Eden's Pass (23 page)

He didn’t quite know how to respond.
Pines
? He couldn’t imagine his proud Finn pining for anyone. Still, Finn’s describing him as arrogant brought a genuine smile to his lips. “She has spoken of me?”

“She has never named you, nay. But she has made mention of a Spaniard she knew.” Adeline gave him a slow up and down perusal. “And you do fit her description. Tall, dark as sin, arrogant as the devil and too handsome for your own good.”

“I am honored you agree,” he replied smoothly, bending slightly at the waist. “And now, if you’ve finished damning me, you will take me to her.”

Adeline bit her lower lip and nodded. “I would. I would allow anyone to aid her. She is in a terrible way.”

Diego stepped up. “A terrible way, you say?”

She nodded, looking from Diego to Iñigo and back. “She has been ill since her arrival. Barely able to keep down even water. I’ve not seen her, but she sounds terribly weak.”

Iñigo unsheathed his sword. “You will take me to her. Now.”

Ennis reached out to press a hand into Iñigo's arm. “There is no need for a weapon, Captain. Adeline will help us.” He glanced at her. “Won’t you?”

She nodded. “I said I would, did I not? Master Tobias has a horrible punishment in store for her. In her condition, she’d not survive. Not even with Ebere and her herbs.”

Iñigo tried to ignore the clenching in the pit of his belly as he gripped his saber tighter. “Let us go, shall we?”

“At once. Follow close and make not a sound,” Adeline whispered, reaching out to slip her arm through Iñigo's and tug him alongside her as they were swallowed up by the trees once more.

Chapter Thirty

Finn lifted one hand to reach for the small tin cup of water on the floor beside her pallet, fighting to keep it from trembling. It was no use. Her strength was gone, drained along with everything else from her body. Her arm dropped to the dirt floor and she groaned softly. The queasiness was still present, though it was bearable if she didn’t move.

Despite the thick darkness, she was all too aware of the sounds coming from beyond the door. Animals crackled their way through the underbrush, tree frogs croaked at one another, and those sounds mingled with the flutter of leaves as the sea air blew in across the land, carrying with it the ever-present aroma of boiling sugarcane. It wasn’t harvest time, but the odor never faded away entirely.

A quiet scraping sound floated to her ears, which pricked up at once. This was no familiar noise. Not at all.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up onto one arm. “Who goes there?” she whispered, wincing at how faint her voice sounded. Clearing her throat, she tried again, with a mite more force this time. “Who goes there?”

“Fiona?”

“Adeline?” Finn's heart lurched, setting off another terrible wave of nausea searing through her. She gagged, shifting to sit up, then bending to force her head between her knees. It was the only remedy she could think of to counteract the roiling of her belly, the only thing to calm it.

“Aye.” Adeline's misty voice was only the faintest of whispers but having shattered the still around her, it sounded more like a shout to Finn.

“What are you doing here?”

“You shall see in a moment.”

Finn twisted to stare at the door as the scraping grew louder. The door swung open with a squeak of protest and her heart ceased to beat as Captain Iñigo Sebastiano filled the doorway, illuminated by the moonlight behind him.

He looked furious, sword drawn, clothes dirt-spattered and wrinkled. A dark shadow of beard covered his jaw and his mustache was no longer tidy, but scraggly and in desperate need of grooming. His eyes glinted with a fury unlike any she’d ever seen before, and he spoke not a word as he stood there, glaring down at her.

She stared for a long moment, wondering if her eyes toyed with her, if her exhausted mind played tricks on her. He looked solid enough though, and her heartbeat quickly sped up to match the now-joyful flutter in her belly.

“Captain?” she managed, wincing again at how weak she sounded.

“
Pequeña tonta,
” he growled, stepping completely into the cell. “You little fool.”

Tears flooded her eyes, despite her efforts to blink them back, and relief flooded the rest of her body. Unfettered joy coursed through her veins as he drew to a halt beside her pallet and knelt.

Without thinking, she pushed up against the pallet, throwing herself toward him, into his arms. They came up to wrap about her at once, cradling her close as she clung to him like a child waking from a nightmare. Relief overwhelmed her and she broke down, unable to hold back the tears spilling over her lower lashes.

“
Tú estás segura,
” he whispered, tightening his arms about her as she sobbed into his shoulder. “You are safe, my lady. Come and let us take our leave of this place at once.”

“I cannot believe you are truly here,” she whispered brokenly, momentarily forgetting about her sour stomach as she breathed deep, savoring his deeply musky male scent. “How-how did you even know where to find me?”

“We’ll not discuss this now. The others are waiting and time is short.” He rose to his feet, still holding her, and then set her back on her own.

Despite her will to stand upright, her knees buckled. As she sagged into him, Iñigo swore beneath his breath and lifted her once more. “Has that bastard been starving you as well?”

“Aye. A chunk of bread and water that can only barely be called such,” she whispered, fighting off the lightheadedness threatening to consume her again. “I’ve been ill, I’m afraid.”

He glanced down at her and she fought the urge to shrink down before him. She must look beyond haggard, even without much light. His eyes blazed with a bright fury she’d never seen before, confirming her suspicions.

“Captain? We must go.
Now.
”

Her heart rose higher still at the familiar voice. “Ennis?” she whispered, glancing up at Iñigo. “Ennis is here as well?”

“Aye. But we’ve no time for reunions. We must go. Now.” He swung her into his arms with little effort and she barely had the strength to clasp him around the neck. Still, she managed to, snuggling into him as he automatically drew her nearer.

He spoke not a word as they left the hole, but only held her tight. Fighting to remain awake, she managed a weak smile at both Ennis and Diego, along with a half-hearted, “I thank you,” before slipping into unconsciousness.

Iñigo barely contained his fury as he looked around the small, stifling hot cell. It was what he imagined Hell to be like, only without the fire and brimstone. The walls were bare, the floor was bare, save for a thin, ratty pallet, and the only source of light came from a melted lump of beeswax, which might have been a candle in a previous life. A dented, empty tin cup was the only eating utensil, and the thick, soupy air was rank with odors he chose not to think about. As far as he was concerned, they could not get Finn out of there soon enough.

His attention came back to the inert woman in his arms, and the three anxious people cluttering the cell’s entrance. Looking up, he faced three pairs of impatient eyes. “We needs get her to the
María
,” he growled, carrying Finn toward them.

Adeline hedged closer to him, casting a wary eye upon him. “May I come with you, Captain? If Master Tobias should learn I aided you… It would be ghastly, the price I’d pay.”

Iñigo sighed at her soft-spoken request. When had he become soft-hearted, weak enough as to give in to a pair of sad dark eyes? And yet he would. The girl had made a great sacrifice in helping them and he could not, in good conscience, send her to a certain death for her sacrifice.

Diego grinned, cutting in before Iñigo could answer. “I think we might find room for one other soul, my lady.”

Ennis let out an impatient
hiss
. “May we take our leave now? I’ve no desire to have come this far, only to be caught now.”

Iñigo shifted Finn in his arms. She was incredibly light, even though she was deadweight at the moment. Worry fluttered in his belly, the need to get her safely aboard the
María
gnawed at his insides. “Aye. The sooner we get away from this hell, the more soundly I shall sleep.”

Apparently, knowing she’d soon be free of enslavement gave Adeline a burst of courage, for she shoved past the men, whispering, “I will get us back to Bridgetown safely.”

Iñigo exchanged glances with Diego. “Know you a shortcut?”

“I do. It will cut our travel time in half and reduce our risk of being caught. But—” her voice became low with warning. “We must be very quiet, for we will be passing directly behind the main house.”

“Lead the way,” Iñigo told her, shifting Finn carefully to avoid jostling her. As they began moving, he glanced down at her. Even in the faint moonlight, there were dark smudges beneath her eyes, even deeper hollows beneath her cheekbones. Her skin was pale and clammy, and fresh fury burned in his gut. The urge to seek out Tobias Eden and make fish bait of him almost strangled Iñigo with its intensity.

They moved silently and swiftly and Iñigo didn’t breath easily until they were safely ensconced onboard the
María
once more. Finn didn’t stir as Iñigo tucked her into his bed and left his cabin long enough to go to the galley and order a bowl of broth heated and brought up for her.

It was a long night, as he dragged over one of the chairs and sank into it, waiting for her to wake. He remained awake, watching as she slept restlessly, thanking God as the winds picked up to fill the
María’s
sails and the ship pitched gently as they moved. At daybreak, Iñigo peered out the window to see they’d left Barbados for good, cutting through the calm seas and leaving the island a small speck in the distance. Finn remained asleep the entire time, barely stirring when Iñigo carefully undressed her down to her rough linen shift.

The bowl of rich broth sat on the table, long gone cold as Finn slept on. He remained there, immobile in his chair, mind awhirl as he watched over her like a mother eagle protecting its young.

When Finn opened her eyes, it was a relief to see the sun’s pale gold rays.
It was no dream. He did come for me.
Her sigh was involuntary, but her smile wasn’t as Iñigo suddenly appeared, sinking down onto the edge of the tick. He gently smoothed her hair away from her face. “A sight for exhausted eyes, my lady, seeing yours finally open.”

“Where am I?” she whispered, reaching up a still-shaky hand to rub her left eye.

“Where you belong. Aboard the
María.
”

Unexpected joyful tears stung her eyes, but she was too exhausted to try to hold them back. If they fell, they fell. She did not care. “Is this a dream?”

“Nay, love.” He bent to sweep a feathery kiss over her temple. “It’s no dream.”

“Thank the Lord.”

He straightened up, still stroking her hair. “Are you hungry?”

“A bit.” She moved to sit up, only to have him clamp a hand onto her shoulder.

“Stay where you are,” he told her firmly, rising to his feet. “I shall return in but a moment.”

His leaving filled her with a sudden, inexplicable panic. Without thinking, she seized his hand. “Nay. Please, don’t.”

His smile was gentle, as if he understood why she reacted to strongly. “I promise you, love, you are safe now. We have left Barbados far behind and we’ll not be going back any time soon.”

“Please.”

He sighed, but reluctantly sunk down beside her once more. “My lady, you needs eat. You are but all bones.”

She didn’t care when her voice quaked as she whispered, “Captain…”

Another sigh. “Very well.”

“I thank you.”

“Do not thank me yet, my lady. We’ve yet to discuss the circumstances which brought you to that hell to begin with. And trust me, discuss it we shall.”

She didn’t miss the low warning growl in his voice, and tried hard not to shudder at it. His eyes were dark amber, glinting with a hint of anger, and he was still disheveled, which certainly must have added to his irritation with her.

“I am sorry,” she whispered, smothering a yawn with one hand. “I have no explanation save for idiocy.”

“We’ll not discuss it now, Finn. You need rest to regain your strength back ere we do battle over your breaking your word. And I am most certain it will be a battle.” His eyes softened, his hand coming down to curve against her cheek. “You will follow my orders or
else
. Understand you this?”

She nodded. “I do, Captain.”

“Good. Now, you will remain here whilst I fetch
you
breakfast for a change. If I find you out of this bed, I promise you, lady, I
will
take a switch to you.”

Finn grinned, her spirits rising once more. “And how, pray tell, will you find one in the middle of the ocean?”

Despite his obvious irritation with her, Iñigo smiled. “You would be amazed at what I can do when I set my mind to it,” he told her, bending forward to brush her lips with a gentle kiss. “Rest now. I will be but a moment.”

“Aye, Captain,” she replied, snuggling into the softness of the pillow as he rose and moved to the door.

“It’s high time you learned to obey without question, Finn,” he growled, though his smile took the scolding from his words. “I will be back in moments.”

“I will be here.” She watched as he disappeared from the cabin, and her smile remained even after the door closed. She didn’t doubt he was furious with her, nor did she blame him, but she had come home. She was safe once more, and it did wonders for her in ways she never would have dreamed possible.