Chapter 25
Marcus stiffened, preparing for the final blow.He would fight if he could. But with his hands bound, there was not much he could do to stop the fatal blow. He clenched his teeth as the shadow moved closer.
But something was off about the shadow. It was the way the shadow moved. Something in the way it held the sword alerted him.
The dark form rushed up to him. He winced, but the shadow grabbed his face in warm hands and pressed hot lips to his.
“Sage,” he whispered in relief between kisses. His lip ached from the swelling and cuts, but he was willing to endure the pain to feel her touch.
“Are you well? Did they hurt you?” she demanded with concern.
He shook his head. “I’m well. A few cuts and bruises.” His concern was not for himself. “What are you doing here?”
She moved behind him and sliced the rope around his wrists. “I’m freeing you.”
His hands fell unbound, and both hope and concern surged within him. He was free! But Sage was here. She could be caught. Even as joy surged through him that he was free, anxiety churned beneath it. If Guillume captured her, he would give up anything for her safety. Even the book.
“You didn’t think I’d leave without you, did you?” she asked.
She was in danger. If Guillume apprehended her... “Sage. You have to leave,” he commanded, swiveling around to look at her. “They’re afterme.”
“They’re after me, too,” she said and knelt before him to cut the rope around his ankles.
He stood up, grasping her arms. His gaze swept her face. Even in the darkness, he could see the familiar curves of her face, a face he knew well. He had never seen or felt a more beautiful thing in his life. He was so grateful she had returned but fearful at the same time. He couldn’t believe she risked everything for him. “Why did you come back?”
“I couldn’t leave you,” she admitted with anguish. “I couldn’t leave you with them. Withhim.”
“But you risked your life.”
She grinned and placed a hand on his cheek. “For you.”
He had been wrong. It wasn’t Guillume he could trust. It was Sage. She was the one he could depend on. “I love you,” he whispered before caressing her lips with his in desperate euphoria.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. It was a kiss of relief and love. She pulled back. “We don’t have time. I disabled two guards, but I’m not certain how many more there are.”
Marcus bobbed his head. Two soldiers had been guarding him, but he hadn’t seen them recently. He wasn’t certain if more had taken their place, or if they had gone inside the inn. His sore muscles and bruises protested his movements, and he clutched his abdomen and moved to one of the stalls to untether the reins of his horse. He wasn’t going to let his beating prevent him from escape. He took his belt and scabbard from the steed and slid it around his waist. It felt good to have the sword with him again. Now, he wasn’t defenseless. When he turned to her, she wore a large grin on her lips.
“I did it,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Yes. I’m free. But we have to get out of here.”
“No,” Sage clarified. “The code. I figured it out.”
“What?” Marcus asked, stunned.
She removed the book from her armor, displaying it to him. “I decoded it. I know what it says.”
Marcus stared. Slowly, her words sunk in, a light moving through the fog. “You did it?”
Her grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “I did it. We can leave the book. We don’t need it anymore.”
The thought of forsaking the book to Guillume sent anger through Marcus. “No,” he snarled and shook his head vehemently. “No. I’m not giving it to him. He’s not getting his hands on it.”
Sage’s happiness faded, and she stared at him for a moment before nodding and returning the book to her armor.
Marcus grabbed her hand, guiding her and the horse out of the stables and around the side of the inn. His mind churned. Sage had decoded the book. He longed to ask her about it, but they had to be quiet to make their escape.
Together, they silently hurried toward the road. Marcus scanned the area for movement or soldiers, anything that might give them away. Once his booted feet hit the dirt road, he felt relief.
