She had just stepped into camp when a darkform hurtled at her from the side, tackling her and sending herface down into the dirt. Rough hands yanked her arms behind herback, tying them with a rope.
The man dragged her to her feet and marchedher to a trio engaged in an intense conversation. Fallon was one ofthose men. He looked furious.
Perhaps it had been foolish to think he mightdismiss her disappearance and attribute it to the call of nature.She had a feeling the next few minutes were going to be rough.
Eamon’s advice from their first missionechoed through her mind. She really hoped this wouldn’t be thescenario he’d warned her against. She needed these men to trusther.
“Fallon,” Caden said. “Your little mouse hasreturned.”
The men broke off their conversation to fixher with varying degrees of threatening stares. None lookedparticularly relieved to see her. If anything they seemed evenangrier.
“Hello,” Shea said weakly.
Fallon stepped forward, looming over her. Hebrushed her hair away from her face and then rubbed his thumblightly at a spot of dirt on her cheek.
Dropping his hand, he said calmly, “Wherehave you been?”
“I thought I’d take a walk.”
It was the truth. Such as it was.
“A walk.”
“Yes, a walk.”
“And why did you feel you needed to take awalk?” his voice never once varied from its eerie calm.
Shea felt more anxiety from that calm tonethan she would have if he’d just started yelling.
“Well.” She stopped. How could she put thisin a way that would make her actions seem perfectly reasonable? “Iwas angry.”
“You were angry?” The first sign of emotionbegan to show on his face.
“Oh boy,” Caden said softly.
Shea wasn’t encouraged when he jerked hishead at the other two who turned and walked away, leaving Sheafacing Fallon with Caden at her back.
“Yes. You upset me when you bodily moved mefrom where I intended to sleep.” Remembering the events sent athread of that same anger through her body. She might have decidedshe didn’t want him dead, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten allthe insults he’d piled on over the past few days.
“I see.”
He did?
Without warning, he grabbed the front of hershirt and jerked her up to his face, leaving her balancing ontiptoes as he snarled down at her.
“Do you have any idea what I would do to youif you were any other person?” He shook her. “Any other man in myarmy would be up on charges for abandoning a post.” Another shake.“The penalty for that is death. Death, you daft woman. You drive memad. I could have you beaten bloody and then quartered.”
“Yes, yes. I get it,” Shea saidsarcastically. She even rolled her eyes for emphasis. All of hergood intentions flew the coop in the face of his fury. “You’re thebig, scary warlord, and I’ve embarrassed you in front of all yourmen. Shame on me. Should I apologize My Lord High and Mighty?”
All of a sudden the anger drained from hisface, leaving behind a man oozing lethality with every move hemade, as he gently drew one finger down the column of her throat.“Is that all you think you’ve done, my fire? Embarrass me?” hechuckled, his voice sinfully low. “If you had been my Tolroi,maybe. As my aide, you’ve disobeyed me, flaunted our laws andabandoned your duty. That contains entirely differentrepercussions. Now what am I going to do with you?”
Shea swallowed hard, feeling his handencircle the base of her throat, his thumb moving up and down theside of her neck in a caress that sent shivers rushing down herback.
“If I were you, I would be thanking me forcoming back, especially when you hear what I have to say. I couldhave left. Headed for home, but I came back. To you. That shouldgrant me some mercy.”
His eyes sharpened with interest, though hedidn’t move his hand, just kept up that maddening caress.
Receiving a slight nod to continue, Sheasaid, “There’s an ambush coming. I’m not sure where or how many menlie in wait, but I know there are men posed to strike.”
