“Hello, Simon,” Viktor responded. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“The perfect night for a beach fire. I’m surprised you joined. I thought you would be staying on the ship.” His words didn’t say it, but his tone and the look in his eyes questioned why Viktor had brought her ashore. Nora was glad he didn’t make a fuss of it and draw more attention to her than necessary. To these women and the people of the island, she was not Baroness Nora Aberdeen. She was just a common woman traveling with a pirate.
“Someone was feeling a wee bit seasick. We thought it worthwhile to venture to shore for a stint.”
“I see,” Simon said. “Daphne, can you give us a moment?” The red-haired woman climbed up without a word and found her way to another lap further down the beach. Nora was surprised Simon paid no mind to his date’s change of affections.
“Doesn’t that bother you?” she asked.
“Does what bother me?” Simon furrowed his brow.
“That the woman who was just on your lap now has her tongue down the throat of another?” Nora cringed at the sight of the woman mauling the man beneath her.
Simon roared a hearty laugh. “No, Nora. Not in the slightest. I have no affection for that woman. She just came by and I made for a good chair. I only just met her tonight. I could see it made you uncomfortable, so I sent her away. Where she goes now is no concern of mine. I haven’t met a woman to spur jealousy in as long as I can remember.”
“You have no cares for any particular woman? Don’t you long for marriage, for a family?”
Simon shook his head, a chuckle following. “No, Nora, I don’t. I have no room in my life for a woman. I’m married already.”
“You’re married?” Her eyes shot open, first to Simon and then to Viktor.
“I’m married to the sea,” he continued. “I suppose you can say I’m also married to this man. He’s about as committed to any relationship as I’ve ever been.”
Viktor fell forward, laughing. “Oh darling, you will make me blush if you go on.”
Nora rolled her eyes as their laughter merged into one. “You two are terrible.”
“Aye, we are, love. But that’s why we’re such good spouses. We’re one in the same,” Viktor said between laughs.
“Would you like an ale, Viktor?” Simon asked. He gestured to the jug at his feet.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Viktor reached down and lifted the jug from its place in the sand. He took a long, swig finishing with a sigh. “Delicious. Would you like some, Nora?”
Her head flew back and forth. “No. No, thank you. I’ve never had ale.”
Viktor lifted it closer to her. “There’s a first time for everything, love.” His eyes taunted her.
She was thirsty, and since meeting Viktor, new experiences seemed to turn out well for her. He waggled his eyebrows and wafted it under her nose.
“Fine.” She shot him a challenging look, grabbed the jug and took a swig. The sour liquid puckered her face and she fought to get it down.
“That a girl!” Simon cheered. Viktor just beamed beside her.
“It’s terrible!” she said, coughing as her face twisted in agony.
“It’s better the second time! Try again!” Viktor egged her on.
She cringed but took another long swing of the foamy ale. It was still sour, and just as disgusting. “It’s horrible! The second swig was no better!”
“It’s the third swig that it sweetens up, not the second, Viktor,” Simon said. “Just give it one more try. Really drink fast, that is the best way to get it down.”
Even though she didn’t believe him, she tried it anyway. Several long chugs left her thirst quenched but her tongue spitting in distaste.
“You’re a real trooper, love!” Viktor laughed, and he took the jug from her hands.
“It wasn’t any better the third time. You are both liars,” she scolded.
“We were just having a bit of fun, love. It is an acquired taste, though. A few more times and you’ll get the hang of it.”
Her nose crinkled at the thought of tasting it again. She wouldn’t be trying ale again anytime soon. The red-head returned to Simon. Shaking the distaste of the ale from her thoughts, Nora watched the loose woman step in front of him, twirling a red curl. Nora’s mouth fell open when she slid a breast from beneath her sheer dress.
“Simon, I missed you. Can I come back yet?”
Simon’s eyes grew wide as he stared at her exposed breast, his eyes moving to Viktor and then to Nora.
“I think we should go for a walk, don’t you, Nora?” Viktor asked, reaching for her hand again. Nora took it in dumbfounded silence and let Viktor tug her away. One last glance over her shoulder found Simon with open arms, catching the woman as she dropped back into his lap.
“Excuse them. They aren’t used to having someone of your caliber around,” Viktor apologized.
“Those women... they have no care... no shame...” Nora sputtered as Viktor led her out of the light of the fire and further down the beach. The laughing of the men grew quieter as they increased the distance between them.
“They don’t have all your privileges, love. They do what they must to survive. Not everyone is as fortunate as you. They would sell their souls for a chance at your life.”
Nora snorted. “My life isn’t perfect, either. I have my share of hardships, as well. Perhaps they are better off than I.”
Viktor pulled her to a stop, concern heavy in his eyes. “What do you mean? You’re a Baroness. You have money, power, security. Isn’t that what women want?”
She sighed and pulled her hand from his and wrapped her arms around her waist. Her eyes moved to the full moon suspended overhead, glistening on the black water that lapped at their feet.
“I have made many sacrifices to gain my position. Many I still endure today.”
“Like what?” he touched the small of her back. It sent a shiver snaking up her spine.
“My husband, Cuddy. He’s not kind. He’s not warm. He’s none of the things that I dreamed about when I wished for marriage as a girl.”
“Does he hurt you?” She could feel the anger radiating off him. He stepped closer, his body almost pressing against hers. The safety of it, and perhaps the ale, allowed her to say out loud what she had never said before.
“Yes, he hurts me,” she sighed. Saying the words out loud somehow made it more real, cut deeper. “He desperately wants an heir. Each month I must endure him in my bed, and each month when I am not pregnant I have to endure his rage.”
“Nora,” Viktor whispered. He pressed his body close to hers.
“The worst part is that I am his second wife. His first could not conceive either. I think the fault is not in me, nor was it in her. I think the fault lies with him, yet I endure the punishment. I can only imagine what she went through as well. The pain he can inflict without leaving any trace of a mark for anyone other than my maid to see...” her voice drifted off. “I’ve never even been kissed. Did you know that? He comes to my bed, treats me like a broodmare and leaves. No tenderness to his touch, no softness to ease me in. He mounts me, tosses me aside, parades me around at parties, and then beats me when I’m not pregnant. That is the cycle of my life.”
“Then why do you stay?”
“Where else am I to go, Viktor? Am I to end up like the whores on the beach? I have no choice but to suffer him. I made my commitment. Now I must honor it.”
“You can stay with me. I’ll take care of you.” A whisper of Viktor’s breath caressed the back of her neck with his tender words. His lips brushed her hair as he pulled her back into his arms. Her eyes closed as his arms wrapped around her, his strong body enveloping hers. She closed her eyes and leaned back into him, allowing her fears to wash away with the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. “Stay with me, Nora.”
His hand reached around, finding its place under her chin, and he eased her head back, tipping her chin up with his thumb. When she blinked her eyes open she found his
heated gaze bearing down into her. The hardness there had dissipated, replaced by desire and adoration swirling together in the ocean of amber that beckoned her to enter. Her lips parted as he leaned forward. His breath tickled them, drawing them near. A sharp inhale captured his breath as his lips found their way to hers. His finger brushed her cheek, his tongue pressing past her lips and tangling with her own. The world fell away beneath his touch, her cares and her worries dissolving with each swirl of his tongue, each gentle touch of his lips to her own.
It was everything she had imagined a kiss could be, and so much more. One single touch of his lips had exploded her world with an ache she couldn’t ever assuage. Deepening their kiss he pulled her tighter, but even that wasn’t close enough. She longed now for more of his touch, his kiss, for all of him. He was offering it all to her, he was offering himself.
Nora yearned to be his, to accept his offer and walk away from the life she had built. The flash of a hot memory seared through her mind, the reason she had found herself in this life to begin with. It shook her back to reality and ripped her from his arms. A life with Viktor, the life she would choose over and over, could never be.
“I’m sorry,” she gulped, stepping back and ripping herself from his embrace. “I can’t.”
Tears burned her eyes and she spun and bolted down the beach, back toward the fires. The sand kicked up behind her as she raced away... away from the one thing she had ever truly wanted. Away from Viktor.
CHAPTER TEN
VIKTOR STOOD IN DISBELIEF, watching the last place he had seen her before she disappeared into the darkness. He touched his lips, her taste still lingering on them, taunting him, a reminder she had been so close. The desire to run after her drove deep, but rational sense said that she needed space. The feelings he had for her overwhelmed him, surprised him. He could only imagine she was feeling the same. He would give her time and then he would convince her to leave her cruel husband and take her place at his side, where she belonged.
The thought of her husband laying a hand on her sent another surge of rage through every inch of his body. He had been in many battles, slaughtered countless men, but never had the desire to skewer someone burned hotter than his desire to slice the throat of Baron Aberdeen. The thought of her cowering beneath his cruel touch, lying beneath his unyielding advances just praying for it to end... it drove him to an anger he didn’t know he was capable of.
After he had recovered, Viktor followed her footprints in the sand. They led him back to the campfire where Simon waited.
“What did you do?” Simon shot him an accusatory glare.
“Where is she?” Viktor ignored the question.
“She’s at the inn just up the hill.”
“The inn?” Viktor snarled. “That’s not safe for her! We need to get her back to the ship!”
Simon raised his hands in submission. “Before you get your nickers in a wedge, I have our most trusted men stationed inconspicuously outside the inn. She insisted, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. We will keep an eye on her.”
“Why did she want to go to the inn?” Viktor huffed.
“Something about a hot bath.”
“A bath. She puts herself at risk for a bath.”
“What did you do to make her feel so dirty?” Simon taunted, tossing an elbow to his rib.
“Nothing like that, Simon, I can assure you.”
“You losing your touch?”
Viktor shook his head. “It’s not like that with her. I like her, Simon. A lot.”
“I know you do,” he said, grasping Viktor’s shoulder. “I’m just teasing you.”
“I think I’ll sleep outside the inn tonight. I’ll feel better having her near.”
“Like a loyal dog,” Simon said with a laugh. “I’ll join you.”
The two men walked the short distance to the inn at the top of the hill. Viktor scanned for any threats before settling on the ground, back leaning against the wooden side of the inn. Simon slid down beside him.
“It looks safe,” Simon noted, his own perceptive eyes having made the same assessment. “No one knows who she is here. She’ll be all right.”
Viktor felt confident in his assessment. Her assassins may be driven, but there was no way they could have made it here before him. And no way would they have known he would bring her here. Viktor nodded and struggled to sleep, his astute eyes scanning the street one last time.
THE EARLY MORNING SUN beat down on Viktor’s face as he blinked his eyes open. He looked down to see Simon’s head folded onto his shoulder, his body in an awkward heap. Viktor nudged him awake. Simon wiped the drool from his chin, jerking away when he realized Viktor had become his pillow for the evening.
“Sleep well?” Viktor joked.
“Like a baby. Your shoulder is softer than I would have imagined.” Simon twisted his face in confusion and poked the muscled shoulder.
“Get off!” Viktor laughed, shrugging him away. “I barely slept. Just dozed off a bit ago it seems.”
Viktor pushed off the ground and stretched away the aches in his muscles. He looked up at the inn behind him. Knowing she was in there, so close to him yet just out of reach, made his longing for her deepen. He needed to talk to her. “I’m going to see her.”
“I would be surprised if you didn’t. Want me to come along?” Simon asked, his stretches mimicking Viktor’s.
“No, I’ll go alone. Stay here and keep watch.”
Viktor walked up the two steps and through the doorway to the inn. A portly lady sat behind the counter reading a book. She peered up from behind her round glasses. “Can I help you?”
“I am looking for the lady that checked in last night. I would like to visit her. Could you let her know Viktor is here?”
Tense lines formed on her face, her eyes dropping back to her book with haste. Viktor knew that look and the lies that usually followed it.
“Where is she?” he said, his shoulders growing large as he stepped forward.
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.” Her voice quaked. Lies were not familiar to her tongue.
Viktor leaned forward on the desk, darkness filling his eyes while he bore down into her. “Tell me. Now.” His hand moved to his dagger.
She sighed and slammed her book shut. “She’s gone.”
“Gone?” he bellowed. “Gone where?”
“She paid me not to tell anyone.”
“You will tell me, or I will rip it out of you. Do you understand?”
Her face twisted when she looked to his knife and then back to him. “She’s a sweet girl. I don’t want you to hurt her.”
“I know she’s a sweet girl, that’s why I’m protecting her. She’s in grave danger. Tell me where she is. Now.”
She huffed and sat back in her chair. “She’s on a merchant ship sailing back to her home.”
“What?” Viktor stepped back.
“She paid me with an emerald necklace to secure her passage on a merchant ship and have her escorted safely to her home.”
“What ship is she on?”
“She’s with Captain Hector on the Falcon.”
Captain Hector? God no. Considered a merchant to any respectable person, those in the know understood he was just the kind of man who would have gotten the information that a bounty was on her head. He was also one to make good on it. He was worse than a pirate... at least you knew to be wary of a pirate. Captain Hector worked deep in the shadows in all sorts of nefarious affairs under the guise of an honest tradesman, making him the most dangerous kind of man... the kind no one suspected. But Viktor knew exactly what type of man he was... one Nora should not be alone with. His only hope was that he didn’t know who she was, or that he hadn’t yet gotten word of the bounty on her head.
“What color are her sails.”
“Navy blue and white.”
“Did she tell them her name?” He swallowed.
“Yes. She is a Baroness and bad men are hunting her. I put her on the safest ship
I know. They will get her home.”
Damn it! She told them her name! Viktor grabbed his dagger from the counter and stormed out of the inn.
“What is it?” Simon asked when Viktor surged toward him.
“She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“She secured passage on Captain Hector’s ship. She’s trying to go home.”
“Hector? But he’s... What? How? Why? Why would she leave?”
Viktor didn’t slow down. He didn’t have an answer. Her reasons for leaving had left with her. The thought she would choose this over being with him seared a hole through his gut. He thought they had shared something, but he was wrong. No matter, by boarding Captain Hector’s ship, she’d placed her safety in jeopardy. Even if she didn’t want to be with him, he still wanted to see her survive. He marched down the hill with Simon in tow.
“Won’t she be killed if she goes home?” Simon asked, jogging to keep up.
“She certainly will. That’s if Hector hasn’t gotten word of her bounty... if that’s the case, she’s as good as dead.”
“What are you going to do?”
Viktor stepped into the piles of sleeping men sprawled along the beach. He turned to Simon, determination set deep in his eyes. “We’re going to get her back.”
Simon gave one nod. His loyalty and friendship required no further explanation.
“Wake up! Back to the ship! We set sail!” Viktor shouted. The men groaned and stumbled to their feet.
“Where are we going?” Sully asked, scratching his balding head while he blinked.
“We’re taking chase, boys.”
Their eyes lit up one by one and they hurried to the skiffs. They needed no further explanation than that a chase was on. They had been as bored as he the past year, and the thrill of the hunt surged through their lungs while they cheered. Simon and Viktor climbed into a skiff, riding in silence as they approached the ship. They needed no more words. The hunt was on.
The crew worked with haste. They pulled the anchor and raised the sails in record time. The ship lurched forward, Viktor spinning the wooden wheel and guiding her from the cove back out to sea. If Nora was heading home, there was only one way to go. Time wasn’t on their side since Captain Hector’s ship had a head start, but these west winds and the speed of his ship should have them in his sights within hours.
Beneath The Assassin's Touch (Daggers 0f Desire Book 2) Page 11