“I so swear.”
I undressed quickly, glancing at the tree line. Despite my disdain, I believed he wouldn’t intentionally endanger me. He stripped me of my freewill, forcing me on this journey. But he saved me when I had no one else, cared for me, doted on me, and ensured I had something to look forward to throughout the years. He was nothing if not loyal, and I couldn’t recall a single instance of him deceiving me—aside from drugging me and stealing me from my bed.
My foolish heart trusted him.
I cursed myself under my breath and waded out. Water lapped at my waist, and I lowered, keeping my chest below the surface as I scoured the dirt and grime from my skin. To be honest, it felt amazing, not that I would admit it. I scrubbed at my hair, grimacing at the cloudy haze that floated away. Surely I just kicked up the sediment. That much scum couldn’t come from one person.
Movement along the shore made me glance up from my washing. I watched as Sainte walked backward toward the water. “Oi, you were supposed to stay where you were!” I called out, hugging my arms over my chest below the surface.
“I never swore that.” He collected the fragments of my tunic, holding them up, turning them this way and that.
“Put my shirt down, Sainte!”
“This is a shirt?”
I slapped the water. “Stop!”
“Tell me, is this the shirt?” He held up one piece. “Or this?” He held up the other and peered at them as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle.
“Put it down.”
“Your wish is my command.”
I stared, horrified, as he balled them up and threw them into the river. They hit with a wet splash, bobbed once, then the current swept them away. I spewed every curse imaginable as he set his dry shirt onto the shore and reached for my trousers.
“No!”
I stood up and marched over, challenging his word as I approached in naught but my skin. He snorted and returned to his driftwood to sit with his back to me. With a slew of grumbled curses, I tossed the soap aside and struggled into my soaked trousers, then pulled his shirt overhead. I used Ethyan’s belt to keep it from catching the wind and blowing off with me. The tunic reached mid-hip, and I batted it out of the way as I stepped into my soggy boots. It was a relief to have full coverage without needing to piece scraps together, but… it smelled like him.
And that did funny things to my heart.
“Decent?”
“Couldn’t say the same of you,” I shot back.
The slap of his wet pants against his legs signaled his approach, and I sincerely hoped he was uncomfortable.
“Dare I ask the same vow of you?” he asked, passing me as he started for the water.
“Oh, no. If you call my name or I hear flailing, I assure you, I will gladly watch as you float downstream.”
His chuckle faded into a hiss as he ducked his head and tugged his tunic over his left shoulder. As he revealed his back, my jaw fell open, eyes widenedin horror. I must have made a choked sound of distress, because he glanced over at me. I snapped my mouth shut, clenching my jaw as I quickened my steps to get a better view. He remained still and silent as I took the sight in, dread filling my soul.
“This was the price for traveling to Landing’s End?” I whispered, unable to keep myself from tracing the raised scars that marred the entirety of his back.
The price for visiting a ‘petty brat?’
Layers upon layers of long, thin lines crisscrossed his taut skin from the top of his shoulders to his hips. There was no way to count them as they blurred into one mangled mess in the center. He was lucky not to have his spine damaged and that he could still move freely.
Sainte was silent as I traced the newest marks. The red welts were healed, but obviously fresher than the rest. He shivered as my fingertip trailed to the center of his back, and I pressed my palm where the indent of his spine should be.
“A month isn’t long to gather recruits.”
I frowned, stepping aside to search his face. He held my stare with an unreadable expression. Not angry or hurt, simply resigned to his punishment. He didn’t drop his gaze. Instead, he studied me, watching for my reaction.
My stomach churned as shame sank like a stone in my gut. “Why? Why did you keep coming?” I whispered, my features contorted with guilt.
“I couldn’t let a little girl down.”
