Eden's Pass

by Kimberly Nee

  His comment brought a smile to her lips. Almost. It faded when he added, “But enough about him. I would much rather become more intimately acquainted with you.”

  Her belly cramped again. “But…but…why? I told you, I am nothing to Iñigo Sebastiano. Nothing.”

  “But you see, I do not believe that.” His voice dropped to a silky purr as he leaned closer still. “And we will know the truth when he learns I’ve taken my pleasure of his woman.”

  His breath was hot on her skin and rancid with stale rum. Her stomach bubbled, a wave of nausea broke sharply, and a cold sweat prickled all over her body as she whispered, “But I am so round…surely you would rather a much slimmer maiden.”

  “Ah, but you are also wrong there. I care not. Round or thin, it matters not. You are his woman. I care only about that. It’s the only thing what matters.”

  A sharp pain twisted her insides and she involuntarily sucked in her breath. As she did, Ramírez smiled. “Are you close to your time?” he asked, his gaze falling to her midsection.

  “Go to the devil.”

  His laughter echoed about the small stone room, bouncing off the walls to mock her from four different directions. “I will take great delight in destroying yet another Sebastiano.”

  Her stomach clenched even as the pain spread. “You’ll do no such thing,” she whispered, feeling a mist of perspiration cover her forehead. “I will kill you with my bare hands before I allow harm to befall my child.”

  “Oh will you?” He passed his whip between his hands. “That’s the funny thing about newborns. They are most susceptible to the smallest of dangers. A night out in the jungle and it will never see the light of morn.”

  “You bastard,” she growled, reaching down to clutch the small oilskin sack fastened around her waist by a thin woven hemp cord. The sack held shells and stones—the ones she picked up during her walks and placed in the sack to keep from getting her clothes damp. Nestled in the folds of her skirt, the sack lay hidden and Ramírez had no way of knowing she also found coral lovely as well.

  The coral’s jagged edges ripped into the flesh around his left eye as she swung and struck him with as much force as she could muster. He howled, hands clapping to his ruin eye. “You bitch!”

  “Oh!” A sharp pain sliced through her and she instinctively hunched over, the coral forgotten.

  Bright lights exploded inside her skull, her head snapping back. Her momentum carried her up and back, sending her sprawling across the dirt floor, her cheekbone throbbing where Ramírez’s fist had met her skin. Warm blood dribbled down, but she had no time to dwell upon it as Ramírez pounced, crushing the air from her lungs in a mighty whoosh.

  She fought like a trapped animal, fists flying, fingernails scraping and clawing. Her screams mingled with his howls as the coral tore at his cheeks, his neck, and her fingernails gouged out massive, bloody chunks of his flesh.

  His fist cracked against her jaw, her head snapping back to slam against the dirt floor. Stunned, she went limp, her hands flopping to the ground.

  Ramírez flattened himself against her, chuckling as she let out a long, low moan. “I do enjoy a woman with spirit. Breaking them is such great amusement.” He gripped her chin in his hand, forcing her to face him. “Muchacha hermosa.”

  The words, which sounded most loving and tender when Iñigo murmured them, took on a sickening meaning now, uttered in Ramírez’s oily reptilian voice. A cord in her neck burned as she fought to turn her head, to no avail. Instead, she choked as his lips came down onto hers. Fighting to break his hold, she gagged as his tongue tried to slide between her lips. He let out a howl and backhanded her with such fury her teeth actually rattled in her skull.

  “You bitch!” he howled, clapping a hand over his mouth. “You bit me!” He clipped her again, her low moan echoing through the cell as pain throbbed through her head and through her midsection at the same time. Rocking back onto his knees, he set aside his whip and reached for the falls on his breeches. “Now you will learn your only use on this earth, wench.”

  Finn moaned again as her head slowly cleared, but her contractions intensified. Her arms refused to obey her commands to keep fighting, to hit him anywhere she might cause great pain. Even as horror filled her, they refused to do her bidding. Her head pounded, throbbing with each heartbeat. Her gut twisted, jerking her body into a ball.

  “Ah, yes, wench. I will take my pleasure of you nice and slowly.”

  Finally, her right arm obeyed, but he deflected her blow as if it was no more than a buzzing fly annoying him. He grabbed both of her wrists, a ripping pain tearing through her as he slammed her hands down above her head. “Enough, bitch,” he snarled, fumbling to catch her skirts and shove them up even as she kicked and flailed her legs wildly. “Enough!”

  His fist raised up, but she refused to flinch, not even closing her eyes as he sneered, “I will kill you when I’m finished with you,”

  “If I were you, I’d think twice about touching her again. In fact, it would be in your best interest to rise and back away from her slowly, my friend.”

  Relief swept through her as she jerked her head toward the iron door. Iñigo stepped into the room, sword drawn and at the ready.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Iñigo stepped into the dank cellar, the muscles in his forearm bulging as he gripped his sword tighter. Her relief was enough to leave her feeling weak and dizzy. And relieved she was, especially at the murderous rage darkening Iñigo's features. It was unlike any anger he’d ever shown, and it was clear with whom his anger lay. He did not glance her way, but focused fiery amber eyes solely on Ramírez.

  “Ah, welcome, my friend.” Eduardo Ramírez slowly stood, his whip back in his fist as he faced Iñigo. “I had not expected you to come this quickly.”

  “I’ll wager you didn’t. But then, it isn’t the first time you’ve underestimated me, is it?” Iñigo sneered, taking a step closer. “And you have sorely underestimated me this time, my friend. Your blood will spill for touching her. All of it.”

  Finn scuttled back, away from Ramírez, fighting to remain quiet even as her contractions strengthened. They came harder and faster now, but she sucked back her yelps.

  “You will pay for each mark you have put on her,” Iñigo growled, gesturing at Ramírez with the tip of his blade. “And you will beg me for mercy.”

  “Beg for mercy?” Ramírez sneered, fingering the coil on his shoulder. “She is but a whore… And worse, she is your whore.”

  “And there you are wrong again, my piggish friend,” Iñigo replied coldly. “She is my wife and the mother of my child. I do not take kindly to another placing his hands on what is mine. Especially when his intentions are less than honorable.”

  Her contractions forgotten, Finn jerked her head in Ramírez’s direction, waiting, almost holding her breath, for his reaction. Iñigo seemed unnaturally calm.

  Ramírez held Iñigo's stare for a long moment. In a single, fluid motion, he freed the coil from his shoulder, sending the long black leather snake sizzling through the air. Finn winced as Iñigo calmly raised one arm, allowing the whip to snap around it with a zzzt! Blood spattered the white fabric of his sleeve, but Iñigo did not even flinch as the leather wrapped about his forearm. Instead, he curled his fingers about it and yanked, jerking it from Ramírez’s hand.

  Tossing the whip behind him, Iñigo remained outwardly unfazed, his expression bland, without a hint of the pain he had to feel. The whip had sliced into him and it had to hurt, no matter how tough his skin.

  His wound was forgotten as a terrible contraction tore through her with such swiftness she couldn’t hold back her cry. Iñigo jerked toward her. “Finn?”

  “Nay!” she groaned, sucking in her breath through clenched teeth. “I am fine! Worry not about me.”

  Ramírez lunged at Iñigo, catching him at the waist, wrapping his arms about him as they sprawled across the floor. Iñigo's sword clattered out of reach, across the rough stone, and Finn win
ced as Ramírez landed a solid blow to Iñigo's jaw.

  If he felt the blow, Iñigo gave no indication of it, but effortlessly flung Ramírez off, sent him reeling across the cell as Iñigo slowly got to his feet. Ignoring his weapon, he stalked over to grab Ramírez by his shirtfront, hauling him to his feet. What happened next was a blur. All she saw was Iñigo's left arm rise. She never saw the blow, but heard the sickening squelch, followed by a burst of blood.

  “¡Hijo de perra!” Ramírez bellowed, dropping to his knees, both hands clapped over his face. “You son of a bitch bastard! You broke my nose!”

  Iñigo ignored him, moving to retrieve his sword. He caught the blade with the toe of his boot, flipping it into the air and catching the hilt easily. Turning back to Ramírez, he growled, “And now, we end the dance, my friend. You will trouble me no more and you will pay for all of the pain, all of the sorrow, you have brought.”

  Finn sank back against the wall with a long, low moan she couldn’t hold back. Pain wracked her entire body as the child dropped. She could not halt nature now and she couldn’t hold back her screams as the feeling of being torn in half radiated through her. “Iñigo…”

  Ramírez grinned through the bloody mess of his shattered nose. “And what do you do, Spaniard? Dispatch me and condemn your bastard? Or do you do the gallant thing and rescue your child, only to sacrifice your life in return?”

  Iñigo glanced down at the blood soaking through his sleeve, and back at Ramírez. Finn didn’t miss his glimpse in her direction nor his hesitation. Even as her pains intensified, she couldn’t let him turn his back to his enemy. He stepped toward her and she shook her head, growling, “Do not even think it, Spaniard.”

  She forgot about her pains for a moment as Iñigo turned an icy cold smile to Ramírez. “It’s quite the easy decision, actually.”

  Steel flashed in the weak sunlight filtering through the high, narrow slit in the outer wall. A moment later, Ramírez sunk to his knees, a scarlet drop of blood rapidly blossoming across his chest. He uttered only a brief shriek of pain as Iñigo's blade pierced his heart, then crumpled backward, held up only by the blade in his chest.

  Iñigo pulled his blade free, and Ramírez’s head hit the stone with a dull, nauseating thud as he slumped into his final repose. Ignoring the bloodied heap, Iñigo sheathed his sword as he turned back toward her. She couldn’t hold back her tears as he knelt beside her. Sinking into his welcome warmth, she breathed, “Thank the Lord…”

  “Careful, love,” he murmured, gathering her in his arms. She screamed, her fingernails biting into him as the most powerful contraction yet burned through her.

  “Iñigo?”

  Iñigo twisted to peer over his shoulder as Diego appeared in the doorway. “Close the damn door,” he growled, “and leave us.”

  “Are you—”

  “Do it!”

  Diego winced as Iñigo's roar bounced off the mossy walls, but did as he was told. Iñigo turned his attention back to Finn. “Think you I am capable of bringing this child into the world?”

  Wetting her dry lips, she managed a snort. “I should think we have very little choice.”

  He smiled, leaning to brush her forehead with his lips. “Trust me, love… All will be well.”

  “I certainly hope so…” she sputtered as another contraction crimped her. She screamed again, squeezing her eyes shut as her muscles all locked, burning as every fiber in her being struggled to bring the baby into the world.

  All sound faded, everything around her blurred as she focused on Iñigo's deep voice urging her, soothing her. Pain burned through her as she bit down on her bottom lip to hold back her screams of agony.

  Not ten minutes later, she sank back into the cold stone, eyes filling with tears of joy as a piercing scream rent the air. She lay there, panting, struggling to control herself as Iñigo's liquid-gold eyes met hers and he murmured, “My lady… We have a son…”

  With those words, he placed the red-faced, screaming infant on her chest and Finn relinquished all control, sobbing openly as she wrapped her arms about the child and held him close. Iñigo leaned over to cover her lips with his in a soft kiss, before pulling away to strip off his blood-stained shirt to wrap around the babe.

  “Do not look,” he cautioned, reaching into his boot to withdraw the small dagger Finn recognized as hers.

  She did as she was told, focusing on the baby boy with the deep blue eyes still squalling against her, feeling a love unlike any other fill her as she gazed down at her son. Iñigo eased her up, bracing her against his chest to help her sit. She sank into him, tearing her teary gaze from the child to meet his. “You are happy he is a boy, then?”

  “Of course I am happy, love. But I would have been equally happy had he been a she. It matters not, as all is well now. That is what I care about.”

  It wasn’t at all difficult to smile, despite her exhaustion. A pleasant warmth filled her and her heart swelled even further. It threatened to explode as he smoothed her hair away from her face and whispered, “Fiona. Finn. Mi amor.”

  They were words he hadn’t used before. “What does that mean?”

  “I will tell you later. Now, we needs get you home. I believe you have earned the right to stretch out on a nice, soft bed.”

  She winced, not wanting to move despite her discomfort at lying on the stone floor. “That does sound heavenly.”

  He smiled at her. “Do you think that you might hold on to me as well as the babe?”

  “I think I am more than capable.”

  “Put your arms around me, then.”

  She draped an arm about his neck, groaning as he lifted her and inadvertently jostled her in the process. At his apology, she shook her head. “It could not be helped. It’s quite all right.”

  “I give you my word, love, it will be the last time you suffer at my hands. I intend to make certain you never stop smiling.”

  Her toes curled at those growled words and at the gleam in his amber eyes. She wanted to reply with something witty, but fatigue crept into her every crevice, combined with the warmth sinking into her from his body. It simply wasn’t possible for her to do anything other than let her eyes droop even as she held tight to both father and child.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The floor-length white draperies fluttered in the breeze, carrying the ocean air through the room and bringing a smile to Finn's lips. The bed was soft, the pillows were soft, and the small hands kneading her breast were soft. A sense of peace filled her as she gazed down at her son, Aidrian, busily nursing at her breast.

  She looked up. Iñigo hovered in the doorway, watching. She smiled at the look of wonder on his face, a look which had yet to fade, even nearly a month after the child’s birth.

  Iñigo had fallen in love with the tiny boy with the dark blue eyes and shock of ebony hair. Aidrian had claimed his heart the moment he emerged, and she had the feeling he looked forward to spoiling his son in the coming years.

  Clearing his throat, he stepped over the threshold. “Am I interrupting?”

  Finn looked up, shifting Aidrian, a flush sweeping into her cheeks. “Of course not. Do come in.”

  He smiled at her discomfort. “I mind not. Waiting, that is.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s not as though this is a sight you haven’t seen before now.”

  It was his turn to flush as his eyes instinctively lowered to her bared breast. “Aye, but it’s a whole new purpose being served.”

  She patted the tick beside her. “Sit, Iñigo. And mayhap I’ll even allow you to hold him.”

  He chuckled, doing as he was told, moving to sit beside her. He held out a hand. “I’ve something for you, love.”

  Tears pricked her eyes as her mother’s gold cross glinted in the sunlight before her. “Where did you…? How did you…? I was afraid it was gone forever.”

  Iñigo fastened the chain about her throat. “And there it will remain. It was the reason I was able to find you on Barbados. A fruit vendor,
Finn? I held on to it, deciding I would return it when the moment was right. Well, that moment is now.”

  “It’s the only thing I regret as much as my actions that night,” she whispered, reaching up with her free hand to catch the cross and hold it tight. “Thank you.”

  “There is no need to thank me, love. Just know the next time you even think of bartering this, I will take a switch to you.”

  “I would never be foolish enough to try it again.”

  Iñigo fell silent, his eyes darkening slightly. Before she could ask what troubled him, he said, “Remember you, the eve you asked me about my aversion to the lash?”

  “I do. You refused to answer me.”

  Iñigo sighed, catching the cross from her grasp. He stared at it, watching it glint and spark in the light. “María was my wife, Finn. I was but a score and she was only a few months younger, and we’d been married only several weeks. We set up house in a small village on the northern coast of Hispaniola and one morning, I exchanged words with a neighbor, heated words which led to blows.

  “I thought nothing of it at the time. Fights broke out between men, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. But this time, it was different. This man was from a powerful family—very wealthy—and I was less than a peasant in his eyes. I shamed him by besting him, whetted his appetite for revenge in the worst possible way.”

  Her belly tightened. “Your wife?” she murmured, remembering the heated passion with which he’d told her of his refusal to rape, or to allow any of his men to do such a thing.

  “Aye. She went missing for three days, disappearing whilst on her way home one evening. Three days before I finally found her.” He cleared his throat, eyes still focused on the cross. “I accidentally happened on a small shack not far from the ocean, much like the one where I found you.” His voice grew low, his eyes darkening with fury. “It was terrible, what she’d been subjected to. He never faced what he’d done, having taken to the oceans. It wasn’t long after I left home to take to the seas. I made it a personal quest, to dispense the justice Ramírez avoided.”