the sensation, and brought her gaze to his.

  His face was still, his dark eyes shuttered. He reached for the blanket Walter had tossed at her and settled it about her, brushing her shoulder with his hand. Izzy flinched as if touched by fire.

  He reached for a second blanket and wrapped it around himself. "I hold you to your promise."

  "As I hold ... you to yours," she said through chattering teeth.

  He studied her face as though searching for something, then bowed his head politely and moved away toward the back of the boat.

  Moments later they reboarded the
Ategenos,
and Wolf kept his distance. He occupied himself with shipboard tasks, from checking the maps and charts on the aft deck to barking orders to his crew. Whenever he happened to be near her, he offered her a civil nod but nothing more.

  Izzy leaned against the port railing, staring at the outline of the shore just beginning to emerge on the horizon. It was almost as if that one moment in the water where barely a breath had separated their lips had never happened. Heat came to her cheeks at the memory. She had wanted to kiss him.

  Had her mother not warned her of such things? Marriage was just the beginning of a long, tormented path to madness. Izzy pressed her hands against her heated cheeks. She should heed her mother's warnings. If her reaction to Wolf’s nearness were any indication, she would find herself trapped as her own mother had been, with no hope of release.