“Uh-uh. Ya’ve gotten away from me fer the last time, Cap.” Evan leaned up and kissed Quinn again, keeping her arms tightly around Quinn’s neck where they remained until Quinn relaxed into her arms. They kissed for what felt like hours, their bodies melting into each other’s.
Slowly pulling away, Quinn looked into Evan’s blue eyes. There were yellow flakes surrounding her pupils and a hungry expression in them that made Quinn want her all the more. “I’m glad yer feelin’ better. Ya took quite a bump.”
“What I am feelin’, Cap, has nothin’ to do with me head.” Evan kissed her deeply once more, offering her her tongue and holding her body closer.
When Quinn came up for air, she stared into eyes that said they wanted her. All of her.
“I’m told ya protected me, Cap. Then took care of me.”
“Is that what the kiss was fer?”
Evan grinned. “No. That kiss was the kiss ya’ve been wantin’ since ya met me.”
Quinn laughed. “And what makes ya think that, little laoch?”
“Yer eyes never leave my lips. Ever. So here they are. I give them to ya freely.”
Quinn lowered her mouth once more, more gently this time, taking it slowly, running her tongue along Evan’s teeth and lips, lightly touching her tongue. As she kissed her, they slowly sank to the bed.
When she finally pulled back, Quinn felt a burning in her body only a few women had managed to stoke... only this was different. This felt... it felt like home. Like it was just... right. Maybe it was that Evan was unencumbered with a family and social standings. Maybe it was just that Quinn knew the truth of who she was and that bonded them.
“Was it everrathin’ ya’d hoped for?” Evan asked, grinning. “Ya’ve been starin’ so hard, I thought yer eyes were gonna blow outta yer head. I am like ya, Cap... a person not who people think I am, nor are ya.”
Quinn smiled. “I did not know ya knew.”
“I kenned the night ya got drunk, but I didna want to say ennathin’. I ken how it is to share that and figured ya’d tell me when ya wanted.”
“So why now? Because I saved ya?”
Evan stroked Quinn’s cheek. “No. Because ya care. It’s always much better when ya care aboot the person ya have sex with, and I ken ya care aboot me.”
Rolling over, Quinn laid her forearm across her eyes. “To be really honest with ya, Evan, I don’t want to care.”
Evan rolled on her side, propped up on her elbow. “I ken ya doona want to feel what yer feelin’ fer me. I feel the same way.”
“And?”
Evan traced Quinn’s eyebrow with one finger. “And the way I see it, a little comfort before we part ways is a far nicer life than none at all.”
Turning her face so it was inches from Evan’s, Quinn could feel her pulse between her legs. “That’s a nice way of lookin’ at it, I suppose. It’s a tough life we lead. Hard. Chokin’. To find a soft place to land is really important.”
Quinn stared into Evan’s eyes. “Does Lake know?”
Evan nodded. “Of course he kens. He didna want me at first, but I kenned him better than enna other laoch cuidich, so his da made him give me a chance. I had spent hours watchin’ them train. Then I spent hours trainin’ with them. I sharpened blades, I fixed hilts, I was even a movin’ target sometimes. I worked in the background, takin’ it all in, learnin’ everrathin’ I could. When I finally got my chance, I made the best of it. Lake and his da decided I was in all sorts of danger bein’ a female, so they fixed up male clothes fer me and sent Lake and me off to other galloglaighs.”
“It is hard bein’ a woman movin’ through a man’s world dressed as a man.”
“It is. So ya needn’t worra that I would reveal yer secret. We both have a great deal to lose should our secrets be set free. So relax. Yer secrets—all of them—are safe with me.”
Quinn slowly nodded. She realized Evan was right. They both held the fate of the other in their hands. They were safe with each other. “Why didn’t ya say somethin’?”
“Not me place. I would never want ya to feel cornered or trapped. If ya wanted me to ken, ya’d have told me, so I let it be.”
“Then why attack me when I walked in the door with no conversation, no discussion?”
Evan leaned over and kissed Quinn’s lips softly. “Because I couldna wait another second. Cap, ya came back. Ya came back fer me. I kenned ya would. I kept tellin’ Lake ya would. I had no doubt.”
“Really?”
“Aye. I felt a connection with ya, Cap, early on, even before I kenned ya were a woman. Ya felt it, too. That’s why I was certain ya’d come fer me... I woulda come back fer ya as well.”
Caressing Evan’s cheek, Quinn sighed loudly. She felt so comfortable with Evan. “I know ya would have. I was scared to death I would not make it in time. I almost didn’t.”
“But ya did, and Lake will forever be in yer debt. He thinks verra highly of ya and yer Captain O’Malley. She is a warrior, that woman. Does she ken aboot ya?”
Quinn nodded. “Aye. She is the only one on our ship who does.”
Lying with her head in the crook of Quinn’s arm, Evan signed contentedly. “At least ya have someone to talk to aboot it. Lake refuses to have enna discussion. He says if I am goin’ to play at bein’ a man, then I have to go all in.”
Quinn played with Evan’s short hair. “So he never––”
“Never. He was never interested in me as a girl. A part of me believes he’s convinced himself that I am not. He doesna ask, and I doona talk aboot me feelins.”
“It’s probably safer that way.”
“Aye. He canna think of me safety while fightin’. That would be the death of him. A great warrior must have a clear head and spirit to fight well.” Evan snuggled in. “I doona ken what I would do without him.”
Kissing the side of her head, Quinn held her tighter. “I would apologize fer draggin’ ya into this, but then I wouldn’t have met ya.”
Evan pulled Quinn tighter, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces. “Careful, Cap. The last thing ya want to do is to fall in love with me.”
Quinn eased back so she could look into Evan’s face. “Ya think I could fall in love so easily?”
Evan smiled softly. “Aw. How cute. It’s too late, ain’t it? Ya feel somethin’ fer me. Ya doona hafta admit it, lass. I can tell by the way ya look at me.”
Before she could deny it, Evan kissed her again, and they kissed until Quinn melted into the bed, fast asleep in the arms of another woman.
* * *
The rest of the voyage was uneventful after we left Aberdeen. Evan and Lake returned to the Malendroke at the next port of call. With all sails repaired and plenty of land provisions for the ride to Jedburgh, everything was in order.
Well, almost everything.
Evan and I fell asleep in each other’s arms. Our bodies fit together as if we were made at the same time. It was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a long time.
When I woke up, she was gone. That didn’t surprise me at all. What did surprise me was that she and Lake had moved to the Mystery for the remainder of the voyage. I didn’t know if it was him or her who removed them to the other ship––maybe it doesn’t matter––but they’re gone, and I feel an emptiness I hadn’t expected to feel.
Was Evan right?
Have I fallen in love with her?
If I have, then it happened so quickly it snuck up on me before I was ready for it––before I was prepared. Before I even knew it was happening. But something inside me seems to have changed. Sex with her was not fucking. It was not just some roll in the hay with a sexy woman. No, this meant something deep in the marrow of my bones. Still...
Grace was right.
I would be a fool to get involved with a Scottish woman––a laoch cuidich––someone whose life was even more dangerous than my own. I would be a fool to love another fighter, another killer, another warrior.
I would be a fool.
Maybe I
am.
What is wrong with me?
Why do I keep falling for women I cannot have? Do I not truly want to be with anyone? Am I trying to protect potential lovers by latching onto those who cannot actually be with me?
I have to wonder.
And while I wonder, I keep my eyes on the ship behind us, wondering if Evan feels the pull as strongly as I. I wonder if she is looking at the Breeze and thinking of me as I glance at the Malendroke and wonder about her.
I wonder a great deal as we sail around the coast of a country whose only asset to us is that it is a buffer between Ireland and England.
And whisky.
I understand their penchant for the evil liquid.
The weather is getting colder and colder and the whisky takes the edge off. That edge pierces through all clothing and reaches in to the marrow of one’s bones.
I’ll be glad to be on the back of a horse and riding to Jedburgh.
Or maybe I’ll just be happy to be with Evan again.
Whatever the case, I’m looking forward to getting off this small ship.
I miss the Malendroke.
I miss Grace.
I miss Fiona.
I miss my family.
My family. I miss Patrick more than I have in a long time. I do miss his silly jokes.
But the truth of it is... I miss Evan already.
And that is going to be a problem.
* * *
The ride to Jedburgh saw Quinn taking the lead with the galloglaighs riding far better than the pirates, who always struggled with the horses.
Quinn barely had time to catch Evan’s eye before mounting her brown gelding and taking off for Jedburgh, the galloglaighs riding expertly behind.
“Slow down, will ya, Callaghan?” Tavish yelled as he rode up to her.
Quinn glanced up from her horse. She’d been so focused on riding, she hadn’t realized how far they’d gone before she’d looked up. So many questions swirled around in her mind... about Evan, about Mary, about what her life was becoming. She had started out as a temporary pirate looking for her friend. Now she was a woman who had almost forgot how to act like one.
“Sorry.”
Tavish glanced over his shoulder. The others were at least fifty yards away. “Bein’ preoccupied is hazardous, lad. Ya wanna talk aboot it?”
Quinn shook her head.
“Most times, when a man bows his neck, puts his head down and puts his ‘fuck-it’ boots on, it’s because of a woman.”
“Is that what ya think?”
“Lad, I doona ken what to think. I just ken ya’ve been... actin’ strange ever since the galloglaighs got on board. What is it that has ya in such a state? Ya can trust me, Callaghan. After all we’ve been through, ya ken ya can trust me.”
“I know that, Tavish, and I do. With my life.”
“Well then, when yer ready to talk aboot it, I’m here.”
Quinn glanced up at the ramparts of the castle. “Looks like we’re all here.”
The castle, like most in Scotland, was a monstrous stone structure, cold in appearance and stark against the light-blue sky. The surrounding area was dotted with various trees and bushes scattered about.
“Your people don’t do anything halfway, do you?”
“Let me ride ahead and let them ken who we are. Keep the men here. Let them stretch and walk around a wee bit. We doona want them thinkin’ we’re attackin’.”
“Hurry back, Tavish. The men are tired and hungry, and we’ve both seen how much these men can eat.”
Tavish turned in his saddle. “Ya and Innis did real good, lad, collectin’ these fighters and bringin’ ’em here. Ya got ’em here with verra little loss.”
“Very little is still too much.”
Tavish stared at her a moment. “We had to go back fer them. It was the right decision to make, lad. We lost some men, true, but that’s to be expected when a bunch of sea lovers fight on land.”
Quinn frowned. “You think that’s why we lost them?”
Tavish nodded. “We are used to fightin’ in close quarters, lad. Tightly knit, short swings, back to back. In the wide open spaces, pirates doona fight like they should.”
Quinn nodded. She’d seen that firsthand years before when they’d had to fight their way out of Calais, France. They’d lost a number of men that day for the very same reason.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Ya do that. I’ll be back. Doona engage if they come fer ya.”
“Understood.”
When Tavish spurred his horse forward, Quinn turned her horse around and addressed Lake, making sure her eyes did not stray over to Evan. “May I speak with ya privately?”
Lake clicked his tongue, his horse walking forward to stand head to hind quarters. “Aye?”
“While we wait, how would ya feel about trainin’ our men in land battle techniques?”
“Land battle techniques?”
“Aye. Teach them how ya approach battle on the field. We are pirates, after all.”
Lake looked around. “Here?”
“What else do we have to do while we wait?”
“For Grace O’Malley? Where is yer captain, ennaway? Where has she gone to?”
“On her way. She is pullin’ up the rear.”
Lake considered this. “Which is odd.”
“She has a plan, and it doesn’t involve gettin’ pinned in from behind.”
Lake rubbed his beard. “And?”
“And she’s makin’ sure we have the numbers.”
“Yer Captain O’Malley kens a lot of good people.”
“That she does, and she knows how to protect her crew. I’m askin’ that ya and yer fighters do the same.”
Turning his horse around, Lake ordered his men to dismount. Then he threw out a string of commands in rapid-fire Scottish.
His men all drew their weapons.
The pirates all drew theirs as well.
“Hold,” Quinn held her hand up. “I’ve asked the glaighs to help train us in better land fightin’. We’ve taken some loss of life since we landed in Scotland. We do not want to lose enna more. So until Tavish returns, I want us to stay sharp and learn from these warriors.”
There was a slight grumble from the pirates, but Quinn quieted them with a glare. “It wasn’t a request.”
The galloglaighs lined up in battle formation.
They moved forward on command, whirling their pikes and striking them against the other glaighs who were coming toward them. It was like a dance they did: strike, parry, understrike, parry, lunge, parry.
Quinn was fascinated.
On the deck of a ship, there was limited room to fight, so the pirates tended to do their fighting in close, with short swords in one hand and a knife or dagger in the other. This was something entirely different.
They trained until they could barely lift their arms. As they rested, Grace rode up with another four dozen men.
“Are ya anticipatin’ trouble straight away, Captain?” Innis asked Grace.
“I won’t be caught off guard. These Scots are sneaky bastards.” Her gaze scanned the crowd of men in front of her. “What’s goin’ on here?”
“Trainin’,” Connor grunted. “Callaghan’s idea.”
Grace’s spurred her horse up to Quinn. “Well done, Callaghan. What are we waitin’ fer?”
“Me,” Tavish answered, riding up. “The queen will see ya now, Captain.”
Nodding, Grace gently urged her horse forward. “Verra well.”
“And... um... Callaghan as well.”
Quinn’s head swung around toward Tavish. “Me?”
Tavish nodded. “It is what she said. No Callaghan, no meetin’. Not certain why, though I can tell ya she is quite happy to see that we have arrived in one piece.”
“How is she?”
Tavish shrugged. “Agitated. Paranoid. I think she is surprised we returned.”
“Because everraone else has turned on her?”
�
�Maybe. Come, Callaghan. The sooner ya meet with her, the sooner we can get our men out off the field.”
As Quinn and Grace followed after Tavish, Grace leaned over. “Callaghan, I’m sorry I’ve asked ya to go through with this.”
“I know, sir. So am I, but the needs of the many and all that.”
When they appeared before the queen in her private chambers, Mary rose and approached Quinn. She had lost most of her baby weight and looked much better than the grief-stricken, bedridden woman they had left, though Quinn could still see the stress of betrayal on her face.
“Whenever I have needed assistance, you and Grace O’Malley have come here to help. I do not think you realize how much that means to me.”
“You are a friend and ally, Your Majesty.”
Mary inhaled deeply, her ample bosom rising and falling. “I could use friends right now, Callaghan. It is a cold and lonely throne at times.”
“It is a cruel world out there, Your Highness. Finding good friends and reliable allies proves difficult for us all in the wake of English expansion.”
“I fear I am in short supply of both these days.” To Grace, Mary said, “Dear friend, you have brought me fighters I can only hope will choose to stay and fight for Scotland. I ken they are some of the greatest warriors in the whole of Europe. Would that I did not need them, but I fear I will, so thank you.”
Grace nodded once. “May I be so bold, Yer Majesty?”
Mary cocked her head. “Of course, Grace. I have always appreciated your perceptions.”
“It is not a perception but an observation and question. We have heard that yer husband has, indeed, entered into a secret conspiracy with the Protestant lords and nobles prior to the two of ya seekin’ refuge in Dunbar Castle. I need to know whether or not ya trust him.”
“Trust Darnley? Of course not. Nor shall I ever. He is a pox on us all, but I cannot so easily dispose of a husband who is an English citizen. Elizabeth would see cause to invade if I did.”
Grace and Quinn looked at each other, an unspoken acknowledgment between them.
“I see,” Grace said. “Is that the real reason why we are here, Yer Majesty? To take care of the Darnley problem?”
Mary turned and walked a few paces to her high-backed chair. “Not at all. Elizabeth is looking for any reason to launch ships at either of us. We’ll not give her one. What I do need the galloglaighs for is a trip across the countryside.”
Shiver Her Timbers (The Plundered Chronicles Book 2) Page 20