Page 70

OF FERRY RIDES & BEAUTIFUL REWARDS

“Will you let me be the person who is here for you and, darling, who just waits for you?”

Sam’s words, as they’d lain in bed, sated and so full of each other, echoed in her ears as she watched the ferry glide over the tumultuous ocean. The wind battered at her, but she still felt enveloped in Sam’s scent and that voice, low and steady, seemed to hold her captive just as much as the waves did.

Sam had fully committed to her. Despite the many obstacles, despite the split loyalties. Magdalene brought a hand to her sternum, the remainder of the pain there feeling less acute and somehow sweet.

Sam’s words, her earnest admission, her support, gave her such peace. Magdalene knew she had found something then, something that she’d never had before. A safe harbor. In those arms that held her—as she’d cried for her fractured youth, for her vaunted ambitions, for the seemingly insurmountable obstacles she’d faced, and for her shattered dreams—she had found a haven. Safety. Security. And love. Sam had not said it. But Magdalene knew. And it had made her cry even more, the sobs wrecking her as she’d cradled her own unconfessed love to her ravaged chest.

Where had this woman been all her life? The age difference notwithstanding, why was fate bringing them together at a time when Magdalene was torn in so many directions? And why, when her entire life’s ambition was laid before her and there for the taking, was Magdalene risking total ruin instead?

She knew the reason, though. For those words. For those caresses. For that safe harbor that only one other thing had ever provided. In the distance, covered by early morning fog, she could barely make out the shapes of her dragons. The cliffs stood proud, sentinels over their treasure, guarding what she cared for so much.

She sensed more than saw a figure break from the gaggle of noisy girls standing in a huddle twenty feet away from her, and within a few seconds, the sound of light steps, sure even on this unsteady deck, brought their mistress to her. The scent of lily of the valley teased her with its fresh subtlety.

“I can’t seem to stay away. I know I promised to.”

The voice was bashful, but Magdalene had learned to discern now between actual shyness and desire. And it was the latter that had her shiver slightly and tug on her shawl, to pretend to cover up her tremble.

Sam raised her hand to take off her jacket, but Magdalene stopped her with a quickly murmured, “I’m not cold,” under her breath.

No, she wasn’t cold. And no, Sam wasn’t slow on the uptake, if that smirk was anything to go by.

“I see…”

Oh boy, was Magdalene ever in trouble or what? She could feel arousal pooling low in her abdomen. How was she supposed to do anything, to function like a full-fledged, responsible adult with duties and authority, if the low voice alone made her want to drop to her knees and bury her face in the wet and the heat and the scent that was Sam and Sam alone?

Sam raised an eyebrow but did not push the issue, a look of something unreadable crossing her face as she gazed straight ahead towards the fast-approaching island.

This time, Magdalene chose not to say anything, to instead wait her out, and after a few minutes of companionable silence, Sam spoke up.

“I slept very little last night…”

It was Magdalene’s turn to smirk. She leaned into the lasciviousness of the gesture only to see Sam flush red, cheeks catching fire under the steady gust of the wind.

“No, not like that…” The voice lowered further, and the blush deepened endearingly. Magdalene curled her fingers into her palms, so hungry to trace those flaming cheekbones, to feel that fire on her own skin. But as she focused on Magdalene’s restrained hands, Sam coughed, bit her lip, then visibly struggled to continue. “I mean, yes, I left you pretty late, and I was exhausted, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept thinking about what you said… After…”

She stumbled over the words, clearly trying to find ways to express herself without mentioning specifics in case anyone overheard. She didn’t have to worry. Magdalene cast an imperious glance around them, but the girls were still giggling amongst themselves, oblivious to the world, as any self-respecting and self-involved teenager would be. Bar the gaggle, there was nobody else on the ferry.

Sam seemed to follow her gaze, and Magdalene could see her shoulders relax. She gripped the bannister with both hands. Judging by the way the thumbs caressed the cold metal, Magdalene assumed it was more to give them something to do than out of fear.

“I kept thinking about what happened to you, Magdalene. At the hands of those people. At the hands of Alden.”

Hearing Sam mention him specifically, Magdalene cast a furtive sideways glance at her, but there was no awareness, no particular inflection as Sam dropped the name like a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse on the deck between them.

“What were you thinking about in particular, darling?”

The endearment slipped out, but she didn’t regret it. If anything, she was slightly embarrassed by how much she wanted to call Sam all sorts of silly, cute pet names, and how much she basked in the glory of being able to. So despite making her voice sound distant and slightly disinterested, as Sam stared ahead, Magdalene knew she wasn’t fooling her lover.

“You shared your story with me yesterday. How they ultimately took out their puritanical hypocrisy on a child.” Sam shuddered, and the knuckles on the railing turned white under Magdalene’s eyes. “And now these very people… they call you names, send you dead rats and wilted flowers. They all demonize you, but they can’t see that they made you who you are.”

Magdalene’s lips parted slightly, then she let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding—like a total romance novel cliché—and placed her hand on the railing next to Sam’s. The warmth from the skin and the cold snap of the steel beneath her fingertips were a welcome contrast.

“Are you saying I’m a demon?” She tried to deflect it all with a joke because Sam was getting perilously close to her very soul, and she was afraid Sam wouldn’t like what she saw there.

Sam’s smile was sad, and Magdalene knew her attempt at humor hadn’t landed. She would not be allowed to take the easy route.

“You were just a child. One who was effectuating change. Like that proverbial pebble that causes the ripple effect.” Silence reigned for a long moment before Sam’s words shattered it. “You know who the demons are that people fear the most? The innocents they condemned to hell. And make no mistake, they all fear you.”