“I’ve heard the story,” Cinder beamed.
“I think everyone has. Clarence loves to tell it like he was there.”
“Clarence means well but he’s a bit of a lout.”
“He’s something alright,” I laughed.
Cinder’s gaze fell to the deck and a new emotion twisted his brow.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Why did you agree to spring me free?”
“Because I was bored and it sounded like fun,” I shrugged and pushed myself to my feet.
“Fun?” Cinder looked up at me.
“Fun.” I nodded.
“We need to connect him and Carter somehow,” my wolf rose from his resting position inside my chest.
“Thanks, I think.”
“Not the answer you expected?” I held out a hand to help him up.
He took it and I pulled him to his feet before he spoke again.
“You just seem so noble. Obviously, in an antihero, ‘I don’t want to be the good guy’ way.”
“Me?” I pointed to my chest and laughed. “Noble? Not for a long time now.”
Cinder took the breakfast dishes below deck to wash and Cookie sat down on my boot as I looked at the radar again. The sea was clear as far as it was concerned.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Cookie jumped to her feet and growled at the unseen phantom attacker.
“Shush up, Cookie. It’s my phone. We’ve been over this before.”
I swiped off the lock screen to find a message from Rhett.
RHETT: How’s it going?
ME: Good times. He cooks.
RHETT: Good times?
ME: Not like that.
RHETT: I hope not.
ME: Because of Stacy?
RHETT: No, you never keep condoms on that damn boat of yours.
ME: And how would you know?
RHETT: Because I know you.
ME: We’ll be there when you see us.
RHETT: How is Cinder holding up? Brendan’s not going to stop asking until he has an answer.
ME: He’s fine. He’s laughing and joking about what might have happened if the four of us met up.
RHETT: Four of who?
ME: Us and our mates.
RHETT: You like him.
ME: Go back to bed.
RHETT: You like him, because you never talk about Stacy to anyone.
ME: He’s a widower too.
“Seth! There’s a ship coming! I can feel it vibrating the cabin!” Cinder sprinted onto the deck.
He slung my crossbow from under the bed over his shoulder and stood tense ready to fight.
“Shit,” I swore under my breath and shoved the phone back into my pocket without reading Rhett’s reply. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! I’ve been on enough boats to know what an approaching vessel feels like. My scales are vibrating for the love of the Other World!” Cinder growled.
“Calm down. We don’t know who they are yet. Put that thing down before they think we’re pirates.”
“Are they showing up on radar?” Cinder asked without unshouldering the bow.
“No,” I said after a quick glance.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why don’t you have cannons?”
“Because shooting fish in the water makes them undeliverable.”
“This isn’t the time to be funny, wolf-man!” Cinder growled.
“You’re adorable when you’re all worked up,” I said before I could stop myself.
He tilted his head and then looked away.
Squinting, I scanned the horizons for other ships. Nothing was in view yet. Cookie ran circles around our feet trying to discern who or what we watched for. She finally settled for setting on the toe of my boot and waiting for whatever it was to arrive. Her scent was calm and alert. In stark contrast, Cinder was all knives and thorns. His hands shook and his nails shifted back and forth from talons.
“Hey,” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down for a second. Anger and fear are the real enemy. You need a cool head. If it’s just a passing ship we’re fine. If it’s Reggie, we’ll fight. If things get too heated grab cookie and fly. You should be able to reach Brendan on the flight link. Tell him you need help and follow his thoughts to Moonscale Island.”
“What about you?” Cinder asked.
“Don’t worry about me. Me and the sea have a long-standing understanding. One day I’ll join Stacy,” I said and popped my knuckles to loosen them for a fight. The broken knuckle healed before the boat ever touched the water.
“No!” Cinder shook his head. “You don’t get to just opt out and think you go out a hero if I live. That’s not how life works. I’m not Stacy and you’re sure in the hell no Sivan, but we’re partners at least until we get off this bloody boat!”
“What are you two fighting about?” A magically magnified voice reached the ship.
“Clarence,” my wolf sighed in relief.
I didn’t share in his solace. Clarence and I worked together, but if he tried to take Cinder back to the arranged wedding, I’d fight him too. He was Carter’s son, but more than that he had the sort of wild spirit that would wither and die in a captive marriage.
“GO AWAY! THIS IS OUR BOAT!” Cinder growled before I could say anything.
“Actually, it’s my boat.”
“Shut up!” He hissed under his breath.
A second later, Clarence’s private yacht sailed into view on the edge of the blue horizon. Tension left my shoulders. He wouldn’t bring his mate’s favorite vessel out for a fight.
“THIS IS OUR BOAT!” A smaller voice shouted.
“Calm your balls. He has his hatchling with him.” I told Cinder. “He’s a prideful asshole, but he wouldn’t bring Cade to a battle.”
“Are you sure? Old dragons do strange things.”
“His mate would eat him.”
A second later, Clarence took to the sky with the little boy on his shoulders. Cade held to his father’s head for dear life as his powerful wings stirred up gusts of wind. Cinder unshouldered the bow and held it in his hand.
“Put that damn thing down. No, shooting around kids.”
“You’re a bossy S.O.B., aren’t you?”
“My boat. My rules,” I crossed my arms.
“Seth, what are you doing with the runaway Aldred omega?” Clarence laughed as he landed and scooped Cade down to his hip. “If you two were running off together you should have told me. I would have made your getaway easier.”
“We managed.” I shrugged.
“So, you two?” Clarence asked.
I opened my mouth to tell him that I was delivering Cinder to Brendan and Rhett, but never got the chance. Smiling like a fool, Cinder wrapped his arms around my neck and pressed his lips against mine hard. His tongue slipped into my mouth and he pressed his lean muscular body against mine. Unlike the heat of them moment kiss he laid on me the night before this one was desperate. Wanting to protect him, I pulled him closer. The smell of steel and roses overtook my senses. He leaned into me hard and desperate for a safe haven against the world. My dick hardened despite my willing it down. Cinder Aldred-Moonscale didn’t want me. He craved the safety staying on my boat meant and the freedom our destination promised. Someone should have sent my dick the memo.
“Little eyes you two,” Clarence laughed.
“Sorry!” Cinder blushed. “We’re just so happy to finally be together and celebrate our engagement.”
Cinder pulled away. Clarence had his large hand over Cade’s eyes, but his eyes sparkled with delight. His problems were over. If Cinder married into the flight again, he could tell his parents and Reggie to sit on a hot poker. Only, the charade couldn’t last forever. It would die before we reached the island.
“We’ll leave you two to celebrate alone,” Clarence chuckled. “Congratulations to both of you.”
Chapter Nine
Cinder
“Oh my Juda! What did you just do?” My dragon asked.
Inside my stom
ach, his massive maw hung open slack jawed. I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for Seth to speak. I overstepped a line and knew it. Confusion marked his scent and something else I couldn’t place. I felt his eyes on me, but he said nothing.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t go back! I can’t go back and marry that man. There’s so much going on right now that I can’t explain.”
“I’ll get you to the island, but I’m not marrying you,” Seth said finally.
“It would sort of work out, though, wouldn’t it?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” He asked turning to face the navigational panel. “Marriage and mateship is something you don’t fuck with or lie about.”
“We’re not fucking with anything and it could work. I could cook for you and keep your house when you’re home. I’d be safe from Reggie and any other asshole my parents find. We could sail the world together. That would be better than being alone, right?” I asked.
“You’re not thinking clearly. You’re afraid and fear clouds judgement.”
“I am afraid of someone dragging me back to Cornwall. I’m not going without a fight. I’d rather be with Sivan in the Other World than marry Reggie.”
“The answer isn’t to marry me,” Seth huffed.
“Maybe not, but it’s the only answer I have right now. We wouldn’t have to get married. Just act engaged for a while until I figure something else out.”
Seth gripped the sides of the navigational panel until his knuckles turned white. I strained to hear any conversation between him and his inner beast. He was right. Another marriage wasn’t the best answer, but it was my only answer. I didn’t know him, but around him I felt something I hadn’t felt since Sivan died: Free. It wasn’t love or some fated connection. It was a little voice crying out in my heart begging not to be locked in a cage and forced to clean floors and pack chocolates every day for the rest of my life. A little voice begging to be saved from Reggie and Augustus. Seth didn’t owe me anything and I could survive on my own, but for now I needed a cover story everyone would believe. This one was as good as any.
“You’re playing with fire,” my dragon sighed. “You lied to the leader of the flight and you’re throwing yourself at another widower. Mateship is sacred. We’ll have to figure out another way.”
“How do you think this will end when Clarence finds out we lied?” Seth asked breaking the silence echoing in my ears.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’ll understand or Brendan won’t let him on the island. Maybe it’ll end in a big ball of fire. I get it. This isn’t your problem, it’s mine. I didn’t ask to be born into a fucked-up family. I didn’t ask for elves to kill Sivan. That’s just life, but right now I really need someone to cut me a break. Maybe I’m asking for too much. Brendan did send you to save me, but I need one more favor. I need something to seal my freedom.”
Cookie sat down between our feet and looked from Seth to me as if she eagerly awaited the outcome of our discussion.
“We’ll find someone else.”
“We already told Clarence…”
“You told Clarence,” Seth growled.
I flinched away from him.
“I’m going downstairs. Sorry to fuck up your plans.” I stomped downstairs.
I didn’t know what else to say to him. I wasn’t sure what drove me into his arms to kiss him like that. Fear? Desperation? Loneliness? I hadn’t so much as looked at another man since Sivan died. Seth was handsome, but it wasn’t like he was Frost’s gift to omegas. He was a fisherman chasing death on the high seas.
“That’s why.” My dragon chimed in.
Because he’s chasing death?
“Seth’s a reckless widower. They’ll believe we fell for his adventurous heart and he’s reckless so of course he fell for our sweet tail.”
Don’t talk like that!
A hot blush dotted my cheeks and for a moment I felt Seth’s hard cock pressing against my belly again. Seth knocked on the cabin door dispersing the memory.
“It’s your cabin you don’t have to knock,” I grumbled.
“For now, it’s your cabin,” he said opening the door. “You’re a widowed omega. You need your own space.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stormed off. I just have nothing else to say about the whole situation.”
“If we do this is has to be above ground. There are things you don’t know about me. Things I’m not willing to share but lying leads to other things and you don’t need to go down that road.”
“So, we really get married?”
“No,” Seth shook his head. “We play this by ear and see where it goes. When we’re alone we respect each other’s space.”
“Are you afraid you’ll take advantage of me?” I arched a brow and barely swallowed a laugh.
“No. I’m worried you’ll feel obligated to do something. You’re not. If that was the case, I’d be no better than Reggie.”
“What changed your mind?” I asked and regretted the question as soon as it came off my lips.
I didn’t want Seth to think about it too hard and change his mind.
“If I had died instead of Stacy I’d rip through the Other World if someone tried to put her in your position. If she’s ever reborn into a similar situation I hope some well-intentioned asshole tries to help her. Besides, my family voted for omega rights before the Hemlocks made it cool.”
“Thanks,” I hugged him before he could stop me. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything.”
“You don’t have to.” He said and walked back upstairs.
Lazy days at sea passed and Seth and I settled into a cozy routine. Without worrying about Reggie coming to snatch me away I was lighter. I cooked all our meals to kill the time and even learned how to fish. Mostly, I chased Cookie off the furniture much to Seth’s amusement.
Early in the morning as the first light of day peeked through the cabin window Seth knocked on the door. My ears went alert before my brain fully processed the noise.
“It’s just me,” Seth whispered through the door. “Come up here. You don’t want to miss the sun rising over Moonscale Island.”
Yawning, I pulled on my pants and threw on the last of Sivan’s clean t-shirts and went upstairs. Pinks, reds, and purples tinged the blue sky above the calm sea. In the distance the island danced in and out of view as mist moved over it.
“That’s Moonscale Island?” I leaned against the rail for a better look.
“The one and only.” Seth wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders.
I fought the urge to lean into his warmth. Standing next to him chased away some of the loneliness that clung to me since Sivan died. I closed my eyes and let the misty sea air spray against my face and ruffle my hair. I liked to think Sivan and Stacy stood there with us grinning like co-conspirators in a massive jewel heist. They’d bump fists and celebrate the victory of saving me from Reggie.
“No more chocolate covered floors for us!” My dragon roared in delight.
Chapter Ten
Seth
The lie didn’t sit well with my stomach, but the look on Cinder’s face made up for it. He looked like a bird of prey returning to the wild after living in captivity. What would Stacy think of me now? From addict to fake fiancé?
“She’d understand. Fake mating isn’t real mating. Besides, maybe that overgrown lizard will come back and we can finish him off.”
Rhett waited for us at the dock, but Brendan was home with the children. I hadn’t text him about the odd arrangement. Texting wasn’t the most secure way to communicate and I didn’t want to let the cat out of the public bag.
“You look good, brother!” He said pulling me into a hug. “Retirement suits you.”
“Fatherhood has made you a hugger.”
“Who’s that?” Rhett pulled away unphased by my comment.
“That’s Cinder.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder in his direction.
“No, that.” Rhett pointed down at Cookie.<
br />
“That’s Cookie. She’s a pig reincarnated as a pup.”
“What he means,” Cinder stepped next to me and took my hand, “is we brought her as a gift for the babies.”
“We?” Rhett arched a brow.
“We’re engaged.” Cinder grinned from ear to ear.
Fuck. I should have told Cinder I planned to let Rhett and Brendan in on the scheme.
“Really?” Rhett arched a brow.
Cinder flashed me a smile that begged me to play along.
“We’ll talk about it at the house,” I told Rhett.
“Come on. Brendan’s prepared a mini feast for you guys. We’ll send someone for your stuff later.”
The island had a fresh breath of life since my last visit. People bustled around and the smell of cooking food filled the tropical breeze. Cinder hung on my arm like an adoring mate and Cookie followed on our heels. She sniffed here and there and ran to catch up when we ventured too far ahead. Without the cars and buses of the mainland she was free to explore the world around her. Only emergency vehicles were allowed on the island. Rhett watched us out of the corner of his eye. He caught my gaze and I shrugged. I knew the look all too well. He wanted to ask if I was using again.
“The castle looks bigger each time I visit,” I said breaking the silence.
“Brendan added on another wing to display the artifacts I had back at the house,” Rhett said.
Cinder looked wide-eyed at the real-life castle. It was a lot to take in under normal circumstances, but after his ordeal I could only imagine how he might feel. I reached out, but of course there was nothing there. We shared a flight connection, but I didn’t tug on the dragon strings unless someone tugged mine first.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“I think I’m going to wake up soon,” he laughed. “I’ve ran away on a ship, got engaged, and am about to walk into a real castle. It’s like I ran away via a time machine.”
“Everything on Moonscale Island is authentic as we could manage. Brendan insisted on restoring his home to its prior glory and it’s become a real educational tool too,” Rhett said.
“You guys are amazing,” Cinder grinned and tightened his grip on my arm.
Saving Cinder Page 5