The Guardian

Chapter 12

Jack took a deep breath and paced slowly away. He moved over to the port and looked out. There was nothing but ocean. Nothing but vast, inescapable ocean. He put his hands up on the wall and leaned in. Dropping his head, he hung there for a moment. Words could not describe what he had just experienced.

He wasn't lying when he told Nora he had never had an experience like that before. He had never felt so connected to another human being in his entire life. When he was inside of her, everything seemed to click into place. There were no problems. There was no stress. There was only the overwhelming feeling of home—a feeling of finally belonging somewhere. And he knew that he never wanted the feeling to end. In Nora's arms, everything made sense.

Outside of them, however, nothing made sense.

Jack knew he was the last person a girl should marry. He had nothing, absolutely nothing. His surname wasn't even his own. He had no money. He had no land, no title and no formal education. He had his wits and a couple of weapons. Yet, the idea of not being with Nora was even worse. Now that he had her—had her in every way he could—he was not willing to give her up. He thought that was only attributable to the fact the he was a selfish son-of-a bitch and didn't want anyone else having her either.

But if he never wanted to be without her then didn't Ben just hand him the solution to that dilemma? Marrying her would bind her to him forever, or as long as they had on this Earth.

She would be his. He could touch her whenever he wanted to. She could touch him whenever she wanted to, which he hoped was quite a lot. Maybe he could even learn to share things with her, things he never really shared with anybody. He had told her about the dreams, but not really what was in them. Perhaps he could do that. If he put his faith in her—in them—maybe he could be more than he was. He could finally see the man she saw in him.

"For God's sake, Jack, would you please say something?" She demanded.

He looked over at her. She stood near the bed, wringing her hands and chewing on her bottom lip.

"There isn't anything to say," he replied quietly, and looked back out the window.

"Nothing to say?" She was astounded. "Jack, they just ordered us to marry. Have you no thoughts on it?"

Jack shrugged and turned back. "Does it make a difference? They are quite determined. You and I have been thrust together on this quest for an indeterminable amount of time. If we have eternal life, that is hundreds of years. If we are to do that married, then so be it."

"So be it?" She asked softly. "That is your opinion on the matter? Just if you must than you must?"

"People have arranged marriages all the time, Nora, and do quite well for themselves. Had you kept your lofty and privileged life, you would have had an arranged marriage yourself. I don't see this situation as any different."

Nora furrowed her brow. Her first reaction was anger and hurt. He made it sound like it was just part of his employment—that this whole situation was merely employment and not a team effort. And she might have believed that before this evening.

"You lie," she hissed. Jack raised his eyebrows and look at her in surprise. "You make it sound as if it makes no difference to you, but it does. I can see that it does. I felt that it does when we were together in bed. You called me 'love.' You, who said one woman was the same as any other in the dark. I have nothing to compare it to myself, but I suppose you could be right. After all, who am I really but some useless female you've been saddled with? Shall we have another go? I promise I'll not give it more importance than its due."

"Don't you dare cheapen what just happened between us," Jack bellowed. Now, it was Nora's turn to be surprised. Jack ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Don't you dare."