“So now you know my secret. Are you happy?” she asked.
“It is nothing to be embarrassed about. I respect you for it.”
She straightened. “You do?”
“It is a simple pleasure. There is nothing wrong with it.”
She grinned in satisfaction and bowed her chin shyly.
“I’ll wait for you in camp,” he said, backing away. But he couldn’t take his gaze from her. She looked like a seductive water nymph, standing at the edge of the stream with her wet hair hanging about her shoulders. He bet it smelled just like roses and, for a moment, longed to test this theory.
He tripped on a branch but caught his balance and spun, returning to the camp.
Raven’s fingers moved through her wet hair quickly, braiding it tightly at the back of her head. She grinned as she recalled Landyn’s acceptance of her rose water. She had expected him to critique her, to make fun of her.
But he hadn’t.
It must be his bump, she thought. It had done something to his mind. Made him a more likeable man. She righted her chemise and tied her leather armor closed at the front of her body.
Man—the word echoed in her mind as a softly calling siren. She recalled the firmness of his torso, the muscled perfection of his chest and arms. She sighed softly.
Thunder nickered.
She cast him a glance. “Don’t judge me,” she warned.
Something had changed between her and Landyn, and she wasn’t sure what it was. But she liked it.
Landyn allowed Raven to take the lead as they rode because he was in no mood for tracking. His head still pounded beneath the warm rays of the morning sun. Raven was an excellent tracker, picking up Boucher and his men’s path numerous times when Landyn thought they had lost it. They were heading north. He knew their destination. La Rochelle. The squadron had gone off the main road and was heading toward the Ruisseau de Granes. The river.
Boucher was approximately half a day’s ride before them.
With the sun high over their heads, Raven stopped at the edge of the river to rest the horses.
Landyn watched her swing her leg over her saddle to dismount. His eyes lingered on her rounded bottom before her feet hit the ground, and he tore his gaze away. The image of her bare shoulders and wet hair still lingered in his mind. He was a man, after all. Still, it was inappropriate and disrespectful to John to think of his daughter that way.
He had to contemplate something else. Boucher. The thought of him always sent anger through Landyn, no matter how much he tried to dismiss it. And now, the same rage burned in Raven. He wished he could convince her to give up seeking Boucher’s death, that there was so much more to life than violent vengeance. “Why is it easier for you to go after your father’s killer than to find your sisters?” he asked her as he climbed from the saddle.
Raven’s hand froze in midair. She had been about to tie the reins of her horse to a nearby tree. Then, her hand lowered, and she slowly turned to him.
“Aren’t you worried about them?” he asked. “I mean, one of them was with Brother Nicolas, and he was found dead.”
“Of course, I’m worried about them. But I won’t let my father’s murderer escape without punishment,” she replied and swung the reins around a tree branch.
“Your sisters could be in danger.”
She put her hand on her hip and faced him. “Do you have any siblings?”
“No,” he replied. “But if I did, I would find them. The living are more important than the dead.”
She thought about his statement before speaking. “We were all trained to take care of ourselves. But yes. I’m worried about my sisters. They are my only remaining family.” She took a step closer to him. “I don’t know where they are, and I don’t know how to find them. My only recourse is to hunt my father’s killer. It serves two purposes.” She held up her pointer finger. “Revenge for killing my father.” She held up her middle finger to indicate second. “And if my sisters are in trouble, and I kill Boucher, it will send a message to whoever is endangering them: I will hunt them if they harm my family.”
Landyn stared into her determined eyes. It was sound thinking. He understood the message she wanted to send to others, but he didn’t agree with pursuing vengeance.
She cocked her head to the side. “Where is your family? Where are your parents?”
“Both have passed.”
“Then you have no family.”
