Read Online Even In Darkness (Between) by Cyndi Tefft - Free Book Online Page A

in that filthy pit, then I realized what he was really asking. I tried to sift through the facts I knew about him to come up with something that might possibly convince him. “Okay...um...Your name is Aiden Alexander MacKenzie MacRae. You were born on May 1, 1699. You have two brothers: Duncan and Willie. Your parents were Hugh and Leah...” My voice trailed off as I mentally kicked myself for bringing up his mother.
    “And what of my sister?” he asked, not looking at me.
    I frowned and shook my head. “That’s a trick question. You don’t have a sister.”
    He made a grunt of satisfaction and released my hand. “Still, you’ve no proof. You’re likely an English spy.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake! The captain gave me his jacket because I couldn’t get my corset on by myself and this dress is freaking indecent without it.” Aiden’s eyes settled on my chest and the corner of his mouth curved up in a shadow of a smile. I almost smacked him, but I was too relieved to see some sign of life in him.
    “Ye don’t talk like any woman I’ve ever met, but I’ll admit you’re easy on the eyes.”
    An idea came to mind and I jumped at it. “This! Here’s your proof,” I said, holding my wedding ring out for his inspection. The smile evaporated from his face.
    “Where did ye get that?”
    “From you. It’s Nanny Fraser’s ring and you gave it to me on our wedding day.” Both times , I mentally added. “To have and to hold, in sickness and in health...” My gaze swept over his bloodied clothes. “...which I guess includes stabbings and gunshot wounds with you,” I said, trying to get him to smile again. It almost worked. I was thankful for the darkness because it masked the extent of Aiden’s wounds.
    “I love you, Aiden. And I’ll be honest, I’m one breath away from completely freaking out because you don’t remember me and you’re stuck in this hell hole bleeding to death. I swear, I’ll explain everything as soon as I can, but for now, you’ll just have to trust me. Can you do that?”
    His fingers reached out and grasped my hand. He silently stared at the ring before lifting his eyes to my own.
    “Aye. I trust ye.”
    My heart swelled with relief and I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He tasted of blood and sweat, but I didn’t care. His eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he didn’t stop me. It was a start.
    “I’m going to get you some help. Stay here.” He gave me a look that said ‘Where am I going to go?’ and I recognized the stupidity of my statement. I wasn’t making sense, I realized, but I had to keep talking, had to keep moving, or the adrenaline that had brought me this far was going to run out and at that point, I’d be nothing more than a quivering, sobbing pile of ridiculously heavy skirts.
    I put the captain’s coat back on, ignoring the scowl on Aiden’s face, and pu lled on the door, but it didn’t budge. “Hey! Callison! Let me out!” I yelled, beating on the wood with my fists. The door creaked open, revealing the sailor’s bulbous nose and scruffy chin. Yanking the door free, I pushed past him and started up the stairs.
    He took a second to lock the door behind me. “Hey, the cap’n said for me to fetch ‘im when y e were done. Stay!”
    I was nearing my breaking point and was not going to be commanded like a dog. “No, you stay! I’ll find the— ” My mouth twisted on all the vicious names I wanted to call the bastard, but I figured that would ruin my cover of being under his protection. “I’ll find the captain myself,” I snarled, then took off running.
    The boat swayed under my feet making my unfamiliar shoes slip and slide ungracefully across the floor. I put my hands out to either side in an attempt to stay upright while I moved as fast as I could back down the hall toward the upper deck. Climbing the stairs was a nightmare in my long skirts. Reaching down, I grabbed the material in both fists and hiked the fabric up as high as I dared, afraid that