The Coldest Sea
Page 28
“You bastard.”
“Is that any way to talk to your captain? Or your husband, for that matter?”
If he had been any closer to the water, she would have shoved him in. “You let me go through all that in the music room when you knew—”
“I knew you.” He was serious again in a heartbeat, moving closer to her and lowering his hands so he could mesh his fingers with hers. “I knew you wouldn’t be entirely happy landbound, but at the same time you need to be able to stand on your own two feet, even if you do it on my deck. So when I heard about Eastward being under construction, I requested the transfer to it. Several other captains were under consideration, some of them with more experience in running a steamship than I have, but thank the Unity for the Bleakhavener incident. That tipped the scales in my favor. The Admiralty was quite pleased I’d proven myself, put Bleakhaven in some debt to us and brought my ship out of it all.”
“And you kept quiet for all this time?” It would have been so much easier to endure their separation if she had known any of that. “A year and a half, and you didn’t say a word!”
“I had to be sure of what I could give you.” His voice was low and certain. “I was in training for most of that year and a half, to learn the workings of this ship.”
He hadn’t wanted to raise her hopes until he’d proved himself qualified enough to command the ship. She would have loved him either way, but she saw now that their separation had tested her as much as it had done him; she’d passed through the fire, building a life for herself while still wanting a future with him.
But she had to ask one last question. “What if I hadn’t waited for you?”
“Then you wouldn’t have been the right woman for me. But I knew you were.”
If she had been irritated when he’d started talking, that had gone like mist at noon, and all she saw was the light in his eyes. All she felt was a happy, surging eagerness and the strong fingers clasping hers.
“I’m proud of you,” she said quietly.
His gaze went intense, unblinking. She was suddenly aware that the words, simple though they were, had shaken him. He might have known what it was like to hear a woman say she loved him, but she thought it might be almost as good to have a woman look at him with respect for his accomplishments and pride in his position. Because she knew better than anyone else how hard he had worked, and how much he deserved all of it.
She also knew after hearing that, he would never let her go. “Then you’ll marry me,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
“Yes, sir. But only after you drag me into a secluded corner and have your way with me again.”
A grin flashed across his face and he led her to the gangplank. “You have permission to come aboard High Eastward,” he said. “I believe you’re expected in the captain’s quarters.”
Epilogue
Dear Maggie,
We received your letter three days ago. I thought it would give Father a stroke, but it failed to do so. Thank you anyway. It was good of you to inform us about your marriage, and we all wish you and Vinsen a most happy life together. Though I must say, it hardly seems fair that Darok and I got respectable ceremonies inflicted on us at home while you probably had a great deal more fun elsewhere.
Father said he will never recover from the disappointment. Darok asked if that was because Vinsen is the captain of a ship or because Vinsen was divorced. Which was the first Father heard about the divorce, so it was a nice additional surprise for him. He was so looking forward to Anthny coming to his senses and bringing you back home to get married properly. I think he imagined you in Skybeyond like the princess in the tower. I always told you you were his favorite. Mother, of course, got a lovely gift ready and Feona composed a new song to commemorate the occasion, so the two of you are expected home as soon as Vinsen can get leave from his duties.
Another reason you should come home is to see our baby while she’s still tiny, though Miri says she didn’t feel tiny at all when she arrived. Nonetheless, she is adorable, and Miri told me once she gets more than two hours’ sleep a night, she’ll think about writing another book. Oh, speaking of children, Alon is going on seven, so he’ll be tested soon. Darok doesn’t talk about that and Yerena says less, but I doubt they’re wishing he’ll shine as the brightest new recruit to Seawatch’s ranks. Let’s hope he proves as mundane as the rest of us.
When you write back, please let us know exactly what the new ship is and where it will be headed, because even Father noticed you left that part out. And tell Vinsen we’re all eager to welcome him to the family. I’m sure he’ll enjoy that.
With love from everyone,
Alyster
About the Author
Marian Perera has a Portuguese last name, was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Dubai, studied in Texas, worked in Iqaluit and lives in Toronto. For now. She studied microbiology and medical laboratory technology, but fell in love with fantasy along the way. She enjoys blogging about writing, publishing and her here-and-there life at marianperera.blogspot.com, and loves to hear from readers—send her an email at mdperera@hotmail.com or join her on Twitter @MDPerera. There’s also more about the world of Eden on her website at www.marianperera.com.
Look for these titles by Marian Perera
Now Available:
Eden
Before the Storm
The Deepest Ocean
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Christmas Yet To Come
Don’t miss the other titles in Marian Perera’s Eden Series!
Love as strong as the tide. Betrayal as cruel as an undertow.
Eden Series, Book 2
Moments before he sets sail into pirate waters to rescue prisoners, Captain Darok Juell receives additional orders—to take a mysterious woman on board who will help him in his mission.
When she arrives, she is unlike any woman he has ever seen. A cold, controlled operative of Seawatch, Yerena Fin Caller wields an iron hand over her emotions, and an almost magical control over a great white shark.
On the surface, her orders are simple: use her shark to guide Darok through dangerous waters, attack any pirates who interfere. Her emotions must remain under lock and key, lest they travel along her delicate connection with the finned killing machine below.
As she and Darok navigate the Strait of Mists into the Iron Ocean—and evade a killer-whale-controlling traitor—Darok’s generosity and warmth coax Yerena to give in to desire. But they have no future together. Especially if Darok’s legendary recklessness forces her to obey a secret order to send his ship to the bottom of the sea...
Warning: Contains naval battles, a shark that enjoys winning races, a woman who can control the shark—sometimes, the captain who wants her in his bunk, and hot sex on the high seas.
He’s racing for a prize. She’s running for her life. And they’re on a collision course.
Eden Series, Book 3
Captain Alyster Juell is relishing the taste of his first command for the fleet of Denalay. The steamship Checkmate doesn’t carry weaponry, but that doesn’t matter. His mission is to win an ocean-crossing race—and its hefty prize.
As the voyage gets underway, Alyster hits his first snag—there’s a stowaway on board, a reporter who poked around for information about his ship the day before. And it’s too late to turn back.
Miri Tayes didn’t intend to stow away. She was forced to run for her life when a colleague discovered her secret: She can pass for normal but she’s a half-salt—daughter of a Denalait mother and a pirate father.
Despite her lack of seaworthy skills, Miri works hard to earn her keep, and Alyster, taken with her quick wit and steely nerve, falls for her. But as the race intensifies and the pirates use a kraken to hunt down Checkmate for its new technology, the truth could be the most elusive—and
dangerous—prize of all.
Warning: Contains a reporter hiding a dangerous secret and the captain who’d like to strip her bare in more ways than one. Also pirates, prejudice and passion.
One touch, and the tide isn’t all that’s rising.
Eden Series, Book 4
When brothel health inspector Jason Remerley finds a uniformed woman waiting impatiently in the Velvet Court parlor, wanting to hire a man’s services, he’s struck by lightning. His intense, immediate attraction compels him to pretend his way into her arms.
Enough silver, and most men forget about Captain Lera Vanze’s half-burned face. She senses something off about the handsome, ill-dressed prostitute who sells himself so cheaply. But with his first touch, goose bumps turn to shivers of desire—right before the truth drives them in opposite directions.
Her fury is still simmering when they face each other in a more “official” capacity. She’s joined a warship to stop a terrorist only Jason can identify. Though trust is scarce, they’re swept away in a tidal wave of murderous plots and an explosive attraction that could leave them marooned in an emotional—and very real—minefield.
Warning: She knows how to wield her sword, he knows just how, when, and where to apply his...mind. Contains deception in a brothel, sex in a cave, a shark with a bad habit, and one very large wave.
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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The Coldest Sea
Copyright © 2015 by Marian Perera
ISBN: 978-1-61922-668-5
Edited by Anne Scott
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: May 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com