When he ran outside the inn and saw the men gathered around her, his instincts kicked in, and he sprung into action.
Killian killed the first two that came at him, and Lily maneuvered her way into grabbing one of their swords so she could forge into battle too. The cuts and sounds of blades clanging against one another filled the air for a long time.
Killian got one cut to his right arm, and he groaned as another blade pierced his side. He killed both of the men that hurt him, saved Lily from having her neck cut, and then took her hand.
“Run,” he ordered as they picked up their pace and ran towards their horse. “We are outnumbered, there’s no winning this fight.”
Lily obeyed him without a fight.
The soldiers followed, but Killian managed to get Lily on the horse and fight them off a little before he climbed in behind her, tightened his grip on the reins, and then galloped away.
They rode for a long time, and he looked back occasionally to see they were being chased. The heavy wind in the air blew Lily’s hair all over his face while she sat in front of him. Killian reveled in the sweet sensation that tunneled through him each time the scent of lilies invaded his nostrils.
The chase didn’t stop, though, and soon they reached a clearing. Their horse got spooked and halted abruptly, tossing them offthe saddle. They rolled to the ground together, and while pain sliced through every inch of him, Killian heard Lily’s groan as she tumbled on the ground beside him.
Her body made contact with a tree stump, and she stopped before she cried out in pain. Killian grabbed onto a rock to keep himself from rolling down the steep path, and when he finally managed to raise himself off the ground, he groaned loudly and then looked around for her.
“Lily?” Killian yelled, a sudden fear spiking through his blood when he noticed she lay unmoving on the ground. He ignored his own pain and ran to her. “Lily.”
She still did not move when he got to her, and his panic edged higher till his throat closed down.
He lifted her head off the ground and saw the blood on the side of her lips, and behind her head. She coughed in the next second, and her lids slowly opened.
“My head,” she complained in a wee voice.
Killian burst into a short, relieved chuckle when her brows furrowed and her lips formed a thin line.
“Am I dead?”
Her blue eyes were teary, her voice faint. At that moment, he forgot all about their conflict and focused on helping her to herfeet. He hated the tremor in her voice when she spoke to him. It sounded as if she was in pain.
Killian’s heart instantly ached as she murmured, “Did we outrun them?”
“Aye.”
The distant shouts of the men chasing them cut through the air.
“We dinnae have time,” Killian said as he took her hand. He then led her towards the steep cliff. “We need to jump.”
“What? Are you mad? We could die!” Lily yelled as she looked down the cliff. “The water down there isn’t deep enough.”
“Ye didnae seem too scared when ye jumped to get away from me before.”
“That was different… I was desperate.”
“And ye arenae desperate now?” He arched an eyebrow, and she stared at him for a second before pressing her lips together. “These men are tryin’ to kill us. Ye should be desperate.”
“All right… Let us jump before they find us.”
“I’ll count,” Killian said and tightened his hold on her hand. But before he could count to three, she let go of his hand and took a leap down the cliff, shocking him.
Killian scoffed as an amused smile played out on his lips.
She is insane.
He jumped, too, before their attackers caught up to them. He landed in the water, then swam to the shore to meet Lily on the other side.
She was panting when he joined her, her clothes soaked and clinging to her petite body, letting him make out more of her slender figure. He couldn’t stop staring at her as they sat there. Her hair was wet too. Some strands fell to the sides of her face while others were plastered on her forehead.
