Page 14 of Taken By the Exiled Laird

"I…" she stammered, her head suddenly spinning.

"Mine," he whispered even more quietly in her ear. "Mine tae keep. Mine tae protect. And mine tae destroy. If need be." His fingers trailed down her neck. "A shame tae remove somethin' so bonny from the world, but I'll do what I have tae. Do ye understand?"

Fear eclipsed every part of Briana, but she could not bring herself to try to pull away. Something dark coiled within her, and she knew she had no choice. She was powerless to him, at least for now. Unable to speak, she gave a tiny nod.

Theon leaned back. "Say it," he growled. "Say it so I ken I can trust ye."

There in the woods, far from home, pressed tight against the body of the enemy who had haunted her dreams, with no choices ahead of her and no freedom behind, there was only one way that Briana could respond.

And so, breathily, faintly, she whispered, "I'm yers."

Chapter Six

The air was heavy with smoke and distress as Graeme cleared away the bowls in which their dinner had been served around the campfire. Briana murmured thanks without even really thinking, though it had been humiliating to eat while she struggled with her bound hands. She had struggled with the spoon, but she'd been too proud to allow any of them to help her, even Noah. She still did not know what to think about the fact he was even alive despite what her father had sworn to her, never mind the fact that he had joined the Broken Blades.

Briana's wrists and ankles ached from the tightness of the bonds that Theon had tied around her, but she did not complain. She would not allow him to see any more weakness from her. She may be a prisoner, but she would not be a plaything.

"Thank God ye took over the night's cookin', Noah," Graeme said as he washed the bowls in water they'd gathered from the nearby river. "If I'd had tae eat any more of the swill that Keir served us this mornin', I think I'd have died here and now."

Noah smiled, but that smile died when his eyes flicked to Keir, who was scowling and staring directly at Briana. Briana had tried hard to ignore him, but he hadn't taken his eyes from her all through dinner, and she was almost certain that he was just waiting for an excuse to draw his sword across her throat.

She shuddered, averting her gaze, and turned her eyes back to Noah. He was now watching her too, his eyes more brown than black in the firelight, shining with concern and sympathy.

"Me lady, it's gonnae rain again," Noah said. "Ye're nae gonnae sleep on the ground another night. If ye want, ye can sleep in me cabin. I'll even give ye the bed if⁠—"

"Nay," Theon interrupted sharply in a voice that brooked no argument. "She'll sleep in me cabin. It's the most central, and it's the easiest way for me tae keep an eye on her."

Noah frowned, and he and Graeme exchanged glances.

"Ye need tae sleep at some point, Theon," Graeme said.

Briana hated how brotherly he sounded when he spoke. She would rather not think of these people, these criminals, as a real family rather than the monsters they were.

"I will sleep. We'll take turns on the watch. Ye ken I'm a light sleeper, anyway," Theon replied. He glanced at Briana. "Nae that she'll run again anyway. Will ye?"

Briana didn't dignify the taunt with a response. She held her chin up high and said nothing.

Theon smirked into his cup, but Keir looked furious again.

"Now I'm tae lose sleep for her?" Keir demanded, the rage fizzling palpably in the air around him. "For this Cameron⁠—"

"Ye're tae lose sleep for yer brother and for all of us," Noah admonished. His hand hovered casually near his sword belt. "And I advise ye nae to finish that sentence."

Keir set his jaw, but Theon held up a hand. Briana, wide-eyed, looked between all three of them, then to Graeme, who was watching her with a curious smile. It was hard to believe, given how her life had gone so far, that all this fuss was for her.

"I'd listen. He nearly broke me nose earlier," Theon reminded Keir. "Ye'll take a watch just like everyone else. Ye can sit outside the cabin if ye want, if ye prefer the rain tae her company, but ye'll do yer duty. I'll take the first shift, then Graeme, then ye, and Noah can finish out the night."

"Nay," Keir snarled. He shot Briana a look so venomous that she felt herself shrinking back without any conscious thought. "I'll guard if I must, but I will go last. If she runs, she's most likely tae try it just before the dawn, when the rest of ye are asleep and the last watch is groggy from wakin'. And if she does, I'll take pleasure in puttin' me arrow between her shoulderblades." He smiled, a horrible, dark grin of vengeance. "It's the least I can do."

Theon abruptly stood. Ignoring Keir, he moved toward Briana and undid the ties on Briana's feet, though he kept her hands tied. He helped her to her feet, then, without a word, turned and walked toward his cabin.

Briana shot a nervous look toward Noah, who nodded with a faint, encouraging smile. She took a breath, then followed Theon, trying not to notice the feeling of Keir staring daggers into her back.

The cabin was sparse but still strangely comfortable, with a desk and chair, another chair, a bed, and a small trunk where Theon most likely kept his belongings. A threadbare rug had been placed on the floor, and as Theon lit a small candle to light the inside of the small room, she noticed that it looked handwoven. Where had he gotten that? It didn't look like the sort of thing worth stealing. It was very pretty, even if it was a little out of fashion, and she was surprised at the fact he'd have such a decoration at all.

"Come here," Theon ordered.

Briana approached and, at a gesture from him, held up her arms. He took one of her hands in his, which sent an unwitting shiver down across her skin, then undid the ropes that still bound her hands. When they were free, he frowned and traced a finger along the red welts the rope had left behind on both her wrists.