It was bad enough Xoran’s men had trussed her up similarly after surprising her and Lerek when they’d fled Sparta. To be caught again—this time by Heylisia’s ruthless Rivermen—really chafed at Sonah’s frazzled nerves.
And both times she’d been in the company of a man she’d thought might prove helpful, but in the end was no help at all.
Sonah was sick of waiting for a man to help her.
Eyeing the group of soldiers laughing now and eating—rudelynotoffering her any—Sonah rubbed her hidden wrists together, fraying the rope little by little. She winced when the friction cut into her wrists and made them raw and bloody but she kept on. Heart pounding, she muttered under her breath, willing the rope to split faster.
A lifetime later, Sonah gasped when the last of the rope gave and she looked over at the Rivermen, now settling down aftertheir meal. One soldier, the one who had dragged her kicking and screaming to this place, had long since left the circle of men for gods-knew-where and hadn’t returned. Sonah would have to be vigilant when she escaped, so as not to run into him. That left the seven soldiers bedding down near the fire.
Wiggling her legs, she groaned. They’d fallen asleep while she’d struggled with the rope. She cried out, then bit her tongue to stop herself. Sonah winced at the taste of copper in her mouth. Pins and needles overwhelmed her legs as they came back to life.
“Here,” a deep voice said out of the darkness, and Sonah gasped, flinching back. Her head smacked against the birch tree behind her and she glared up at the offending male standing over her. When she saw it was the same soldier who’d captured her, she groaned.
He grinned, holding a bowl out to her. Keeping her hands hidden within her lap, she watched him through narrowed eyes as he crouched at her side, setting the bowl near her hip.
The soldier motioned with one of his hands—his fingers long and elegant for such a dirty shit—and Sonah edged away.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Sonah lifted her chin. “I am not.”
He arched a dark eyebrow at her.
“You are a Riverman?”
“Aye.”
“Why are you here? In Ibros, I mean. Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere in Heylisia? Patrolling the rivers for hapless travelers to rob?”
The man’s lips tugged up on one side and Sonah looked away.
“Ibros is ours now.”
“Ours?”
“Well,” the soldier shrugged, resting his face in his palm. “Heylisia’s.”
“How is that?” Sonah scoffed. “Ibros is independent. And they are a friend to Lakonia. Is the emperor deliberately provoking Sparta?”
The man eyed her, his gaze considering. “You know much for a sheltered lady.”
“I am not sheltered,” Sonah grumbled. She shifted, her legs aching, and the man reached out. Flinching back, Sonah let out a cry as the man’s hand fell to her hip, only to realize he was merely lifting the bowl he’d put near her further away from her squirming.
“I am Leander.”
“I don’t care.”
The man ducked his head. She watched him, fascinated at the way the shadows danced along his strong features, the half smile he wore covering teeth she knew from earlier were white as pearls.
Ugh! What waswrongwith her?
“Thank you for dinner, but I won’t be eating anything you or your men have prepared. We are enemies, and as such I will not make myself comfortable in your company, sir. You may have succeeded in abducting me, but I will not make it easy for you.”
He laughed, and Sonah dropped her eyes to her lap, cursing her body for the shiver wracking through her at the sound. If he but bathed more, the man would be devastating, she was certain.
Gods’ blood, Sonah! Stop!
“Believe me, Lady Sonah, you’ve not made it easy. And I’ll wager those brutes you had with you are on their way to us right now, complicating this endeavor even more.”
