AllFreeNovel
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She huffs. Not amused. “I was going to say rogue. Taj! Don’t kill him!”
“Why not? He tried to kill Kiaran,” Taj replies, his fist bunched up in the front of the man’s shirt, shaking him. “Why should I show clemency?”
He’d kill him for me?
“Because Kiaran is alive,” Ariadne says, “we’re all alive and we have to go get Finnen!”
“Taj,” I say, “leave him be. Ariadne is right. He’s just a servant.”
Why should I care about killing him when I’ve allowed my aunt and uncle to live?
Maybe Taj hears some of what I’m thinking in my voice, because he lets go of the man and shoves him to the ground. Then he stalks back to us, face like a thundercloud, fists clenched.
First he grabs Ariadne, pats her shoulders, her waist.
“I’m fine,” she whispers, obviously understanding what he won’t ask. “I’m unharmed.”
Then he turns to me. “Show me where he hurt you,” he growls.
I frown right back. “It’s nothing.”
With another growl, he pulls the sleeve off my shoulder—it’s mostly off anyway, as if my shoulders would ever fit in a delicate dress—and leans in to inspect the wound.
“You’ll live,” he says.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t let anyone throw knives at you again.”
“Are arrows okay?” I grumble. “Just to be clear.”
His mouth twitches. “Are you and Finnen twins separated at birth or what? Hear that, Ari? Our Wildman seems to have a sense of humor after all.” He turns his gray gaze on me. “No arrows. Not even in jest. You’re ours. I’ll kill whoever dares hurt you.”
I can only nod, still kind of dazed. We protect our omega, that goes without saying, but I never thought…
Fuck, I never thought I might be considered important in the group as well. Important enough to kill for.
I’m still examining the feeling when Taj leads the way into the stables and our saddled horses. At least I’m too distracted to be pissed at him for dressing me up in this frothy thing that’s already coming apart at the seams. My aunt has never been a slim woman but I bet she never imagined a man of my size would be wearing her dresses.
My mouth twitches, for some reason.
And then I’m furious again, and sad, so fucking sad I think my heart is breaking. My chest aches with remembered agony and fear.
You’re not that child anymore, I remind myself. And you’re not alone anymore. Stop thinking and get moving.
Fucking move.
Taj is giving Ariadne a leg up onto the saddle. I turn to look at my horse and he returns my gaze. This horse looks annoyed.
Comparing dicks with a horse won’t come out in my favor. I bare my teeth at the stallion and hope he’ll let me ride him.
To be fair, in his place, I wouldn’t be happy with this arrangement, either.
“Hi, horse.” I grab the bridle, swinging myself up onto the saddle. Even remembering parts of my childhood and the fact I had riding lessons don’t mean I’m an experienced rider. At least I know how to sit in the saddle.
I think of my cave, the hills, the birds, the jaguars, wolves and wild boars.
I think of freedom.
