Soon, she told herself.It will all be over. By the night’s end, he’ll be dead.
The carriage bumped over a root, and Captain Carr grabbed her knee to steady her. When the path evened out, he left his hand there.
“I will make you forget about that wild prince,” he promised in his rasping voice. “He might be younger than me but certainly not more appealing to the eye. Not with those scars.”
Bryn couldn’t believe the man’s arrogance to think he, at his advanced age, could be any physical rival to Rangar Barendur.
He cocked his head at her silence. “Ah. Maybe you liked the scars, is that it? You surprise me, my lady. Well, then I should definitely please you.”
He traced a finger along the red line that crossed his neck. Bryn was grateful for the low light, hoping it hid the contempt she couldn’t keep off her face.
He leaned forward, this time succeeding in capturing her jaw. “Kiss me, Lady Bryn.”
She stuttered a nervous, “Later tonight, Captain. After the moonlit procession. That’s what we had discussed, was it not?”
His fingers were rough on her cheek. “What’s the difference between a few hours?”
She tried for a laugh that didn’t bring any lightness to the situation. “I’m thinking of the Saint Serrel waters . . . the tradition.”
He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip as though he wanted to snare it between his teeth. “Ah, I see. You were hoping that once we’d sipped from the waters, you’d fall in love with me like your mother claims she did with your father. You’d be less repulsed by an old man you have no choice but to marry.”
“That isn’t it at all,” Bryn whispered insistently.
“Let go of those childish notions,” he growled, his voice even raspier than ever. “It’s time you became a woman, Bryn. I watched you grow from a tiny thing into a girl every man in thecastle had his eye on. And now it’s my bed you’re going to warm after our wedding. But we needn’t wait until then.”
He lunged at her for a kiss. The carriage was so tight that when she recoiled, her shoulder hit the opposite door. There was nowhere to go.
Had he planned for this? Was this why he wanted a closed carriage, so he could ravish her here?
Undeterred, his hand tightened on her knee, squeezing its way up her thigh. His other hand clutched her jaw like testing a ripe peach for freshness.
His lips found hers.
This can’t be happening, she thought. She had felt safe putting off his romantic advances until later that evening, knowing that Rangar and Valenden were lying in wait just ahead to slit his throat.
She wrapped her hand around his wrist, trying to free her face from his grasp, but he was too strong for her. His lips were unrelenting as they drank deeply from her. His tongue forced its way between her teeth.
I should bite it off, she thought angrily. But she had to play along with the ruse until they reached the water shrine.
“Captain, please.” She managed to twist her head away, fighting for breath. “This is hardly the place. Let your advances wait until after we’re out of this carriage.”
He answered by groping her upper thigh, fingers digging into the folds of clothing between her legs. He chuckled darkly. “I’ve let you have your way for long enough, Bryn. I’ve been patient. Someone has to take charge now.”
She fought off his hands with as much vigor as she dared.
“You’re no virgin,” he sneered. “Trei Barendur already had his cock between your legs. So don’t play the part of a modest bride now. Fortunately for you, I don’t mind a tainted woman as long as she’s still young enough to be tight for me.”
Alarm shot through Bryn. Glancing outside the carriage, she recognized a pair of towering oaks. They were halfway to the saint’s glen, but it would still take at least ten minutes to get there.
Enough time for Captain Carr to force himself on her.
Struggling against him, she dropped the pretense. “So, your true nature comes out. You speak to your future bride like she’s a common whore.”
He sneered in derision as he gripped her hips, pulling her toward him. “You’re the one who came to me begging for a place at the castle again.”
“It’s my castle! I’m the crown heir!”
“A woman can’t lead the Mirien. You need me to marry you so your claim is valid. So if I were you, I’d lay back, spread your legs, and be grateful for my charity.”
