THE SAILS OF THE HIGH SEAS

- Chapter 45 -

Was her leap of faith worth it? Ada was certain that it was. Beyond any doubt. She was finally free to make her own decisions. Free to follow her own path. Free to be cherished for the woman she was, not for the orphan she became after her parents had passed on. She would no longer be a burden to Lord Guillonk, or to anyone else. She promised herself that. And, even though what was happening to her heart when it came to Tremal Naik was new to her, she felt that it was a good thing. A very good thing.

"Wicked woman," Tremal Naik whispered against her lips when he paused for a moment from kissing her.

"Why would You say that?" Ada asked in a trembling voice that only made him want her more.

"How could someone be so delicate yet so strong at the same time?" He asked her instead.

"Me?" Ada wondered.

"Mhmm.." Tremal Naik hummed and kissed her again. If kissing her wasn't going to become a habit for him, it would certainly become his goal in life.

"Tremal Naik..." she pried her lips from his. "I... I must tell You that You are the first man that..."

"Lady Ada," he began speaking but corrected himself immediately when he saw bolts of lightning in her eyes. "Ada. I am a hunter, but I am not a savage. You do not have to fear me."

"I... may not be able to offer to You much more than myself..." Ada said softly and looked down.

"Oh, wicked woman You are for sure," he chuckled. "Do You not realize a real man seeks no fortunes, gains, or dowry? A real man seeks being understood. He seeks belonging to a woman who can care for him with all that she is."

"You seem awfully sure of Yourself. Why hold me in Your arms and kiss me even though You just met me?" Ada asked and straightened her spine. Even if she would be rejected now, she would take it as a Lady. At least she told herself that.

"I am a hunter, my Lady. I trust my instinct. I trust my gut. It is never wrong. And it tells me that You will not bring me damnation. Rather, You will bring me peace. You already have," he smiled. "Now, help me get out of this wretched cot."

"No! You must get well first. You can barely sit up. How can You possibly consider rising up from the cot?" Ada stood up and warned him.

"I am a hunter..." he tried to repeat his words.

"I have heard that before. And I am someone who will force You to lay back on Your cot one way or another!" She pointed to him.

"That gives me ideas," he laughed.

"I mean it, Tremal Naik!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, so do I," he laughed again, unable to stop himself.

"What's all the shouting about?" Sandokan walked into the stateroom, surprised to find Ada there, yet not at all surprised to find her shouting at Tremal Naik.

"Ada, why would You shout at a man You just cried over?" Marianna followed Sandokan into the room and scolded her cousin.

"You cried over me?" Tremal Naik raised his eyebrow as he looked at Ada.

"Do not change the subject," Ada looked back at him. "You are not getting off of this cot."

"Why not?" Sandokan and Tremal Naik replied in unison.

"Because You were just shot," Ada replied firmly to Tremal Naik.

"And You think he needs to take time to regain his strength?" Sandokan raised his eyebrows at Ada.

"Of course. He cannot just get up and pretend it did not happen," Ada replied to Sandokan.

"Sure he can," Sandokan chuckled. "Are British men this weak?"

"He was just shot!" Ada fired back.

"So?" Sandokan all but chuckled in her face.

"So?!? It took You weeks to get better," Ada replied with an attitude.

"That was different," Sandokan denied her notion.

"How exactly?" She tipped her head to the side.

"I was pretending to be more severely hurt than I was," Sandokan replied and moved his shoulders up and down.

"Sure, You were," Ada laughed sarcastically. "And You were pretending to lay in a coma too, am I correct?"

"Of course," Sandokan flashed his pearly whites at her.

"Unbelievable!" She raised her hands in the air in disbelief.

"Not as unbelievable as You may think. Do You recall the day You met me? How I kept chuckling? You knew I was pretending to still be in a coma."

"Alright," Ada nodded because she did remember that day.

"So then he can pretend that he was not shot," Sandokan said stoically and grinned when he saw Tremal Naik nodding.

"Exactly! He would have to pretend he was not shot! He was shot!" Ada exclaimed and turned toward Tremal Naik. But, instead of looking at him, her gaze traveled to the bullet lying on the dainty plate on the side table beside the cot. And she froze. "Is that....?"

"The bullet that I was wounded with while saving Your life?" Tremal Naik looked at it as well. "Yes."

"Why... Why would You keep it?" She whispered, unable to speak louder.

"To remind him of You," Sandokan chimed in before Tremal Naik was able to respond. "It's a hunter thing."

"Do not tell me he will make a pendant out of it," Ada said sarcastically.

"Exactly," Tremal Naik smiled at her. "It is a hunter thing."

"Unbelievable!" Ada exclaimed again, but she had to admit to herself that the gesture touched her.

"What's all the shouting about?" Yanez walked into the stateroom, and raised his eyebrows when he found all of his guests there. "I was not advised that there would be an afternoon brunch in my room. I should have prepared some tea."

"I doubt to see humor in Your words, Yanez." Ada sighed and walked up closer to face him. "Please help me, and convince Tremal Naik to stay in bed. Or, on the cot, to be more precise."

"Why would he need to do that?" Yanez asked, baffled.

"Because he was shot," Ada replied.

"So?" Yanez tried to find logic in her reasoning.

"So? So he needs to gain his strength," Ada continued.

"But he is a hunter," Yanez tipped his head to the side to look at Tremal Naik, who smiled at him with approval.

"Yes, I have heard that before. Are hunters invincible?" Ada asked, a bit irritated.

"This one is!" Yanez pointed toward Tremal Naik.

"Men!" Ada exclaimed and turned around toward Tremal Naik. To her utter shock, he stood right behind her. Mere inches away. She caught her breath, and looked up into his eyes.

"I told You, I do not need to spend weeks recuperating, unlike SOME weaklings," Tremal Naik offered her a cocky smirk and laughed when he saw Sandokan's facial expression.

"That was not a nice thing to say," Sandokan pointed to him.

"But true," Tremal Naik laughed. The moment he did, a piercing pain shot through his shoulder, right through his wound. He winced, and leaned forward. Ada took a quick step forward, and caught him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Are You alright? Please, say You are," she begged him.

"I am, now I am," he leaned in and kissed her.

"Well, this was unexpected," Sandokan wondered out loud.

"To say the least," Marianna added as she embraced Sandokan.

"I for one am not surprised one bit," Yanez grinned from ear to ear. "Anyone interested in some tea after all?"

"In a moment, my friend. Let us witness Tremal Naik's demise first," Sandokan chuckled in disbelief, yet in complete understanding of how the man felt...