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I shake my head. "I don't like this. Those men grabbed you. What if the next one decides to take you back to your father? There could be more of them combing the woods. There could be an entire band of mercenaries just waiting on the edge of the forest. It's safer to go back home."
Iolanthe tilts her head at me, and then the stubborn woman shakes her head. "No. We're doing it tonight. I'm not waiting another month to marry you."
"But those soldiers—"
"You'll just have to catch me quickly," she says, and darts back into the woods before I can protest more.
My father laughs, the sound hearty and amused. "Reminds me of your mother, that one. Never could win an argument with her." He slaps me on the back affectionately. "Better go catch your bride, son. Club her good."
Club her. More like I want to grab her and shake her for being so headstrong. With a sigh, I set off into the woods after her. I drag my feet at first, wanting to give her a sporting chance of getting away from me. Then I remember that the woods are dangerous, and I speed up. Iolanthe's light scent is all over the nighttime forest, and to my relief, it's the only one I'm picking up. That doesn't mean others aren't in the vicinity. They could be upwind. I just need to remain on guard…and I need to catch my mate.
I wait a brief time, letting her race ahead of me and putting distance between us and the orc party at the edge of the woods. When I decide that things have gone on far enough, I speed up, sneaking behind Iolanthe. She's crashing through the forest, noisy enough to wake the dead, and I decide that's enough of that. Moving to Iolanthe's side, I surge forward and snatch her into my embrace. She makes the most charming squeal, flinging her arms around my neck and holding on as I continue to run.
"Where are we going?" she protests as I carry her through the forest. "You caught me!"
"We're finding a cave. And then we're going to hide out for the rest of the night so everyone knows I've captured you." Luckily, I know just the spot. There's a small cave not far from here, and I've stayed there overnight in the past when a storm caught me while out hunting. It's hidden enough that I don't think Lord Purnav’s men would have found it. If they have, I'll just crack their heads and drag them back to my father again, I suppose.
But we're finishing this ceremony tonight. I won't put her in danger again. I already hate that we're back out here in the woods, because every protective instinct I have is telling me to turn around and take her back to my keep. To lock every door behind her and set a dozen guards in front of each one. To wrap her in blankets and make sure no one can get to her. I don't care about the coin that her father is after (though it does irk me that he thinks he can steal from me). I care about her. Iolanthe's safety is everything.
She doesn't protest the idea of a cave, though. She just clings to me as I move through the underbrush, as silently as possible. We run into no one else, and I feel a little better about having my bride-to-be out here in the woods with me. I find the entrance of the cave—a narrow, craggy crack in the middle of a rocky bluff—and squeeze my way inside. Iolanthe winces at the sound of my tunic tearing on a sharp edge, burying her face against my chest. "Agakor! Are you okay?"
"It's just my tunic," I reassure her. "I'm fine." Luckily the cave opens up a bit farther away from the mouth, so I have room to stretch out. I gently set her on her feet and run my hands all over her arms and legs. I'm pretty sure she's all right, but a branch could have sliced at her soft skin while I ran, or she could have been pricked by thorns. "You're all right, too, yes? You'd tell me if you weren't?"
"I'm perfectly fine." She smiles up at me in the darkness, and I can tell by the way her eyes search for my face that she can't see me. "And you? Are you all right?"
"I will be. I'm going to do a quick scouting run to make sure no one is nearby." I pull the club out of its holster over my shoulder. "You take this and you club anyone that comes in here, all right?"
"But then will I have to marry them?" Iolanthe jokes, a nervous wobble in her voice.
I cup her face and give her a quick, fierce kiss. "You're not marrying anyone but me, woman." I'm pleased when she chuckles. It makes me feel momentarily better about having to leave her alone for a short time. "I promise I'll return quickly."
