Page 65 of Take No Prisoners
Efren spirited him through the darkness to his cabin once the meal was over. So much for seeing the sunset on the deck again. Niall took comfort in Efren's arm around his shoulders as they walked the dark jungle path to his house.
A globe enchantment doused the front porch in soft blue light. Efren ushered him inside.
"Are you all right?" Efren asked. "You've been quiet."
"I can still hear her voice." Niall shook his head. "I keep replaying what she told me. She says I can break the trap with her help. She'll teach me to use fire and ice tomorrow, and the bit of life she knows, and then I'll try to free her. We only have so long before Coryn tracks her here."
Days. Niall had days to save his grandmother, or he would lose another family member to General Coryn.
Niall's world had shifted when he'd overheard his grandmother's conversation with Vadim. She didn't blame Vadim for Niall's parents' deaths. Niall had been there, and Vadim had taken the blame at the time, saying the word to drop the floor from beneath their feet, leaving them hanging in the town square for all to see.
Coryn had given the order. Vadim had followed it. Would Niall have done the same in Vadim's place? He couldn't imagine the danger of playing both sides.
He also couldn't deny Vadim's claim. The death weaver had given his parents the opportunity to run, but they'd stayed. Niall hadn't believed him, but the conversation he'd overheard between his parents that night made more sense now. His mother thought death was the only answer. Niall hoped he never had to make the same choice.
Niall let Efren take him upstairs and undress him. The world around them glowed the same soft blue as the porch light. The effect turned Efren's room to a dreamscape. Niall lost himself to the gentle touch of Efren's hands on his shoulders, kneading his tired muscles and working through the knots that had tightened with the stress of yet another family member in danger.
Niall became aware of Efren by degrees beyond the gentle motion of his fingers. First, he felt Efren's soft breath against his ear as he leaned closer, putting more pressure on a particularly stubborn knot. Then, he felt the warmth of Efren's bare skin, not touching, but close. Niall leaned back against Efren's chest, and Efren's breath hitched.
"Are you all right?" Efren asked, his voice low and gentle.
"I wanted to do so many things with you tonight." Niall couldn't keep the disappointment from his voice.
"You're in shock."
"I feel like I'm not really here," Niall admitted. "I remember the night Vadim told my parents to flee, and they didn't. Am I wrong to think Grandmother did the same thing by setting off the trap on her own? Why didn't she wait for me?"
"You come from a long line of stubborn people."
Niall almost didn't recognize the low rumble rolling from him. He was laughing, and he couldn't stop. He kept laughing until he was crying, giant tears rolling from his eyes.
"This all seems so unfair," he whispered when he could finally catch his breath.
"You've already come so far," Efren said. "Don't give up now."
"I'm not giving up. I only wish I'd had more time to get to know her."
Efren kissed the back of his head. "You'll have time."
Niall followed Efren's warmth as he shifted the covers and climbed beneath them. Once they were on their sides facing each other, the light dimmed and went out, leaving Efren bathed in moonlight from the open window.
Niall cupped Efren's face. "Thank you for taking me in. I'd be lost without you." If he were honest with himself, he'd been floating like driftwood since his parents died.
"You're a survivor," Efren said. "You've made it this far without anyone."
"Still, it's nice." He wanted to say more, to name the fragile feelings between them, but he worried he would scare Efren away. Niall had always craved stability, and Efren had been his rock since they'd met. He worried that rock would crumble under too much pressure, much like his first attempts at pottery had exploded in the kiln.
Niall wished he had time to touch every inch of Efren, to hear his breath hitch when he found every sensitive spot, to watch him as he came undone. When he was finished, he wanted Captain Efren to be ruined for any other man. No rebounds. No second chances with Vadim. Niall wanted to claim his captain for himself. Frustration gave way to exhaustion, though, and he drifted closer toward sleep.
His worry from the day before resurfaced, and his body jerked awake. "How can I repay you for your coin? Petri alone—"
"You're part of my crew now." Efren blinked his eyes open, and his voice was thick with sleep.
"I've sailed with you less than a week."
"You've offered to sail with me until this war is over. That's enough."
It didn't feel like enough, though. "I can work around the house."
