So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)

Sister Fallyn snorted. “If ye’re truly sorry, ye’ll take us to Ebton Palace, where we belong.”

“I would like to discuss the matter with you.” He stepped closer to the nun. “Perhaps you would have dinner with me tonight?”

Sister Fallyn’s face turned pink. “Certainly not. I will not leave Brigitta unattended.”

His mouth thinned. “I assure you, no harm will come to her on my ship.”

Sister Fallyn scoffed. “That horrid Rupert nearly drowned her!” When Brigitta objected, the nun quickly added, “He made yer boat tip over. I saw it!”

Brigitta sighed. If she had simply sat still, she doubted she would have fallen overboard. “Captain, I have something I need to return to you.” She rummaged through the pile of sodden clothes. Her slippers fell out of the pockets of the breeches, along with the dinner knife. They tumbled onto the floor, nearly missing her bare feet.

She jumped back.

“Careful!” Sister Fallyn quickly swooped up the knife. After drying it, she stuffed it under the pillow on the bed.

Captain Landers scowled at her. “Mistress Fallyn, there is no need for you to stash weapons about the cabin. I have told you repeatedly that you are safe here.”

“We must be prepared in case someone tries to ravish us,” the nun insisted. “And I have told you repeatedly to call me Sister Fallyn.”

“And I have told you to call me Stefan.”

She glared at him as he glared back.

“Here it is.” Brigitta located his pouch of gold coins. “I shouldn’t have taken it, but—”

“Keep it.” He gave them both a weary look. “It is the least I can do.” With his shoulders slumped, he shuffled out the door.

“I think we hurt his feelings,” Brigitta whispered.

Sister Fallyn’s cheeks bloomed a brighter pink. “He’s a pirate. Why should we care how he feels? Now sit down and eat.” She ladled soup from the tureen into the two bowls.

As Brigitta sat, she noticed the nun’s hands were trembling. Was the captain affecting her? Hardly surprising, Brigitta thought. For Rupert was certainly affecting her.

A few minutes into their meal, a loud, grinding noise echoed throughout the ship.

Sister Fallyn gasped. “Whatever could that be?”

“I think they’re raising the anchor.” Brigitta rushed to the window to look out. “We’re starting to move.”

“Oh dear goddesses. What will become of us now?” Sister Fallyn ladled more soup into their bowls. “We must keep up our strength. Come back and eat some more.”

Brigitta was halfway through the bowl when Jeffrey knocked on the door. “I have a package for you.” He came in, holding a bulky bundle wrapped in cloth.

“Set it on the bed.” Brigitta started to stand, but Sister Fallyn jumped up first.

“Finish yer soup,” the nun ordered. “I’ll take care of this.” She rushed to the bed to open the package.

“Rupert and the captain bought this stuff for you in Danport,” Jeffrey explained.

“Where are we headed now?” Brigitta asked.

Jeffrey shrugged. “We won’t go far. We just left some gold in Danport, so we’ll stay close by for a few days.”

Brigitta nodded. Rupert wanted to make sure the village was protected.

“’Tis clothing,” Sister Fallyn said as she removed items from the package and laid them out on the bed.

“Really?” Brigitta wandered over to the bed for a closer look. There were four new shifts, two nightgowns, and two new outfits that consisted of a dark-green woolen skirt, a white linen blouse, and a dark-green velvet vest that laced up the front. “They bought us new clothes. How nice of them!”

Sister Fallyn scoffed. “They only did this because they feel guilty.”

“If they were truly bad men,” Brigitta countered, “they wouldn’t feel guilty.”

“That’s right,” Jeffrey agreed. “They’re not bad at all.”

Sister Fallyn opened a drawstring pouch and removed the contents onto the bed. A hairbrush with a carved wooden handle, two toothbrushes with engraved silver handles, a small mirror made of polished silver, and a pottery jar tied shut with a ribbon.

Brigitta untied the ribbon and looked inside. “’Tis soap.” She took a sniff. Roses. It smelled so heavenly, she was tempted to take another shower.

Sister Fallyn picked up the hairbrush. “I was wondering how we would untangle yer wet hair.” She sighed. “’Twas thoughtful of them, I admit, but it makes me wonder how long they intend to keep us here.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Jeffrey turned to Brigitta. “Rupert wants you to eat dinner with him.”

Brigitta’s heart started to pound.

“Absolutely not!” Sister Fallyn declared. “She will not be alone with that man.”

“But he gave you all these nice presents.” Jeffrey gave Brigitta a hopeful look. “He just wants to talk to you.”

Sister Fallyn huffed. “Does he think we are easily swayed by a few trinkets?”

Brigitta winced. Perhaps she was being too easily swayed. “I have nothing to say to him until he agrees to release us.”

“Exactly.” Sister Fallyn gave a curt nod. “We must stand firm.”

Jeffrey’s shoulders slumped. “All right. I’ll tell him.” He wandered from the room.

With a groan, Brigitta trudged back to the table. She should have at least told Jeffrey to pass on their gratitude for the presents. “We might be hurting his feelings.”

“He’s a pirate and a sorcerer,” Sister Fallyn mumbled. “Why should we care how he feels?”

Why, indeed? Brigitta collapsed in a chair. She shouldn’t care. It would be foolish to care for her own kidnapper.

Don’t leave me. The voice of a younger Rupert haunted her. All the terror, grief, and despair she’d felt from his memories had now become memories of her own.

And somehow, he’d survived all that pain. He’d become a powerful man with an entire fleet at his disposal and the sheer force of the wind at his command. He’d become a man who rescued the innocent and protected his allies. He’d become a man of honor.

Goddesses help her, she did care.

*

“Well?” Rupert asked while Jeffrey fidgeted at the door to his cabin. “Did they like the presents?”

“I-I think so.”

“And did Brigitta agree to dine with me?”

Jeffrey hung his head and mumbled, “She said she has nothing to say to you until they’re released.”

Rupert stiffened, stunned for a moment. Brigitta was refusing him? Why? Was she that angry that he’d foiled her escape? He’d only done it to keep her safe.

He winced. Safe? He’d blown her into the water and nearly drowned her. And all because he felt an overwhelming need to protect her. Dammit. That vow he took as a child didn’t count anymore. There was no need for him to care so much.

But he did.

He dragged a hand through his wet hair. What should he do now? After Brigitta had finished washing up in the privy, he’d taken a shower and put on fresh clothing. During it all, he’d wondered why she reacted so badly every time he touched her. And he’d considered the best way to tell her about the competition Gunther was planning.