Raven beat him, with good reason. They could not let him leave until he answered more of their questions. If they could ransom him, her poor villagers would be the recipients of any gold.
Balfour was hiding something. He had tried to escape. His actions didn’t hurt as much as realizing he’d left without saying good-bye.
Irritated at her thoughts, she headed for the bow. If she could get her bearings, her heart rate would return to normal, and the perspiration on her brow might dry. Balfour was beautiful, in a messy, scarred, cantankerous sort of way, but she didn’t need a man. She certainly didn’t want a sexual assignation. Raven had seen to that.
Her former husband had kidnapped her from her home, more than four hundred years in the future, and had forced her to marry him, in order to stay alive. Thanking God the bastard was dead, she didn’t care to let anyone into her private life. She chuckled, then sighed, because there wasn’t much privacy on a small ship like The Black Thistle.
“Yer brow is furrowed, lass. Ye look so deep in thought, I pray ‘tis me, ye be thinking about.”
Balfour’s whispered words didn’t shock her, as much as surprise her. She had allowed him to sneak up on her. “I am surprised that you’d seek me out. You seemed to be enjoying your time with the crew.”
Placing his hands on the rail, he peered out to sea. The wind tugged at the sash around his head, and goose bumps littered his forearms. Muscles beneath the tanned skin across his naked shoulders rolled, as if he was fortifying himself against some great threat.
“You’re afraid of me!”
He whipped his head around, and straightened to his full height. “Nay! I am concerned, ‘tis all. Ye saved me life, and I gave ye my thanks. Now ye have kidnapped me, kept me against my will, and had me beaten. We travel north, I can see, but to where? What will ye do with me once we arrive?” Balfour whispered the last few words.
Blair gazed into his eyes, and saw something other than fear. Was it concern for someone else? Why was he in such a hurry to return to his home?
“Are you married?”
Her question seemed to startle him, and he stepped away from the rail.
“You want to leave us, Balfour, which I can understand, but not until you come clean.”
He glanced down at his hands and chest.
She laughed. “I mean, tell me why we found you in the sea, and why you need to return to wherever.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched.
“We’ll discover what you’re hiding, soon enough.” Blair trudged away, leaving him standing alone by the rail. She didn’t think he was stupid enough, or desperate enough, to jump overboard.
If Raven got his way, he’d shove him over the railing, so she went in search of her first mate, and found him outside her cabin. She paused on the last step, but she was a strong and independent woman. A woman who would take a man to her bed only when she felt the need to quench her desires. Raven was not that man. A sandy head of hair and an eye-patch came to mind, but she buried it deep.
“What is it?” she asked, as she opened the door, slipped past him, and sat at her desk. “These ledgers will not reconcile themselves.”
Raven stepped inside the small room, but kept his distance.
Thank God.
“I doono’ wish to alarm ye, Blair, but Balfour Green is forcing himself into the hearts of yer crew. He could be a distraction, if we come across the English.”
“We’ll have a greater problem than him. Bill says they had to tie the majority of our cargo to the gunwales. If we need to use the cannons, we will be in quite a pickle.”
At Raven’s expression, she quashed a chuckle. Did people in 1603 Scotland eat pickles?
“Why did he no’ fill the hold?”
She looked up from the books, and glared.
“Aye, ‘twas a moldy mess. The seawater is gone, but the stench remains.” He chuckled.
“Something is funny?”
Raven’s gaze locked on her breasts, and she shivered.
“Clean rags cannot sweep away the stench. Balfour Green must stink.”
Blair stood, setting her fists on her books. Did Raven assume she’d return Balfour to his prison in the hold? She couldn’t. These people might not be aware of the cause of most sicknesses, but she knew. Mold spores and wet surfaces bred contagions. Without preventive medicine, nor antibiotics, any illness could manifest into a death sentence.
Where could she stash the prisoner? Where could he bunk, and keep him safe from Raven’s rage?
“See what you can do to rearrange the goods, so we have at least a few unfettered guns on each side.”
“And our prisoner? Shall I return him to his cell?”
“No. I will not take a chance he’ll sicken in the hold. I will think of a place, by dinnertime.” She listened to Raven’s footsteps as he marched away, and she welcomed the ensuing silence.
Blair returned her attention to the ledgers. Within minutes, a prickling sensation made her glance up into the piercing gaze of Balfour Green.
CHAPTER 10
Niall wasn’t sure why he had entered the captain’s quarters, but he was in need of a shirt. He could have asked the first mate, but when the man had stormed out of the captain’s cabin, Niall had hidden in the galley.
They headed northward, and the autumn air had turned decidedly cooler. If she listened to Raven Snoddy, and threw him back in the hold, he feared for his well-being.
“Excuse me, lass. Might I again trouble ye for clothing? I be chilled.” Wrapping his arms around his waist, he rocked back and forth on his bare feet.
Her shocked expression, and the way she abruptly jumped from her chair, was comical. When her alarm turned to concern, and wrinkled her pale forehead, it warmed him to his numb toes. As she rounded the desk and stopped before him, a pretty flush spread along her cheekbones. She raised a hand, and pressed her warm palm against his cooler brow.
“Are you sick?” she asked.
She stood too close.
He inhaled the flowery sweetness of her womanly fragrance, as if she had recently bathed in lavender oil. The heat from her body, inches from his naked chest, made his groin tighten.
“I be shivering, and my breathing is no’ as it should be.”
“Well, you’re not spending another minute without clothing.” Scratching her head, she added, “You also cannot sleep in the hold. Keegan!”
The lad appeared out of nowhere.
“Find suitable clothing for Balfour. Boots, too.”
Keegan disappeared in a flash, and Niall chuckled. “All the men do yer bidding, but none as quick as the wee lad.”
“He only wants to please, but I shouldn’t have brought him along.’
“Why should he no’ be with his mother? He seems to have his sea legs.”
“He’s so young, but is happy aboard The Black Thistle. After the devastation our village endured, I couldn’t leave him behind.”
Her words were barely above a whisper, as if she were explaining her choices to God. Whatever had befallen their village had devastated her, personally. She had lost her husband, was raising her child alone, and ran the village as their leader.
He, on the other hand, had run away in the middle of the night with thirty men. They had left their clan’s castle, and village inhabitants, to the mercy of his renegade father. Rumors abounded of Angus Sinclair’s mercenaries, that the hired warriors had eaten most of the food and ale, slaughtered half the animals, and raped dozens of their women. His sire was out of control, yet Niall had stolen away like a thief.
I must return home, and take back our clan.
If he managed to hunt down his sire, he would do his best to see that all was made right. Would the people forgive him?
Will my brother?
Niall cursed beneath his breath. Gavin had caught up with him, before the battle that caused Niall to fall off the cliff. Gavin said he had discovered that Angus Sinclair had murdered their mother, and their stepmother. Their sire deserv
ed a well-earned place in Hell. Afterwards, Niall would return to serve as laird.
Keegan arrived at his side, and interrupted Niall’s self-loathing. The lad filled his open arms with warm clothing, stockings, and a pair of well-worn boots. “My thanks, lad.”
The lad grinned wide, then turned to his mother. “Can Balfour bunk with me?”
His question took the captain by surprise, if her wide eyes, and open mouth were any indication.
“That is a lovely idea. Thank you, son.”
“I shall show ye where to sleep.” Keegan sped away.
Niall turned to bow to the captain. A slight smile graced her lips. He slipped on his borrowed boots. “I thank ye for the clothing.”
“Can I trust you around my child?”
Hurt, Niall nodded, then strode from the captain’s cabin. He headed down the hall to the crew quarters, but Keegan stood at an open door beside his mother’s. Niall stepped inside, and relaxed. The large cabin held two bunks.
“Mother let me sleep alone, this trip. I doono’ think she trusts the crew to keep their hands off me.”
The child’s brutal words made him pause. “I dinno’ think lads of yer age knew of such things. So I doono’ scare ye?”
Keegan shook his head. “Mama…I mean, the captain, has warned me of several things. I doono’ believe she was able to escape something similar, herself. Sometimes, I hear her cry, late at night. That ‘tis when I cry.”
Niall dropped his borrowed clothing on one of the bunks, and knelt in front of Keegan. He wanted to pull the lad into his arms to comfort him, but his actions might be misconstrued. “I am sorry someone hurt her. Ye look tired. Shall we get to bed?”
“Nay! The boar is nearly roasted. Can ye no’ smell it?”
Niall recalled the moldy scent of the hold, and the sting of Raven’s fists. Rubbing his fingers over his newest scars, he sighed, and stood. “Aye, ‘tis a meal we should no’ miss. It came at quite a cost.”
Keegan stared at the cuts crisscrossing Niall’s chest, and gulped. “Why did ye run away?”
“I saved yer life, but I was a prisoner. I wanted to go home.”
“And where is home, Balfour?”
Niall and Keegan started, and the lad hid behind Niall. Raven stood in the open doorway, his glare piercing Niall’s naked chest as deeply as a blade.
“Anywhere but here,” Niall answered. He would not cower in front of the first mate, even though the man glared at him with hate and rage.
Raven turned his attention to Keegan. “Why is he in yer quarters?”
“The captain said he could stay with me. The hold is…yucky,” Keegan said.
Raven’s left brow shot up.
“Amusing. She trusts ye with her bairn? Will I ne’er understand the woman?” Raven sighed, then strode away. When his footsteps mounted the stairs to the upper deck, Niall turned to face Keegan. The boy was shaking. Instead of asking any questions, Niall waited.
“I doono’ like him. He used my mama ill, and she wants something he canno’ give her.” Keegan headed out into the hall, then turned toward the galley. Niall followed, unsure if the lad’s words were the truth. Blair MacIan didn’t strike him as a person afraid of anyone. But, if Raven had forced himself on her, Niall would throttle the man.
Or throw him overboard.
The galley smelled heavenly. Keegan headed to the basket of crusty rolls. Niall answered the plea in Cook’s eye, by steering the ravenous lad to the dining area. The crew filled all but one seat, so he set the small bairn on his lap. No one made mention of their growing friendship, but they knew Niall had saved the lad’s life.
The savory steam rising from hunks of roast boar, heaped on several platters, made Niall’s stomach growl. Keegan chuckled, then spooned creamed potatoes onto their trenchers. Buttered slices of fresh-baked bannock filled three baskets, and Cook set the basket of yeasty rolls in front of Keegan.
Cooked carrots sweetened with brown sugar filled another steaming bowl. The men joked quietly amongst themselves, as they shoveled food into their mouths. Several winked at him, their quiet gratitude filling Niall with calm reflection.
These were pirates, but also, good men. Only Raven Snoddy vexed him, and most likely because the lovely captain had noticed him. Niall needed to watch his back around the first mate. As if willing the man to appear by thought alone, Raven stepped into the room. Two men jumped to their feet, and departed. Raven sank into one of the vacated chairs, and grabbed food. As he filled his trencher, Blair entered. Keegan jumped off his lap and ran to his mother’s side.
“Let me fetch yer plate, Captain!” Keegan raced to the galley and returned with a porcelain dish trimmed in gold, and decorated with Scottish thistles. Either the sight of the purplish flower, or her son’s enthusiasm, made the captain smile, until Raven heaped a hunk of roast pork on to her plate.
“I can feed myself,” she quipped.
Niall chuckled, which did nothing to ease the mood that had darkened the moment the first mate had entered the small room. Raven glared daggers at him, but the mood lightened when Keegan raced into the room with his mother’s tankard of cider, and tripped, splashing it down Raven’s front.
“Stupid cur!”
Blair’s eyes narrowed, but she said nary a word.
“My pardon, Master Snoddy. ‘Twas an accident.”
“Yer an accident. I doono’ know why yer aboard this vessel. ‘Tis an unlikely place for such a gangly, inept bairn. We should have left ye in New Lincoln.”
Niall’s brow rose. There was more to this story.
Raven turned his attention to his meal. Keegan limped from the room, without eating more than a bite. Niall covered the lad’s trencher filled with meat and vegetables with the cloth that had covered the rolls. He plucked several buttered rolls, then headed to their cabin.
Keegan lay on his bed, crying.
His heart ached for the boy. “Here, lad, ye must eat, if ye plan to grow tall and strong. Then ye can pound men like Raven Snoddy into the ground.”
Keegan crawled into the middle of his bunk, then pushed into a sitting position. “Do ye speak the truth?”
“Aye. Men like him are of little use to good people. He means to kill me, yet I doono’ let him know that I know. So, eat up, grow big, and defeat him for me, when I am dead, agreed?”
“Aye, I agree, but I doono’ wish ye dead.”
“Neither do I.” Blair stood in the doorway.
Niall’s heart did an awkward flip inside his chest.
“Are you okay, Keegan?”
Her son nodded, and chewed his food.
Blair centered her gaze on Niall. “May I talk to you?”
He followed her to her cabin. When he entered, she turned and latched the door. The mere thought of being alone with her, near her bunk, made his groin tighten. He was still shirtless, having wanted to eat first. He also wanted the other crewmen to witness the bruises marring his flesh. Reminding others of Raven Snoddy’s brutality, was one silent way to undermine the man’s authority.
“I want to thank you, for giving Keegan hope.”
“Hope? I only spoke the truth. Raven is a bully who gets his joy from beating and downgrading others.” He rubbed his hand over his nicks and bruises. “The lad will meet many men like him, and he needs to be ready. Storming from the room, and missing a meal, ‘tis no’ the correct path.”
She sighed, and ran a hand over her head, dislodging her sash. Dark red curls tumbled free, falling down her back. When her hand rose, spearing her fingers through her loose hair, Niall’s breath hitched.
Blair MacIan was beautiful, and he understood Raven’s jealousy. Niall prayed she remained on the other side of the room, facing her desk, because the evidence of his attraction pulsed beneath his ragged breeches.
“I should have left him home, but danger…”
“There be danger in yer village? Ye mentioned the English.”
“Our new village must be kept secret. With this headwind, it’s ma
ny days north of here, and I expect you to never share its location.”
“Put me to shore now, and it shall no’ be an issue.”
She glanced at him, over her shoulder, and smiled. “Sorry. No-can-do.”
“I will keep yer secret if I must, but if Raven Snoddy has his way, I shall no’ live to tell tales.”
“No! I won’t let him hurt you again.”
CHAPTER 11
“Ye will no’ let the brute of a first mate hurt me again?” Niall stepped closer, intrigued with Blair’s vehement outburst. “Ye wish me to live?”
“We do not murder people! I didn’t know Thomas and Raven were beating you so severely, after your escape attempt. I told them to tie you up, that’s all. We may be pirates, but my crew follows my orders. Well, they used to.”
“Raven Snoddy has his own plan, it seems.”
“Right. He’s becoming a problem. He’s acting like the former captain, and could kill us all, unless I can reel him in.”
“Reel him in?”
“Yes, like a fish on a hook.”
Niall smiled at the analogy, and kept quiet. He wanted her to decide on a future that included him, and this ship.
She turned, straightening her shoulders. “We take what we need from those who can afford to part with it, or we barter for goods. My husband acted…differently. He took, and then slaughtered people. The English killed him because of it. How they found him, is a mystery.”
Niall thought on this. She was a widow, who had taken her husband’s place as captain of a seafaring vessel filled with pirates. Since his death, she raised a young son, who should live on land. She sailed with pirates, in the middle of the North Sea. Worry for her bairn was evident in the way she bit her lower lip. The sight tore at his heart, yet made his cock twitch.
“I promise to keep the boy safe, and fed. That is the reason ye placed me in his cabin, aye? Or, ‘tis it a way to keep me from being underfoot?”
My Hunted Highlander Page 9