She was about to argue again, but he met her gaze. “Trust in me, Lady Taryn.” She held his gaze, and he saw the worry in her eyes. “I won’t let any harm come to you, and I won’t be letting go.”
Again, he waited. She was studying him as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him. “I know I should try,” she said. “But the very thought makes me tremble.”
Her honesty reminded him of a wild creature that was too afraid to come near. He needed to build her trust, to coax her to believe in him.
“I won’t let go,” he said again, lifting her up. She had her eyes closed, and sure enough, he saw her hands shaking. He kept his hands upon her waist, and she gripped his wrists with both of her palms.
“If you lift your leg over, you’ll feel more balanced,” he advised.
She was biting her lower lip, but eventually, she managed to adjust her skirts and lift her leg over.
“I don’t like this,” she whispered. “I’m so far from the ground. I already fell once before, and it feels like the horse knows how afraid I am.”
In that, she was right. Francis was obediently walking, but there was a tension in him, as if the horse sensed Taryn’s distrust. Killian needed to ride behind the lady, to take command of the horse and increase their pace.
“Move forward on the saddle, and I’ll ride with you,” he said.
“I’d rather not,” she confessed. “If you get on, he’ll throw us both off again.”
He suspected nothing would talk her into it, and if they wanted to reach Laochre by nightfall, they had to ride. Killian moved her foot from the stirrup and stepped into it, swinging up behind her.
“I said—”
“I know what you said.” But he had to take charge of this situation, before they lost more time. He held Taryn around the waist and told her, “Relax and let me control Francis. Don’t fight me on this.”
Her hands dug into his knees, and when he leaned in, he saw that her eyes were tightly closed. Francis could sense her discomfort, and if she continued to hold herself in this way, the horse might fight back.
“Breathe, my lady.”
She nodded, but her knees were tense around the animal, her body rigid with fear. “I’m trying.”
It wasn’t enough. He kept both hands upon the reins, her body between his legs. “Relax your legs. Let them go loose around Francis’s back. He can feel how nervous you are.”
“I am nervous,” she said. “And I can’t simply stop feeling this way.”
“Open your eyes,” he ordered. “Look at the woods surrounding us.” The morning light cast beams across the barren branches of the trees. In the distance, he heard the noise of a stream trickling across stones. It was cold, and a bitter wind swept over them as they rode.
Taryn lifted her face upward, clearly trying hard to set aside her fears. He touched her right knee. “Stop trying to hold on with your knees. Let them be.” He kept his hand there, but when she pressed her bottom back against his groin, his reaction was swift.
By the gods, she smelled good. Her hair rested against him, and her neck was bared. He wondered what it would be like to taste that delicate skin, to touch her. Her earlobe appeared soft, and he imagined taking it into his mouth while he reached around to cup her breasts in his palms.
Her scars marred that perfect skin, but her black hair and blue eyes were striking. He kept his hands frozen in place, forcing back the attraction he didn’t want to feel.
“Calm yourself,” he said quietly. “Breathe slowly and watch the trees. Let your arms and legs relax and trust that I will control the horse.”
Her shoulders lowered, and it did seem that she was trying. Even so, he kept his arms around her waist while he held the reins.
“How far are we from their castle?”
“We won’t be there by nightfall unless we hasten our pace.” But he hoped to reach the vast meadow surrounding the castle, where they could see their destination.
“Do you think your sister has fled by now?”
“If Trahern found her, then by tonight or early tomorrow, she will join us at Laochre.” And if she did not arrive, then he would do whatever was necessary to find her.
Killian clicked his tongue and urged the horse into a trot. Francis obeyed and Taryn struggled with the new rhythm. “I think I prefer him walking,” she said, wincing at the rocking motion.
“When we’re free of the woods, I’m going to take him a little faster,” Killian warned.
