The Red Drifter of the Sea (Pirates of the Isles #3) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,28

fingers so cold they felt as though they would snap. Once free, he fought against the rolling waves and wind as he descended the steps from the helm. Grabbing the rope that was tied between the helm and mast, he pulled himself hand over hand. He heard Tomas’s voice, but he didn’t try to make out the words. His only concern was getting to his cabin.

When he reached the mast, Kyle paused to catch his breath, his heart pounding behind his ribs. He could only hear the howl of the wind, the rain making it impossible to see. The crew tied ropes in a cross from the mast, connecting the bow and stern and each side in case they needed to move around the deck just as Kyle was. Taking a deep breath, Kyle pushed on, trying to calm his fears and his breathing.

Kyle fell more than jumped past the ladder well and stumbled as he slammed against the bulkhead. Crashing from side to side, he made his way to his cabin. He tried to push the door open, but something obstructed the doorway. He pounded on the door.

“Moira!” Bang, bang, bang. “Moira!” He knocked another loud trio, but he heard nothing from the cabin. For all he knew, she was screaming and he couldn’t hear her. Or perhaps she couldn’t hear him. He leaned his shoulder against the door and pushed, but the ship tilted away from the cabin’s side. His feet slid on the floor as he tried to gain purchase. Just as quickly as it listed to one side, it pitched to the other. The force allowed Kyle to drive the door open.

“Kyle!” Moira clung to the headboard as she had during the first round of the storm. The table had slid against the door and remained unmovable as the ship pitched back and forth. Unable to push it out of his way, Kyle scrambled over the tabletop and rolled onto the bed. He swept Moira into his arms as she trembled. The jagged point of the foot beam that stuck inches into the cabin drew his gaze. It hadn’t breached the cabin as badly as he expected, and the post was nowhere near Moira.

“I’m here, sweet one. I’m not letting you go,” Kyle promised as he buried his face in Moira’s hair, relieved to find her unharmed.

“I thought the—” She waved a hand in the sail’s direction without turning her head away from Kyle’s chest. “Whatever that thing is, was going to skewer me when it burst through the wall. I tried to get above deck, but I couldn’t move the table. It was wedged between the door and bunk. I was so scared that thing was going to slide further into the cabin.”

“I know, sweet one. That’s why I came to you. I feared the same,” Kyle confessed. Moira clung to Kyle as she recited every prayer she knew at least twice. He couldn’t keep his lips from twitching when he heard his name more than once. He suspected God had forgotten about him long ago, so “redemption” and “savior” didn’t sound like achievable requests for his fate. But he felt Moira’s body release some of its tension as she prayed. He would support anything that eased her fears.

“The wind sounds so horrible. And from the way the water slapped against the porthole, I knew it was washing onto the deck. I was so scared you would be washed away. All I could picture was the ropes around you fraying and the wind carrying you off before it dropped you into the depths,” Moira said around the lump in her throat.

“I told you, I’m not letting you go,” Kyle murmured. Moira tilted her head back, and their lips brushed against one another. It was light and quick before Moira tucked her head back under Kyle’s chin, but it was reassuring to them both.

As the minutes turned into hours, Kyle remained with Moira. He thought about returning to the helm, obligation and duty clawing at him, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it. The ship kept pitching to the bow and forcing the stern, where the cabin was located, higher than the other end. It would have been an uphill struggle to even reach the ladder well, let alone climb it and drag himself back to the helm. He hoped his crew survived and that if needed, Tomas could get to the wheel.

Moira and Kyle sat in silence throughout the night in the