Page 45 of Fletcher

“I’m captaining the vessel, and shall obey our new leader in all ways.” She began making terse hand gestures in front of her skirts, where Dearg could not see the movements, to tell Teine what she actually wished to do. “See that you and the others do as Dearg bids you henceforth.”

The other shape shifter gave her a gesture of understanding in return before nodding. “As you command, Sister.”

After using the skill of a sailor she’d slain to check their position according to the stars, Speal ordered a change of course. As the other Cait Sith on deck had similar memories from the sailors they’d ended, they quickly went to work. Teine inspected their efforts and encouraged them with pats on their shoulders and murmured praise. She also discreetly used hand gestures to wordlessly and thoughtlessly make them aware that Speal had no intention of obeying their new leader.

Sharing awareness of each other’s thoughts had prompted Fiacail to teach them hand-speak, which allowed them to communicate while keeping their words from their minds and preventing others from knowing what they said to each other. Speal knew Dearg was one of the few Cait Sith who remained unaware of their secret language, for Fia had never trusted her enough to teach her.

Teine moved to a spot where the little Cait Sith could not see her, and then gestured to Speal with we must abandon them steal another boat flee.

A cacophony of silent ayes were made in single hand gestures by the other Cait Sith watching them.

All of them knew the enchantress and the wee fiend would slay them without hesitation, Speal thought, allowing the thought to be readable. They would do as she told them to save their own hides. At the same time she gestured her agreement by hand to Teine.

Dearg wandered over from the railing to peer up at her. “You’ve persuaded them obey me, then.”

“Aye, Sister.” She put her hands behind her back where she knew the others would see them, and made the gesture for wait. “So they shall do as you bid.”

As the morning sun filtered into Fletcher’s chamber, Lark woke with the warmth of it against her bare back. While she’d been sleeping she’d curled up against her lover, or she’d fallen asleep like this; she couldn’t quite remember. Last night he had held her for a long time after they’d had sex, but she hadn’t minded. Being close to him not only kept her warm, it gave her a sense of completion. It seemed as if he had become some extension of her own body—yet that seemed uncomfortably close to an emotional attachment.

He isn’t part of me. He’s just someone I sleep with every night.

Carefully she shifted away from him to climb out of bed and put on the shift he’d taken off while kissing her. She’d gotten into the habit of waking early and leaving his chamber so she could wash up and change in her own room. Eventually Fletcher would want her to bring her things over here; she was pretty sure by now everyone knew they were sleeping together. Yet sleeping with him seemed much easier than the prospect of moving in with him. To avoid jinxing him she needed to keep their relationship purely physical.

Lark added some wood splits to the fire before she borrowed one of his tartans to wrap around herself. The soft, heavy wool still smelled of him, with the same warm, masculine muskiness he’d left on her skin. She loved that, and sometimes didn’t wash for an hour after she left him, just so she could go on smelling him on her. Maybe it would be more practical to steal some of his clothes.

I don’t love his smell. I don’t love him.

“Dinnae go, lass,” Fletcher said as she reached the door. “Stay and sleep with me.”

Guilt made her jump a little, but the huskiness of his voice suggested he wanted to do more than sleep together. Awareness and wanting washed over her in a hot flood. Would she ever stop lusting after him? She hoped not.

Lark composed herself before she turned and went to sit next to him on the bed. Seeing his rumpled sun-streaked hair and slumbrous eyes almost made her shrug off his tartan.

“I told Idonea I’d go with her this morning to the village,” she reminded him. “She wants to show me how the flax growers process the plants.”

“You ken you cannae go near the shores, aye?” When she nodded he took hold of her hand, and brought her palm to his lips. “You’re certain she cannae wait another hour or two?”

His question thrilled her, but the look in his eyes worried her.

“She really wants to teach me everything so I can take over someday as the clan’s seamstress.” She leaned down to brush her lips over his, and then he rolled with her, pressing her under him on the bed. “What are you doing?”

“Breaking your vow for you.” His eyes gleamed as he settled on top of her, his long, hard body pinning her to the ticking. “I shall keep you all for myself. Aye, I reckon ’twill take years and years before I’ve ravished you enough to satisfy me.”

The way he talked to her in bed always made her go a little helpless as well as very, very hot. Sometimes she wished she could do the same thing to him, because it didn’t seem fair that he could say a couple of words and turn her into a melting mass of shivers and nerves.

“Fletcher, I promised.” As he nuzzled her throat Lark bit back a gasp of delight. “Don’t do that now. Wait until tonight, and then you can ravish me all you want.”

He lifted his head and gave her an exasperated look.

She wanted to laugh out loud, but settled for a smile. “I’ll be waiting for you in bed here as soon as you’re finished with work.”

Fletcher’s arms closed around her as he rolled with her onto his back, holding her against his chest as he kissed her again. The heated hunger of his mouth almost changed her mind, but then he released her, and brushed her hair back from her face.

“Go then, you heartless wench.” He kissed the tip of her nose before he released her.

Lark went to the guest chamber to change, but her steps dragged along the way. She was heartless, but not because she’d left Fletcher. She was using him for sex, and while he obviously enjoyed that, it was making him grow affectionate toward her. He wouldn’t have said anything about her leaving him if he didn’t care. If she wasn’t careful, he’d fall in love with her.

He promised me he wouldn’t.