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Ruairi watched as his ship, his pride and joy, was taken by the storm. The sea could be a cruel mistress, and nothing would soothe the pain in his soul at all he had lost. The storm had rushed up to them like an expert hunter, and they were helpless prey. He had done all he could, and it wasn’t enough. He waited until the last moment to jump off the ship, turning in the water to see it disappear under the waves. Lightning continued to strike it, as though it was furious at him for something. The water was cold and he kept moving, knowing that if he stopped he would freeze and be dragged down. He tried not to think about the men he had lost or the resources it would take to get another ship, and most of all, he tried not to think of Kenna. Despite annoying him, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since she had come on board. Unlike him, she was pure of heart and knew her place in life. She wasn’t afraid of meeting her destiny. But now she would be lost too. Once again, he was responsible for the death of an innocent life. The rest of the crew knew the dangers they were signing up for, but she had merely been looking for passage home.

He couldn’t help but feel as though his life was a curse. People around him got hurt; that was his secret, and what Kenna couldn’t seem to understand. He took himself away from the world to protect other people. And even then, he had failed.

But as he looked around, the sea was illuminated by flashes of water breaking through the darkness. Then he saw her, thrashing about helplessly in the waves. Water broke over her face and obscured her from him, but then she was revealed again, although he knew eventually the sea would succeed in taking her down along with the ship. Ruairi grit his teeth and fought against the sea, his powerful body breaking through the water towards her. He slipped an arm around her waist and grabbed a nearby piece of debris, using it to rest on. He pushed it away from the boat, leaving the sinking wreck behind. He focused on the shore ahead, his sailor instincts preventing him from losing his sense of direction. He swam as hard as he could, swearing that he wasn’t going to let Kenna die.

Ruairi emerged from the darkness, gasping and spluttering. Shock overcame him, and he jerked up. He shivered and gazed around. Golden sunlight bathed the world, as though it had been cleansed and was entirely new again. He was sitting in a sandy inlet, where the raging water was no more than a lapping caress against the shore. Broken wood surrounded him, along with seaweed it had dredged up. His clothes were soaked. There were cuts and gashes all over his body, although he wasn’t suffering from any serious wounds. Beside him lay Kenna, curled into a ball, her wet hair covering her face like a veil. Seized with fear, he pulled it back to reveal her pale cheeks, devoid of color. He rolled her onto her back and shook her, calling her name. He swam so hard to keep her alive. He intended to get to the shore, but had blacked out before they reached it. The current must have taken them.

The sea could be cruel, but sometimes she could show mercy.

“Kenna,” he said sternly. “Kenna.” He shook her shoulders again, and this time she spluttered. She leaned over and coughed up water. It surged from her in a torrent, splashing against the sand. She groaned and held her head. Her clothes were wet and torn, exposing little parts of her flesh here and there. The boy who had been raised as a noble wanted to turn his eyes away, but the lonely man who had forgotten what it was like to ache for a woman was drawn to the way the wet clothes clung to her slender body, with its curves in all the right places. Something stirred deep within him, threatening to play havoc with his mind. He reached out gently to her.

“Kenna, are ye well?” he asked.

She looked into the distance and then down at her body, examining her hands.

“The storm…” she said as she regained her thoughts. “Cal… Cal!” She pushed herself up and ran to the shore, calling out Cal’s name. Ruairi muttered under his breath and ran to get her. She was still weak, so her knees gave out underneath her, and she sank into the sand. “Cal…” she bemoaned in a broken, emotional voice. Her hands fell into her lap as she wept.

Ruairi sat beside her.

“He saved me,” she said. “There was something swinging tae hit me, but he got in the way and then he was…he was gone…” she heaved. She shuddered and shivered.

Without thinking, Ruairi put his arms around her. She glanced at him, as if to warn him away and remind him that she was an unmarried daughter of a laird. It was improper to do this. “We hae tae keep warm, otherwise ye will fall ill,” he said. She didn’t resist as he pulled her close to his body. He liked the way her fingers stretched out to rest against his stomach.

“Where are we? What happened?” she asked.

“The boat was sinking. I managed tae find ye and bring ye tae the shore,” he said.

“Thank ye. Oh, good. At least we’re home,” she said.

Ruairi wasn’t sure how to tell her the truth, but he decided there was no sense in hiding it from her. “That is nae strictly accurate,” he said. She blinked as she looked at him. “Given our position, we’re in France, nae Scotland.”

“France…” She mouthed the word, trying to comprehend its meaning. Suddenly she collapsed in sorrow and buried her head in his chest. “France?! First Spain, and now this. All I want tae dae is get home.”

“I know, lass, I know,” he said, holding her a little more tightly. They had been fighting with each other for countless weeks now, but all of a sudden, that enmity between them vanished. Ruairi’s protective instincts took over, and he wasn’t about to let them suffer. “I know a wee bit of French. At least we are here taegether and nae alone,” he said, trying to reassure her, although he knew his efforts would not be successful.

“What’s the use? We hae no ship. We hae nobody. Dae ye even hae any coin on ye?” she asked.

“I was hoping ye would,” Ruairi said.

“Cal made me keep my winnings in my cabin. He said it was unbecoming of a lady tae carry around a pouch of gold. He thought everything I did was unbecoming, but he…he saved me. I’ve been nothing but difficult for him on this voyage, but when it mattered most, he gave his life up for mine.” She choked on her emotion. Gently, she eased herself away from Ruairi’s embrace and walked to the shore. She moved slowly and tentatively, careful not to push her body beyond what it was capable of.

“He’s gone, isn’t he?” she asked in a small voice.

“Aye, lass, and my crew as well. Maybe a few of them made it elsewhere up the shore, but they could be anywhere. There’s no way tae know.”

Kenna bowed her head. Then, she curled her hands into balls and kicked out at the sand, spraying it everywhere. She cursed, and Ruairi was a little amused to hear such language come from a lady’s mouth. But he knew that getting angry wasn’t going to help them. He strode towards her and caught her wrists in his hands, preventing her from hitting him. He held her close again, trying to calm her thundering heart.

“That’s nae gaeing tae bring him back, lass. That’s nae gaeing tae bring any of them back.”

“I know,” she said fretfully. “But what else am I supposed tae dae? We hae no money, no ship, no food. It might hae been better haed we died in the storm.”

“Dinnae say that,” Ruairi said. “As long as we’re alive, we hae a chance tae get back tae the Highlands. We’ll find a village and seek hospitality there. We can make our way up North and get some horses, then ride up tae Scotland.”

“That’s a long journey,” she said, smiling weakly, in disbelief of it all. “I dinnae know if I hae it in me.”

“Ye dae, lass.”