Page 36 of Scourge of the Shores
Cain would return.
Peace was a lie. A distraction.
She shoved the feeling down.
Lucas finished and excused himself to relay Danna’s orders to the islanders. She watched him go, forcing herself to stay in the moment before it slipped away. She turned to her mother.
“Ye wanna go outside, Ma?”
The smile vanished from Ma’s face, like it had never been there at all. “No, no, dear. I—I will go back to bed.”
Danna’s gut twisted. There it was. The peace, gone completely.
She glanced outside again, but this time, all she saw was her people’s burden and the weight of what still had to be done.
Her jaw clenched. She palmed her mouth and stared at her empty plate.
“The sunshine’d do ye good, Ma.”
“Put me back in bed, please, Danna.” Ma rubbed her arm’s nub.
Danna started to stand, but Robert beat her up. “I’ve got her, Danna, stay seated. Sometimes, the enchantments make your knees betray your legs.”
Robert scooped up Ma with ease and gently laid her in the bed like she weighed nothing.
Danna sat silent, trying and failing not to feel anything at the sight. She suppressed a soft smile at Robert’s tenderness with her mother.
There was something wrong with Robert. He didn’t act like a pirate. Too gentle. Too respectful. Too . . . human. Caring, even.
How in the DeepMother’s sea was he a pirate king?
Ma clutched Robert’s hand before he pulled away and gave it a firm squeeze. “Thank you for saving my girl. I can’t do much anymore these days, but if you need me, you holler my name.”
Robert kissed the back of her hand. “There is nothing to repay. I’ve had my eggs.”
Ma chuckled. “A strong back, a good stitchin’ hand, and makes a fine breakfast too? Maybe we should keep him around.”
Danna shrugged with a soft eye roll. “Aye, until we run outta eggs and ye start demandin’ gold.”
Robert threw a playful grin at Danna before he gently laid Ma’s hand down. “Get some rest, Ma.”
When he turned to Danna, his expression softened. He extended his hand to her. Against her better judgment, she took it, and he pulled her to stand. Just as he said, her knees wobbled, and she stumbled into his chest.
“I told you,” he said, gazing down at her. His hands slid down to the small of her back, steadying her—too warm, too firm.
She shoved off his chest. Her voice came out steady. More than she felt.
“Alright, I get it. Legs wobble but work.”
But they didn’t. Her knees buckled again, and again, she fell into his chest.
Danna stiffened, but she didn’t pull away. She should have. Instead, she was hyper-aware of his warmth, his steady grip. No, she was still weak, that was all. Her body was failing her.
She wasn’t some love-starved maiden; she wanted to step back, to put space between them, but her body hesitated. Her knees didn’t quite work.
Ma’s chuckle broke the moment. Danna struggled to stand alone, pulling up on Robert’s shoulders.
But Robert kept hold of her waist to steady her. “Would you like to try out your new legs and take a short walk with me?”
