Lord of the Abyss - By Nalini Singh Page 0,82

it made her take a grim look at the consequences of her plan. To make Micah helpless while she died...it would do more damage to him than any of her father's traps, savage that proud heart.

A heavy scowl on his face. "You've lied to me again."

"It wasn't a real lie," she said, knowing she was only digging the hole deeper.

"I can read your guilt. Tell me."

Knowing there was no way to dress up the cold finality of the act she'd been contemplating, she just spit it out. "I know how to kill my father. However, the spell requires a death."

Rage turned the winter-green molten. "And you're angry at me?" He'd obviously realized exactly whose death would've been involved.

"I didn't know you when I came up with the idea."

Wild fury, his eyes never shifting off her.

"I'm sorry."

No effect.

Baring her teeth, she pushed at his chest. "I accepted your apology."

"I didn't plan to die and forget to tell you."

Guilt stabbed but she folded her arms, because if she gave in now, he'd bully her into doing everything exactly as he wanted. "You also didn't warn me. I just did." And in so doing, had ended their best hope of defeating her father - because there was no way Micah would allow her to go through with it.

Snarling, he kissed her. "If you even think about using that spell, I'll chain you up to a tree while I go meet your father alone."

Fisting her hands against his chest, she bit at his jaw. "You dare do that and I'll use blood sorcery to send you to another kingdom."

He threw her up on her clearly bemused night-horse with a growl. "I'll punish you later."

"Vengeful man."

"Remember that."

With that, they were on the road to Elden once more.

It was perhaps noon that they came upon the giant bridge troll with a stone mallet so big it would've crushed both man and beast should he have brought it down. But in this case, no violence was needed.

The troll, a creature who had something of a magpie's nature, was appeased by a gift of pink sapphires and rough-cut topaz. Micah scowled at losing so much of his treasury, but Liliana glared at him and so he didn't say a word - not until they were past the gloating creature, who was currently holding his jewels up to the sun. Then he muttered about the wisdom of giving such precious gems to a troll who would only hide them in his cave.

Liliana turned to argue with him since, at least now, he'd calmed down enough to talk to her, but never got the chance to speak a word - because that was when the arrows began flying.

A sharp pain.

Crying out, she fell over the neck of her horse, an arrow embedded in her left arm. Desperate for her blood not to touch the earth - her father might not have bothered to tie warning enchantments to the air as that took much power, but he would most certainly have tied them to the land - she clamped her hand over the wound and tried to keep her seat as her night-horse followed Micah's to a small ridge behind which they could take cover.

Grabbing her from the saddle the instant they were stationary, Micah sat her down. "We must pull this arrow out."

Nodding, she bit down on the gauntleted arm he held against her mouth as he removed the arrow with his other hand. Tears rolled down her face, but she forced herself not to use her sorcery to stitch up the wound. Any trap her father had laid would spring at the confluence of her blood and magic.

Slapping a wadded piece of cloth over the wound and telling her to hold it there, Micah wrapped the arrow in another cloth and thrust it into a saddlebag to ensure none of her blood touched the earth.

"Brave girl," he murmured, cupping her face. "I am sure I would've roared with displeasure and threatened to throw you in the dungeon."

His words made her smile through the pain. "I'm sure you would have." Squeezing his wrist when he went as if to call on the power he carried within, she said, "You already used it with the snakes. You must conserve your energy," and tugged at the bottom of her tunic. "Rip off a piece of this and tie it over the compress. It'll do - I'm not bleeding much now."

A scowl. "Lily - "

"You must listen to me on this." Arrows thudded