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“Are . . . you sure you can stop him?”
The anger swelled, burying deeper into my bones. I tried again. “I’ll train you so well that you will never allow him—or any man you don’t expressly wish—to touch you again. Understand? Don’t let fear of that mongrel hold you back. Let it empower you, just as the rage I feel at my enemies empowers me.”
“So that’s how you do it?”
“Do what?”
The anxious look on her face broke, the knot in her brow flattening. As she smiled, it was like the clouds parting for the sun. “Stay so angry and wrathful all the time.”
I snorted, smirking, my voice little more than a whisper. “You haven’t seen half of what I’m capable of. You think you’ve seen me angry? You’ve seen me . . . mildly vexed.”
“Even last night?”
“Fine. Moderately vexed.”
Her expression darkened smugly. “What do I have to do to see the severe version?”
My brow jumped. My fingers were still holding her face, our lips inches apart. “Quit trying to impress me, little thorn.”
“Why? Does it . . . anger you?”
“It makes me crave you.”
She scoffed. “Should I run, then? Is that how I get away from your cravings?”
“I’ll catch you.”
Breaking her hold on my fingers, she stepped back and put her fists on her hips. “Is that a fact? What makes you so sure of yourself?”
I gave her an easy shrug. “I trust my abilities. Confidence, arrogance. Call it what you will.”
With her eyes teasing, playfully matching mine, she licked her lips. “Funny. Because I trust my abilities.”
“I suppose we’ll have to make a wager of it, then, won’t we? Fleeing and knowing when to escape harm was meant to be the second half of this tutorial, after all.”
Robin could hardly contain her excitement. I could tell by the glimmer in her amber eyes. The promise of mischief. “I suppose we will. What’s the bet, Scarlet?”
“A chase through the woods. With a designated end marker.” I tapped my chin, glancing around, thinking. Then my eyes flashed and I pointed at her. “If you can get to the Grinning Oak before I can catch you, then you’ll win.”
“I know the tree. What do I get if I win?”
I thought about that for a moment, pursing my lips. “Whatever you want from me. An answer to a burning question? One of my swords? Whatever you wish.”
She nodded slowly, taking me in, searching for any sign of deceit. “I’ll have to think on it. And if you catch me?”
“If I catch you, you can try to fight me off to keep going. I’ll give you that chance.”
She let out an incredulous scoff. “I don’t need your pity rules, sir.”
“Very well.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you win if you catch me, Will Scarlet?” she repeated with a darker smirk this time.
It took no time to answer, because it had been all I could think of since last night.
“Every. Perfect. Inch of you, Robin Hood.”
Chapter 6
