Another exchanged look passed between them. “As far as I can tell, I was given an evil father who has no regard for life.”
White-hot anger filled his gut. As much as she wanted to blame her father for his horrible deeds, she didn’t mind using a slave to do her bidding. “Don’t act like you are completely innocent, princess.”
“I’m not sure what a six-year-old me did to deserve your wrath, but I can genuinely say that using me to get to my father won’t make it better.”
Again, she was trying to make him feel guilty for using her to get his vengeance. She had had no qualms when it came to using him. It bothered him slightly that she didn’t even remember him. After the day in the acid rain, she had almost always asked for him when she needed something. He was only a few years older than she was. At least, he thought so. He’d never actually been told how old he was.
Most slaves were born into slavery and sold far away from their mothers. Rise and his mother had been free for about the first three years of his life. They were captured together and separated almost immediately. He still remembered her eyes, though. In his mind, he saw her beautiful, crystalline-blue eyes looking down on him, glowing as she smiled. It was his only memory of her. He wished he had more, but Grawl had bought him and taken him to his castle where he spent his childhood.
“Doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do. You’re my way inside, and that’s all you need to know.”
Rise ignored the look of confusion on her face. Her eyes had dipped together, and her mouth was slightly open, but he was done explaining himself. He was never going to get all the answers about his past. The only result from remembering all the misery was a stoking of his hatred for all things Strongwill, and it was time to move toward exacting his revenge.
He didn’t wait for her to follow as he walked up to Coop. He stared upward and patted the giant’s leg. “Thanks, Coop! I appreciate your help, buddy. You were there for me when I needed you, and I don’t mind you living here for as long as you need.”
Coop’s face widened even more as he gave Rise a big smile. “Riserion is Coop’s friend.”
“You better believe it. Friends for life.”
He gave Coop one more pat before turning to whistle for Nick. The horse high-stepped his way to Rise. With a wide arc, he placed his bag on the back of Nick and mounted quickly. He directed the horse toward Liv and reached a hand down to her.
She stood still a few heartbeats before taking his arm and letting him help her up to settle in front of him on the horse.
“Are you going to tie me up.”
Damn!The words generated images in his mind he’d rather not picture, but he pushed them out as quickly as they arrived. “Don’t give me a reason to.”
With that, he gave Nick a slight nudge with his heels and called back over his shoulder, “Thanks, again, Coop.”
Then, she surprised him as she turned, leaned around him, and waved at Coop. “Thanks, big guy!”
Rise tensed. Coop didn’t like any reference to his size. It was one reason he hid in the pocket dimension. Yet, the explosion of anger didn’t come.
Rise didn’t want to let the grin slip onto his face, but when he felt Coop’s dreamy breath pass over them, he couldn’t help himself. The involuntary show of happiness surprised him, not because she’d unexpectedly showed some humanity, but because the air that had bathed them had been Coop’s heavy sigh. She’d charmed a giant with a smile and one simple phrase. And the gesture had made a spark of true mirth come to life in Rise’s chest despite the fact he knew she probably manipulatedpeople like most others took breaths. Still, the moment was unexpected.
She was unexpected. And her plan to make him feel guilty might just be working.
7
They had ridden in silence for what felt like most of the day without encountering any more danger, but since surviving the heliskrat attack, something was still bothering Liv. Something about the situation seemed wrong somehow.
The more she thought about it, though, it became clear what bothered her about his reaction to the heliskrat. “You seemed surprised.”
“Hmm?” His lazy response meant he was probably also lost in thought.
“When the heliskrat was charging at us, you didn’t expect it. Don’t those creatures normally live in this part of the dimension?”
He didn’t answer right away. For a full minute, he seemed to be ignoring her question completely. Then, he cleared his throat and explained, “I created this dimension and closed the door behind me. Coop and you are the only other two I’ve ever let inside. Occasionally, creatures do find a way inside, but I always know when it happens. I can feel them as they enter as if theybrush right up beside me. I didn’t feel the heliskrat cross into the pocket dimension…not even a little bit.”
She wasn’t surprised by his power to create dimensions. There were stories of paranormal creatures who could do this. It was a rare power, though. She wondered what other powers he kept hidden.
Yet, clearly, even if he could produce a world out of thin air, he hadn’t counted on having to work to keep others out. “So, if you locked the door to the dimension behind you, then someone picked the lock and let the heliskrat in. That’s why you were surprised.”
“Yeah, well, we won’t be in here for much longer, and Coop is pretty territorial. He’ll take care of anything…or anyone…who came through.”
Liv smiled to herself. She hoped Val took it easy on Coop. Liv kind of had a soft spot for the giant. How could she not? He’d saved her life.
But she had no doubt in her mind that it was Val who had found a way into the pocket dimension, and she wouldn’t stop until she’d found Liv.
