Rahotep's Last Breath by A.W. Exley

Author:A.W. Exley [Exley, A.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ribbonwood Press

14

Once they found the steamer, the dragon plopped into the water and swam alongside, careful to avoid the propellers. Pavlin butted the corner, and Rachel climbed over the railing onto the stern deck. Miguel leaned against the brass rail with a coffee mug in his hands and watched her arrival. The morning sun lit the auburn tones in his short hair, and she couldn’t decide if the fiery glow made him appear angelic or demonic. Being near him scrambled Rachel’s thoughts. He simultaneously aroused her emotions and soothed them, the constant tossing back and forth leaving her vaguely seasick.

“You were gone early,” he murmured as he sipped the coffee.

“Spying on me?” Rachel snapped. Tariq’s words still buzzed under her skin and rubbed her emotions raw. She wanted to plant her hands on her hips and demand that Miguel tell her exactly what their kiss meant.

His mouth twitched in a smile. “I may not be captain of this particular vessel, but I can’t help myself from monitoring what happens aboard her. I have breakfast prepared for Pavlin, when she is ready.”

Rachel pressed a hand to her forehead and drew a deep breath. She let his calm presence wash over her and lift away some of her agitation. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude and Pavlin appreciates your attention to her diet. I encountered a group out in the desert and they set my nerves on edge.”

He lowered the cup in his hand and the smile vanished from his face. “Was there trouble? Are you unharmed?”

Rachel waved away his concerns. “I’m fine, but I need to talk to Cara and Nate.”

He gestured to the front of the steamer. “They are breakfasting on the bow deck. I needed some quiet time away from everyone else.”

“Not hiding from Wafa by any chance?” She bit the inside of her mouth to stop from laughing. Today, close proximity to Miguel soothed her nerves and she managed to sweep the foul mood aside.

A hunted look flared in Miguel’s eyes. “I can’t decide if that woman wants grind my bones to make her bread or adopt me.”

“Are you thinking of a change in family?” The idea of him slipping away to be with other people made the ache return to her chest. They already lost him for large chunks of the year when he captained the airship to the Southern hemisphere and visited Loki and his Maori family.

“No. I have found my family, and while they might be weird and difficult at times, I’d not trade a single one of them.” He placed the coffee mug on the railing and turned his full focus on Rachel.

She stared at her dusty boots as a thousand questions surged up her throat. She swallowed them all back down. As the moment stretched between them, she found she lacked the courage to voice any of the thoughts inside her. When she raised her head, he still stared at her with questions in his eyes.

Not today, not now, she said to herself. “Shall we find the others and I will tell my tale?”

He nodded and gestured to the bow.

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