Regency had cut us all loose, there was no point in allowing the foolish charade to go on.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"About what?" I asked. "They're not my problem anymore."
"I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about you."
I felt him move close. He caressed my bare arms. "Tristan, is there somebody who will ransom you?"
That was something I'd been trying not to think
about. My parents had too many children and too little money. I had money of my own, but the thought of giving it to the pirates so I could go back to work for the Regency made me sick. "No," I said. "There's nobody."
"There's another option for you, you know." His voice was strange. He sounded nervous.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to go," he said. "You could stay with me."
My heart skipped a beat at the thought. What
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exactly did he mean? "Stay here with you as what?" I asked. "Your catamite?"
"No," he said. "As one of us."
"A pirate?"
"Yes."
Was he saying what I thought he was saying? "As your lover?"
Only a heartbeat of silence, and then, " Yes ."
My heart was racing. It was irrational. It was crazy.
And yet…
"You don't even know me," I said.
His hands slid up my arms, over my shoulders. He
held my face between his hands, as if he could force me to look at him and actually see him. "I know," he said. "But having the chance to know you seems…" His words trailed away, and I imagined him floundering for a word.
"Important?" I offered.
"Like fate."
As crazy as it sounded, I knew exactly what he
meant. The thought of staying filled me with light. I thought about having a new place. A new home. No
Regency. No prince. I would be starting over. With Valero, a man I barely knew, and had never seen. And yet, it felt right.
I thought about what Jerald had said to me about
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duty and loyalty. I thought about the things Pierce had told me about his captain. I thought of all the men whose orders I'd blindly obeyed over the years.
"Tristan, I'd give anything to know what you're thinking right now."
His words made me smile. Nobody had ever said
that to me before.
It was easy to make up my mind.
"I've given my loyalty to a lot of men because it was my duty, but I don't think any of them deserved it."
"I don't deserve it, either," he said quietly. "I'm the man who kidnapped you, remember?"
It was true, of course, but there was more to him
than that, and although I was worried about how he would react, I knew I had to tell him. I took a deep breath and said, "I know about Stanton."
I felt him go stiff. I heard the sharp intake of his breath. He tried to pull away, but I'd anticipated his reaction. I grabbed one of his hands as well as I could with mine, and he stilled.
"He has nothing to do with this," he said.
His voice was shaky. I could feel him trembling.
The fact that Stanton's name unnerved him so much only reinforced my belief that I was making the right choice.
"He has everything to do with it," I said.
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He swore under his breath. Once again, his words
were in another language. I didn't understand them, but I understood the inflection. He wasn't angry. He was shaken, and maybe a bit overwhelmed. I waited, wishing I could actually see him. It would have helped so much to be able to read his expression.
"Your men have faith in you," I said. "I have faith in you, too."
He didn't answer for a moment, but then he stepped
close again. He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me close to kiss me. It wasn't a lingering kiss. It was short and sweet, and it came with a promise.
"I swear to you Tristan, I won't let you down."
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CHAPTER 14
As quickly as it had come, the moment was gone.
He let go of me, stepping back a bit to take my hands.
There was a tug at my wrists. A snap. The pressure from the tie was gone.
I was free.
His hands shifted on mine, moving to rub the
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"About what?" I asked. "They're not my problem anymore."
"I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about you."
I felt him move close. He caressed my bare arms. "Tristan, is there somebody who will ransom you?"
That was something I'd been trying not to think
about. My parents had too many children and too little money. I had money of my own, but the thought of giving it to the pirates so I could go back to work for the Regency made me sick. "No," I said. "There's nobody."
"There's another option for you, you know." His voice was strange. He sounded nervous.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to go," he said. "You could stay with me."
My heart skipped a beat at the thought. What
115
Blind
Space
Marie
Sexton
exactly did he mean? "Stay here with you as what?" I asked. "Your catamite?"
"No," he said. "As one of us."
"A pirate?"
"Yes."
Was he saying what I thought he was saying? "As your lover?"
Only a heartbeat of silence, and then, " Yes ."
My heart was racing. It was irrational. It was crazy.
And yet…
"You don't even know me," I said.
His hands slid up my arms, over my shoulders. He
held my face between his hands, as if he could force me to look at him and actually see him. "I know," he said. "But having the chance to know you seems…" His words trailed away, and I imagined him floundering for a word.
"Important?" I offered.
"Like fate."
As crazy as it sounded, I knew exactly what he
meant. The thought of staying filled me with light. I thought about having a new place. A new home. No
Regency. No prince. I would be starting over. With Valero, a man I barely knew, and had never seen. And yet, it felt right.
I thought about what Jerald had said to me about
116
Blind
Space
Marie
Sexton
duty and loyalty. I thought about the things Pierce had told me about his captain. I thought of all the men whose orders I'd blindly obeyed over the years.
"Tristan, I'd give anything to know what you're thinking right now."
His words made me smile. Nobody had ever said
that to me before.
It was easy to make up my mind.
"I've given my loyalty to a lot of men because it was my duty, but I don't think any of them deserved it."
"I don't deserve it, either," he said quietly. "I'm the man who kidnapped you, remember?"
It was true, of course, but there was more to him
than that, and although I was worried about how he would react, I knew I had to tell him. I took a deep breath and said, "I know about Stanton."
I felt him go stiff. I heard the sharp intake of his breath. He tried to pull away, but I'd anticipated his reaction. I grabbed one of his hands as well as I could with mine, and he stilled.
"He has nothing to do with this," he said.
His voice was shaky. I could feel him trembling.
The fact that Stanton's name unnerved him so much only reinforced my belief that I was making the right choice.
"He has everything to do with it," I said.
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He swore under his breath. Once again, his words
were in another language. I didn't understand them, but I understood the inflection. He wasn't angry. He was shaken, and maybe a bit overwhelmed. I waited, wishing I could actually see him. It would have helped so much to be able to read his expression.
"Your men have faith in you," I said. "I have faith in you, too."
He didn't answer for a moment, but then he stepped
close again. He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me close to kiss me. It wasn't a lingering kiss. It was short and sweet, and it came with a promise.
"I swear to you Tristan, I won't let you down."
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CHAPTER 14
As quickly as it had come, the moment was gone.
He let go of me, stepping back a bit to take my hands.
There was a tug at my wrists. A snap. The pressure from the tie was gone.
I was free.
His hands shifted on mine, moving to rub the
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