She shakes her head, unable to dwell on this now.
After purchasing her supplies, her mind drifts back to home and Treland. She knows she must carve her own path away from her father, releasing the shame she carries for not living up to the standards of Sigvid Thordsson.
I am more than his rage.
Gods, for once, let me channel my mother’s grace.
As she strides toward the stables, she cringes at the disgrace of not experiencing more guilt over the increasing tension between her and Calder.
Considering the blacklist, her age, and his connection to her father.
Yet, after waking in the arms of a man who is risking everything for her, she finally begins to feel the independence she has not realized she craves.
She saddles a smaller, nondescript brown mare, leaving their stolen horse for Calder. The stable boy, uncaring or too busy to notice, moseys in the stalls without a glance.
After stuffing her items in the saddle bags, except a compass and map of Skalor that Argnier helped her perfect, she rides off into the late morning sunlight.
Condemning the Iss Drengr has never been her intention, yet she agonizes over his fate. Perhaps she can save him from being forced to act as a vessel for Makt.
It has been a long time since she put someone else's needs above her own.
She rides hard until the sun dips beneath the sky and deep violet hues paint the horizon.
With her father’s blackwood axe sheathed at her side, she sets up camp along a hot spring not far off the main dirt road and leaves herself enough time to bathe beneath the sunset.
She strips to nothing, bunching yesterday’s foul-smelling clothes in a mass at the base of a tree before dipping into the searing heat that has her moaning.
The steam swirls around her breasts and face, offering a tantalizingwarmth.
A chipmunk scurries through the brush, prompting a slight smile from her. The peace and serenity of the woods are something she desperately needed.
She sighs, sinking into the steaming water, and rests her head against the rocky ground.
One day, she might be able to chase her stolen moments with Calder and relish a night of feral lovemaking known only to them. Then, they might tuck it away as a forbidden memory, never to be savored in the light of day.
The snap of a twig stirs her thoughts to the edge of the grove. She opens one eye to her surroundings and sees that even the wildlife has abandoned her.
She peers around, swimming to the opposite edge, and hears footsteps approach her from behind.
“Princess.”
His deep voice scorches her cheeks, and she nearly leaps out of the pool, her hand clutching her fluttering heart. “Gods!” she swears at Calder's sudden, imposing appearance.
How in the Depths did he track me? He was fast asleep when I slipped out this morning.
He towers over the hot springs with his arms folded across his inked chest. Somehow, his arrival in only his black leather trousers and boots has her equal parts terrified and aroused.
She opens her mouth to ask how he found her when she notices a coiled rope hanging from his leather belt.
Aura swallows hard, her heart rate increasing from the initial scare.
When she finally lifts her gaze to his, they find him boring into her soul.
“I see you found my note.” She squirms under his unrestrained expression. His icy gaze tracks her slight movements in the water. “I meant what I said.” She rolls her shoulders back. “You unnecessarily risk your life on this quest, and I need time to determine what we are.”
“You meant to violate your blood oath to me?”
“I…”I didn’t betray him.
