He didn’t know what to say to that, for it was the last thing he was expecting. “Why would you say that to him?”
The young woman’s gaze lowered to the floor as if she were humiliated by the idea. “It was the only thing I could think of. And he... he laughed and agreed.” She looked as if she wanted to disappear into the wall, but her daring had caught his attention in an intriguing way.
“You let him think you wanted me?” The idea was so startling, he could hardly grasp it. “We’re hardly more than strangers.”
Taryn closed her eyes. “I know it. But surely you know that you are... a handsome warrior. It was as good a reason as any. And he believed me, which was enough.” She raised both hands to her cheeks as if to cool the flush.
That wasn’t the true reason. The chieftain knew that Killian would rather die than be servant to a woman. It was a means of putting him in his place, of humiliating him. If Killian refused, then he could not guard his sister. If he agreed, then it forced him to obey the whims of Lady Taryn.
His anger rose up again, and she needed to understand that, although he might help her, he would not be manipulated. In an iron voice, he warned her, “I am no one’s slave.”
She stiffened, and her hands moved to her sides. “I never asked you to be.”
He took a step nearer, adding, “I am not yours to command, either. You need me more than I need you.”
“You’re wrong,” she murmured. “And while it’s not the way I wanted to travel, I’ve done this to help you.” She took a breath and faced him. “I know that I am ugly, and it is an insult, asking you to join me in this ruse. But I thought you would want to be near your sister.”
There was no self-pity in her tone—only a woman who spoke with frankness. To hear her speak of herself in that way bothered him. Aye, she had scars that had transformed her face. But he did not find her repulsive at all.
Killian reached out to her chin, forcing her to look at him once more. When she opened her blue eyes, he saw traces of fear and anxiety. “Were you wanting me to share your tent?” He wanted to see if her shyness was real or feigned, so he loosened the veil and drew his hand across her scarred cheek.
“No! Of course not.” She jolted at his touch, trying to pull back. And yet, he sensed that no one had ever paid attention to thiswoman. She was trying to make herself invisible, trying to hide behind her veil.
He caressed the line of her jaw, moving down to her throat. Beneath the linen, her silken hair fell against his fingertips. He could almost imagine the touch of those strands against his skin. When his gaze shifted to her gown, he realized that she did have generous curves. Enough to tempt anyone.
The thought interested him more than it should have. Her eyes held fear, but she bit her lower lip in a way that tempted him. This high-born woman was so far above him, and yet she did not seem to disdain his advances. Instead, she appeared startled, as if she had never been touched before. Likely she was still an innocent, her virginity meant as an offering to her future husband.
“What would your father say, if he knew you made this offer?”
“He...he would be angry with me.”
She averted her gaze, and he prompted further, “And what of your betrothed husband? Surely King Devlin’s only daughter is promised to wed a king or a king’s son. Will he not be angry?”
Her face turned scarlet, and she tried to pull away. “None of them wanted a scarred woman for a wife. My father offered a generous bridal price, but once they saw my face, they refused.”
There were years of hurt feelings bound up in her words, but he would not let her go. Not yet. “I don’t believe you. There are men who would wed a—”
“A monster like me?” she interrupted. She removed her veil and pulled back her hair, revealing her scars. “I know that. But why would I want to wed a man who only wanted my bride price?”
“It happens all the time,” he told her. “Men marry for a fortune and do not care who they bed.”
“My father never demanded that of me.” She squared her shoulders. “My mother would have wed me off to the first manwho offered, without hesitation. But my father was more careful about arranging a betrothal. He allowed me the right to refuse any man I didn’t want, and I owe him my loyalty for that.”
No one had ever been loyal to him, save Carice. But he understood Taryn’s reasons.
“So during this journey, I am to be at your bidding at all times?” Killian drew his hand down her spine, cupping the small of her back. “Is that what you want?”
When she didn’t pull away, he wondered whether she was afraid of him... or whether there was any truth to her claim that she’d wanted him as more than her guard. He leaned in closer, until his mouth was hardly more than a breath away. If he’d wanted to, he could have kissed her. But he wanted to see her response... and in her expression, he saw only uncertainty.
She drew his hand away. “You will let Brodie believe that you are obedient to me, yes.”
Her answer softened his frustration, for it now seemed that she was not trying to assert dominion over him.
“And what else do you expect from me in front of the others?”
“You don’t have to touch me and pretend that you desire me,” she said. “That isn’t necessary. Obedience is enough.”
There was a brittle tone to her voice, and he realized that she truly believed no man would want her. “Brodie will be watching us.”
