Page 63 of Astrid at Sea

If my husband thought it was that easy to get rid of me, he had another thing coming.

I pinned him with a hard stare. “Are you my husband or not?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Answer my question,” I demanded.

“Of course, I’m your husband!”

“Then why are you trying to hide your pain from me?” I whispered, blinking back tears of my own. “Don’t you trust me to protect you? To care for you?”

“What? Of course I do, Astrid!” Viktor gaped at me, looking offended. “I don’t want you to ever think like that.” He shook his head and reached for me, pulling me into his arms and wounding them tight around me, leaving no room for escape. Not that I would ever dream about leaving Viktor’s arms.

“I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to hide your feelings from me,” I mumbled into his chest, holding him just astight as he was holding me. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

“I know, I know,” Viktor sighed and nodded, still looking a little defeated. “I know that, but I feel like all I’ve done is fail you lately.” It hurt me to hear him talk like this, but I knew he needed to get all this off his chest.

“I haven’t been able to sleep since we returned from Canne,” Viktor admitted, whispering into my hair as he held me like I was the most precious cargo on this ship. “Every single night, I lay awake holding you. I wanted you with me because I thought I could keep you safe, and I couldn’t imagine spending months at sea without you. I knew the distance and yearning would kill me, and I still stand by that, but everything has been going wrong lately. You’ve been in danger over and over again, and I’ve been helpless to save you. I can’t fall asleep at night knowing how I’ve failed you, and I’ll keep failing you if I don’t change my ways.”

“I don’t want you to change your ways, pirate. You’re absolutely perfect the way you are. I love you the way you are.” I pulled back slightly to stare up at him. When he refused to meet my eyes, I cupped his face and peppered kisses all over his face until he looked at me. “Did you hear me, Viktor? I love you. More than a person can ever love somebody, and I love you so much for bringing me with you. I don’t know how I would have gotten this far without you, having to miss you every day. Things have been crazy lately, but we’ve all been in danger.” I nuzzled the tip of my nose against his. “When you got onto the rowboat with Jerrik to save Crosby, I wanted nothing more than to scream for you to come back. I didn’t want the cannibals to eat Crosby, but I didn’t want it enough to risk you, Viktor. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. I truly wouldn’t be able to live without you, so please don’t put yourself in that position again.”

Now, I was crying.

“I wouldn’t be able to live without you either, my siren,” Viktor whispered, inching his mouth closer to mine, brushing a soft kiss against my lips.

“Then it seems like we’re at an impasse,” I smiled against his lips. “You keep worrying about me, and I’ll keep worrying about you, okay, pirate? Because not worrying about each other is impossible, but I need you to sleep at night, okay? Please do it for me. I need to know you’re okay.”

“I promise I’ll try,” he whispered, and his lips turned up slightly at the corners when I gave him a pointed look. “For you, I’ll try anything, my siren.”

“And I don’t want you to hide your feelings from me anymore, okay? I’m your wife. You’re supposed to tell me these things. You’re supposed to confide in me so we can share the burden. We’re a team, remember?”

“I’m so grateful you’re my wife, Astrid,” he groaned and pressed his mouth to mine again, this kiss harder and more passionate than before. “And I promise not to bottle my feelings anymore.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” I sighed wistfully against his mouth. “I love you, Viktor.”

“And I love you, Astrid. More than you can imagine. Never forget that.”

“I wouldn’t ever dream of it,” I smiled, turning my head to rest against his chest, seeking the comfort that only my husband could provide.

Viktor kept his foot on the button the whole time, so we continued gliding through the water. His arms were tight around me, and the blanket he had wrapped around us was warm. Before I knew it, I found myself drifting off to sleep.

I didn’t know how long I was out, but some time later, Viktor shook me awake with an alarmed look.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, gasping as I surged awake.

“The King’s Lost Island...Treasure Island,” Viktor whispered into the darkness, turning me around to stare into the distance.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Are you sure?” I asked, subconsciously tightening my grip on the soft material of Viktor’s tunic.

I couldn’t admit it aloud, but I was afraid that after what happened last time, if I let go of him, he would be lost to me forever.

“It has to be.” He nodded, looking sure of himself. “It’s unaccounted for on the map from Greenland. We thought it was on the other side of Greenland, but they must have made a mistake. Or maybe we did. You’d be surprised how often these things happen.” Viktor’s rambling told me he truly believed it, and I believed him.

I had to rub the sleep from my eyes and squint to be able to make out the shape of the island he was pointing at. It was small because we were so far away, but it was definitely an island.

“We’re here right now.” He pointed at the map, a few inches below the spot of land circled several times in red and labelled as ‘Treasure Island’.

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