“I don’t answer to you,” he retorted imperiously, looking down his nose at me with narrowed eyes.
“You do when it concerns my body!”
“I gave you a double portion of life, instead of a quarter of one. You were dying, and I brought you back with enhancements, no less. You’ll heal faster, you know. You’re welcome. I would’ve told you eventually.”
“When? On my seventieth birthday when I’m looking like I should still be in college and hanging at the mall?” My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh! If I have kids, they’ll look older than me!”
Kerdik rolled his eyes. “I would’ve probably said something before you hit seventy.”
“Oh, you make me crazy. You’re being obnoxious.”
“And you’re being irrational.” He paused, and the corner of his mouth lifted. “I love how riled up you get when we fight. When I figure out how to break my curse, we’ll find a whole new use for that spark.”
I shook my head and motioned between us. “Don’t hit on me when I’m tearing you a new one. This isn’t sexy.”
Kerdik fingered the collar of my shirt with a delicate stroke, and then suddenly jerked me to him. His lips were mere inches from mine, and for a second, my heart vacillated between hitting him and kissing him. I didn’t want to feel anything for someone so inherently selfish, but my escalating heartrate betrayed me like a vixen. Kerdik’s mouth grazed my malleable lower lip, teasing and silently begging. He wanted me to make the move – to admit to us both that our friendship was more complicated than bowling and beers. All I had to do was kiss the man who was toying with my libido, his arm coiling around my hips and drawing me in so I could feel the scope of his body pressed to mine.
In an act of desperation, I turned my head to the side and pressed my ear to his heart, reminding us both that it was in there. Kerdik wasn’t an impassive immortal – he had feelings and desires, just like I did. “Do you love me?” I whispered, unsure if I could be heard above the hullabaloo that was going on outside our fort as the guys started to panic I’d been out of sight for too long.
“Only love, and only you,” he replied with the note of a promise. Just like everything else about him, his answer came out a riddle wrapped in poetry. His arm stayed affixed to my lower back, while his other hand lifted mine out to the side, so we could slowly dance together in our secret world.
“Then be good to me. Don’t tempt me when I’m trying to be clear about who I am and what I want.” I picked my head up to meet his eyes. “I’m with Bastien. If I kissed you now, it would tear me up to step out on a man I truly love. You don’t want me stolen. You want me as a gift I give you someday. What you’re doing, teasing me like this? You’re asking me to be less than I am.”
Kerdik’s gaze hardened, and his hand stiffened around mine, but he kept up the slow sway he was leading us through. “Stop saying things that keep us apart.”
“Brìghde said it’d be just like you to ruin the thing you love. If you steal me from Bastien, that would stamp out one of the things you love about me. You love that I’m loyal. If we do this, that’s one less thing to love about me. Compromise after compromise will start to change me from the girl you want into the woman you don’t recognize. Then Brìghde will be right. We can’t have that.”
“I don’t like loving you from afar,” he admitted, taking my chastisement with surprising grace. “If you’d never met Bastien, would you consider me then?”
I leaned in and pressed my ear to his chest again. It was my favorite way to hold (and be held by) him. “I don’t know. I love you so much, but sometimes you scare me. You’re selfish. You could help Avalon in ways no one else can, but you can’t be bothered. It’s not a real criticism, but being that I’m crossing the country on a horse to save my mom and my Judah, I see the divide between how much I care about a land that’s not even mine, and how little you give a crap about the nation you created. I can’t imagine we would last as a couple when our focuses are so divided.”
He paused before his words came out terse and laced with frustration. “I’ll not let you make me feel guilty about letting a world solve its own problems. My solutions often lend more distress than there was before I intervened.”
“You made my life better by intervening. You saved me.”
“I did save you, and you’ll do well to remember that.” Kerdik squeezed me tight. “You wish me to help Avalon more?”
I shrugged, thinking my answer through. “No. I want you to be yourself. I’m just saying that you, as you are now, might not be able to make it work with me in the long run. I need someone who cares. Bastien’s riding to save my mom, Reyn, Damond, Remy and even Judah, who he barely even knows. He’s going in the wrong direction, mind you, but he cares. Not because I told him to care, but because that’s who he is. That’s how he fights.” I pulled back my head and gazed up at Kerdik, studying his handsome features. “You gave up the fight for Avalon a long time ago. You know how much I love a good fight.”
Kerdik pondered my words, and then kissed my forehead. “Very well. If you’re going to rescue Lane and this Judah boy, then I’ll go with you.”
I quirked my eyebrow at him as he twirled us in our slow dance. “You’re trying to manufacture feelings because I want you to care. I’m not sure that’s how it works. Though at this point, I’ll take any help I can get. I’m not totally sure what we’re walking into.”
“Give me time to get there, love. I’ve got something to tend to, but I’ll meet up with you. How far away do you guess they are?”
I looked down at my stomach, checking in with my gut for an answer. “I’m thinking we’ll reach them by nightfall.”
“I’ll find you. Stay safe, sweetheart.” He pressed his cheek to mine, making my lashes flutter shut involuntarily. There was something about him that magnetized me to his touch, no matter how much I tried to resist him.
Before I could crumble and admit that I wanted him to stay, he vanished, making me stumble forward as two of the trees toppled over to let me out.
16
Finding My Judah
When night fell, I knew we were close. I could see flickers of a fire in the distance as we rode with purpose. The guys were still shaken that Kerdik had crashed our party, but as none of them lost their heads in the midst of Kerdik’s oft-swinging temper, there was a hushed buzz of energy about them that made me hopeful we might actually win this.
Link led his horse to the right, and slowed to a walk, moving through the trees more stealthily, now that we were close. He held up his fist, and we all came to a stop behind him. “There they are, up ahead. I want ye to draw your swords and be ready for anything. They’ve stolen the duchess, plus allies to the Avalon Rose, so they get no mercy. Slaughter the lot of them and rescue the prisoners. There’s five of them: Duchess Elaine, Judah, Prince Damond, Reyn and Remy, who’s Princess Rosie’s healer and her knight.” His eyes focused in on mine. “We both promised your Da tha ye wouldn’t be fighting, so you’ll wait here.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Link held up his hand with the authority of an Untouchable. He’d gone from goofball to military commander in an afternoon. It was strange to see him in his element. “As soon as we find a prisoner, we’ll bring them straight to ye, and you’ll guard them here. This is our rallying point.”
I nodded, knowing there wasn’t a point in challenging his leadership. If I wanted to be treated like a soldier, I had to be able to follow commands. “Yes, sir,” I offered with a humble bow of my head. I hoped Kerdik would show up soon.
The men each bowed their heads to me, and I wasn’t sure what to do in response. So I blew each of them a kiss, making them smile and rally as they drove their horses to wind stealthily between the trees.
As soon as the men left, Daisy asked if she could go to the stream she could hear running nearby and get a drink. “Sure, baby. I’ll wait here, though. I want to be able to see what’s going on.”
There was an odd absence of animals the nearer we’d come to enemy c
amp. It was almost as if whatever was going on there was so evil, that even woodland creatures caught the sick vibe.
Judah was there. I mean, I couldn’t see him, or anyone, for that matter; I was too far away. But I could see the flickers of firelight way in the distance. My gut screamed at me, telling me that Judah and Lane were in there. I checked for Reyn, and felt his tug, too, but when I checked in on Damond and Remy’s whereabouts, the reading came back fuzzy. I could tell they were nearby, but their presence was more nebulous for some odd reason.
I stretched my arms above my head and twisted my waist a few times, waiting to see if I would be able to catch sight of the forthcoming battle. I prayed we outnumbered them, but my heart knew that wasn’t Morgan’s style. The trap Bastien, Mad and Draper were headed towards certainly was in keeping with Morgan’s need for cunning and trickery. Morgan wouldn’t send the actual prize away without several failsafes, including a battalion of soldiers so she didn’t have to worry about her stolen prize being snatched at.
I really should’ve been paying closer attention, listening to the clues of no animal life nearby to warn me that something was amiss. The nothing I heard should have alerted me to the fact that a very real something was on the prowl, and headed straight for me.
The dirty hand over my mouth muffled my scream before it got halfway out of me. The breath that wafted over the left side of my face from behind made me want to vomit. “Say a word, and I’ll slit your throat right here. If you want to live, you’ll shut up and give my boys a good show.”
17
Captain Moss
I’m not sure I would ever agree to the notion of “going quietly.” I writhed and punched and fought with everything in my soul to free myself from the four soldiers who ambushed me. I want to say that I was able to best four grown, armed military men, but that would be wishful thinking.
My spirits rose when my Daisy heard my cries of distress and galloped into the fray. The two of us kicked and pummeled with everything in us, making our marks on the men who would ruin all that was good in the world.
When I heard her whinny of agony, I knew I’d gotten my hopes up too soon. Blood was coating her flank, spilling out onto the grass. She gasped through her pain from too many slices marring her skin.
“Run, Daisy!” I wanted to save at least her, even if I couldn’t save myself, but it was too late.
The last sound on my faithful horse’s mouth was my name, and it broke what was left of my heart.
They weren’t interested in giving me a fighting chance, but rather getting me on the ground as quick as possible. After I landed a solid jab to one dude’s throat, another retaliated with a hard wallop across my face. His fist was like granite, whipping my head to the side and knocking me off my game.
Before I knew it, my wrists were bound behind my back with itchy rope, and I was hoisted over one of their burly shoulders. I wanted to summon Kerdik, asking him where the crap he was, but I couldn’t put my ring to my chest to call him.
“Haddock, go on ahead and see if you can catch her men en route to the ambush. I’ll take the little princess to the post.”
“Yes, Captain Moss.”
Haddock rode off, ignoring my cries for him to rot in Hell. Captain Moss chuckled darkly as he marched through the woods. “My men will be happy to see such fight. It’s been awhile since the duchess lost hers.”
Dread coursed through my veins, turning me icy from the inside out. “What have you done to Lane?”
“The queen, may she live forever, told us to keep her and the Commoner alive. Making her wish she was dead? That was a little gift from me for stealing away half of Province 1.” He marched with purpose, his men trailing behind with two swords drawn apiece. “That she thinks she can take what’s ours, what we worked for? The regal queen all the deserters think her to be…” He shook his head and chuckled. “If only they could see her now.”
I renewed my struggle, trying to kick at his head and somehow roll myself off his shoulder, but if you can believe it, none of that worked. All it got me was a swift slap to my butt, and then a lecherous grab with a rough massage. My face was red, but I was equally livid as I was horrified at being blatantly toyed with. “Get your perv hands off me, you dick.”
I heard swords clashing to my right, deeper in the forest, and knew my guys had found the ambush. I prayed with everything in me that they would be victorious, that they would all come out of this with nothing more than mere papercuts. I was already sporting the beginnings of what I was certain would turn out to be a black eye and some bruises from our scuffle.
Captain Moss kept his brisk pace, taking me in a straight shot toward the fire, where a ten-foot-tall post was erected in the center of the camp. If Kerdik was right about me holding a fair bit of magic from his blood, plus whatever lost magic we had yet to discuss, Captain Moss wouldn’t be able to kill me.
I didn’t realize how much damage could be done in the space between death and wanting to die.
18
Lane, My Lane
I was kicking and fighting to no avail the entire way to the camp, unable to see much, other than the Captain’s rear end and the grass. When he hefted me off his shoulder and thwacked me on the ground, I bounced twice, he threw me so hard. It took me a few seconds to survey my surroundings in the lanterns’ dim illumination, but the first thing I heard in the circle of tents and men’s murmurings was Judah’s voice cracking above the din. “No! Rosie, run!”
My heart swelled in my chest as my neck craned to locate my bestie. “Judah? Are you…” When my eyes fell on him, a sob choked out of me. “Let him go!” I shouted, as if my command held any weight here.
There was my Judah, his hands tied to a post that was no more than four feet tall. Reyn was with him, tied in the same fashion – a stoic and haunted look to his vacant eyes. It was as if Reyn didn’t recognize me, didn’t rally that maybe help was on the way.
At this point, that was a definite maybe.
The only thing that could draw my eyes from the sweetest sight I’d seen in a long time was a moan coming from somewhere behind me. Lane’s voice was garbled, but I still knew that sound anywhere. It was the momma bird calling out for her baby. I knew her cadence like I knew the pounding of my own heart. “Lane?” I couldn’t turn around to see her yet, because Captain D-bag yanked me up and shoved me toward the tall post, undoing my rope for a few seconds so he could secure the bindings to a hook overhead. It was so tall, I had to stand on my tiptoes.
“That’ll do nicely,” he said appraisingly, bringing the butt of his dagger under my chin to lift my head. “Fedrir, you brought in the game last night, so you get first crack at the little princess. You know the rules, twenty minutes per customer, and no permanent damage.”
I was rage-filled, until Captain Moss stepped away, and my gaze fell on a heap of tanned and naked skin on the ground. I let out a bleat of fear and agony when I took in the face that was bruised and bloody. There was my Lane, my strong and precious mother – without a stitch of clothing on, and beaten so badly all over, I was shocked she could see it was me tied just a few feet from her. “Lane!” I shouted, horrified and scared.
“Rosie?” When her one good eye met mine, dread was visible on her swollen features. “No, no, no, no. Take me instead! Leave my daughter alone. Don’t touch her!” She struggled to stand, but only made it to her knees before she trembled and collapsed in the dirt. “I’ll play nice! I’ll do whatever you want!”
The man I can only assume was Fedrir came up to Lane and roughly grabbed her breast. “You’ll already do whatever we want, dog.”
“Get your hands off of her!” I shouted, on the brink of losing my mind at my mom being degraded so cruelly.
Fedrir had a missing tooth, a number one branded on his forehead, a bulge in his pants, and a gaze that could turn a girl to ice. He turned to lock eyes with me, letting me know he was in charge, and this was happening. He had to be at least forty. He was old enough to know better, but app
arently didn’t care. “Is it my birthday or something? Who wrapped up my present?” he joked to the men, who leered as they laughed.
I sneered at him, wondering how the crap I was going to fight my way out of this one. My toes could barely find purchase on the dirt, and my arms were so high over my head, I could barely move. I reminded myself that I was an athlete, not a helpless, scared girl. Well, to be fair, I was both of those things, but I chose to focus on only the one that might get me out of this mess. I could hear Judah shouting obscenities at Fedrir, but couldn’t see him anymore. My brain raced, taking in the post as my only tool that might be useful – immoveable as it was. I knew I might only have one shot at this, so I summoned all my courage and strength as Fedrir approached. With a single grunt, I pulled myself up using my biceps, sheer force of will, and the bindings that held me in place. My black boots scraped at the side of the pole in a frantic race to get to the top. I knew I looked like I was trying to climb away from him (if only), but I was just trying to get my ring finger to my heart. My right leg swung out and cracked Fedrir across the mouth, buying me a few extra seconds to regret my choices in life.
But it worked. I managed to heft myself up, press my fist to my heart and whisper, “Kerdik, Kerdik, Kerdik!” before I was yanked back down. Fedrir was pissed now, instead of wanting to entertain the crowd that looked to be about fifty strong. My boots were quickly jerked off my feet by another soldier, along with my socks, and then another man ripped off my jeans. It all happened so fast, I didn’t have time to cry. There were five of them around me, knives drawn to make sure I didn’t lash out again.
I struggled like a spider being electrocuted, legs flailing and kicking with purpose whenever I could manage the feat. My shirt was torn open by a man who’d never been able to seduce a woman properly, so he felt it was perfectly acceptable to take shortcuts. Then I saw his frustration when he couldn’t slide the torn material off my arms. He settled on tying the shirt around the post at my wrists, exposing me under lantern light in my bra and underwear to the men – some of whom were old enough to be my father.
Untouchable Girl: A Fantasy Adventure (Faite Falling Book 6) Page 10