“Sleep then.”
At the mention of rest, her eyes hooded. Catching the motion, he steered her toward the back of the ship where a stretched hide hung over an enclosed space. She hated how infuriatingly perceptive he was.
Narrowed eyes followed them, tracking their movements. Voices murmured, fingers pointing in her direction as if she were an oddity to be ogled.
She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders.
With one arm, he pushed the hide aside, ushering her into the space.
Inside was nothing grand, but it was private.
More than she thought she’d have.
Along the wall sat a platform filled with furs she longed to bury under, wanting to close her eyes, secretly hoping she’d wake up to find out this had all been a nightmare.
Those haunting eyes stared at her as he towered over her. Carefully, he unwound her bindings, tossing the cord aside. Without looking away, she rubbed her raw wrists, soothing the tender flesh.
“No longer afraid I will stab you?”
“You can try.” His brow pinched as he feathered his thumb over the irritated skin. “But in close quarters, I have the advantage, little flame.”
The pet name made warmth pool at the base of her spine, and she looked away. Voices carried from beyond, the sounds of laughter mingling with scratching steel and thick trunks grinding along the wooden deck.
The man rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw before his fingers fiddled with the clasp on his fur. It released, exposing his bare chest. Elara froze, captivated by the sight. Old scars and blood stained his pale torso, fresh bruises mottling the skin near his ribs.
Beads of sweat sluiced along the lines of muscle disappearing beneath his wool bottoms.
Trust the devil to make his demons positively sinful. Her throat bobbed as the tip of her tongue swept along her lower lip.
One side of his mouth quirked, catching her greedy perusal of his naked torso.
“Like what you see, little flame?”
Heat licked at her cheeks as she tried to hide behind her hair. She toyed with a loose thread near her clavicle as he tossed the thick, black fur aside. The muscles in her body went rigid as her mouth opened.
“Wait. Is this… your room? Am I to share it with you?”
“Either here or the deck with my warriors. Your choice.”
A sickening lurch tugged at her navel as the room shrank around her. Instinct told her to refuse, but her chances were better alone with him than with dozens of men. Her heart galloped, making her vision blur.
Done waiting for a response, he pinched her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his.
“I have duties I must attend. Rest. I’ll bring you food if you are still awake when I’m finished.”
As he left, all the tension in the room dissipated with him.
Elara sucked in a gasping breath, hard wood hitting her knees as she fell to the ground. Arms wrapped around her abdomen, applying pressure, trying to calm the tide of emotions crashing into her.
Shuddering breaths made her body tremble uncontrollably, and she worried she might black out. Images of Papa and Momma filled her mind. Instead of soothing her, it only fueled the emptiness where her heart was.
Now she’d lost both of them.
Lost Edmund.
Lost everything.
Moments later, sinister voices called from nowhere, beckoning her.
