12 12. The Devil You Don't Know

Kaitlyn had unceremoniously be pulled along, almost stumbling, to the Captains room before she found herself thrust to the cabin.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying and her breath was falling in short ragged gasps which stung her throat, which was now raw from crying and screaming, causing her to wince and making fresh tears form in the corner of her eyes.

She looked at her rescuer with a sense of skepticism. Had she just been rescued from one hell just to experience another? Her eyes instantly glazed over in a mix of fury and humiliation, dampening the fear with which she had been previously possessed, as she reached for her knife.

Drawing the blade close to her and holding it place she dared Egil to approach her with her eyes. "Don't touch me! Don't you dare come near!!" she spat as her knuckles on the blade began to whiten from the intensity of her grip.

"Oh?"

Egil watched her, his expression tired and yet bemused. This little woman never failed to surprise him. He had expected a sniveling mess but in an instant the little kitten had raised her hackles prepared to fight. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"What do you suppose you will do with that now?" He continued, his left brow arching ever so slightly as he watched her while cautiously taking a step toward her.

Kaitlyn shrunk back against the wall, pointing the blade at him her eyes still searing with tears as she glared at him.

"I..I'll stab you.. " she managed to get out.

Her words while fierce were void of conviction. Her hands trembled while they held the knife and even though her eyes were glaring at him murderously every so often they would dart around the room as though looking for a means of escape.

Egil, in the meantime, took another step forward while schooling his features to not give away his amusement. However the closer he came to her the more he could see. Her soft skin was revealed here and there where the previous Gunney had torn her dress. Her heaving chest as she panicked was flushed along with her face causing her breasts to rise and fall erotically.

Egil swallowed against the dryness in his throat. He could school his expression but he did not know how long he could keep his growing hunger for her from surfacing in his eyes.

Leaning forward he took the initiate and plucked then blade roughly from her hands using the sharpness of it as means to dull his awareness of her proximity.

Kaitlyn watched as Egil drew near, almost flinching as he pulled the knife from her hands using the blade. Apart from her first two encounters with him she hadn't seen him this close before. The first two times she had been too anxious to really look at him, her mind had been focused solely on defense. With him here before her now, though she was still wary, she couldn't help the urge to glance at his incredibly imposing man before her.

His dishevelled dark locks were falling over his eyes in a torrent of damp curls. His eyes, which were usually a blue-grey were now cerulean in color. Not unlike the sea they were travelling and just as turbulant. There was a light gash across his right eye and slight amount of stubble on his dimpled chin. He had high yet masculine cheek bones and a well sculptured face.

Just looking at him was enough to mesmerize, had it been under any other circumstances she would have found him attractive. She knew though underneath this handsome facade was a tiger ready and pounce and devour. He was not someone anyone could take lightly. Infact, having witnessed his fury unleashed on the poor gunney was enough to dampen any current fascination she might hold. She was certain those images would haunt her until her death.

As much as Kaitlyn was watching him he was watching her. Time seemed to still in the room as he glanced down at her under the cover of his lashes. He had witnessed how fragility many times since bringing her on board. This however was the first he had taken the time to really look at her. Apart from her flaxen hair and her soft satin like skin, her cheeks were flushed as though someone had painted them over with with the hue of roses. Her lips which he remembered were soft and pillowy and her eyes were clearest blue he had ever seen. Her nose and jawline were delicate. It was as though her whole face and body had been sculpted with utmost care.

Egil lost himself in the depth of her eyes. He could feel her pulse racing along with his in fingers which held her wrist. Both of them oblivious to the dripping of his blood which slid down their coupled hands which held the knife.

It took all his self control to tear himself away. He wanted her, more than he had wanted anything before. The urge to possess her was almost a thundering torrent in his ears. He took a deep breath to calm his urges. However he could not hide the need in his eyes or desire in his voice, which was a deep and hoarse with barely restrained desire when it broke the silence.

"From now on, you'll use my room. I won't touch, I promise, not unless you ask."

Kaitlyn watched in a daze as he straightened himself. It was on the tip of her lips to protest. However she ended up swallowing her words. He had promised not to touch her after all. Inspite of the fact she was still wary of him, to pretend to be his belonging was far better than the alternative. After all, the devil you knew was far better than the one you didn't.

Egil immediately set the knife down before wrapping his hand. In a brusque yet unsteady voice Kaitlyn could barely hear him as he left.

"I will send Eddie down with fresh clothes. From now on don't wander the ship on your own."

With that he was gone, leaving Kaitlyn to stare after his back in confusion for the second time.