by Renee Ryan
*
“Ada!” Nicolaus grabbed at her tunic to keep her from falling. Much to his surprise, especially given her earlier unsteadiness, the brash woman landed on her feet like a lioness pouncing on its prey. She didn’t even hesitate before she was up and running away from him.
He jumped to the deck to give chase, but her golden tresses danced across her rigid back; the veil was more effective than any armor she could have donned. Blowing out a ragged breath, he lifted his hand and despised the way it shook. Frustrated by such weakness, he clenched his fist and dropped the offending limb to his side. A fool he’d been to try and kiss her. A fortunate fool at that. However, he wasn’t certain if his fortune was because he’d almost tasted lips surely sweet as honey or because he hadn’t. When her amber eyes had swirled with longing and she swayed closer, it was if he were a majestic eagle soaring over the seas ready to swoop in and catch his prey. If the confusion warring in his mind was any indication he was the one captured, tangled in a huntress’s net with no escape.
No doubt he would have lost more than himself in that kiss, and he should be grateful the woman had kept her senses about her and halted him before he sealed their lips together. But curse his foolish hide if he didn’t want that kiss more now than he had only moments before. He almost wanted it more than he wanted to win his father’s game, more than he wanted his own ship. Almost. If it wasn’t for his sister…there would be nothing stopping him from drawing Ada into his arms and kissing her. He wouldn’t admit it, though, not even to himself, which was why he must find a willing family, one who wasn’t overly cruel, to take her in, and the babe if the old women refused to care for him. It was the surest way to free himself from his growing obsession with the maddening woman.
“Nicolaus.” Brison’s call shook Nicolaus from his thoughts. Releasing his gaze from Ada, he focused on his brother. “We are nearly to port, and Euclid has been trying to gain your attention.”
“My apologies, my thoughts were elsewhere.”
“I can see that. If you no longer wish to be captain…” Brison winked as he punched Nicolaus in the arm. Although his brother joked, Nicolaus questioned whether or not his loyalty was to captaining this ship. If he continued to allow distractions to interfere with his duties he’d be good to no one.
“Your time will come soon enough, little brother. Trust me when I say, when it does there will be moments when you wish for insignificant tasks such as running errands around the boat.” Nicolaus scrubbed his hand over his eyes, tired and burning from the constant salty sea spray. “What is it Euclid wishes?”
“With night about to fall, do you wish to continue on to port or anchor here? We’ve dropped the lead lines. The sea is a little more than ten fathoms deep.”
“Have you checked the hole to see if it seeps?”
“Ay, the seal remains intact.”
Nicolaus’s gaze immediately sought out Ada. He drank her in like a man too long without sustenance. It was too dangerous for them to spend the night in the port, especially with women on board, especially with a beauty such as Ada. However, it would be torment sitting under the same stars with nothing more than the length of the ship between them. He’d want to share the magnificent spectacle with her, to show her the stars which would guide them home when they sailed at night. Ay, certainly, she’d seen the twinkling gems light up the night in her desert home, but they were much more brilliant surrounded by the water. And if the waters were gentle and they were close enough, they could almost touch them. Of course, they’d only touch the reflection of the brightest lights, but it was the closest he’d come to placing the stars in the palm of her hand.
“Drop the baskets. We’ll anchor here until morning. The men will have to find their rest wherever they can. We’ll need enough blankets for the women and children to shelter for the night.”
“We have water and cakes of bread left.”
“Ay, I’m sure they’re all hungry. I purchased some fruits when we were in Ashkelon. I’m sure the women will enjoy those.”
A soft cry whispered on the wind. Ada paced just outside the shelter of the helmsman’s perch, patting the infant on the back. The babe wouldn’t be appeased with Ada’s care much longer. He glanced up at the evening sky. “How did I become the keeper of the abandoned?”
Brison laughed. “I know not the answer to your question, Nicolaus, but it has made life interesting.”
Nicolaus joined in his brother’s good humor and received what he was sure was a glare from Ada for his outburst. “That it has. Before you go about your errands, would you motion for Xandros to draw the fishing vessel closer? I must have word with him.”
*
All the muscles in Nicolaus’s body relaxed when he spied a young woman returning with Xandros from Joppa. He knew Ada was tiring from her constant pacing in order to keep the infant calm. No doubt, her caring for the child had taxed her strength. Nicolaus was exhausted following her every move. The sitting, the standing, the pacing and bouncing. What was worse was the inability to relieve her of her burden. He didn’t dare approach her. If he did, he didn’t know if he could stop himself from drawing her into his arms and insisting she rest. Then he’d most certainly quench his fire by stealing that kiss, especially with her song mesmerizing his crew as she sang in a strange foreign tongue. It was as if they’d never heard a woman sing before. However, he could not blame them. He was captivated. Captivated by every note, every gesture of her hand as it smoothed over the infant’s back, by her lips shaped like his bow as they nuzzled the babe’s brow.
He raked a hand through his hair, his patience near an end as Xandros and the fishing boat rowed closer. Nicolaus had never understood men going to war over a woman, but he was beginning to. If another one of his crew gazed at her like a lovesick fool, he’d toss him overboard to contend with the great fish.
Propping his foot on the rail, Nicolaus rested his elbow against his thigh and glared at Xandros. The old women who’d gone ashore with him could row that fishing boat faster. If Xandros did not quicken the pace and bring the wet nurse aboard his ship, Nicolaus would soon be without a crew, and then where would he be? Stuck, outside Joppa with a maddening woman who tried his patience and tempted his resolve to restore his honor with his father, that was where he’d be. Perhaps he should command her to stop with her foreign song.
“Pfft, as if she would heed my wishes.” She’d probably stand on the highest perch and sing for the masses, just to defy him. All of Joppa and every ship in port would no doubt fight to seize his ship just to get a glimpse of her to make sure she was not a mer creature.
Xandros maneuvered the fishing vessel beside them. White teeth gleamed in the midst of his beard. What did he have to be so joyous about? Nicolaus glanced around his boat and noticed not a single man moved about their duties.
“Prepare the planks!” He clenched his jaw at his own churlish behavior when his men jumped. He’d prided himself on being a kind commander, on never raising his voice unless necessity required it, even during his infamous Sea Dragon days. Then his men knew their duties, just as they did now. They were well trained, efficient. At least they had been before Ada stepped foot on the deck. Before he carried her aboard.
“It took you long enough. I could have swum home and back again in the time it took you to row here,” he said as he met Xandros and the young woman at the edge of the plank. Nicolaus clasped his fingers around the woman’s wrist, causing her to fall forward. Much to his displeasure he didn’t quite wait until her feet were steady before he dragged her across the deck and presented her to Ada. He didn’t like his behavior. He would have flayed one of his men for treating any woman with such harshness, but if he did not make haste and halt Ada’s disruption of his crew, he’d go mad.
“Stop singing and give her the babe.”
Chapter Ten
Laughter bubbled within Ada’s chest in relief even as tears of sadness threatened to spill forth. To make matters worse she had the sudden urge to cl
out Nicolaus with an earthenware jar. If he hadn’t given her the command with such rudeness she would have fallen to her knees in gratitude. Even though the baby was tiny, he’d grown heavy over time and she was exhausted.
Rolling her shoulders back to ease her aches, she took in the young woman. Her tunic did not speak of wealth, nor did it speak of destitution. However, her red-rimmed eyes spoke of sadness. Why would she choose to leave her home? The question cleaved to her tongue, but it was not her place to ask. “Your name?”
“Chloe.” The woman eyed the babe as she pulled her lip between her teeth.
“Are you the wet nurse?”
“Yes,” Chloe responded. As if the babe understood the answer, he began to wail in earnest. Chloe’s eyes watered. Ada patted the babe’s back, but he wouldn’t settle and she had no choice but to trust Chloe would offer him no harm.
“Nicolaus, she cannot feed the babe with your hand clamped around her arm.”
He narrowed his eyes and released the wet nurse. Ada pressed a kiss the baby’s brow and then looked Chloe in the eye, before handing the child to her. “My thanks, Chloe.”
Since the older women had gone to Joppa, Chloe could have chosen one of the more comfortable spots on the cushions but instead chose a dark corner away from the two children. Perhaps to allow the tears clinging to her lashes to fall. Ada did not know, but her heart yearned to soothe the woman’s sorrow.
“My apologies if my song caused offense. I only meant to calm the babe.” His scowl deepened at her words. She clutched the shawl one of the older women had given her tighter around her shoulders and lifted her chin a little higher. Her fingers itched for an earthen jar. She pulled air in through her nose and willed her anger to calm. The longer their gazes locked, the harder her pulse pounded within her chest. She tried to step around him to place some distance between them, but he shifted. His commanding presence blocked her escape. She moved to step around his other side. He shifted once again. She dropped her hands to her sides, clenching them. If he did not allow her to pass soon she’d snatch up the jar full of honey Brison had given them earlier and drop it on his head.
“You need to eat.” His tone was hard enough to chisel rock.
She turned on him, anger pumping in her blood. “I’ve eaten.”
“I did not see you eat a morsel, Ada.”
“And you were watching? I do not think you could have kept an eye on me the entire time, not when you have waves to watch and a crew to command. I know how important your merchandise is to you. You need not worry that I’ll expire.”
His tanned cheeks deepened in color. He took a step toward her. “I would see you eat.”
She stepped back and then took another for good measure.
“Arrrg!” She threw her hands down at her sides and turned toward the watchful gazes of the children and the wet nurse. A few sips of water was all the sustenance she could take before her stomach turned squeamish. If he wanted to see her eat, then he’d see her eat. She stalked toward the plate of bread cakes and the bowl of fruit beneath the helmsman’s perch and grabbed two handfuls of sticky honey-covered dates and a cake. She turned back on him. Her heart pounded against her chest and the tips of her ears burned. “You want to see me eat a morsel?”
She shoved a handful of dates into her mouth and followed it with a whole cake. As if her stomach had not already suffered from her earlier sickness, the dates caused her mouth to water and her stomach to rebel, but she swallowed them down and prayed they’d stay until her master decided to find someone else to harass, but it was obvious she would not be granted such mercy. Taking what was left in her other hand she smacked them against his chest and ground them into his tunic. “There. You have seen me eat. Now go command your vessel and leave me be.”
She rushed away from him and toward a basin of water. She sunk her hands into the depths and scrubbed the honey from her fingers. Crouching down beside the basin, she rested her arms over her knees and buried her face into the crook of her elbow. She’d sing to calm the monster clawing at her stomach as she had done so while walking the babe, but that would only draw the captain’s attention. And further spur his anger.
“Ada.” Any other time his attempt at a soothing voice would have lessened her irritation. It would have drawn her heart closer to wanting more of the kindness he sought to offer. Any other time she wouldn’t have given in to her feelings of anger but would have left them lying dormant by focusing on a psalm her mother had taught her. It seemed as if several hours with an unsteady foundation beneath her feet was her breaking point.
The creak of his leather sandals and the soft whisper of his tunic met her ears above the lapping of waves against the vessel. She dried her eyes against her arm. Why wouldn’t he just go away so she could suffer her disgrace alone? Was she to endure a lifetime of this man on her heels, watching her every move? Constantly drawing her gaze and pulling on her heartstrings? Was she to suffer his presence, he as her master, she the slave?
She was not her mother! She couldn’t love a man who owned her, not when she’d watched her mother love her father with little in return. He’d honored his wife with gifts and servants. A home of her own to raise her children. Silks and jewels. Her mother was naught but a slave, her hands calloused, her fingers raw and bleeding from days of hard work. She’d died on a mat in the corner of a dark room after days bound to a piece of wood in the sun. No one had sought to ease her mother’s torment. No one but Ada. And yet her father mourned her.
The touch of his fingers against her hand startled her. She lifted her face and gasped at the look in his eyes. They reflected concern and the turmoil burning in her soul. Certainly he wasn’t concerned for her. Of course, that was a falsehood. He was a kind man when he wasn’t being churlish. She’d seen the way he treated her, the way he treated the others. He even obtained a wet nurse for the babe when he could have easily taken the infant ashore and sold him into slavery or to a barren woman longing for a child of her own. Both were common practice.
“I did not mean to upset you, Ada.” He gently squeezed her hand, drawing her to her feet, tugging on something in her heart. She pulled her hand from his and stood and wrapped her arms around her middle. The movement did little to sever the tie as she’d hoped. Strangely it seemed to cement the longing thrumming in her veins, the one that hungered for the comfort he sought to offer. “I had not considered that you may not be able to tolerate food. You need food to renew your strength.”
He unfolded his length leaving her facing the dates and honey smashed into his tunic. He expanded his chest as he drew in a deep breath. A date slid down the front of his tunic. She followed it until it plopped to the wood between them.
“Ada, I—”
She burst into laughter. Nicolaus narrowed his gaze, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
*
Her eyes grew wide when she covered those pink-tinted lips that beckoned him, tempted him beyond reason. He followed her finger as she pointed toward the deck, and then he looked at his chest to where honey and dates oozed. An unbecoming snort erupted from behind her fingers. Nicolaus glanced at her, merriment dancing in her rich amber eyes. He fought the twitch threatening the corner of his mouth as he swiped his palm across his chest and held out his hand for her inspection.
“You find this funny?” He took a step forward and pressed his lips together to keep from laughing when she realized there was no escape.
She held up her hand to halt him. “Nicolaus, my apologies. I was not thinking—”
He wiped his fingers over one of her cheeks and then the other. She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes growing wider. He gave in to the laughter building in his gut. “Now, that is funny.”
Every fiber of his being longed to take her in his arms and kiss her, and if the lowering of her eyelashes were any indication, she’d welcome his affections. He lifted a shaky hand to cradle her honey-laden cheek. She grabbed hold of his wrist as her eyelids slid shut. The singe of her fingers branded him
, leaving a trail of fire spurring up his arm and right to the center of his chest.
“Nicolaus.” Her soft whisper did little to bank the flames burning in his blood. “I cannot willingly give you my affections. I beseech you, do not ask it of me.”
He jerked his hand away from her and stumbled back. Her dousing cooled his longing more effectively than being tossed overboard. “I am not a thief, Ada. I do not steal, kill or destroy unless it is necessary for my survival. I do not need your affections, nor will I take them when they are not freely given.”
He turned and stalked away, his hands clenched at his sides. He did not need her, did not need to hear her laughter and her song. He did not need to see her compassion and courage. And he most certainly did not need to touch her hand or feel the touch of her lips against his. She was not a necessity for his good nature, even though he’d had none prior to bringing her aboard. He could go back to the soulless existence he’d lived since losing his sister. He didn’t need her to bring joy to his life, he did not need joy at all, and that was the truth.
“You’ve gone mad.”
Nicolaus stopped midship and glared at his second-in-command. “What are you doing here? You have your own vessel to tend to.”
“Brison said your temper was displaying itself and I see that he is correct. The villagers are taking their boat to Joppa. They no longer wish to be at the mercies of the sea but give their thanks for your aid. You will not be forgotten among them.” Xandros scratched his chin. “You resemble your father, you know?”
“I do not take kindly to that statement.”
“I didn’t expect you would.” His friend crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled. “What I’m about to tell you will sour you further.”
“Be done with it and say what needs to be said. We’ve preparations to make before night descends on us.”
“Knosis is in Joppa.”
Air rushed from his lungs and weakened his knees. He didn’t know what he had expected Xandros to say, but that wasn’t it.
