Wildest Dreams (Fantasyland #1)(105)

Then I grinned.

My girls were the… absolute… best.

And this was one reason of many, including the fact that they’d procured and provided me with a powder they promised (because they all used it) that I could sprinkle just a touch into water or coffee and it would keep me from getting pregnant. I had to do it every day and luckily it tasted pretty good, though weird, like a minty orange. Although it hadn’t been very long, so far, so good (since, unfortunately and fortunately, considering it was unfun having your period in this world and I knew that because I’d already experienced it twice – not to mention doing it on a ship with a bunch of guys, but two days into the voyage, I had it and luckily, four days later I was done and this meant I was free and clear… for now).

The door opened, I jumped and looked that way to see Skylar standing in it, keeping well away from me.

“Eggs, bacon and toast, milady?” he asked like he asked every morning for reasons I didn’t know because I’d learned from Frey that unless I picked just eggs and toast or just bacon and toast, or I wanted lunch for breakfast, that was my only choice for the ship’s cook was nearly as cranky as Kell, he wasn’t hot on personal orders and didn’t do anything “girlie” such as pancakes apparently were.

I smiled gently at the boy and said softly, “Yes, Skylar, that would be lovely. Thank you.”

He nodded once and moved quickly out of the room.

I stared at the closed door wondering what, if anything, I could do about that.

Then I decided to talk to Frey about it later.

My eyes drifted down to the pouch in my hand and again my mouth curled into a smile.

Yes, I’d talk to him about it.

Much later.

* * * * *

I watched my dagger skitter across the deck and come to a stop against some rope.

Then I bit my lip and ignored Stephan, Max and Gunner, who I knew would be grinning, thinking this was hilarious, and Kell, who would be scowling, thinking I should be hiding in Frey’s cabin for the duration of the trip repeating to myself that I would never again set foot on the ship that was named after me… or any ship for that matter.

Then I looked at Lund as he pulled out of the lunge he’d used to knock my dagger away and sheathed his own. Then he planted his hands on his h*ps and glowered at me.

“Finnie, I’ve told you, you have inexperience and lack of strength as formidable weaknesses but quickness, surprise and…” he paused and leaned slightly toward me, “concentration can be used as your strengths. To have quickness and provide surprise, you need to…” he paused again, leaned back and crossed his arms on his chest, “concentrate.”

He was not wrong. My mind was not on learning how to wield a dagger. It was afternoon. My mind was in the cabin where the adela tea pouch was and where, I hoped, Skylar had left a boiled kettle for me (a request, since I was thinking to surprise Frey, I had actually made myself).

“I’m sorry, Lund, my mind is elsewhere,” I admitted.

“If this is so, then you should not be working with a dagger. What just happened, happened because I am good and I don’t wish you harm. In a true fight, a man could take your hand with that maneuver, had he the strength and sharpness of blade. At the very least, he could cut your wrist where blood flows freely. Then you’d be significantly weakened and even face death.”

Ho boy. Death was never good.

“Right,” I said softly.

He uncrossed his arms, got closer to me and I looked up into his gray eyes which, I noted, had stopped glowering and had warmed. I had also long since noted that this was Lund’s way. He could lose his patience in our practice but only when I did really stupid shit he’d told me time and again not to do but he didn’t lose it for long.

“I enjoy our sessions, my princess, but I equally enjoy teaching you how to cut a deck false. If you wish to skip your lesson, we can sit down to cards. All you need do is say.”

God, seriously, he was a nice guy and, spending time with all Frey’s men, I’d found they all were.

Except Kell, who disliked me and Oleg, who was kind of monosyllabic and a little scary but mostly he was okay too.

“Thanks,” I replied quietly and Lund grinned at me.

“Wife,” I heard and since it was Frey’s voice and that could only be me, I turned to see him striding toward me.

My knees wobbled and not only because he, as ever, looked hot.

“We’ll leave it at that for the day,” Lund muttered, I looked from Frey to him, nodded and smiled and he moved away to collect my lost dagger.

I turned back to Frey who was now very close. He didn’t touch me but he was way in my space.

Hmm. I knew what that meant and that meant firstly, he did not want us to be overheard and secondly, he actually did want to touch me but this was something he avoided doing too much of in front of his men. There were times he did, of course, but in broad daylight in the middle of the waist deck with us having a large audience was not one of those times.

“We have plans, wee one,” he reminded me of something he so totally didn’t need to remind me of. “I need words with Kell. I see your lesson is finished?”

I nodded.

“Good,” he muttered, “I’ll meet you in our cabin.”

My knees wobbled again and my ni**les tingled but my head nodded.