Tobias came to his senses and dropped his arm from me, then took a step backward.
I started to fall again, but Matthew reached out a hand and grabbed my arm, holding me upright. The yearning was there, though not as strong as when Tobias had held me to his chest, but Matthew’s grip tightened and I could tell he felt it too.
“I think I’ll just sit down while we wait.” I tugged my arm out of his grasp and stumbled to the embankment, then sat down with an ungraceful thud.
“What are you wearing?” Dax asked with a laugh. “Guard apprentice breeches?”
“My skirt wasn’t exactly practical for horseback riding.”
“But you’re still wearing a dress.”
“It’s going to look odd if I’m gallivanting around in breeches and a shirt like a boy.”
“So you’re wearing them under your dress?” Dax asked.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Finn said.
I rubbed my inner thighs to help the cramping, aware that the five men’s eyes were watching the movement. So be it.
The horses drank, and the only sounds were of the slurping water and evening insects. We were all silent, so it was easy to hear the galloping hooves in the distance, growing louder.
All five men jumped into action.
“Matthew, take the princess into the woods. Dax, head up to the road and see if you can determine how far away they are. Everyone else, take the horses into the trees. Now.”
The men quickly got to work. Dax was running for the road, and Matthew was running for me. He scooped me up into his arms and ran into the woods. The men and horses were soon behind us as the sound of the galloping horses grew louder. I couldn’t see the road, which meant whoever was approaching likely couldn’t see us. But while all the horses were hidden with us, Liam and Dax were missing.
“Liam and Dax,” I murmured, still in Matthew’s arms. The yearning was still there, but it was duller than before. Had my fear dampened it?
“Shh,” Matthew whispered in my ear. “They’re gathering information.”
My fear subsided, and the yearning pushed forward. I wrapped an arm around Matthew’s neck, making my lust even stronger. I burrowed my face into the curve of his neck while my other hand pressed to his chest. The overwhelming urge to kiss him encouraged me to press my lips lightly to his neck.
We both released soft moans at the same time, drawing the stares of Finn and Tobias. Tobias looked furious, but Finn looked worried.
I heard men’s voices that I didn’t recognize, and I jerked to awareness.
“Are you sure they came this way?” one of them asked.
“It makes sense they would go to the queen’s mother,” the other said. “Especially since the queen sent her away.”
“Her guards will never let us take her,” the first one said.
“There are five of them and thirty of us. The odds are in our favor.”
Matthew lowered me to my feet and carefully stepped around me, placing himself between me and the voices. All three of my guards slowly drew their swords, the whisper of the sliding metal too soft for the soldiers sent after us to hear.
“And the princess?” another guy asked.
“She is to be returned. Prince Leonardo has placed a huge bounty on her head.”
Prince Leonardo? How had he found out so soon that I’d left?
My men became even more alert . . . if that were possible.
“He wants her still a virgin,” one of the men said.
I sucked in a breath, pissed as hell. Did he think I’d run off to sleep with my guards? Okay, so maybe I was lusting after them due to some kind of witchery, but he didn’t know that.
“He said it’s important for the ceremony,” the man continued.
“Ceremony?” another said. “Sure. More like sacrifice,” he laughed.
I clapped a hand over my mouth to conceal my gasp. Sacrifice?
“I hear she’s beautiful,” the second man said. “And her body makes any red-blooded man lust for her.”
“It’s part of her allure,” the first man said. “She’s a jezebel, a temptress. She is sex magic, and she’s not yours. You do best to remember that.”
Outrage and disgust filled my head. What was he talking about? I’m sex magic? I felt slimy and dirty. What little I’d eaten earlier felt like it was about to make a reappearance.
“Okay, that’s enough,” the first man said. “They have a head start on us, and I want to catch them by sunup.”
They took off then, and the galloping had barely faded before my guards jumped into action. They left the horses tied to trees, and they rushed to the edge of the woods to meet Dax and Liam, who were waiting for us.
“Did you hear what they said?” Tobias asked with his sword still drawn.
“We can’t deal with that now,” Liam said in a soft but firm voice. “We need to alter our plan and our course.”
Matthew stiffened. “I will kill every single one of them. Tear them limb from limb.”
Liam held his gaze, his face taut. “That won’t help anything. We need to get her as far away from them as possible. We need to protect Elena.”
They remained locked in eye contact for several long seconds before Matthew’s shoulders hunched and he put away his sword.
Liam scanned the men but seemed to purposely avoid me. “I know you have questions about what we just heard, and I know you want to spill blood—and I’m sure you’ll get your chance in due course. But at the moment, we have to protect the princess. We need to leave now.”
Finn, Dax, and Tobias freed the horses, while Matthew and Liam moved away from the trees discussing something in low voices. I remained in place, mortified.
“Elena,” Finn said softly and reached a hand toward me. “Let’s go.”
I refused to take it. I turned and picked my way through the brush to the river bank, my face burning with humiliation.
Finn brought my horse to me and offered me his hand again to help me mount, but I evaded his touch and snatched the reins from him, moving away from him at a fast clip.
“Princess, what are you doing?” he asked in alarm.
My only thought had been to get on my horse without assistance, but now another thought came to mind. Could I run away?
I dragged my horse to a nearby stump and stepped up.
Dax moved closer and reached for me. “Princess, we can help you.”
I pointed my finger at him and took a step back, nearly falling of the stump. “Don’t touch me!”
Embarrassment washed over my face, and I couldn’t face them. We were embarking on a journey that would last who knew how long. There was no denying the feelings I was having for all of them, set loose by the priestess.
Sex magic.
I wasn’t sure if magic existed, but there was no denying that what I felt was real.
The best thing for me to do was leave, but where could I go? My guards would catch me in no time. And if I turned myself over to Leonardo’s men, my guards would follow and die trying to free me. I couldn’t be held responsible for that. I’d have to convince them to let me go.
“Elena.” Finn’s voice, full of compassion, derailed my thoughts. “Everything will be okay.”
Tears burned my eyes as I looked up at him. “What if it’s true?” I whispered. “You know something happened in the temple. What if I’m . . . wicked?” Tears tracked down my cheeks.
“Elena,” he said, sorrow heavy in his voice. “There is no way you could ever be wicked.”
I choked back a sob, and Dax moved closer. I involuntarily jerked backward. “How can you know?” I pushed out past the lump in my throat. “How can I . . . feel these things and not be wicked?”
Finn’s kind eyes lifted to mine. “I know you, Elena. The girl we know is kind and courageous and has a servant’s heart for her people. There has never been a truer ruler for our kingdom.”
“But I’m not a ruler,” I said, keeping my voice down in case Leonardo’s men dou
bled. “I’m chattel. Apparently I’m a virgin sacrifice for Leonardo to use. He thinks I have sex magic.”
“Enough.” Liam’s voice boomed through the air, and all of us cringed. He risked our discovery. “You will be no sacrifice. Over my dead body. Now get on your damn horse, and let’s leave this place before we’re discovered.”
“Leave me here,” I said. “I’ll go to my grandmother’s on my own.”
The others protested, but Liam stalked toward me, anger clenching his fists. He stopped in front of me, and the stump put me at his eye level.
“I swear to the gods, Elena Elizabeth Maria of Garius, if you do not swear to me now that you will stay with us, then by the gods, I will throw you on my horse and make you ride astride my lap.”
The shiver of lust at the thought brought fresh tears to my eyes.
“You’ve made her cry more, you idiot. You’re making it worse,” Finn said. “Let me handle this.”
Liam gave me another dark look, then stomped over to his horse. “Mount up.”
The others got onto their horses, although obviously reluctant to leave the matter still unsettled.
Finn moved closer and reached for my hand.
I tucked my hand under my armpit. “Don’t touch me.” More tears leaked from my eyes.
“You’re not wicked, Elena. I swear on all that is holy. We’ll figure this out. We’ll make it right. But you need to stay with us.” He paused, sorrow and pain in his voice. “Promise me you’ll stay.”
“I promised before,” I said, my voice shaking.
“That was before . . . this. Nothing has changed for us,” he said in earnest. “Liam still has a plan. Promise me you’ll let us help you.”
My options were limited. I really had no other choice at the moment. The best thing would be to just go with them. “I promise to stay with you for now.”
Finn heard the limitation I had placed on the promise, but he gave me a soft smile and said, “I guess that will have to do. Let’s get you up on your horse.”
He reached for me again, and I shook my head. “No. No touching me.”
Finn didn’t say anything, just dropped his hand and watched as I mounted, which was considerably more difficult since my legs were sore and stiff. I swung my leg over and nearly fell. Finn held up his hands to catch me, but I shot him a dark glare.
I lifted my chin with a haughty expression—although I was sure my tear-streaked face undermined the royal stoicism that I was going for, so I added in a firm voice, “I am Her Royal Highness Princess Elena Elizabeth Maria of Garius. You will not touch me.” My voice broke, and I took a breath to give the words more power. “You. Will. Not. Touch. Me. Is this clear?”
None of them met my eyes except for Liam. His stare was just as dark as mine and just as defiant.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” the men finally said with little conviction.
“Liam,” I said in a stern tone. “You think yourself exempt from my commands?”
He rode his horse next to mine so that our knees were inches apart. “I will do what I need to do to fulfill my duties, Princess. You would do best to refrain from issuing limitations that might impede our jobs and put us all in danger.”
Being this close to him was driving my pulse rate higher, along with my libido. “If you were a smart man,” I said in an even tone, “you would send me to Leonardo and be done with it all.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m one of the smartest men you will ever meet, and I will die before that happens. I heard your promise to Finn, and I’m counting on you to refrain from breaking it.”
My soul took joy in being so close to him. It made my hands itch to reach out and touch him. It was taking everything in me to ignore my base instincts. And this . . . this wasn’t normal. This wasn’t natural, certainly not for women in my position.
“Maybe I’m demon-possessed,” I wondered out loud. “Perhaps I’m a danger to you all.” I paused. “Perhaps you should tie me to a stake and burn me.”
His eyes darkened even more, and he looked like he was about to wring my neck. “There will be no witch burning tonight or ever. We will find out what is wrong with you, and we will fix this.” He leaned closer, his tone softening. “We will head to the temple in Medea and talk to the priestess there. She is said to be the wisest woman in the kingdom. She will fix this, but I need you to cooperate. Will you cooperate?”
I nodded and looked down at my lap, so ashamed I could die with embarrassment where I sat.
“Elena.”
“Yes,” I said, disgusted and horrified that I was putting them at such risk. Ashamed that I couldn’t seem to just do as he said and make this easier for all of them.
“Let’s ride,” Liam said to the men. “Same formation but slower until we reach the road to Medea.”
We picked our way along the embankment, going single file at times while our horses navigated the river, occasionally walking through the shallow river bed at some places. An hour later, we finally reached the road, and the gentle rhythm of the horse along with exhaustion from my tears was making me sleepy. But I couldn’t fall asleep now.
Trying to hold my eyes open, I looked up at the stars overhead. The gods dwelled in the heavens, their images in the constellations. I focused on the Great Hunter, making his trek across the sky. He had once been the most powerful of all. Before magic had died.
My eyelids grew heavy, but I tried to focus on the Great Hunter’s belt, slung low across his hips . . . just like my guards wore theirs.
The energy in my chest ignited, and I realized I could feel them around me, like little pieces of their souls were calling out to me. Instinctively, I knew I needed them. Whatever the priestess had done, she’d bound me to them. But what did I need? Deep down I knew.
Sex magic.
I’d known them for years. They’d watched over me for the last three.
And you’ve watched them too. You’ve noticed how attractive they were. How brave. How they filled their uniforms . . .
No. This was wicked and wrong. Even if I wasn’t pledged to Prince Leonardo, I could never give my virginity to a guard. If anyone found out, my guards would be hanged for treason.
They’ve already committed treason . . .
My eyes had been closed, and my body jerked at the wicked thought, nearly falling from my horse as I righted myself.
“Princess,” Dax said in a worried tone. “Do you need to stop and rest?”
“No,” I said more harshly than I’d intended. “I’m fine.”
He gave me a sympathetic look, and we continued.
“The road is around the bend in the river,” Liam said. “Finn and Tobias, go ahead and scout the area. We’ll keep the horses to a walk.”
The two men spurred their horses into a gallop on the flat land ahead of us and soon disappeared around the bend.
Liam glanced back at me. “If you need a rest, now would be a good time to do so.”
I shook my head. When I climbed down from this horse, it would be some time before I’d be ready to get back up. And from what I could see, there were no stumps or logs to help me back up.
“How far do you want to go, Liam?” Dax asked.
“There’s an abandoned farm far enough off the road to keep us safe enough to get some rest. But it’s still a few miles away. If the coast is clear, we can push the horses harder once we reach the road.”
No one said anything. It was a good plan.
Liam pulled his horse to a halt. “Princess, I think you should take a rest.”
I realized my eyes had been closed, and I was swaying. I gave my head a shake and sat up straighter. “I’m fine. I just need some water.”
Liam started to reach into his pack, but I reached into mine and pulled out a flask.
He gave me a look of surprise.
“I tried to not be a total burden.”
His eyes softened. “Elena.”
I glanced down at my flask and unstopped the opening. Lifting the container to m
y mouth, I tilted my head back and let the cold liquid coat my tongue and throat. When I lowered it, I found Liam’s dark eyes on me. They were unreadable. Was he angry? Was he disgusted? I was about to ask him, but the sound of hoof beats coming from ahead stopped me.
Liam sat up with attention, then relaxed as we saw his two men.
“The road is clear,” Tobias said.
“Then let’s head out.”
We picked up the pace until we reached the road. Then Liam looked back at me. “Can you handle a full-on gallop?”
“Just lead the way,” I said.
Liam kicked his horse into action, and we all took after him, six horses running through the dark of night toward my salvation.
Why was I so certain there was only damnation in my path?
5
An hour later, Liam turned us off the road and down a small lane. He sent Finn and Matthew ahead this time, holding the rest of us back to a walk. The men returned soon enough to let us know the coast was clear.
We arrived at the house several minutes later, and Dax announced that it was half past three in the morning.
“We’ll rest for three or four hours, then set off again,” Liam said as he dismounted his horse. “Dax, Tobias, and Finn, you tend to the horses. The last time I was here, there was still some hay in the barn. Matthew, you go into the house and make sure it’s clear.”
The men all said, “Yes, sir,” then dismounted. Matthew handed the reins of his horse to Dax.
Finn walked over to me, but I held up my hand. “Stay back. I can do it.”
“Leave her,” Liam barked. “I’ll help her dismount after Matthew returns and says the house is empty. That way she’s ready to take off if necessary.”
Finn gave Liam a long look, then grabbed the reins of Liam’s horse.
“Won’t you need your horse to escape if someone’s inside?” I asked.
“No,” he said in a brusque tone. “I’ll stand here and fight after I send your horse back to the road.”
“You’d send me away while you stayed and fought?” I asked in disbelief.
“Of course.”
“All clear,” Matthew said, ducking his head to come out the front door.
Heiress of Light: Magic Reborn (Reverse Harem) Page 6