Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Bowen gives another of those sighs that sound like he’s carrying around the entire world on his broad shoulders. “No one is eager to join the Cŵn Annwn, Evelyn. You’re not the first one who’s had to go through an adjustment period. You won’t be the last. Just try to go easy on yourself … and on us.”
Not fucking likely.
I give him a trembling smile. “I’ll do my best.”
He’s still watching me as if I’m a snake that crawled into his bed, but there’s a softening around the edges of his harsh mouth that conveys I’m making progress. Battling someone tooth and nail is exhausting, and he would rather believe I’m a coward than continue to fight. Truly, I don’t know how he’s managed to stay captain of such an unruly bunch of pirates for so long if he’s this gullible. That said, I am not a fool. I can’t afford to assume I have him by the nose.
I glance at the map again. It’s less useful than I had hoped. The islands aren’t labeled, and even if they were, it would take me hours to read them all to determine which one contains the portal home. I’ll have to find another way.
“Why don’t you go to bed, Evelyn?” Did his voice just get deeper? I could swear it did. He seems closer, too, though I swear he didn’t move an inch.
Even though I know better, I can’t help lifting my head and looking up into his dark eyes. Serious. Gods, he’s so incredibly serious. It should be aggravating in the extreme, but with him looking like he’s about to drop to one knee before me and offer me his sword … I’m only human. My stomach flutters and heat courses through me. I don’t mean to lick my lips, but I’m all too glad I did when his gaze drops to my mouth and his attention sharpens on me.
The moment draws out, weighty and filled with the possibility of bad decisions. This man was literally threatening my life earlier today. It’s not like he was happy about it, though.
That thought is enough to snap me out of my lustful haze. What the fuck am I doing? He’s the enemy, even if he seems to get sexier by the minute. I know my standards are in the ground, but they have to exist in some capacity, and wanting to press myself against his hard body and see if I can drive this paladin pirate out of his mind is a clear violation of them.
I take a quick step back. Bowen tenses like he might close the new distance between us, but he shakes his head slowly. “Ah. What was I saying?”
“You were sending me to bed.” Damn it, my voice has gone low and throaty, as if I’m inviting him to my bed.
“Right.” He takes a careful step back from me, and then another, finally going so far as to round the desk and sink into the chair behind it. “We’re making port in the very near future. We’ll get you equipped with everything you need there. I know this is an adjustment, but you’re an adaptable woman, and I have no doubt you’ll make the best of it.”
I pull in a breath and try to get my head on straight. “Adaptable is my middle name,” I say faintly.
It’s not until I exit his cabin and feel the fresh sea air on my face that I realize what he said. We’re making port. That means a town. That means I’ll have a chance to escape. I thought it might take weeks before an opportunity arose, but apparently some god somewhere is looking at me with a kind eye. Finally.
The possibility of getting out of Threshold is almost enough to bury the fact that I very much wanted Bowen to kiss me back there. And if he had, I would have been incredibly tempted to put that desk to good use. It’s more than a little depressing to realize how deep my recklessness goes, but at least something good has come out of it.
Port. Escape. That’s all I need to focus on.
Even as I consider this turn of luck, the wind picks up until my hair whips around me, nearly harsh enough to draw blood. I shiver. I know better than to tempt fate, even if Bunny firmly believed that fate was hardly fickle enough to be altered by silly thoughts of a single person. Bunny knew a lot, and she went through some serious shit in her life, but I’ve always believed that fate is exactly as fickle and malicious as any other entity.
I have a feeling I’m going to be proven right yet again. The thick storm clouds gathering in the sky certainly seem to think so. I’ve lived through plenty of storms, but I’ve never experienced what appears to be a hurricane while standing on the deck of a boat. It feels like being a thimble in a bathtub. Even with magic, can we survive the violence currently riding the waves and air?