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The worst part was there was never anywhere truly safe for Bryn to turn to. Maybe she had friends with some power around town, but her aunt was engaged to a man who was the second most powerful in their community through the church. His own position was right behind that of the scrios, and the only one higher was King Bres himself.
Everyone would believe her before they would Bryn, and if her aunt ever used that against her, proclaimed her a witch, her life was forfeit.
The sound of hoofbeats in the sand broke her thoughts, and she turned to see the town sheriff heading their way on his horse. His loyal hound, Finian, running alongside the equine, bouncing around dangerously close to the horse’s hooves.
Finian, the beast of a dog, was covered in black and gray brindle fur and almost as big as the horse itself, coming up to its shoulders.
Every human might have given a wide berth to Bryn, but Finian caught sight of her and barreled down, aiming his huge body in her direction.
“Brace yourself.” Jace laughed as the hound knocked her to the sand, the air leaving her lungs on impact as Finian covered the parts of her exposed face with slobber.
“He used to strike fear in the hearts of most men until you, Bryn,” she heard the sheriff grumble as he stayed his horse next to them, its hooves kicking up dust as it stomped in agitation at having to stop. She imagined the white horse running through pastures, free as the wind, not caged in this dull, sandy tan town with barely any leg room.
The horse shook its head, eyes rolling toward the fire, and aggressively chomped at its bit as Justin, the sheriff and their friend growing up, patted its neck. His touch calmed the horse enough to where it settled its hooves on the ground, no longer kicking up dirt, but its eyes kept rolling.
“Your beast has been tamed, Justin,” Jace joked as Bryn rolled out from under Finian when he did his happy dog dance over her, barely missing a paw to the face. A sizable enough paw that should it manage to land on her nose could easily break it into pieces due to the one hundred and sixty pounds of dog behind it.
“It’s Sheriff when I am on duty, Jace, you know this.” Justin looked down at Bryn, his lips tilting into a slight smile at the sight of Bryn’s attempt to escape Finian’s adoration.
Justin was one of the few who didn’t act like she had the plague when he was near her, and while there were not a lot of people who looked fondly upon her, he did. It was a breath of fresh air to catch sight of him in a crowd or when he was patrolling at night alongside the city guards.
It also didn’t hurt the man had a smile that shone almost as bright as the sun, something Bryn would never admit out loud. That and she’d had the biggest crush on him growing up. Following her cousin and his friends around, she’d mooned over him for years until one of the other friends in their group decided she was his and not Justin’s.
Her crush over the young soon-to-be sheriff went down in flames when the governor of their little town’s rebellious son caught her in his sights. Declan Rafferty was not one to let his prey get away, and it didn’t hurt that Bryn was more than happy to be hunted and caught by the man.
Justin became a close friend instead of a love interest. A choice some days she wished she could go back in time and remedy.
“Founder’s Day dance is tonight, and I am making it an official mandate that you both attend,” Justin warned, cutting into her thoughts as he steadied his horse again.
Turning back to face him, Bryn narrowed her eyes at the sheriff as he gave her a smile that was all mock innocence. Since she and Declan had broken up months ago, Justin seemed to have made it his life’s goal to get them back together.
Not knowing the why of the breakup gave the man hope his friends would remedy the relationship, but she wouldn’t tell anyone. It made both her and Declan look like fools. After four years together, he had kissed another woman. A girl who’d been one of Bryn’s biggest tormentors when she was young.
Ava Stevens, the baker’s daughter and pride of the town.
Bryn’s nemesis.
Embarrassment and heartbreak renewed in her soul as she tried to push the thought away again.
“Pretty sure you cannot mandate that,Sheriff,”Jace replied, grabbing the cart by its handles, and moving it parallel with one of the bodies. Only three more left and they could call it a day.
She had been so focused on Justin that she hadn’t noticed Jace had already finished with the body he’d been working on. Wrapping the body in cloth and securing it to the wooden board with the ropes, he moved it to the edge of the stucco pyre.
Bryn wondered if they’d soon have to find a new way to make the pyre boards since trees were not exactly a commodity around them in the desert heat, and there was only so much wood in their little town.
Finian sniffed one of the hands of the deceased men, sneezing immediately, his large head shaking as if trying to rid his nose of the stench. Poor hound. She could empathize.
Lying down with a whimper, he rubbed his paws over his long nose, giving Bryn a pitiful look.
“Good thing he is pretty because he’s not too smart,” Justin joked, his arms crossing as he leaned forward on his horse.
“Not pretty either.” Jace grunted as he lifted a body from under the elbows and dragged it to the cart.
Bryn gasped, falling to her knees in front of Finian and taking his large head in her hands.
“Do not listen to them, Finny. They are just jealous because you get all the ladies.” She smacked a kiss on Finian’s head that earned her plenty of slobbery kisses in return.
“Come to the dance and you can make out withFinnyall night,” Justin teased, whistling to Finian to follow. Just as quick as Finian was a playful puppy, he was snapping to attention like a soldier and taking up his place at his leader’s side. “But if I don’t see you, remember, I can enter your home and drag you out. Permission from the governor himself to do so.”
