Whistle Down the Wind (Mystic Moon) (20 page)

“The Master
tells me he hopes for strong, steady winds to fill our sails and make our
journey swift.” Griffin stood at the bottom of the ladder leading up to the next
deck and took her hand.

“Oh, I
believe we can count on the blessing of a friendly wind, Sir Griffin. In fact,
I’d wager this could be one of the fastest and easiest crossings this tiny ship
has ever made.”

“Let us hope
from your lips to God’s ear,” he said.

Or
Goddesses’s ear, she silently added.

Chapter Nineteen

The
Lady
Bountiful
sliced through the waves, tossing salt spray and showering the
edges of the deck with a fine mist. The sun beat down upon them, and the blue
sky held only a few thin wisps of clouds high above.

Catlin
sheltered her eyes with one hand as several of the seamen climbed the rigging
to adjust the sails. She held her breath, for the journey up the ropes
crisscrossing above them looked perilous. Yet the agile crew seemed unfazed
with their dangerous duties.

“’Tis a fine
day, is it not?”

Catlin
turned to find a woman near her own age standing next to her. “Yes indeed, a
fine day,” Catlin said politely. She’d been introduced to this woman--Dorothie
Colebank was her name, she recalled.

“We’ve been
most blessed with such good weather, I’m told.”

Catlin
nodded. “A quick and uneventful crossing is what the Master predicted
yesterday.”

Dorothie
stared off in the distance. “’Tis a good start to a new life, I’m thinking.”

Catlin
lifted her face to enjoy the breeze dancing across her skin. Dorothie was
traveling with her younger sister. They’d recently been orphaned and would join
relatives in the Tidewater colony. Watching them together made her lonely for
her own sisters.

Rather than
pine for her family, though, Catlin had taken advantage of the time available
to her while on board ship. She’d spent the last several weeks studying her
grimoire, practicing spells, and considering ways to protect herself against
Lord Sheffield’s dark magic.

Not that
he’d presented any direct threat to her. When passing each other in the hallway
below or on deck, the earl bowed to her as is he were a courtier paying homage
to a lady of the court. She wove a strong protection spell around herself, and
for good measure cast one for Griffin and Bitsy, too.

Despite the
lull, Catlin remembered his vow in the twilight world. He was biding his time,
waiting for an opportunity to spring some sort of trap. The next time he would
not catch her unaware.

Dorothie
lifted her chin, looking above Catlin’s shoulder, and a blush crept up her
throat to color her cheeks. Catlin turned to find Griffin standing behind her.

God’s teeth,
but the Cavalier collected admiring women like some men amassed wealth. It
seemed every female, he met, regardless of age, became totally besotted with
him.

He bowed.
“Miss Colebank, you are looking lovely as usual.”

The woman
looked disheveled and grimy. Not that Catlin’s own appearance could be much
better. Since they’d been enjoying such good weather on this voyage, rain water
for washing was now carefully rationed.

Catlin
blinked at the high clouds and pondered giving them a push. A small squall
would provide some much needed replenishment of their water supply.

“I’ve heard
of your plantation, sir,” Dorothie said to Griffin. She shot an inquiring look
in Catlin’s direction. “Will you be residing at Hawthorne Hundred too, Miss
Glyndwr?”

Before
Catlin could inform the inquisitive Dorothie Colebank that where she resided
was none of her affair, Griffin spoke.

“I've been
charged with protecting Miss Glyndwr, so of course she’ll be staying on the
plantation once we arrive in the colony.”

Catlin gaped
at him open-mouthed. If she were to live on his plantation, it was news to her.
She silently fumed.

“My cousin
also has a tobacco plantation on the James River,” Dorothie said, “so I hope
once we are all settled to see more of you, Sir Reynolds.”

Catlin
seriously doubted if Miss Colebank cared to see any more of her. It was obvious
she was interested in pursuing Griffin. And she could see he was intentionally
flirting with Dorothie in a obvious effort to make her jealous.Well, she could
play at this teasing game too.

“I’m sure
Sir Reynolds will have plenty of time to call upon your family.” Catlin gave
him a sly look. “He tells me he is most eager to find a wife once he settles
down upon his plantation.”

Griffin
frowned. Dorothie blushed an even deeper rose and stuttered a few words. Within
a few moments she excused herself.

“That was a
bit cruel, don’t you think?” Griffin said.

Catlin
shrugged. “The woman was obviously fawning over you, so why not give her maiden
heart some hope you might wish to woo her?”

He twisted
his mouth sourly. “You know quite well I shall not be wooing any other woman.”

Catlin
turned to stroll upon the deck. “Really, and how would I know this?”

Griffin took
her arm and pulled her gently to the rail. “Because we have an understanding.”

Catlin
tilted her head to gaze up at him in confusion. “Do we, sir?”

Griffin
narrowed his eyes. “Are you toying with me, Catlin?”

She brushed
one hand across the thick muscles apparent even through the sleeves of his
coat. “Would it give you pleasure if I did so, sir?”

A silver
glow shaded the darkness of his eyes. “Do you tease me,
cariad
?”

She smiled
at his pet name for her. “Perhaps, but I think you need encouragement, not
teasing.”

He moved
closer to her. “Your little maid sleeps in your cabin, so you have been
well-protected from my advances.”

Catlin
glanced up at him coquettishly from beneath her lashes. “She does not sleep in
your cabin, does she?”

She took
several steps before Griffin caught up with her.

“Are you
proposing an assignation?” His gaze roamed over her figure. “It is daylight.”

“Aye,” she
said, and gave him a cheeky grin.

His eyes
burned with hot lust, and he grasped her elbow to steer her toward the steps
leading to the lower deck.

She gave him
a flirtatious pat. “I don’t think we should be seen leaving the half-deck
together, for that would arouse suspicion, don’t you think?”

Griffin released
her arm and nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

Officers,
crew members and passengers milled about, taking advantage of the lovely warm
weather and enjoying the freedom and fresh air.

“If you’ll
excuse me, sir, I’m feeling overcome by the heat and sun.” She curtsied to him.
“I believe I shall go to
your
cabin to rest.”

Griffin gave
her a devilish grin. He raised an eyebrow in her direction. “I believe that’s
an excellent idea, for you do appear most fatigued.”

He escorted
Catlin toward the ladder leading to the lower decks. “Enjoy your rest,” he
said, winking at her.

Catlin
paused at the bottom of the narrow stairway to adjust her skirts. A shadow fell
on her and she gave an inadvertant shudder.

She turned
to find herself face to face with Lord Sheffield. She swallowed her fear and
forced herself to maintain a pretense of composure, despite the fact that she
was terrified by his sudden appearance

“Get out of
my way,” she snarled.

He spread
his arms to prevent her from slipping around him, and sneered down at her.
"I wish to speak with you, witch."  His voice held a tone of disdain.

She raised a
hand and spread her fingers to snap a warding spell at him, but he quickly grabbed
her wrist. She twisted against his hold and raised her other hand to grasp her sapphire
amulet. She prepared to gather her power.

But before
she could touch the amulet or even organize the words of the protection spell
in her head, a foul-smelling cloth covered her face and she dissolved into a
pool of darkness.

When she
came to her senses again, she was stretched across a bunk with her hands bound
in front of her.

Lord
Sheffield sat at the foot of the bunk. When she tried to scream, no sound
emerged.

“I've made
sure we will not be interrupted, witch.”

He traced a
finger up her ankle and she shuddered.

“I’ve been
searching for you for a very long time and now that you are finally be mine, I
intend to prolong the pleasure of taking you for as long as possible.”

He yanked
the fabric of her gown above her knees. His lascivious expression chilled
Catlin to the bone.

“I knew you
would use magic to keep me away, so I prepared a mixture that would render you
defenseless long enough for me to break your protection spell.” His raised the
hem of her skirt to expose more of her legs. “You have challenged my skills in
alchemy and magic, and while I should be most annoyed with you, I find your
refusal to come willingly to me very arousing.”

His hand
rubbed the inside of her upper thigh and Catlin gagged. She ached to struggle
against him, to scream her hatred for the man. She could only watch helplessly
as he fondled her. His hand brushed against the triangle of curls at the apex
of her thighs. Bile churned in her stomach and then rose to her throat. Her
heart hammered beneath her breast and her skin crawled with revulsion at the
man's touch. Catlin wished she had a dagger to slash the man's throat and
remove his bowels.

Sheffield
rose and began to disrobe. When he stood clad in his white linen shirt,
breeches and boots, he glared down at her. His eyes held a glazed, fiendish
fire.

He sat and
lazily traced one finger across her breasts, dipping into the valley separating
them before squeezing each mound until she ached from the abuse.

Sheffield
and his kind wouldn't stop with her. She realized if he knew about her family
that he could use her to manipulate her sisters. He'd hold her captive and
demand they share the secrets of their magic. Secrets they’d fought to protect
for centuries from men like him.

“You will
learn to enjoy the pain and then to crave it,” he whispered, his voice harsh
with cruelty. He leaned on her and his rough lips captured her mouth in a
voracious kiss. He pushed his tongue into her mouth with an angry force that
was ruthless.

A silent
scream of protest roared through her head. She wanted to squirm away from him,
rear back and attack him with her fists. Instead all she could do was silently
beg for him to stop.

His kiss was
sloppy and his breath reeked of brandy. When he finally lifted his face from
hers, he stretched his mouth into a sneer. "You can't scream for your
precious protector and I'll enjoy you for as long as I wish. You have no way to
resist me now, witch."

Her stomach
heaved and she fought against the terror that engulfed her. She was frozen,
unable to move or fight against this cruel abuse. Tears filled her eyes. She
would gut this man when she was finally free.

Tears of
humiliation dripped to trace a path down her cheeks. Sheffield’s eyes glowed
with a strange preternatural fire.

She realized
fear and anger would be of no assistance to her now. So she tried to
concentrate on a spell to break his power over her.

She nearly
fainted as he parted the tender lips between her legs and thrust one finger deeply
into her with a hard, vicious stab. Darkness began to engulf her but she fought
against it. She couldn’t succumb to the pain in his touch because she needed to
find a way to fight this evil druid.

He raised
his head and glared at her as he withdrew his hand. His mouth went hard as
stone.

“The bastard
deflowered you, didn’t he?” He pulled himself off her and stood. His face was
contorted into a mask of rage. His eyes as icy as the depths of the ocean
beneath them. “I wanted to be the first, but you’ve acted his whore and robbed
me of the opportunity.” He backed away from her, an expression of disgust
painted across his features.

Catlin tried
to gather her wits. Her fear was drowning any ability to develop a plan to fight
him and she needed formulate a plan. She had to escape but she didn’t know what
he’d used to drug her. She did know he also used powerful magic to keep her
quiet and subdued. If she could find a way to break his spell, she could fight
him.

She would
need to be cunning in order to discover a way to escape. She had no intention
of allowing the earl to rape her.

Sheffield
returned to the bunk. “He likely left one petal untouched, and I shall capture
that for myself.”

The earl
flipped her to her stomach, facing her to the wall and pulling her legs to the
floor. His brutal hands lifted her skirts again.

With a deep
sigh, he slowly outlined the cheeks of her bottom with his palms. “’Tis better
you learn my preferences from the start, anyway.”

Catlin raged
against this new offense, sickened by his foul intention. ’Twas a sin
punishable by death and even more proof of the man’s evil nature. Gutting him
wouldn't be good enough, she'd see him burned until the flesh melted from his
bones.

With her
last ounce of courage, Catlin called out to the world of elemental spirits, the
guardians, and the Goddess. Power swirled up from her toes to the tips of her
fingers.