Tides of deception ✺ Outlander/Stephen Bonnet Fanfic

♤52. A faint shimmer🕷⚠️

Edited this chapter, felt like it was a little flat towards the end.

Charleston's tavern buzzed with warmth and laughter, and Maria felt herself slipping into a rare moment of lightheartedness. Seated on Stephen's lap, her fingers absently tracing the edge of his coat, she felt the heat of his gaze on her. His lips grazed the back of her hand before he lifted it to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss there, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Blow on it for good luck, darling," he murmured, holding up a silver ring set with a deep red carnelian. His tone was playful, but his gaze held a fire she could feel. She smiled, leaning in, and let her breath skim over the ring, feeling his arm tighten around her waist, drawing her closer. In that moment, nestled against him, she felt untouchable, as though nothing in the world could come between them.

As the crew's laughter and the sounds of clinking glasses filled the air, Stephen leaned close, his lips brushing her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down her spine. He murmured soft, tender words she barely caught, but their meaning was in his tone, in the way his hand lingered at her back, his thumb tracing slow circles.

Then he kissed her, a lingering touch that erased the room around them. "We're just one shot away from paradise, lass," he whispered, his words filled with a quiet yearning. Their eyes met, and the noise of the tavern faded, leaving only the silent connection between them. The depth of his gaze held a strange sadness, a reflection of her own, as if both were feeling the fragility and intensity of their love. There was something deeper there-a quiet fear, a desperation he hadn't shown her before.

She lifted a hand to cradle his face, fingers brushing along the sharp edge of his jaw as she held his gaze, feeling his arm slip around her shoulders as if to anchor her to him. Neither of them said a word. There was no need.

But then, the loud bang of a door being thrown open shattered the delicate stillness. Startled gasps and curses echoed around the room as the raucous atmosphere froze. Maria felt Stephen tense beneath her, his grip shifting as his eyes darted toward the door, instantly sharpening into alertness.

"Looking for Stephen Bonnet!" a Royal Navy officer bellowed, his voice hard and unyielding. The sight of the uniformed men, armed and ready, made her stomach twist. She felt Stephen shift under her, and she knew-he'd be fighting to his last breath.

The tavern was a blur of chaos. Stephen lifted her quickly from his lap, his voice a low command, "Get down, stay out of sight." Before she could respond, he was up, gun drawn, and firing. She ducked low, scrambling beneath a nearby table, her heart pounding as gunfire and the clash of blades rang out around her.

Through the chaos, she could hear Declan and Justin shouting orders, their voices swallowed up in the fray as the crew fought back. But there were too many Navy men, too many well-armed soldiers, and it became painfully clear they were overwhelmed.

In her hiding place, Maria clutched her hands together, barely breathing as she watched the brutal struggle unfold. But before she could think of what to do next, a pair of rough hands pulled her by her arm and yanked her forward. She cried out, her dress tearing as she was dragged out from under the table, the fabric ripping with a sickening sound. She stumbled, falling hard against the wooden floor, her chest hitting with enough force to jar her. She barely registered the scattering sound as her black diamond slipped free from her necklace, rolling across the floor like some dark omen.

"Get up," the soldier barked, his grip like iron as he yanked her to her feet. Her gaze whipped across the room, her eyes frantically searching for Stephen. Her heart twisted when she saw him sprawled on the floor, blood trickling from his temple where he had been struck.