As she swung herself over the bench, he placed a hand against her back. He realized it had far more to do with protecting her than protecting the quotidian folk around him. Interesting. When had that changed?
“I’m afraid we’ve disrupted your good establishment, Heidi,” Erich called out as he scooped Azel up from the bench. “We’ll be taking our leave before we impose upon your kindness further.”
Before Erich turned away from the table, Loke caught his eye. He raised his mug in a toast, a slimy grin spreading over his calloused lips.
Erich turned away and walked toward the door as quickly as he could, kicking it open in his hurry to escape the muggy room.
Every other time he had lifted Azel, she had held herself as stiffly as possible. But tonight, her face was buried against his chest and her arms clung to his neck.
He held her gently as he headed toward the stable. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest and he realized his own heartbeat matched hers.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the top of her head. “I’m so sorry.”
Her whole body trembled. Was she still afraid?
“We’ll get far away from here tonight. So far that no one can follow us. No one will hurt you.”
She clung to him in response.
He entered the stable and quickly located Constance. The stable girl joined him and resaddled both horses.
Standing by Constance’s side, he made to lift Azel on top of the horse. Her small hands gripped his collar for a moment longer than usual before she let go and settled herself into the saddle.
Clutched in her hands was his favorite hat. He had forgotten it on the bench. She must have grabbed it as they were leaving.
Erich kept his hands on her waist for an extra moment. “Would you like to ride with me tonight? It’s going to be dark and...” He could think of no other excuse, except that she looked distraught enough to tumble off the tall horse if left on her own.
She looked down at him, her green eyes full of fear and distrust. She glanced back toward the inn before nodding her assent.
A few moments later, they were both mounted on his horse, with Constance connected behind.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, stabilizing her back against his chest, and urged his horse forward into the night.
Azel’s tense muscles didn’t relax until they had escaped into the darkness.
Chapter 24
As they raced away from the horrid village, Aizel felt a deep exhaustion seep into all of her being. It was more than just her body being tired; it was a weariness she knew sleep wouldn’t fix.
Behind her, she could feel Erich’s heart pounding in his chest. The beat was fast and constant and stirred a melody deep inside her.
The hooves of the horses sounded in a desperate pattern as well, echoing against the hollow road beneath their feet.
The melody in her head moved through her, getting caught and twisted between the two conflicting beats.
She wanted to reach for the songs that had always calmed her, but the unmatched rhythms of Erich’s heart and the horses’ hooves kept cutting the notes short in her head.
Her own breathing grew uneven as her attempts to calm failed. They were riding to safety, but her body still screamed she was in danger.
Even the horses seemed to sense her panic.
A new song, one she had never heard or sang, began to form inside her. Instead of dissipating in the discorded beats around her, this new song grew out of the chaos.
It built inside her, feeding off her fear and embarrassment and anger, filling every bit of emptiness.
Her breathing deepened and intensified. She had control over this song.
However, without a voice, she had no way to release it. As the song grew, the pressure built inside her until she was afraid she’d burst.
