Fallon’s caress stopped and Caden movedaround front, watching her carefully.
“Continue,” Fallon said.
“I overheard two men talking out there aboutlooking for someone. I think they were looking for you, and I don’tthink they planned to be very friendly when they finally caught upto you. They were planning an ambush.”
“Did you know them or see what they werewearing?” Caden asked.
Shea shook her head. “No, I heard them comingand hid since they were coming from the opposite direction ofcamp.”
The two men shared a look, but neither seemedsurprised. As if they were expecting an attack.
Shea thought back to Darius’s concern overFallon leaving with only a hundred men, seeing it in a differentlight. Had he known even then?
If so, why? As bait, maybe? A way to draw outthe traitors hiding in Fallon’s ranks?
This whole excursion could be one giant trap.A counter ambush that took care of Fallon’s opposition in one fellswoop.
Shea looked around the clearing with neweyes, seeing things she had missed before. There was none of theease the men would typically have at the end of a day. Instead ofplaying cards or bones, men polished swords and fixed what littlearmor they wore. There was an alertness about them that said theywere prepared for an attack at any moment.
Shea had thought nothing of it earlier,attributing it to behavior befitting an elite group of warriors.The best in the army if camp fire gossip was to be believed. Now,she saw it as something else entirely.
“You knew about the attack,” Shea said, alittle dazed at the astounding risk he was taking.
“We hoped our enemies would take advantage ofour situation,” Fallon told her.
“We never thought it would come this soon,”Caden groused. “We’re barely a day out from the main encampment.Considering slow poke’s pace today, we didn’t make it nearly as faras we would have normally.”
“Hey!” Shea exclaimed. “You gave me a ponythat was half as tall as your mounts.”
Caden scoffed and turned back to Fallon. “Wecan send scouts to pinpoint their position. It might give us anidea of where and when they are planning to attack. Might even tellus who is behind everything.”
“Their leader is a woman from the sound ofit,” Shea chimed in, tired of being on the periphery of theconversation.
“What do you mean? I thought you didn’t seethem. You couldn’t have seen if they were wearing clan covers ifyou didn’t lay eyes on them.” Caden sounded suspicious.
“I didn’t say I saw them. However, they kepttalking about a lady. Said Fallon was an oath breaker who led heron and broke her heart.”
“Indra,” Fallon spat out.
“I told you that woman wouldn’t take yourrefusal of her bed lightly.” Caden groused.
“I never made her promises or indicated shewould rule beside me as Telroi.”
“Aye. I know it, and we know she’s not inthis alone. There has to be at least one other feeding herinformation and helping her plan,” Caden said.
When they both looked at Shea, she shrugged.“Don’t look at me. That’s pretty much the extent of what I heardout there. Anything else and you’ll have to figure it out on yourown.”
“You’ve been very helpful,” Fallonobserved.
Caden cleared his throat hiding what soundedsuspiciously like a chuckle. “I’ll see to the men while you tameyour mouse.”
With Caden’s departure, Fallon focused solelyon Shea, pinning her under an intense gaze that saw through herevery defense straight to the person hiding inside.
It was a heady feeling, imagining he knew herevery secret, her every desire. For someone whom loneliness waspractically a state of being, it made her feel wanted, cherishedeven.
“You have a choice to make,” Fallon said,stepping close and bending his head towards her. “You either becomemy Tolroi or you leave, tonight. Where you go, I don’t care as longas you’re gone from here.”
Shea’s breath stuttered and she blinked. Thenblinked again. She’d expected him to yell. Castigate her for takingoff alone. Maybe, if she was lucky, thank her for the intelligenceshe had happened across. Offering to let her go back to theHighlands was not even on the list. It was nowhere near the listand in fact would be the very last thing she ever thought to hearfrom his mouth.
