Of Thorn and Thread (Daughters of Eville #4) - Chanda Hahn Page 0,17
wake up. Thankfully, his thoughts were silent.
A candle mark passed before Liam stirred. He groaned and sat up. I moved a safe distance away and watched him warily. Liam brought his hand up and wiped the dirt away from his face. He reached for his side and he sucked in his breath in pain.
He scanned the woods with those alert eyes and met my angry ones. His gaze quickly shied away. Feeling a cool breeze against my skin, I glanced down and let out a cry as I ducked into some bushes. I was in my very sheer nightdress.
“How dare you kidnap me,” I yelled, huddled behind the bushes, crossing my arms over my chest. I realized mud covered my feet, and my hair was a tangled mess from riding on a horse.
“I’m sorry, but you left me no choice.” Liam groaned.
“I demand that you take me home.”
I heard the clearing of a throat and looked up as Liam stood over me, his red cloak in his hands. I should have heard the scuffle of his boots on gravel as he was coming near, or heard his thoughts. How was it he was silent? How could a man not be thinking anything when standing next to a near-naked woman?
“Here.” He stared at an old ash tree, and when I wouldn’t take the cloak, he dropped it on my head and turned to give me his back.
“This doesn’t make up for what you did,” I grumbled, wrapping the warm cloak around my shoulders. It smelled faintly of leather and oil from his armor, a not unpleasant smell. “You can turn around now.”
He sighed and rubbed his brow. “I’m sorry, for it goes against everything I stand for, but you gave me the idea yourself.”
“I did not,” I said heatedly.
His eyes narrowed. “You did. You all but said your mother refuses to help my kingdom, but you wished you could aid me. So, I took you up on your word.”
“In no way or language does that mean kidnap me. And how did you get past our wards?”
“What wards?”
“The wards on our land that warn of imposing threats.”
“I guess there’s your answer.”
“What?”
“I pose no threat to you, or the wards would have gone off.”
Liam was right. The crystal ward by my head should have alerted me. Maybe it was defective because none of our guardians were stirred from their slumber. “But still, you will be sorry when my mother finds out that you’ve kidnapped me.”
“Borrowed.” He grinned, dusting his hands off. “I fully intend to return you, after you help me.”
I looked around at the forest and at my bare feet, then over to Liam. His side was still bleeding, and I was worried because it seemed to be on the opposite side of the injury we tended. It was a fresh wound. But other than the sword on his hip, the leather armor he was wearing, and his money pouch, he didn’t have any belongings and our horse was long gone. I glanced up at the sun that was disappearing behind dark clouds and estimated it was a few candle marks past noon. We could have traveled quite a long distance if we left in the middle of the night. We could be halfway to Candor by now, too far for me to make it back home by foot.
I grimaced. “So, um. Who’s going to save us now?”
Liam took stock of our own situation. “It’s fine. All we have to do is keep heading that way.” He pointed and grinned.
“North,” I repeated dumbly. The air became colder, and the wind picked up, blowing at the hem of my dress.
“Toward Rya,” he said.
I sighed and looked back the way we came, toward home.
Liam saw my hesitation, and he came and kneeled in front of me. His fist pressed over his heart.
“I don’t say please. Ever. But I’m begging you. Please help me in saving my home from the blight that has afflicted the land.” A flash of white appeared in my mind, signaling honesty.
Liam sounded so noble, so pure in his trust and commitment, and he said exactly what he was thinking. That it made it easy to put my trust in him. But on the other hand, if my mother found out, she would kill me.
I sighed. “Okay.”
Liam blinked and seemed surprised at my answer. “Really?”
“Yes,” I groaned. “But if I come home cursed or dead, I will come back and haunt you.”
Liam came to me and bowed. “You won’t regret this.”