Even In Darkness (Between) by Cyndi Tefft Page B

what’s that supposed to mean?”
    “S orry, I meant no offence. ‘Tis only...well, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You’ve a spirit about ye, feisty and fierce, that I must admit, I rather enjoy. And yet, here you are, in this blackened dungeon with me when you’re free to come and go as you choose.” He shrugged apologetically. “I’m simply trying to make sense of it all.”
    My irritation cooled, since the overwhelming confusion in his voice was something I was struggling with as well. “It’s okay. I don’t understand it all myself.” Fatigue pressed down on me like a heavy blanket and the next thing I knew, I was cradled against Aiden with his good arm wrapped around my shoulders.
    “Rest a bit, lass. I’ll be here when ye wake.”
    He’d said something similar to me in the church the first time we’d met. The memory tasted sweet and I clung to it like a child with a lollipop as I let the darkness pull me in.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
     
    When I woke up, my throat felt like sandpaper. I desperately needed a drink, but the pitcher I’d scavenged from the kitchen for Aiden was bone dry. The thought crossed my mind to ask Callison to go fetch me some water, since my ankle was still swollen and sore. As if he’d do that. Yeah, right. Still, picturing his look of righteous indignation at my request that he leave his precious post for one minute made me smile. Hefting myself to my feet, I grabbed the empty pitcher and told Aiden I’d be back soon with some water.
    “If only I could fetch it for ye,” he said with a frown. “I hate being trapped inside here, unable to care for myself, not knowing what’s happening outside.” He stood up and began pacing the cramped enclosure like a caged tiger. “And that captain...” He stopped suddenly, fixing me with an unflinching stare. “He fancies you, aye? Has he touched you?”
    “No!” I replied too quickly. His eyes narrowed as though he could see right through me. I argued with myself that I wasn’t really lying. Technically, I was the one who ’d kissed him, not the other way around. And I wouldn’t really call it a kiss anyway. More of a peck.
    “But he wants to.” Aiden crossed his arms and waited, daring me to contradict his statement. I couldn’t, so I didn’t even try.
    “I’m going to get water,” I said, then hurried for the door with his eyes burning a hole in my back.
    After pushing past Callison and biting my tongue to keep from responding to his taunting words about me leaving Aiden and taking care of him for a change, I ascended the stairs one step at a time. Beads of sweat broke out across my forehead with the effort. My throat burned like I’d swallowed a cup full of hot sand. When I finally reached the upper deck, the cool morning air on my skin felt like jumping into a swimming pool in the middle of August.
    With a silent prayer of thanks for the relief from the stifling heat downstairs, I started across the ship. The captain stood next to Stanton at the base of one of the massive sails, looking skyward. Following their gaze, I spied a streak of red hair up several hundred feet in the air. Willie had climbed the post and had maneuvered himself out across the beam, attempting to unhook a sail that had become twisted. A sharp wind kicked up while I watched and the fabric of the sail snapped taut. The boat rocked violently to one side. My skirts whipped around my legs and I held onto the railing to keep from falling. With strands of hair lashing at my face, I worked my way over to Eagan to demand that he get Willie down right now, but I wasn’t fast enough. A thin scream pierced the air as Willie lost his grip on the beam and plummeted into the churning waters below.
    “Willie!” I screamed, dropping the empty water pitcher. I lurched toward the rail and peered down. A little splash marked where he’d fallen, but his red hair was nowhere to be seen. “Oh my God! Eagan, you have to—” I