It seemed, though, that her brain refused to be pushed any further. All it took was a few seconds for her consciousness to slip away, claiming the rest her body desperately needed. It wasn’t a deep rest since her senses were still partially attuned to her surroundings.
She didn’t stay asleep for long, though. Or, perhaps she did, and she had lost her ability to keep track of time. A branch snapped, loud like a whip, and she was jerked back into the waking world.
Without looking to see who or what made the noise, Flora scrambled to her feet. She ran, ignoring how horribly exhausted her body felt. It was as if something in her brain had clicked, telling her that if she didn’t get away from here at this instant, she’d be killed.
Lord, please let me survive this. Let me escape. I cannae keep livin’ like this.
The foliage grew thick as Lucas ventured further into the forest. His surroundings were eerily quiet, but that didn’t mean he’d lost the trail. In fact, he was sure of the opposite.
He knew that he was close. The woman couldn’t be far, not with how ruined the surroundings were and how tired he knew she was. If he had to guess, she was somewhere nearby resting. Her small body had been pushed to its limits. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was struggling to keep going, and he planned on using that to his advantage.
His boot slammed down against a branch, the sound louder than he anticipated. For a moment, all of the wildlife went quiet. The leaves rustling in the wind were the only sound in the forest. Then, the bird song started up again, sensing that he wasn’t a threat to them.
There was another noise that caught his attention almost immediately after. Someone was running, seemingly uncaring about how much attention they were drawing to themself. A predatory instinct niggled at the back of his brain, telling him that he had nearly caught her. The chase was almost over.
Lucas followed the cacophony of her flight. As he moved with a grace that didn’t seem to make sense for his large body, the sounds of her struggle grew louder, her feet disturbing dry sticks, her body brushing against the wild growth of the forest. An almost manic smile spread across his lips, the thrill of knowing he was close, heady.
Suddenly, there was a thud followed by the sound of foliage being frantically rearranged. Then, there was nothing but silence. Her body must have given out, and it seemed as if she had the presence of mind to try to hide. Unfortunately for her, there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t find.
“Ye’re a smart wee thing, are ye nae?” Lucas said as he strolled closer to where the noise had stopped. His eyes caught sight of the path she’d taken, the places where the ground had been stomped down by desperate feet. “Ye left the clearin’, and ye’re on yer way to the village. It’ll take ye a long time to get there though, lass. It’d take ye a long time even if ye werenae so tired.”
His gaze swept the area, looking for anything out of place. At first, he thought that perhaps she’d made it a little further. Then, he saw a pile of leaves that moved in time with ragged breaths. The animalistic smirk on his face widened.
“Ach, lass,” he said as he approached slowly, making his steps loud enough that she would have no question about whether or not he was coming for her. “Ye made a good attempt, but I’m nae easy to trick.”
He took one more step forward, and the girl threw herself out of her hiding spot. In her hands was another rock, smaller than the first. She shook, but there was a fire in her eyes. He couldn’t help but be impressed by the bravery she was showing.
“A fighter, aye? I thought so,” Lucas said, stepping to the side as she surged forward. The rock came down, missing his arm by a few inches. “Yer spirit is admirable, lass.”
The girl grunted, spinning around clumsily. She barely kept her footing, but she held herself upright with nothing but pure will. When she came at him again, Lucas grabbed the rock from the air, plucking it out of her hands effortlessly and leaving her completely defenseless.
“Come on now,” he told her, dropping the stone and stepping into her space. “Do ye really want to do that? I’m the one who saved ye. I’m still tryin’ to help ye.”
She made a noise, sounding like a feral animal that had been backed into a corner. He supposed that she might as well be. This close to her, Lucas could see that she was forged by stubborn survival. Her face was thin, her cheeks lacking the roundness that someone as young as she should have. Her eyes carried endless stories of suffering and resilience.
She’s an interestin’ thing. I’m goin’ to have to earn her trust before she lets me dig into all those secrets she’s carryin’, so I can get her back to her family. Someone must be missin’ her somethin’ fierce.
“It’s time for ye to stop attackin’ me,” he said, tempering his tone and raising his hands to show that he meant her no harm. “I’m nae like those other men. I’m goin’ to take ye somewhere safe. Ye just have to let me do it.”
The girl backed away, looking as if she were ready to dart away. If she did, her body wouldn’t last much longer. She was swaying now, blinking hard at him. If she tried to run again, she’d topple over and injure herself. The poor thing already desperately needed medical attention. There were bruises on her arms and a nasty cut on the back of her hand.
“Ach, daenae run,” he said, stepping forward and bringing her into his arms easily. She struggled against his hold but wasn’t nearly strong enough to get away. “Calm down, lass. I’ve got ye now. As long as ye’re with me, I’ll keep ye safe.”
She grunted, pushing against him as he shifted his grip, slipping an arm under her knees and another around her shoulders. When he pressed her hard against his chest, his grasp firm though not tight enough to injure her, she stopped fighting. However, her body didn’t relax. As he began to walk them out of the woods, she stiffened further.
“I ken,” he said, making his voice as soothing as he could muster. It had been years since he’d comforted someone, though. “Yedaenae trust me. But ye’re under me protection now. Ye’re never goin’ to have to worry about men like that again. I will make damn sure of it.”
She remained silent, but as he stepped onto the path, carrying her toward the sounds of his men, he felt her head bob up and down against his chest.
Chapter Four
“That looks like it hurts,” Gabriella said, her fingers brushing over the new cut that Flora had received during the hunt. “Are ye sure ye’re all right, Flora?”
“Aye,” Flora said softly, the word catching in her throat. Speaking was difficult, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of how exhausted she was or if it was something else. “I will heal. I’m more concerned about all of ye. I lost sight of ye when they let us go. I was so worried that I’d never see any of ye again.”
The other girls were so nervous, so scared. All three of them were hovering near Flora in a tight knot. One of them whimpered, swallowing down tears. When she stepped back, a twig broke under her foot, making all four of them jump.
Take a deep breath. They need ye to keep yer head.
