Dorian watched the woman from his knees, taking in the fight she stared at him with. The strong way she stood her ground in front of the Fire Second—muscles straining, a hand gripped on the end of her dagger—the other on a blade she was sure Corbin didn't know she had pointed back at his thigh.
Dorian saw the just noticeable smug twist at the corner of her lips, and he knew she'd seen him catch it.
“Corbin,” he finally determined. “Put down your blade.”
Corbin's gaze flickered twice at him. “You know her?” he asked.
“I don’t, but—” he grunted as he made to his feet, and then he dusted off his pants “—I like to think she’s my future wife.”
She laughed openly. “Enjoy it in your dreams, Prince,” she mocked. “I think you’ve more things to be concerned about than my taking your hand.”
“So, you’re accepting then?”
Corbin let the woman go with a jerk and shoved her forward. Dorian allowed himself the liberty of looking over the woman’s petite yet delectably curvaceous and soft figure as she pushed her knives back into their sheaths around her thick thighs. Her eyes caught his stare, and she raised a leering brow.
“Take it in all you want,” she toyed. “Touch, and it’ll be the last thing you ever feel.”
“You say that as though it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said.
She ignored the comment. “Tell me, Prince, why are you heading to the caves?”
“Wanted to visit a friend,” he replied.
“And your sister? Where is she?”
“With other friends.”
“You realize why I’m here, don’t you?”
Dorian settled back against the tree behind him, arms crossing over his chest. “I certainly hope it's to take me hostage in some way. Forcefully with ropes would be preferred.”
She paused, staring at him a moment with that squinted gaze that told him she was working out his game.
“They told me you wouldn’t take me seriously. Why is that? Is it because I am a woman?”
“The fact that you’re a woman makes me take you more seriously than I would have an army of Belwarks. As for why your friends told you I wouldn’t take you seriously, I’m not sure. Sounds liketheydon’t take you seriously.”
She paused again, toying with her blade between her fingers. “I was sent up here to find you. Bring you back to Scindo and to Magnice to face trial for your crimes,” she informed him.
Dorian exchanged a look with Corbin. "Who sent you?” he asked her.
“My father,” she replied.
“So you’ve come to what? Hunt me down? Take me in for ransom? Break my heart when you push me into the fire?”
“I’ve come to take you to my village,” she said.
"What were my crimes?" he asked, curious as to what the crown had deemed him worthy of.
"You don't know what you did?"
"I know the truth," he countered. "But I wonder what laughable lies my brother gave the rest of you to deem my sister and me worthy of parties of both Belwarks and Dreamer mercenaries to come after us."
"Treason to your kingdom. Conspiracy to take over the crown. Consorting with the enemy," she answered.
Dorian considered the charges. Corbin cleared his throat.
"Seems fair," Corbin said as his flexing arms strapped around his chest.
