Reaching forward, she gently trailed her finger down the side of his face. Where would they go from here? She had to travel with Ledger to Penlar where she’d meet up with Owen. Ackley had to go south to lead his army. She’d gotten so used to having him around that she couldn’t envision not having him by her side. And after last night, she didn’t want to be separated from him. However, they were from different kingdoms and each had their own set of duties to attend to.
Ackley’s hand wrapped around her wrist, yanking her to his chest. She squealed as she fell against him.
“Morning,” he said, his voice gruff and husky. He smiled, the simple act lighting up his face. “I think I could get used to this.”
So could she. Unable to help herself, she kissed him, savoring the feel of his lips on hers. Her stomach growled. Apparently, she’d worked up quite the appetite last night. “We should get dressed.” She kissed the tip of his nose. Turning, she located her clothes strewn all over the loft. She quickly gathered them, pulling them on.
“I didn’t realize it was so late.” Ackley cursed.
“What’s the matter?”
“I was supposed to be on watch after Gytha.” He pulled on his pants.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, not really sorry for having monopolized his time last night. The most perfect night of her life.
“What happens now?” he asked.
“You go meet up with your army, and I’ll meet up with my cousin.”
“I mean between us.” He slid his shirt over his head.
“I don’t know.” He’d eventually return to Marsden where he belonged. It wasn’t like he’d stay in Melenia for her. He was a prince. And she couldn't go to Marsden with him since her life was here.
He nodded. “When you figure out what you want, let me know.” He grabbed his boots and headed down the ladder.
No one had ever asked Harley what she wanted before. She’d never been given that luxury. Her life had been dictated and controlled by her parents and then Lyle. The idea of doing something simply because she wanted to was so foreign to her, she didn’t know how to respond.
She followed him down the ladder. At the bottom, Ackley stood holding the ladder for her. When she reached him, she grabbed his shirt, forcing him to meet her eyes. “What do you want?”
He tried to look away, but she firmly held him in place. “I want whatever you want,” he answered.
“Why give me the power? I don’t understand.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Because you deserve to be happy.”
“What about you being happy and getting what you want?”
He closed his eyes. “Harley.” He said her name like a soft caress. “I was at your house.”
She jerked away from him. “What are you saying?”
“I know your marriage to Lyle wasn’t what you wanted. I think after dealing with him, you deserve better. I refuse to push something on you for my own personal reasons. Otherwise, I’m no better than Lyle.”
Her hands shook as horror filled her. Ackley knew how Lyle had treated her. But then there was that second part about him wanting something—her—but was afraid to push himself on her. If he was asking her to choose him, then she would.
“I want you,” the words slipped out of her mouth.
His forehead creased as he considered her words. Then his face softened. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He kissed her.
“How’s this going to work with us going separate ways?” she asked.
“We’ll figure it out. Once we get rid of the false king, we can sit down and come up with a plan. I promise.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, happiness swelled inside of Harley.
“You have the most beautiful, infectious smile,” Ackley said, running his thumb over her lips. He took hold of her hand, kissing it. “We need to get going before Gytha and Ledger come looking for us.” Not releasing her hand, he led her from the barn.
Outside, Gytha and Ledger had the four horses saddled and ready to go. Which meant they’d been inside the barn when Ackley and Harley were sleeping up in the loft. She hoped they hadn’t seen anything.
“Now that everyone’s here, we’ll set out,” Ledger said. “There’s food in the saddlebags.”
Harley mounted her horse. The sun was already rising, putting the time at mid-morning. Ledger had said he wanted to leave at first light. “How far until we part ways?” she asked.
“About two hours.”
She only had two hours until she said goodbye to Ackley.
The four of them set out, heading into the forest.
No one spoke as they rode.
Harley kept reliving moments from last night. She was sure she had a dopey smile on her face; however, she couldn’t help it. She had never felt this wonderful before.
When they came to an intersection, Ledger stopped. “Let’s take a short break together before parting ways.” He dismounted and led his horse under the shade of the nearby trees.
Harley dismounted and stretched. She let her horse graze nearby while she nibbled on a loaf of bread from her saddlebag.
Gytha drained her water.
“Would you like some of mine?” Harley asked, holding out her waterskin.
Gytha glared at her. “I don’t want anything from you.”
Harley wondered what she did to upset her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t take a turn on watch last night,” Ackley said. “I’ll make up for it tonight. I’ll take watch so you can sleep.”
“Are you sure you have the energy after last night?” Gytha asked, glaring at Ackley.
Harley wanted to disappear into the tree behind her. Gytha knew that Harley had been intimate with Ackley, and she clearly didn’t approve. Unable to tolerate the woman’s piercing glare, Harley turned and walked deeper into the forest, needing some space. There was no reason for the warrior woman to be so upset. Gytha was a soldier, and Ackley was her superior. She had no right to speak to him that way.
Having gone far enough from the road, Harley hugged herself, trying not to let Gytha’s sour mood ruin her happiness.
Leaves crunched not far away, but she didn’t see anyone approaching.
“Ackley, wait,” Gytha hissed. “I just want to talk to you. How could you be so stupid?”
“You’re out of line,” he snapped. “Now leave me be. I need to go and find her.”
“Out of line?” Gytha said, her voice rising.
“It just happened.”
“Things with you don’t just happen. Everything you do, you do for a reason. You have plans and backup plans.”
“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” Ackley said. “This isn’t any of your business. Stay out of it.”
Gytha chuckled. “Why do you think I came on this trip?”
“To keep an eye on Idina.”
“You still can’t say her name, can you?”
“I can say her name just fine. And she has nothing to do with this.”
“So sleeping with Harley had nothing to do with Reid?”
“That’s Queen Reid to you,” Ackley said, his voice low and furious. “And no, it had nothing—nothing—to do with Reid.”
Harley wondered who this woman was. He’d referred to her as the queen, so she must be the queen of Marsden. Was Ackley in love with her? A sharp pain pierced Harley’s heart. Had Ackley used her to forget about Reid?
“So you suddenly have feelings for Harley?” Gytha demanded.
Harley heard the sound of more leaves crunching.
“How could you?” Gytha asked, her voice cracking. “Harley…she can’t even wield a sword. She’s weak. I didn’t think you liked weak women.”
Harley found herself kneeling on the ground. Weak. Because she couldn’t defend herself. She was a useless woman.
“Ackley?”
“Go back to the horses,” Ackley said. “This conversation is over.”
What had Harley done? She hadn’t thought of how Gyth
a would react to her and Ackley spending the night together. She hadn’t even considered her finding out.
A hand rested on her back. “Are you okay?” Ackley asked, crouching beside her.
She covered her face with her hands. “Who’s Reid?”
He sat next to her, never moving his hand from her back. “Reid is the queen of Marsden. She married my cousin, Dexter.”
“Did you care for her?”
“Yes. But we were only friends—nothing more.”
So he’d cared for someone before her. And Harley had been married. They both had a past. But did they have a future? “Do you think we made a mistake last night?”
“Does it feel like a mistake to you?”
Lowering her hands she said, “No. But I didn’t think about our actions affecting others.” She’d been so wrapped up in what she felt for Ackley that she hadn’t stopped to consider the consequences. She felt terrible for hurting Gytha. She hadn’t realized the warrior woman cared for Ackley until she’d heard the pain in the woman’s voice. “What about you? Do you think we made a mistake?” She peered at him, trying to read his face. As always, his emotions were concealed, his features blank.
“I don’t regret last night.” His face softened.
That was all she needed to hear. She didn’t think she could live with herself if he did.
He leaned toward her, whispering in her ear, “I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
She shivered. “Neither would I.”
Standing, he reached down, pulling her up alongside him. “It will give me something to look forward to.”
“I can’t believe we’re about to part ways.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Promise me you’ll be careful. You’re smart. Trust your instincts.”
“I will.”
Reaching in his bag, he withdrew a small sword no bigger than her forearm. “I want you to have this.” He handed it to her.
“It’s beautiful.” On the hilt, the grip had been wrapped with red leather. The guard had a beautiful swirly design. Along the edge, markings had been etched.
“It belongs to a set. That one I call Sword of Rage.”
“Do you have the other?” she asked.
He handed her the scabbard for it. “I do. It’s called Sword of Desire. When you fit the pommels together, they lock and form a double-edged sword.”
Sliding the sword into the scabbard, she considered the two names. Rage and Desire. She supposed one needed to have both emotions to use a sword to kill. The two sentiments were also something she felt quite often since the takeover and meeting Ackley.
“For now, you can slide that in your cape. I believe there’s a hidden pocket made for a weapon such as that.”
She removed her cape, examining the interior portion of it. Sure enough, there were several pockets sewn on the inside. It took her a couple of tries, but eventually she found one that fit the short sword.
Ackley helped her put the cape back on, buttoning it at the neck for her. “If you ever need to kill someone quickly,” he said, staring into her eyes, “put the tip of your sword here.” He touched the base of her throat. “Then thrust it in and pull it sideways.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You can also cut someone here.” He pressed her shoulder. “Or here.” He pressed her upper thigh. “Both places have arteries. Slice either of those spots, and the person will bleed out.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked again.
“I gave you a sword. You should know how to kill with it. Just in case.”
She nodded. Maybe she would practice using the weapon when she had a chance. Pressing it into a potato or something to get the feel of stabbing someone. Not that she planned to go around killing people, but if Ackley thought she should know this information, then she would be prepared.
“I also want you to give these to Owen.” He pulled out a handful of neatly folded letters. “This is correspondence I found at your house.”
She stood there staring at them for a moment. “Can I read through them?” she asked, finally reaching out and taking the letters.
“That’s something I can’t answer for you.”
“Did you read them?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make sure my cousin receives these.” She found a smaller pocket on the inside of the cape for the letters.
“We need to get back to the others.”
“I’m sorry I’ve complicated things between you and Gytha.”
“There is no me and Gytha. She is a soldier in the Marsden army. She came here to protect my sister. We’re friends. That’s all.”
She nodded, pretending she believed that. But she knew better. Gytha was in love with Ackley.
When they reached the others, Harley mounted her horse, ready to get this goodbye over with. Ledger mounted and came alongside her. They were heading west and would take the road in front of them. Ackley and Gytha would take the road to the left.
Ackley mounted, then pointed at Ledger. “Take care of her. If anything happens to Lady Harley, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Funny, Owen said the same thing.”
Ackley looked at Harley. He winked, then turned his horse, riding away from her. Gytha followed, not once looking back.
“Shall we?” Ledger asked.
As Ackley rode away, it felt as if a piece of Harley’s heart were leaving with him. She missed him already. “The sooner we reach Owen, the better.”
“I know you like the guy,” Ledger said, “but I don’t trust Ackley.”
She didn’t feel like having this conversation right now, so she didn’t respond. There was no point in arguing with Ledger if his mind was already made up.
“I mean, do you really think a prince would come all the way here and then go on a mission alone?” He shook his head as if the idea were absurd.
Harley wanted to point out that Owen had done the exact same thing, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She felt a headache coming on and didn’t need to antagonize it any more.
“Word among the soldiers is that Ackley killed Commander Beck back in Marsden.” He steered his horse alongside Harley’s. Lowering his voice, he said, “Did he tell you about that?”
She looked Ledger straight in the eyes. “No, he never spoke of murdering my father-in-law.” Shock rolled through her. While Owen had told her Beck betrayed them and tried killing him, he’d never revealed Ackley was the one to kill Beck. Ackley singlehandedly saved the Melenia royal line by protecting Owen and ending the commander.
“Harley.” Ledger reached over, grabbing her horse’s reins and pulling her to a stop. “I’m sorry I brought up Commander Beck’s death. You must still be feeling the deaths of your family members acutely.” He released her reins, running his free hand over his thigh. “I just…I’m afraid Ackley is using you. Please be careful.”
“Using me?” How in the world would Ackley be using her? She nudged her horse, and it resumed walking.
“He killed Commander Beck, came here to Melenia, and now he’s leading a portion of the Marsden army across our kingdom. He has Owen’s trust. All I’m saying is we need to be careful. You shouldn’t be so quick to trust him.”
She glanced back at Ledger who followed close behind her. “I’m always careful. You have nothing to worry about.” Looking forward, she decided to ignore him. Logically, she knew he was only being overprotective. He cared about her, and they’d been through a lot together.
“What were the two of you doing in Russek?” he demanded. “Did you meet with someone?”
Her skin prickled. “How’d you know we were in Russek?” It hadn’t dawned on her before now to question how he and Gytha had known where to find them.
“Ackley told Gytha where he was going before the two of you left.” He steered his horse in front of hers, blocking the road. “Now answer my question. What were you doing in Russek?”
“When I get to Owen, I will answer any questions
he has for me. Until then, I will keep my time with Ackley a secret.”
“A secret? Is that what Ackley told you? To keep it quiet and not tell anyone?” He huffed. “Typical. You have to see he can’t be trusted.”
“Actually, it was Owen who insisted I keep everything a secret. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s focus on traveling instead of talking.”
He mumbled something unintelligible before steering his horse to the side of the road alongside hers.
Harley didn’t care what Ledger said. She trusted Ackley.
Ackley
As Ackley rode behind Gytha, he couldn’t help but notice her rigid posture and the lack of conversation. Not that Gytha had ever been particularly chatty, but she hadn’t said a single word since they’d left Ledger and Harley.
“If you’re not talking as a form of punishment,” he said, “you should’ve thought of something else. I don’t mind it being so quiet.”
“A form of punishment? The thought never crossed my mind.”
“Then why aren’t you talking?” he asked.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Like hell she didn’t. He almost wished she’d just unleash on him and get it out. He’d have to ask her to spar with him once they stopped for the night. That would probably get things back to normal between them. It always had in the past.
“You know what,” the warrior woman said. “I do have something to say. I’m disappointed in you.”
He hadn’t expected that. He steered his horse alongside hers so he could hear her better. “Disappointed? That I’ve moved on?” He didn’t understand why she even cared.
She shook her head. “There’s a lot going on right now. The last thing I expected was for you to sleep with Owen’s cousin. What if Owen doesn’t approve? What’s that going to do for relations between our kingdoms?”
He rubbed his head. “You’re right.”
“Excuse me?” She pulled her horse to a stop.
“I said you’re right. I hadn’t thought about that.” His focus had been on Harley, not on Owen or his approval.
Sword of Rage: Reigning Kingdoms, Book 1 Page 23