Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“Fucking asshole, let me go!”
“I will after you chill for a second. Can you do that?”
“Fuck you.” She gave another buck.
I kept her still and waited for her to tire out.
After minutes of squirming and bucking, she finally gave up.
“What’s your name?”
She kept her mouth shut.
“We’re going to be here all night, huh?”
She finally spat out an answer. “Effie.”
“Effie. Pretty.”
She gave another buck against me.
“You should stop doing that…a bit of a turn-on.”
She went absolutely still.
“Why are you out here alone?”
“I needed to get medicine for my mother…and got lost.”
“Medicine from where?”
“One of the villages.”
“And where are you from?”
“Delacroix.”
“I can take you back to Delacroix.”
“No.”
My eyebrows rose. “You’d rather take your chances out here alone? Lost?”
“Better than being anywhere near him.”
“He’s not going to touch you.”
“He just assaulted me.”
“Well, he won’t do that again.”
“Men are pigs, and you have no control over them.”
“I do, actually. My father is the Duke of Delacroix.”
She went still, her breathing deep and even.
“I’ll escort you back there safely. You have my word.”
“You’re lying.”
“Why would I do that? I could have let him have his way with you. Or I could have my way with you right now. Don’t see either of those happening. Do you?”
She breathed, her cheek against the dirt.
“I’m going to let you go now. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t run. I’ve been traveling for months, and I’m fucking tired.” I released her wrists and got to my feet.
She lay there for a second before she pushed her palms against the earth and rose to her feet. Dirt stained her white tunic, some of it was in her hair, and the wetness of her cheeks made the dirt stick to her face.
She was still a hottie.
She brushed her hands on her trousers.
“Ryker.”
“Yes, I know your name. You’re out here searching for your sister?”
For just a brief second, I forgot about my mission, and the pain came flooding back. “Yes.”
“I’m guessing you haven’t found her yet?”
I gave a shake of my head. “Wouldn’t happen to know anything, would you?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was worth the shot. “Come on. We’ll head back to Delacroix in the morning.” I took a step back toward the camp and quickly realized she didn’t follow. “I gave you my word.”
“You can’t control other people.”
“I can when I can behead anyone I want—without reason.”
She still hesitated, as if this was some elaborate trap.
“What’s it going to take? Because, clearly, my word isn’t good enough for you.”
Her eyes dropped down to my belt. “That dagger.”
My hand reached for it on my belt, grasping the cool metal of the hilt. “That’s not going to do much against a man like Karl.”
“It will if you use it right.”
If she were anyone else, she would have tried my patience, but those green eyes were so fascinating to me. One moment, they could be fearful and dim, and then another moment later, they could be bright with fury. Back and forth they went, like the balance of an uneven knife. “Alright.” I removed the scabbard from my belt and handed it over.
She snatched it from my hand quickly, like I might change my mind.
She lay between me and the tree trunk, the rest of the men spread out around the campfire. They all stared at Effie when we joined them, but they wouldn’t dare disobey my orders.
Even though she had my dagger tucked into one of her pockets, I slept easy, knowing she wouldn’t try to hurt me when I was the one who saved her. She couldn’t sneak up on me anyway.
At sunrise the next morning, we packed our bags and kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out.
“Karl, get up.” Bryson gave him a gentle kick with his boot.
The rest of the men were ready to go.
Effie stayed close to my side, always keeping her eye on the rest of the men at all times.
Bryson gave him a harder kick. “Come on.”
This time, he rolled over—and he was dead. His eyes were open and empty, and the front of his neck was stained with blood because his throat had been slit. The wound was still gaping open, a couple insects already inside.
Bryson immediately backed up and flashed his eyes on Effie.
I did the same.
She held my stare, her look fierce. “He deserved it.”
Speechless, I continued to hold her gaze. Wasn’t sure if I admired her or despised her. Now I felt like an idiot for giving her my dagger.
“He was just going to do it to somebody else,” she said. “Now, he can’t.”
The men all looked to me, waiting for my response. She killed one of my own men—in his sleep. I’d never liked Karl, but he was a good scout and a remarkable tracker, an asset we couldn’t afford to lose. “I should have you hanged for that.”
“But you won’t.” She held out the dagger to me. “Because you know if you were me, you would have done the same thing.”