Awareness seeped through the dark cracks of oblivion.
My side was pressed against a glorious heat that smelled of musk and leather. There was a feeling of gentle rocking and the soft, rhythmic sounds of horses clopping. The delicious combination was soothing, luring me back toward unconsciousness. Peace suffused me from the inside out, a welcome change.
I could stay here forever.
“The scouts…no one follows or…over the border.”
A soft voice from far away floated through the air, threatening that wonderful tranquility. Silence returned for a moment, and I burrowed into the warmth.
“We’ll scout again when we reach Carmen. That border is new, which means it’s weak. They have strong motivation now to cross it.” The surface beneath my ear vibrated with each thunderous word, and reality crashed in.
I opened my eyes to see tan leather and black straps across a muscled chest.
The same muscled chest I’d just snuggled like a pillow.
Lax muscles turned rigid, and I snapped away from his body. Momentum carried me too far, and I tried to fling my hands out for balance, only to realize they were locked together. This wasa damn tall horse to fall from. Quick as lightning, a hand snaked out and tugged me back. Seated sideways, my butt slid into his lap without resistance.
“You bastard,” I muttered my words from earlier, remembering his trick with the draught all too well. Considering the sky was now the darker gray that came with late afternoon, he’d put me out for hours.
Someone snorted behind me.
The muscles beneath that leather tightened, as did his grip on my waist. “Rest for a few minutes. Water the horses. This won’t take long,” he instructed above my head. His deep voice easily carried across the group, ringing with innate authority.
Those were the words of some kind of leader, not a henchman. Trepidation sank in as the men halted but we trotted forward.
I’d just called this leader—this terrifying warrior—a “bastard” in front of his men.
Smart, Etarla.
Before, he had promised I wouldn’t be harmed. With the tension riding his body, that promise might no longer apply. Would he use his fists? Or would he unsheathe one of his knives and slice off my ear? He didn’t strike me as the type to use a whip as Koerlyn had.
I stared hard at a row of bare trees, hardly breathing as we came to an abrupt stop.
He didn’t wait to use his words. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, those are my men. I’m not known for tolerating disrespect, particularly in their company.”
The low, unyielding tone sent my heart into my throat. There were no signs of the reassurance or calm I’d witnessed when he’d helped me breathe or when my body had gone limp. It was the voice of the beast who’d cut down Koerlyn’s men.
“I realize you may have spoken without awareness, given you just woke up. You’ve also had a bad day. With Koerlyn, you probably hada few more. So that was your one free chance.” His lips lowered to my ear. “Understand?”
With his intimidating mass and bent head, I was overwhelmed, swallowed, by his presence. Sure, I was of average height and had some strength, but next to him, I felt as breakable as a twig. No doubt he wanted me to feel that way.
I swallowed. He’d said,particularly in their company.Could I speak freely when it was just me and him? Ask him questions? Curse him out?
Probably not.
“Nod or ask,” he said quietly, each word stirring my hair.
I clenched my fists to stop their trembling. I might as well clarify the ground rules while he was laying them out. “What about when it’s just me and you?”
“You’re asking if there’s still a time when you can disrespect me?”
The barbed question reminded me of Koerlyn’s when he’d first found me.Are you calling me a liar?My answer then hadn’t been sufficient. It would probably fail again now.
I held my tongue.
“Go on. Answer.”
Was it a taunt or a genuine request? How could I know? Indecision kept me silent, and he pulled back a hairsbreadth. My lungs filled on a shuddering breath.
