Love Inspired Historical July 2015 Box Set: The Marriage AgreementCowgirl for KeepsThe Lawman's RedemptionCaptive on the High Seas

by Renee Ryan

  He stared into her eyes. The glassy blackness swirled deep with emotion. He cupped her cheek with his hand and leaned his forehead to hers.

  “I can do as I wish,” he whispered against her mouth. His lips touched hers, light as silk. The air around them sizzled. He shifted back a little and gazed into her eyes. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “If I win, I can do as I wish, Ada. I can continue to seek out my sister and save her, too.”

  The longing in his eyes tugged her heartstrings. Wanting—needing—more of his touch, she leaned closer. He sealed his lips to hers. Her heart soared like the griffin flying over the desert in search of its evening meal. Was this what it was like to be loved? To be wanted? She wrapped her arms around his neck and wove her fingers into his hair.

  “Nicolaus,” Xandros called from the path. Ada scrambled away and jumped to her feet. A rock caught her sandal. She wobbled, but Nicolaus caught her arm to steady her. The emotion in the look he gave her caught her off guard. She’d seen that look before, the one that consumed her father when he watched her mother, but there was something more, something she did not quite understand. It unnerved her and it left her more scared than when she was just his slave. It was as if he were a starved lion ready to pounce on his prey.

  She jerked from his touch and ran. One thing she knew for certain—that kiss, still burning on her lips, proved she was no better than her mother, and that was something she could not allow. Ever again.

  *

  Nicolaus watched her disappear between the greenery and then Xandros emerged.

  “Yaya said I’d find you here.” Xandros glanced over his shoulder. “What did you do to her?”

  The corner of his eye twitched at his friend’s tone. “Have you become her defender?”

  Xandros crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “If I need be, I will. It seems you are always upsetting her.”

  Twisting his lips, Nicolaus shook his head. “I do not know what has upset her.”

  Xandros smacked him on the shoulder. “You don’t look happy, either. No matter, soon we’ll spread the sails and be home. I look forward to your mother’s table.”

  Nicolaus laughed. “Yaya has prepared you a meal fit for a king.”

  His friend didn’t try to hide his pained grimace. “I mean no offense, but even the dogs turn their noses up at Yaya’s cooking.”

  Nicolaus laughed as he traipsed up the hill, Xandros at his side. “Her skills have waned with her age. However, she has a new guest, one I’m certain she’ll seek to impress. Besides, I went to the market myself. There will be cakes and honey and fruit.”

  “That is all I need.”

  “Is the mast repaired?” He’d seen the sail expand and knew it must be. However, he wanted to ensure there were no problems.

  “Ay, and the men are rested. We worked in shifts. After all their hard work and getting us here in good time, I decided to give them leave to explore Karimos.”

  “It is beautiful here, is it not?”

  “A treasure unlike any other. There is smoke rising from your head. What is it you are thinking, my friend?”

  Nicolaus stopped and faced the sea. “You know my grandfather has left all of this to me, but I had no thoughts beyond pleasing my father and becoming a merchant. Yaya’s home was nothing more than a prison I longed to escape from while my father sailed off to grand adventures. I’m beginning to see it differently now. I could be happy here.”

  “What is it you’re saying?”

  “Karimos is a strong port. My grandfather’s land is fertile. He had dreams of cultivating it.” He swung back around, his hand swinging up toward the higher ground. “I could plant grapes. There is a valley on the other side of the main house where I could plant wheat, not much, but enough for the locals.”

  Xandros laughed. “I’ve never thought you to be a farmer, Nicolaus. You blood flows with the waters of this world. You are happiest when sailing. It is who the gods meant you to be.”

  Cringing at Xandros’s use of gods, Nicolaus pierced his friend with a hard glare. “Is it? What if there is only one God, Xandros? A god who created the heavens, the earth and the seas? What if that God wishes me to grow roots here?” With Ada.

  “You sound like your uncle.”

  “He may have the right of it, my friend. The gods our people have worshiped for hundreds of years are no more than statues made by our own hands.” Joy filled him to overflowing. The excitement vibrated around him. “This God Oceanus speaks of, the one Ada calls upon, he is not made by our hands, he just is. How else do you explain that?” He motioned toward the vast sea. “And the sun, the ground we stand on. The thousands upon thousands of stars lighting the night sky. What if this Almighty God is calling me, a perfect stranger, to something more than what my father wished? If I do not win the challenge, Xandros, I’m making this place my home.”

  And if Ada was willing, if his father allowed such a union, he’d make one with her.

  “I am not sure about this God you speak of, but I think it is wise. Yaya is aging and should not be alone. However, I do not think that is your reasoning.”

  He wanted to build a life here. To raise his children where he’d spent much time as a boy. To watch the sun set over the waters with Ada by his side, but he could not tell his friend the truth of it, not yet.

  “What will you do if you win?”

  A stone settled in his stomach. “Then I will own a vessel I built with my own hands. One my father has little control over, and I will have no choice but to search for Desma. I owe it to her enough to try.”

  “What of Ada?”

  Nicolaus plucked a bloom from a branch. “I would free her and see her to her family, but the abuse she suffered at the hands of her sisters… How long before they sold her again? Then where would she be, a prostitute?” Nicolaus shook his head. “There are few options for a woman without the protection of her father. As my slave she will be protected.”

  “Until you marry. I cannot see a wife, no matter how considerate, approving of Ada in your household. And I cannot see you setting her up as a concubine.”

  The thought of disgracing Ada in such a way soured his stomach.

  “You’ve too much honor to dishonor your vows. Your brother would have no such qualms. It only stands to reason that you should free her, and then marry her.”

  Nicolaus halted his steps. Even as the Sea Dragon he’d held a code of honor as did his brother. “She is not Greek. I do not think my father would allow it and I will not dishonor my father in such a way. Even if she were Greek and I were to win I could not leave a wife at home while I spend weeks, months even, at sea. My mother suffered greatly during my father’s absences. It is why he brought us here to Yaya’s. It is why he quit sailing once Jasen and I could do so on our own.”

  “Then I guess you should pray to that Almighty God you speak of that you lose.”

  Would he be able to marry her if he lost? His father would not approve. He’d want Nicolaus to marry a girl from Andros, would he not? A girl who was nothing like Ada. But his father had broken with tradition and married his mother. Yes, she was Greek, but she was not Ionian.

  None of it seemed possible. Perhaps it would be better if he won, then his choice would be made for him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ada caught her breath at the sight of the rising mountain in the water. “What is it?”

  “They are islands.”

  She sipped the water doused with ground ginger and honey that Nicolaus’s grandmother had sent along for the journey wondering about these islands. “Do people live there?”

  Nicolaus nodded. “Some, and some have been abandoned. Oft times, bands of thieves raid the villages, leaving them desolate. Those who escape have little choice but to leave if they can.”

  She took a small bite of honey cake, and then glanced at him, her eyes wide. She’d worried over thieves their entire journey and now it seemed as if they were entering their lair. “Do you live on an island?”
<
br />   “I do. See?” He pointed to a piece of land in the distance.

  “Is it as small as these?”

  He shook his head. “We’ve several mountains forming our home. You’ve nothing to worry over, Ada. The island is heavily guarded with some of Greece’s finest warriors. Me included.” The twinkle in his eye momentarily disappeared as he winked at her.

  A piece of cake lodged in her throat, and her pulse skidded to a halt.

  “Any man would be a fool to attack us.” She took another sip of water and watched as they sailed by island after island. They were nothing more than large gray rocks. Void of vegetation. They seemed lifeless. Not a place she would like to call home. At least the desert had some trees. She hoped Nicolaus’s home wasn’t as colorless.

  “I am glad Yaya’s herbs have calmed your sickness.”

  She smiled. “I, as well. Although, at first I did not think they would. Once the waters lost their waves, I much improved.” She dropped her gaze to where the water separated as the ramming post cut through it. “I must thank you for seeing to the children while I was ill. It is a burden you did not ask to bear.”

  He grabbed hold of her hand. “It was no burden. Chloe has more than earned her pay.”

  “It is fortunate then that Xandros found her. What will you do with them?”

  Nicolaus twisted his lips. “I haven’t thought on it much. Most abandons become slaves, and that is something I cannot do. However, I do not know how my father will feel about my decision.”

  “You could raise them as your own, Nicolaus.”

  His laughter filled the air around them. “I’ve nothing more than a room to call my own. One I share with my brother, Ada.”

  “If you beat your brother, you’ll have this boat.”

  The laughter drained from his face and his eyes took on a serious glint. “Ay, I’ll have this boat, but then I will have duties to attend.”

  He walked away, his shoulders slightly hunched. She drew her eyebrows together as she tilted her head. What had she said to upset him? Winning the challenge was what he wanted, wasn’t it? How else was he to find his sister and find peace for his troubled soul?

  Besides the embarrassment after their kiss yester noon overlooking the water, there had been little strife between them. Their meal with Yaya, Brison and Xandros had been entertaining and surprising when Nicolaus had invited her and Yaya to eat with them. She’d learned much about Nicolaus and his family. The constant competition between him and his brother Jasen was often fueled by their father.

  Nicolaus’s grandmother had grown distant when they spoke of her daughter, Nicolaus’s mother. Although she didn’t say anything, her grandson must have known of her sadness. If Ada hadn’t been in love with Nicolaus before, the way he comforted his grandmother by patting her hand as the conversation flowed around them sealed her love tighter than any tomb in Ashkelon.

  She leaned her elbows against the rail. The wind tugged her hair from her shoulders. As long as he did not offer her any more kisses she could pretend her pulse didn’t beat a little faster in his presence. That her eyes didn’t constantly draw to him or her knees grow week at the sound of his voice.

  They approached another island, this one lush with vibrant greens rising way above the sea. Could the Almighty’s creation be any more breathtaking?

  Nicolaus called out a command. The oars halted, no longer splashing into the water. Men moved around the deck, wrapping the sail around the mast. She closed her eyes and listened to the waves lapping against the boat, carrying them forward. A sense of peace washed over her and she knew she’d never be content living in the desert away from the sea. She’d grown accustomed to these new sights and sounds over the past few days. The waves seemed to dance in her blood, the way thoughts of Nicolaus danced in her heart.

  She leaned over the side to see around the front of the ship and once again caught her breath. They glided over the bluest of waters toward a cove filled with other ships of various sizes. Many looked ready for battle. Nicolaus hadn’t lied when he said they were well protected.

  Even Ashkelon with its thick walls almost as high as the lower mountains was not as well fortified.

  “It is exciting.”

  She looked down beside her. Two pairs of eyes beamed up at her. The boy and the girl who’d stayed together when their people chose to abandon them.

  “Come.” She gathered their hands in hers and maneuvered toward the other side of the boat. She lifted the girl onto her hip and pointed to the water. “Look, you can see the fish.”

  “There are many boats. Is this where the raiders come from?” Galen asked.

  Ada snapped her gaze to the boy and blinked and then back to the armed vessels. She hadn’t thought of such a thing, but couldn’t imagine Nicolaus stealing from the likes of these children and their village. “You will have to ask the captain.”

  “Look at the houses,” Edith said. “They are much bigger than the ones we had. Do you think we can sleep in one?”

  Ada bit the inside of her lip and allowed the girl to slide down. “I do not know, Edith.”

  The girl slipped her hand into hers. “I will ask the captain if we can stay together.” Edith rewarded her with a smile.

  “Not me. I want to sleep on the boat. Nicolaus let me when you were sick.”

  She ruffled Galen’s hair. “Is that so? No doubt you will sleep where the captain tells you to.”

  The boy lowered his chin, but not before she’d seen the pink tint of embarrassment. “Yes, Ada.”

  “Look!” Edith jumped up and down, pointing toward the front of the ship. “Mermaids.”

  Ada’s mouth fell open at the multiple gray creatures bursting from the water and diving back down again.

  “There’s no such thing,” Galen said as he leaned his head over for a look. “What are they?”

  “I—I don’t know.” The creatures disappeared only to reappear in front of them. Their long glassy noses bobbing back and forth as they chattered. Edith giggled. Galen climbed onto the lower railing. Ada pulled him back down.

  “I see you’ve met our friends.”

  Ada’s knees turned to honey, but somehow she managed to keep standing. She glanced over her shoulder. “What are they?”

  “Dolphins.” Nicolaus smiled, his teeth gleaming in the sun. “Creatures of the sea.”

  “I cannot believe it.”

  “Believe it, Ada. They are a creation of your God, the Maker of Heaven and earth, the sea and all that is within.”

  She could not tear her gaze from his. The same look he had given her right before he had kissed her swirled in the depths. Hearing the psalm taught to her by her mother, spoken in his foreign language, sent shivers over her arms. It was beautiful and magnificent, but more important, did he believe in the Almighty, that there was only one God?

  “Where did they go?” Edith asked.

  Ada tore her gaze from Nicolaus’s and looked out at the sea. The dolphins were nowhere to be found.

  “Oh, look!” Ada followed Galen’s pointing finger a good distance from the boat and watched as the dolphins jumped out of the water and then dove back down.

  “They are often here, greeting me when I return. It makes the coming home nice.”

  *

  How much greater his return home would be to have Ada waiting. With her eyes shining the way they were just now, full of wonder and perhaps even love. His spine went rigid. Could he accept her love and not give in return?

  Leaning over the rail, she giggled with the children. Her face beamed with excitement like the beacon sitting on yond hill beckoning the sailors to come home for the night. Her waist-length hair, the color of the wheat fields in the valley when the sun hit them just as it was slipping behind the mountains, tangled around his arm, ensnaring him.

  He picked the strands from his wrist and took a step back. “Ada.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. The joy radiating from her felt like a battering ram to the chest. He raked his fin
gers through his hair. “We are about to make port. You and the children should seek shelter beneath the helmsman’s perch. I would not want them to get caught underfoot and become hurt.”

  She blinked, all the excitement disappeared and her eyes lost the glitter of the night’s stars. “Yes, of course.”

  She slipped past him, her hand clasped in the girl child’s, her arm around the boy’s shoulder. A pang of jealousy rocked him back on his heels. She seemed to control his emotions, the very air he breathed.

  Ay, he’d long to sit with her at Yaya’s and watch the sun slip beyond the horizon. The thought of marriage, although impossible without severing ties with his father, had made him happy. He wanted to set his eyes upon her beauty every minute of the day, to hear the soft cadence of her breaths throughout the night as he’d done tending her during her illness. But to allow her such control over him—that one look from her set his knees to quaking like the earth oft times did—could not be done.

  He wouldn’t allow it. A man controlled his household. It was the Greek way. His only hope of rescue from Ada would be if he won his father’s challenge and left her at his mother’s while he sailed away until he could decide what to do with her. With long strides, he walked across the deck and climbed on the command post. Many boats filled the port, but he didn’t see his brother’s. Did that mean he’d won?

  His gut clenched at the thought of never seeing Ada again, but it was just as well. Perhaps he’d take her back to Yaya, or to her own family even. What concern was it of his if her sisters decided to sell her to another slave trader? None, yet he was concerned. He pressed his palms against the rail and clenched his fingers around the wood. Perhaps, Jasen had already returned, and then left again. His brother was never one to stay on land very long, even to gloat.

  “Lord, Almighty Creator of all, I’ve no thought beyond Ada. A part of me wants to wrap her in my arms and never let her go, the other wants to run as far as possible from her. I do not wish to keep her if I cannot love her.” To marry her, to hold her hand, to kiss her, to watch her cradle their child in her arms much as she’d done the babe. “Help me to know in my being the course I should take.”