He nodded politely. “I have just come from your uncle Lance, where, I confess, I had assumed I would have been able to dine with you this noon. And here I find you in the market without an escort. Surely your people don’t often let you wander town alone. Although, now that I think on it, they mentioned that you were out with a young man.”
Sweat trickled down the middle of Rowan’s chest, making her want to rub the tickle away. She shifted and touched the copper wolf at her throat instead. Down the street, she could see Aaro and Jake, no longer talking, watching them, unnoticed by the king or his men. A misgiving, vague enough that it couldn’t be defined as anything but intuition, warned her not to point out who her escort was. Suppose Ormand should somehow use it against Aaro?
She touched the pendant again, forcing a breath in and out, cleansing the distain from her voice before she spoke. “You are kind sir. The young man was called away, unfortunately, at the last moment, but my shopping trip could not be delayed, and since none of my cousins could be spared to come with me—here I am.”
“And I am to blame! But still, I must insist you should have at least brought a servant with you, to carry your packages.” His gaze passed over her again, obviously noting the lack of purchases.
She flashed her most charming smile. “Not all of a girl’s needs require bulky bundles. I assure you, I am quite safe and comfortable, though I thank you for your concern.”
Where Aaro’s look held intensity and laughter, with the hint of danger, King Ormand’s eyes were cunning, masked with shallow charm. Impatience pressed on Rowan to be away from him.
“Nonetheless, I won’t have a young noble woman as beautiful as yourself walking the streets of my city alone. I shall escort you home.”
Rowan laughed inwardly. The comment was just too tempting to pass up. She widened her eyes slightly, then dropped her gaze in a look both shy and coy. “Sir! You should not worry so! Since this is your city, I have perfect confidence that your streets here in West Talva are just as safe as East Talva. You mustn’t be so modest.” She raised her eyes and flashed him a smile, fighting to keep back a snort of laughter.
Ormand blinked at her, and cleared his throat. “Ah, well thank you, my dear. But I still must insist on taking you home. There’s a matter I would like to talk to your uncle about.” He offered his arm. “I trust you’ve found everything you need.”
Rowan glanced back to where Aaro and Jake stood in the shadow of the tack shop, watching, as she put her hand on the king’s arm. Aaro’s face had gone hard.
“Smith, give the lady your horse,” Ormand ordered as they approached the group of guards. One of them dismounted instantly, linking his fingers to give Rowan a boost. This time she didn’t bother to protest, despite that her skirts bunched up around her knees as she swung into the saddle. She seethed inwardly. No one who considered himself a gentleman would suggest, much less insist, that she ride astride a horse in a dress meant for walking.
They started back toward her uncle’s, the horses stirring up a cloud of dust that stuck in her throat. Sweat plastered her dress to her back, and she could feel tendrils of escaped hair sticking to her neck. If she were walking, she could at least act cool and composed, fluttering her fan in that way that people found so charming. Truly, all it did was draw attention away from the sweat and dust.
Ormand glanced over at her, his eyes flickering to her bared lower leg. She clamped her mouth shut and made a list of all the ways she could kill him.
Chapter 4
By the time Aaro saw the king coming up the street, he had already spotted Rowan, so it was too late to get her out of sight. He itched to walk up to his cousin and hit him across his pretty face, or better yet, put a bullet through that fancy red vest. But there were too many men with him. And Ormand was too good at twisting a situation to his favor. Aaro could think of half a dozen ways that things could turn ugly. Ormand could try to provoke him, then claim that Aaro had pulled a gun, and have his men cut him down then and there. Or in his anger he might take Rowan back to the castle and force a priest to marry them immediately. No doubt he had someone who would agree to perform the ceremony without Rowan’s consent.
He slouched closer so he could hear their conversation, staying as inconspicuous as possible, with Jake following him. He would jump in if he had to, but he’d see how things played out first.
Ormand was talking, and Rowan was acting. Her gaze flickered in his direction from time to time, but she said nothing about him being there. Ormand was insisting on taking her home, blustering about a woman being on the streets alone. Aaro’s heart lodged in his throat at her cutting response. But she pulled it off flawlessly, the embodiment of poise, allure, and innocence. Something else shifted in his chest. Something much more powerful than fear for her safety. An admiration so deep it bordered on worship. Ormand was rendered speechless for a moment, and for that Aaro silently vowed his loyalty to this girl for the rest of his days.
Even Jake, standing at his shoulder, swore softy in appreciation. Aaro put up a hand for him to be quiet, but couldn’t help flashing him a grin.
“There’s a matter I would like to talk to your uncle about,” Ormand was saying. He ordered one of his men to dismount, and led Rowan to the horse. His gaze never left her as she swung up. She remained graceful and relaxed, though her lips thinned out as Ormand’s gaze rested another instant on her, with her dress hiked up almost to her knees.
“Bastard,” Jake swore again. “Can’t blame him for staring, though.”
Aaro swiped a trickle of sweat off his face as he watched them ride out.
“If you let your swamp adder of a cousin get that girl, I’ll whip you myself,” Jake said. “And if you ain’t going to do anything about it, then you just let me know, and I will.”
“Count on it. I’m going after them. Better get a hustle on those supplies. We might both have to travel in a hurry. Maybe you should get some girl stuff, too.”
“Girl stuff? Like what?”
Aaro threw a hand in the air. “How should I know?”
Jake looked at him askance. “She’s a girl. I’m sure she’s got her own stuff. It’s not like there aren’t towns between here and the capital.”
“Right.” Aaro took his hat off and ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair, blowing a breath. “Right.”
“Get going, you big donkey butt.”
Since Aaro’s horse was in Lance’s stable, he had to follow the king’s company on foot. Short walk though it was, he chafed at the time. Not that he could have gone any faster anyway. He didn’t want to actually catch up with the king, but rather stayed back far enough not to be seen. By the time he slipped around to the back of the house, Ormand and Rowan had already gone inside, leaving the guards to wait in the courtyard.
He stationed himself next to the back door that Rowan had used that morning, and paced. In another moment the door opened, and Rowan was there beside him. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt before he could speak and dragged him into the shrubbery
“Where were you?” she hissed.
“Following you. Making sure my cousin acted like a gentleman.”
She huffed and spat out a few unladylike words, then, “Some gentleman.”
“Why didn’t you tell him you were with me?” he asked, though he was glad she hadn’t.
“Why didn’t you come claim me?”
“Oh? You’re mine for the claiming now?”
She smacked his chest with her fan, which Aaro figured was about the next best thing to a kiss. “You know what I meant.”
“If I’d had to, I would’ve. If I had been with you when he first came up… But the whole thing was all wrong. The soldiers, the public square—he’s already tried to kill me twice and make it look like an accident.”
She eyed him for a moment. He could almost feel the force of her thoughts, piecing together the situation. Her copper-brown eyes set his heart racing. She didn’t act coy or innocent with him, as she had with Ormand. Nor
was she flirting, bantering wits as she had last night.
Finally she said, “Which was why I didn’t tell him you were there. That viper last night was meant for you.”
He nodded. The viper/garden snake still raised questions in his mind, but they had no power to keep his attention today. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Hadn’t been able to since his first glimpse last evening, but now that she was herself, fierce and independent and burning bright in the sunlight, he figured he’d be blind if he even tried to look elsewhere.
“Well this is a pretty situation,” she said, half smiling, though her eyebrows puckered together. “The king is trying to kill you, and, I’ve an idea, trying to marry me. Although now that I say it out loud, it sounds even more ridiculous than it did when I merely thought it.” She laughed a little. “And if I’m forced to marry that swine—beg your pardon—there might be another ‘accidental’ death.”
Aaro didn’t return her smile. “Make no mistake. He’s asking your uncle for your hand even now. If you tried to kill him and failed, he would have you tortured to death. If you succeeded, you would he killed by the guards before you could escape.”
“You have no confidence in me,” she said lightly.
He clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, feeling his chest tighten. “I have every confidence in you, Red. But it’s a game you’d be playing with death, and that’s always left until all other hope proves false. Besides. What if you didn’t have an opportunity right away? Do you fancy enduring a marriage of any length with Ormand?”
She looked away, her cheeks tinging red.
Aaro anticipated her next question and countered it. “He would have you followed if you went back east. He is spiteful, obsessive, and controlling, and that would be the worst move of all.”
“I’m hardly worth all that trouble.”
“I would follow you.” This time he did put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them gently. “I would have followed you after the first time I met you.”
“Last night, you mean?” She arched and eyebrow at him. “Truly, this is ridiculous. We don’t even know for sure that’s what’s going on in there.”
“I know for sure. And believe me, we’re not being ridiculous. Ormand is power crazy. Since Heymish gave him the rule out here, nothing has been denied him. Embur, the queen, died because she questioned his ruthlessness. He’s been on the hunt for a new queen, and I have no doubt he’s just chosen you.”
As if in reply, they heard a door open inside the house, and voices leaked out through the window near where they stood. Lance and Ormand.
“Forgive me for keeping you waiting, Sire,” Lance’s voice said. “I wasn’t expecting you back this soon. What may I do for you?”
“I’ve just now found your niece wandering alone in the market. She’s quite the lady.”
“Alone, you say? Hmm. Well what about it?”
“That isn’t acceptable for the king’s intended.”
Aaro and Rowan looked at one another.
“I’ll kill him,” she hissed.
Aaro made a shushing motion and pulled her around the side of the house away from the window, his chest nearly bursting now with panic. They had to get moving, to get away from there. He pulled her into a corner where the gardener’s tool shed hid them from the courtyard out front, and the shrubbery hid them from the garden and stables.
“I have a better idea,” he said. Somehow he’d gotten hold of both of her hands, and held them. She was only a few inches shorter than he, but they stood so close that she had to tilt her face upward to meet his gaze, her fiery eyes questioning. He thought he’d have to force the words out, but no. He was more confident in this than he’d been about anything in his life.
“Marry me.”
* * * * *
“What?” Rowan stared at him, her mind grasping to make sense of those words.
“Tonight.”
“What?!” She couldn’t think of a thing. Not just something to say, but anything at all. She must have looked as shocked as she felt, for Aaro hurried on, almost desperate.
“I love you, Red.” He reached up and snatched his hat off, probably just remembering, then hurried on. “Love is a lot of different things. It’s a feeling, and I’ve got that. It’s also a decision—one I’ve already made. It’s a commitment. I’ve already stated my intention to marry you, and my word is as good as an oath. If there’s anything more you need, name it.”
“Some time might be nice!” She rubbed her forehead. Her brain seemed to be working again. Her thoughts flew around so fast now that she couldn’t follow them. The worst part of it was that she could see Aaro’s point. If she married him, they could tell the king they’d eloped before they heard of his intentions. Her uncle knew nothing about their plans. They were just two young people madly in love and ready to get married on a whim. Then there would be nothing he could do.
Except kill them
Did Aaro have a plan for that? Did she trust him? Did she love him? Or perhaps a better question would be: could she love him? But she already knew the answer to that.
His blue eyes pleaded with her, so intense she could feel his impatience. And he was right to be impatient. They needed to move immediately. But get married? The very thing she’d left home to avoid?
Although, if she were honest, the boy her aunt had picked out for her was just that. A boy. Aaro was definitely a man. And if she was even more honest, it wasn’t him that scared her—it was herself. The fact that she would even consider marriage to him would normally send her running. But she didn’t have time to run, or to play games with herself.
She glanced up at him. He was still watching her, his eyes even brighter than before, while he gripped her hands more tightly than he probably realized. She certainly couldn’t ask for a better-looking man.
But she’d known him for all of a day.
But he was Aaro.
Which somehow made sense—putting him in a category all his own. It seemed natural.
She met his gaze fully, and drew a breath, her heart stuttering around the words. “Aaro D’Araines, I accept our proposal.”
A grin spread across his face, changing it entirely. He looked boyish, his eyes dancing, as though he might whoop and throw his hat in the air. For the first time, she saw him as a prospective—nay—a soon-to-be—husband. Her heart flapped like a pigeon trapped in her ribcage.
Instead of tossing his hat in the air, Aaro settled it back on his head, though the grin never left. He raised one of her hands and kissed it before letting them both go. “I promise you, I will never give you reason to regret this day.”
“I seriously doubt that,” she said. “Though the sentiment is a good one.”
A twig snapped on the other side of the hedge, and they both tensed.
“There you are!” Dustan peered at them through the shrubbery.
They both shushed him. Rowan beckoned him into their corner. “What’s happening?”
“Exactly what we were afraid of.” Dustan looked grim. His eyes flickered between her and Aaro. “Ormand has declared you are to be his next queen.”
“And what did Uncle tell him?”
“He hinted that you would soon be returning east, under King Heymish’s rule. Ormand got angry and forbade it. He said he’d have you brought back, and my father executed for treason. Though he made it sound much more gracious than that.”
“He’s a pig,” Aaro broke in. His eyes snapped with hate.
“What’s your plan?” Dustan asked. “I find you back here whispering together, so I assume you must have a plan.”
Rowan exchanged a look with her new intended. “We’re getting married.”
Dustan gaped. “What?”
“It will save Rowan from my cousin,” Aaro said. “At least for the moment. Once we’re married he can’t do anything about it, except try to kill me again, which I’m sure he will, but I already planned on going to Heymish to tell him the situation
out here. It’s time someone did. And he’ll believe me, if anyone.”
“I see,” Dustan answered slowly. He looked back and forth between the two of them. “We all saw the possibility of this, but I don’t think any of us actually thought it would come to this. I’m sorry, Red. This might actually be your best option. Maybe.” He eyed Aaro.
“Don’t be sorry. None of this is your fault. It seems my fate is to be wed to someone, and of all my options, I like this one the best.” She winked at Aaro. “But we’ll need your help.”
“Name it.”
“I’ll need a few things from my room. It would be best if we not go back into the house now. Your father can claim his ignorance. Get my things for me and meet us at the chapel in Old Town.” She glanced at Aaro to confirm, and he nodded. “We’ll need you to witness the ceremony.”
Aaro added, “Once it’s done, make sure some of the town gossips hear of it right away. We don’t need Ormand claiming it never happened.”
Dustan nodded. “What do you need from your things?”
There wasn’t much. It wasn’t as if she was going off to live in the woods. Her belongings could be sent for when it was convenient. What she really needed at the moment was a gown to get married in.
Dustan took off to pack her saddlebags. Out in front they could hear the clatter of the king’s horses leaving. Still, they took care not to be seen as they stole around to the stable.
Rowan mentally apologized to Dyllan for running off with one of his horses as she saddled the mare she usually rode. They took their time, giving Ormand and his men the chance to get well out of sight before they snuck back onto the road, leading the horses. Aaro reached for her hand as they began passing more houses.
“We’re supposed to be lovers eloping,” he said. “We should look the part.”
“Well, we are eloping. I don’t see where ‘looking the part’ comes in.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “True. But we’re not lovers. Yet.”
She raised her hand to cover the burning kiss and shot him a look. “So much for honorable intentions.”
Quench the Day (Red Wolf Trilogy Book 1) Page 5