Wellion moved to grab Riann again, but before he could, Sallara slipped her arm through his. “Let’s get you something to eat,” she cooed as she led him toward one of the tables. “I can tell you’refamished.”
Riann’s stomach growled at the sight and smell of the roast chicken set out on the tables. Sallara ordered someone to bring them two trenchers, and after loading food onto them, she proceeded to feed Riann herself. Riann wanted to knock her hand away, but Sallara had not unbound his wrists, so he had no choice but to sit there and allow her to feed him while the other men jeered and made scathing comments. Many of them eyed Riann with outright hatred and jealousy, not that he was surprised. He might not want Sallara for himself, but there was no doubt she was a desirablewoman.
Riann half expected Wellion to sit with them, which would have made the situation a bit more bearable. He didn’t like the bandit by any means, but he was somehow more tolerable than the others. But though the captain watched him like a hawk through the entire meal, he sat next to his father at the high table, a good distanceaway.
“Come,” Sallara said, tugging him to his feet when their plates were empty. “Let’s get you settled in for the night, shallwe?”
The hidden meaning in her words left no doubt in Riann’s mind about what she meant, and his insides squirmed uncomfortably as she led him out of the great hall. Riann glanced over his shoulder, expecting Wellion to be trailing after him, but to his surprise, the bandit captain remainedseated.
What was going on here? From the way several of the men had looked at Sallara earlier, Riann gathered she had taken more than one of the bandits as lovers in the past. Why did her father let her sleep so freely, especially with cutthroats and ruffians? Did he have no care for her safety, or desire to see her married with a husband who would provide for her? Surely even in Carliss, men wanted their women to be relatively untouched before they wed them. Was he expected to be but another notch on Sallara’sbedpost?
“If you’re wondering why Wellion isn’t following us,” Sallara said as she led him down a winding staircase, “it’s because there is no need. My magic allows me to hold my own against any man. I am in no need of hisprotection.”
Well, that explains a lot.“You have no need to fear me,” Riann assured her. “I am not in the habit of hurting women, and besides, you saved mylife.”
“Indeed, I did,” Sallara said, giving him a saucy grin. “And I have no doubt you will do a very good job at showing me just how grateful youare.”
She raked him with a scorching gaze that sent shivers crawling all over his skin. Riann opened his mouth to protest, but she had already turned away. They reached the bottom of the steps, and Riann blinked as they came to a stop in front of a heavy, metal-reinforced woodendoor.
“What is this?” he asked as she unhooked a key ring from her belt. He had thought she was leading him to her chambers, and had been hoping he could put her to sleep and escape from there, perhaps through a window in herbedroom.
“The dungeons, of course.” Sallara inserted a rusty key into the lock, which groaned as she turned it. “Why, you didn’t think I would be taking you back to my rooms on the first night, did you?” She smirked at him over her shoulder as she pulled open thedoor.
“Well, no…” Riann said lamely, even though that was exactly what he had expected. “I just thought that since I’m a recruit, that means I’m no longer aprisoner.”
“You’ll have to forgive us for not being so trusting,” Sallara said as they walked past a row of cells, which were mostly empty save for a few inhabitants. “We are bandits, after all, and we don’t accept new blood into our ranks easily. I’m afraid you’ll have to remain under lock and key until we are certain you won’t betrayus.”
Riann said nothing as she came to a stop in front of an empty cell and opened the door for him. She cut his ties, and he reluctantly entered and surveyed the small space. The cell had a cot and a bucket that served as a chamber pot, but no blankets or anything that looked even remotely comfortable. The door swung shut behind him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Sallara pressed herself against him from behind and slid her hands beneath hisshirt.
“Mmm, you smell good,” shebreathed.
“Uhh, thank you.” Riann gently removed her hands, then stepped out of herembrace.
Sallara scowled. “What is this?” she demanded, her eyes flashing in the dim light. “Are you refusingme?”
“I…” Riann held up his hands, trying to figure a way out of this mess. If he outright rejected Sallara, she might change her mind, and tell her father to kill him. But he could not betray Tariel, not even to save his own life. “I find that the stench of urine and mold does not inspire me to be in an amorous mood,” he said. “And I am exhausted, on top of that, so I fear I would not be a goodlover.”
Sallara huffed, crossing her arms beneath her buxom chest. “Fair enough,” she said, relenting. “I suppose I can wait a few days. But you had better not hold out on me forever,outlander.”
“Wait.” He grabbed her wrist as she tried to turn away. “I don’t understand what this is all about. Why have you taken such an interest in me? Surely a baron’s daughter would not set her sights on a vagrant like me.”Or any of these bandits,he addedsilently.
Sallara smiled, and beneath the flash of white teeth was a thing full of bitterness and self-loathing that startled Riann. “Wellion and I are illegitimate,” she explained, “so our father cares not about what we do, or who we do it with. And since I have certain…talents…”—she wiggled her fingers, and a ribbon of glowing energy snaked between them—“that I use to fortify the castle and keep it running, my father indulges me to a certainextent.”
“I see.” Riann mulled her words over for a moment. “It seems like an interesting trade-off. More freedom, but less regard from yourfather.”
Sallara straightened her spine. “I care not one whit what my father, or any other man, thinks of me,” she said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “And you would do well to remember that, SirRiann.”
She locked the door behind her, then sashayed down the hall, swinging her hips for his benefit. Riann let out a sigh of relief as the heavy door at the end of the hall clanged shut behind her, thankful that he had not been forced to engage in carnal relations with her. He had bought himself a few days. All that remained was for him to figure a way out of here, before Tariel caught up with him. The last thing he wanted was for her to become embroiled in this den of thieves, especially since they had a witch of theirown.
