He grinned.“Stay here,” he said, as if shehad anywhere to go.“I’ll get it.”
Roark disappeared into the hold and Alinagave Leif her back as he sauntered over to her.
“You won’t be so high and mighty once wereach my father’s house,” he said.Alina could actually feel hishatred boring into the back of her skull.“Roark’s protection willmean nothing to you there.”
She slid a sideways glance at Leif as hemoved away and Roark’s head popped up out of the hatch.Roarkwatched Leif for a moment and then came up on the deck and over toAlina.
“Do I want to know what that was about?”heasked her.
Alina shrugged.“He told me once I’m handedover to his father, your protection will mean nothing,” she said,trying her best to act as if Leif’s threats were idle.
Roark held the spyglass out to her, and whenshe took hold of the leather tube, he laid his hand over hers andpulled the spyglass and her to him.“I swear to you, Alina, no harmwill come to you as long as I have breath.”
Alina stared into silver eyes as deep andreflective as the sea on a glassy day.“You don’t know how much Iwish I could believe you,” she said.
“Oh, I have an idea,” Roark said with thatslow, easy grin of his that made her melt from the inside out.“About as much as I wish you would,” he whispered in his GreenIsles tongue.
She glanced over at Leif, who was standing atthe bow, speaking with the captain.“How?”she said in her Northerntongue.“How can I ever trust you again after you trapped me andabducted me?You flirted with me, lied to me, and kissed me.Youproposed marriage to me.”
“That kiss and proposal were the most honestthings I’ve ever done in my life.”
***
That kiss and proposal were the most honestthings I’ve ever done in my life.
The fever dream of Roark’s words plaguedAlina as she paced around the ship’s deck in the brisk morning air,running round and round her mind as they had from the moment thatshe’d walked away from him last evening, and through a night offitful sleep.
A restless sleep she’d woken from too manytimes to count to find herself lying next to him, staring into thedeep, silver pools of his eyes reflecting her own confusion back ather.
“I swear,” Leif said loudly enough for bothAlina and Roark, who stood at the stern looking through thespyglass, no doubt searching for any signs of her father’slongboats, to hear, “you’re pacing as much today as Roark wasyesterday.What is it with you two?”
“I’m not used to inactivity,” Alina saidpointedly as she passed Leif, who sat on an overturned bucket,drinking his third cup of beer for breakfast.“Nor, I would guess,is Roark.”
Leif lifted his sloshing cup up to Alina.“Weall deal with it differently, Princess.”
“What did they say?”one of the crewmen, adark-haired, dark-eyed man who looked like the crewman checking theanchor rope enough to be his brother, asked in heavily accentedGreen Isles.
The other crewman, who was slightly stockier,shrugged.“Not sure,” he said and glared at Leif.“Something aboutsitting on your lazy arse all day while others are working theirarses off.”
The slimmer man snorted and Alina turned tohide her grin.
“Ha, ha,” Leif groused.He jutted his chintoward Roark.“How’s standing around staring through a spyglassworking?”
“How’s keeping an eye out for those who mightbe coming after us not working?”the stockier man said, andspit.
“You better watch yourselves, you Pictbastards,” Leif snarled.“Or my father will have your boghides.”
“Me and my brother be the captain’s men,” thestocky man said.“Not yer father’s.We’re paid to get a job doneand we be gettin it done.You don’t like what we say to you whilstwe’re working, get off yer arse and be useful.Otherwise, shut thefuck up.”
“What did you say to me?”Leif bellowed as hestood on unsteady feet.
“I said I’m tired of listening to ye jawinand thinking yer better’n us.”
“Iambetter than you, you black-eyedboggers,” Leif huffed as the red-headed sailor named Roy and thecook walked over and stood to either side of the brothers, armscrossed and jaws jutting.“My father—”
“Laird Roger,” Roark said, stepping betweenthe sailors and Leif, “would expect all of us to stick to the jobat hand and not be fighting among ourselves.”He pointed thespyglass east.“So far, I’ve seen no sign of us being followed, butthat could change at any time.”He looked from the men to Leif.“Isuggest we get back to it, or would you rather chance wakingCaptain Murtaugh and Gall from their sleep to deal with the lot ofyou?”
The men grumbled and went back to theirduties while Leif stood glaring at Roark.
