Page 103 of Take No Prisoners
"And now?" Efren shifted beneath him, knocking him forward so Efren's breath kissed the shell of his ear.
"Now, you can worry about keeping me happy, instead."
"Oh?"
"None of those other worries were real. Olivia would do anything for you, and so would Vadim. Stan and Tovey ... well, who knows when they'll get their shit together, but neither wants to lose their spot onStarlight Specter."
"How did you come to know so much in such a short amount of time, half of which you've spent kidnapped or incapacitated?"
Niall couldn't resist a kiss before answering. "There's piracy in my bones. They trusted me enough to share their secrets." He leaned forward for another kiss. "The way you trust me."
Efren tilted his head down and kissed him more thoroughly this time, sealing their mouths together and sweeping his tongue inside. "I do trust you," he whispered once he'd left Niall semi-hard and panting.
Niall expected to sit on Efren's lap for the rest of the afternoon, kissing and talking, or perhaps making good use of the bunk, but Efren shifted him off his lap and pointed at his plate. "I trust you to eat your dinner, and then we'll lie down for a nap, the two of us."
Niall almost opened his mouth to protest the nap, but he heard the truth from Efren's core. That nap involved more kissing, touching, and whatever pleasure they wanted to bring each other. Niall could agree to that.
Efren picked at the ham while Niall ate his sandwich and all the steamed vegetables.
"What do I get for cleaning my plate?" he asked when he was finished.
"Whatever you want."
Niall's attempt at a smile was interrupted with a yawn so deep it made his eyes water. "I think I'd better take you up on that nap first."
Efren helped him lie down on the inside of the bunk. Then, he peppered Niall's face with kisses, something his parents had done before shutting him in his tiny cubby in their sloop. Niall wanted to ask Efren if he had accidentally shared memories with him through their core link, but he was already too tired to be embarrassed. He fell asleep feeling loved.
The next time he woke, he was alone, and the cabin was dark except for the tiny blue light globe enchantment Efren used as a paperweight for his map. Niall dressed in the clothes Efren had left on the table for him. The pants were Niall's, freshly laundered, but the blue shirt was a new form-fitting one he hadn't worn yet.
Outside the cabin door, he found his boots. They were dry, even after their extended dip in the ocean. He carried them back to Efren's bunk to put them on. Before he could return to the deck, Olivia knocked on the cabin door and stuck her head inside.
"How do you feel about a little wind weaving? We're almost to Aquarion."
"How far?"
"With your help, maybe an hour." She snorted. "It all depends on how much restructuring Martiz and Jermain did while we were gone, honestly. Efren's doing what he can with his water illumination weaves. We'd rather not run aground, but honestly, I think we'd all like to sleep in our own beds tonight."
Niall followed her to the nearest open wind station behind their new air weaver, Milton. Niall looked up and found Hannah staring down at him.
"I forgot," he said, motioning to Milton. "I'm not the newest recruit."
"When it rains, it pours, I guess." Hannah laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't recruit more wind weavers from Coryn's ship."
"Not worth the time to try," Milton said. "Her ship is full of loyalists, not conscripts. They've joined her because they believe in the cause."
Niall found his anger and released it upward, into the overhead sail. It came easily, thanks to the mention of loyalists. His parents had whispered about them when they thought Niall wouldn't hear. For years, Niall had blamed them for his parents' deaths. Hell, he'd thought Vadim was one. He still didn't understand why any weaver would want to turn against their own kind, especially now that he'd used his own power. Yes, it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but weavers had trained at the Imperial Academy of Elements for centuries. Why would anyone give up their freedom to follow Coryn? She had nothing to offer them, besides tyranny and the threat of violence if they didn't comply.
"Land ho!" Hannah shouted, breaking Niall's concentration on his air weave.
"Full stop," Efren yelled.
The sails dropped to the masts without any air to buoy them.
"Come," Niall's grandmother said, taking his arm. "Efren will need us to help navigate."
"Have you seen Klaus, or Vadim?" he asked as they walked.
"Not since I visited them in the hold after you arrived." She patted his arm. "They're alive, thanks to you. The rest is up to them."
