“Playing you?” I gasped in feigned shock.
“Aye, surprising, isn't it?” She smirked, squinting to thread a small green bead. “I might’ve let him win a bit.”
“No…” I whispered, horrified. Lyana only allowed men she favored to best her.
“He’s a good chap. Wish we could have gotten on a little more.”
“They’re leaving?”
“Aye, first thing in the morn.”
I held my breath, wondering why that made me so anxious. I should’ve been happy to be rid of them. Sainte’s departure was a relief. After all this time, I was only a tool to him, a means to an end. I should have let it go when he abandoned me on the street that night, but no. I had to get my hopes up, believing he actually cared about me, only to have him crush me again.
Nothing would remain of my heart when he left.
At least it felt that way.
“Oi, El.” Lyana’s words pulled my attention from the floorboards. “Come here, stinky.”
I sniffed, then attempted a smile as I climbed into bed beside her.
She blew out the candle and wrapped her arms around me. “Did you two fight?” she whispered.
“Aye.” A tear slipped from the corner of my eye. Here, hidden from view, my tears went unnoticed. No one would judge my vulnerability.
“Tell me.”
We lay there, deep into the night as I relayed, yet again, how Sainte had been both my savior and my downfall. My rescue and my end. She murmured and agreed at all the right moments, brushing my hair from my face without a word of complaint about my stench.
Which I sincerely appreciated.
Chapter 4
My rest was fitful, drifting in and out. Murmured voices tugged me to awareness just as a horrible stench tainted my senses, and I sank into darkness.
When I finally came to, my face banged against something warm and firm. Thoughts blurred and foggy, I groaned, willing my sluggish body to move, though it didn’t respond. As I lifted my head, my neck gave out, slamming me into that thing again, bloodying my lip.
“Hold!”
Curse it all. I knew that voice.
The swaying motion halted. A horse? It stamped its foreleg, jarring me. A bit of horsehair worked its way inside my mouth, and I struggled to spit it out. I attempted to pull my arm down–
My hands wouldn’t move.
I thrashed, wriggling to regain control of my body as Sainte dismounted. The beast snorted, shifting with a nervous whicker, and my heart stuttered with panic.
Sainte pulled me headfirst off the horse, catching me in strong arms. My head lolled back, and I was sure dried drool crusted my face as I peered into his eyes.
“Mmm ghill voo!” Funny how drugs could muddle death threats.
His lips pressed into a firm line, and he ignored my slur. He held me snug against his disgustingly muscular chest, carrying me to the road’s edge. I caught a glimpse of his men on horseback, waiting patiently in the warm sun.
“Can you move your legs?” he asked.
A sparse forest lined the path. The thin foliage blocked the sunlight as we passed the treeline. My glare intensified as a tingling sensation coursed throughmy limbs, promising a slow return of my control. With a valiant attempt at kicking a boot toward his head, my leg lifted in a pathetic, limp swing.
“Good. Take the time you need to relieve yourself, then we’ll be on our way.”
