“We can hear you, you know?”
Shadow snorts her agreement.
“Besides.” Kane lowers his voice to an exaggerated whisper. “Iambeing a gentleman, aren’t I, Shadow? Only a gentleman would protect this little fawn on her journey to the palace, knowing full well that she’ll fail and have to enact my much better strategy in the end anyway.”
“I’m ignoring you,” I singsong as I jump from onedry patch to another, awkwardly navigating the trickier sections of mud puddles and protruding rocks.
“It’s unfortunate we’re being ignored,” Kane says. “Shadow here could teach you a thing or two about traversing the terrain.”
I stop and turn to face him. “I wouldn’t need Shadow to teach me if I were up in the saddle with you,” I snap, holding my hand above my brow to shield my eyes from the sun.
He guides the mare closer. The hulking mass of rider on horseback washes over me in a cool cloud that blocks out the light. Kane leans forward and whispers into Shadow’s ear. This time, it’s something I don’t overhear. The mare tosses her head in reply, her black mane shimmering in the sunlight.
“What did you tell her?” I ask despite myself.
The corners of Kane’s mouth quirk up in a boyish smile. “Just discussing the finer points of mud walking. But don’t worry. Shadow thinks you’re doing admirably for a novice.”
“Well, thank you, Shadow. I’m glad I have your approval.” I can’t help but smile too, even though his stubbornness resulted in my shoe filling with mud. “It’s too bad I can’t get your passenger to surrender and let me ride for a little while.”
With a fluid and controlled motion that speaks of long practice, Kane smoothly swings his right leg over Shadow’s back. He lands on the ground with a soft thud, the movement as agile and effortless as a cat’s. His hand remains on the reins, although, from the looks of it, it would take a lot more than a dropped lead to tear these two apart.
“And would you like that…” he asks, closing the distance between us, “if I let you ride?”
I wheeze and stand there, lost in his dark gaze, my mouth moving but words as out of reach as my home. And, for a moment, I forget he has a blood-streaked sword on his hip.
“Although, if I were to take you for a ride, I guarantee it would be longer than a little while.”
My cheeks burn, and I want to say that I only said I was bad at sex when I thought he’d kidnapped me, but it’s no use. I’ll start drooling before I form a coherent sentence.
“Speechless?” He scrapes his calloused finger up my throat, closing my jaw. “That’s my girl.”
I hate that he has this effect on me, that he can say things that make my insides melt into gooey marshmallow. That I want him to say more. That I want him to talk to me like this with his hands on more places than my neck.
I shake my head, and with it the thoughts that make my skin hum with sweet anticipation. “Try ‘annoyed.’ And I’m not your girl. I’m nobody’s girl,” I say, reminding my rebellious body that we don’t want Kane.
Shadow grunts and nuzzles his shoulder, lipping his long hair. I shiver when he leans into her and cool air rushes through the widened gap between us.
“I think Shadow felt a bit left out.” He reaches into the saddlebag and removes a sweet-smelling hard biscuit. It’s gobbled up the second he holds it out to her, bits of oats dropping to the ground as she chomps on the treat. “She doesn’t like to share me.”
“Well, she’s in luck. I don’t plan on taking you away.”I cross my arms over my chest, strengthening the physical barrier between us. “I’ve just come out of my worst relationship in a string of terrible relationships, and I’m absolutely not going to put my heart on the line again anytime soon.” I was wrong about Chad—sowrong—and I’ve been wrong about so many others. When it comes to choosing men, I’ve got my mom’s shitty taste, and I don’t want to be wrong again. Honestly, my mental health can’t handle my being wrong again.
“We have an understanding, then,” Kane says. “No hearts are on the table available for the taking. However, I am always up for a bit of fun.”
“Fun? What happened to the risk of us being beheaded?”
“Oh,” he says, leaning closer, grinning. “I think you’ll find there’s always time for fun.”
I clear my throat in preparation for a retort that will inform him I want zero part of any fun with him, heart or otherwise, when Shadow lets out a sharp snort that makes me flinch. She stiffens on alert, her ears pricking up.
“What is it, girl? What do you see?” Kane whispers. His gaze cuts through the trees, as sharp and focused as Shadow’s.
He must see what she does because, in an instant, Kane’s demeanor shifts. He grabs my arm and pulls me and Shadow off the road and into the safety of the tree line. His hand is firm against the back of my neck as he directs me beneath the drooping boughs of a massive pine. In the other, he has hold of Shadow’s reins as she stands stiff and alert outside the cover of the branches.
“What are we doing?” I whisper, trying to peer around the tree trunk to the path.
“Stay quiet.”
My irritation builds, buzzing around me like a cloud of gnats. “Why? What are we—”
