Revenge (Book 3 in the Rise Trilogy)

Hidden Red Marks, Another Treasure Hunt, and Terror Doggies

Hidden Red Marks, Another Treasure Hunt, and Terror Doggies

"How did it feel when you died?" I ask curiously.

Connor sighs beside me.  "It almost felt like falling asleep," he says. "You stop seeing straight, it is almost like you are drifting off into a deep sleep as if you had not slept in days.You can only hold on for as long as your will power can take you."

"Oh," I say thoughtfully.

The two of us lay on our backs side by side staring up at the white and puffy clouds on a small wooden platform on the Aquila towards the very top of the highest mast with our legs dangling off the edge and our fingers laced together. We've been on the seas for almost tree weeks now and I honestly can't wait to get home. I miss dry land. We left the Arctic Circle a few a week after traveling to the Jamaican islands and found the last piece of the map with little incident. I can honestly tell you that it is the most wonder feeling to be away from the mansion. It had this vibe to it that we were always being watched and that everything even the pictures and the relics seemed to follow our every move. I'm so glad we're never going back there.

"What did it feel like to you?" Connor asks me as he turns his head to the right to look at me.

I think back to the last few moments before I blacked out on the table back in the manor last year.

"It did feel like falling asleep," I begin. "But, as my eyes were drifting and all the sounds around me were muffled, my sight wasn't going black, it was going white. Very slowly, the corners of my eyes were fading into white until I was engulfed in it. I suppose I didn't actually die until later that night. But that's all I remember."

"I hope that you never have to suffer through that alone again," Connor murmurs as he moves closer to me and brings my body closer to his warm chest.

"I know I won't have to," I whisper. "I trust you'll be there with me."

Connor leans over and kisses my temple and rests his head against mine. I close my eyes and listen to his calm breathing like I do every night when he's asleep and I think this man is crazy for loving someone like me.

"Captains! We have arrived!"

Connor and I are suddenly broken away from our moment by the sound of Mister Faulkner's voice from down below on the upper deck.

The two of us slowly sit up and I cringe in pain at the dull ache coming from my middle. I glance over and see Connor having the same problem with his sore side. We hop down from the mast and look out past the water to the familiar surroundings.

"Look," I say as I point to the beautiful cliff side and the houses and the home that we haven't seen in weeks. "We're finally home," I mutter to myself.

...

"Oh, my goodness I'm so happy to see that you are safe."

Ziio throws her arms around me as soon as I get off the Aquila. I'm overjoyed to see her again.

"It's good to be back," I say with a smile when she releases me to walk over to her son and embrace him as well.

"Nice to see you're still in one piece."

I roll my eyes with a grin as I turn around and say, "Nice to see that you've kept Ziio busy." I put my hands on my hips as I look up at Haytham.

"I have no idea what on earth you are talking about," he says while trying to keep himself from losing his composure.

"Don't play stupid with me, Mister Kenway," I say pointing a finger up at him. "Don't think I didn't see the hickey marks on her neck she's trying to hide."