AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She did her best to choke back her startled laugh, caught completely, and stupidly, off-guard by his concern. Concern was something no one had ever shown her in the past—except for him. Her effort was only half successful and a mortifyingly undignified sound escaped her lips before she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Both of his brows arched high enough to disappear behind his low-hanging, messy bangs and she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was embarrassing. It’s just… I’ve had my share of unpleasant experiences. And I’m not saying I want to jump in at every opportunity to have more, but I’m definitely not used to anyone trying to protect me from them, either.”
She’d drawn a breath with the intention to add more, but Aric curled a hand against the side of her face and stroked his thumb over her cheek, as if he were wiping away a tear. Shame licked through her, hot and fast, and stuck her tongue awkwardly in her throat.
“I’m sorry for whatever it is you’ve been through,” Aric said, his voice lowered and gentled. “But I am not like those who’ve mistreated you before. You don’t have to force yourself to endure something unpleasant. You have nothing to prove.”
Her throat swelled and she had to swallow hard to push down a lump of unhelpful, unwanted, untimely emotion. He said that because he didn’t know. And she wished she could just open her mouth and tell him everything, right there, but she absolutely could not. So she whispered something else. “I know you’re different. That’s why I … want to come. If I’m allowed.”
His expression softened and he swept his thumb along her jaw in a tender way that she suspected had nothing to do with the traitorous tear from earlier. Then he removed his hand and said, “All right. Let’s go.”
She smiled and drew a steadying breath as his magic wrapped around them and transported them elsewhere. She didn’t question it.
The position of the setting sun changed only slightly, becoming more obscured by higher roofs in her peripheral vision at the same time as the increased sound of the early evening tide reached her ears. All of that registered in the back of her mind as Aric turned forward, keeping her at his side, and Rochelle found herself staring straight ahead at a newly familiar man she’d rather hoped to never see again.
Lennart Lamont froze, eyes widening, at their clearly unexpected appearance. The luggage bag he’d begun lifting off the ground slipped from his poor grasp and toppled onto its face, toward the anchored wheelless vehicle which was, essentially, a floating carriage. Rochelle had read that they were called hovairs. Two gorgeous black horses with long, sparkling manes were strapped in and waiting to go, but there was no sign of any driver.
From inside the hovair, Harald popped his head out, snarling at his son. “Lennart! When did you turn into such a—”
“There you are, Harald,” Aric said. His voice had cooled and held an air of danger to it. “Why don’t you come out of there so we can have a conversation.”
Even from her distance, Rochelle could see Harald go pale.
Lennart straightened himself, puffing out his chest. “I think you’ve bothered Lord Lamont enough for one day, Sentry. Go find someone else to throw useless demands at. We have places to be.”
She really wanted to smack that pompous look right off his face.
Aric turned his head, just a little, and said, “I don’t think you want to take that attitude with me,Captain. In fact, I don’t think you want to take any attitude with me at all.”
Harald shuffled down the trio of steps in a bluster, almost literally stepping between them and doing his best to hold himself up tall despite being the shortest of the three men. “Now you listen to me, Vardanyan. I won’t stand another second of you bullying my son or anyone else with your so-called special title. I am a titled Lord of the Lamont line, third generation, and I know when something’s not right. You’re just some young punk who thinks he can scam an isolated old man and make a fool of me, but you won’t. I’m going back to Castleton and I’m going to take this up with His Majesty and Prince Denham, and we’ll just see what really happens then. In the meantime, you keep a far distance from me, from my family, and from the Border Council, do you understand?”
“And if you don’t,” Lennart said quickly, hurriedly stepping up beside his father, “then on my honor as a Captain in the King’s Royal Army, I’ll arrest you myself.” He jutted out his chin for emphasis.
“Oh? You want to talk about honor, Captain?” Aric started forward at a slow pace. “Where was the honor in commandeering two prostitutes while your wife stays home with your child?” He paused only long enough for Lennart’s brow to furrow. “Where was the honor in striking an unarmed and undefended woman?”
“Howdareyou—” Harald’s response was cut off as Aric lashed out, a single swing of his hand striking Lennart and sending Lennart crashing backward, into the stone steps of the building they had clearly been occupying.
Aric’s voice was chillingly cold when he said, “I told you to stay away from her.”
Rochelle swallowed hard as she watched the man who’d hit her that morning groan in pain against the steps where he’d landed. She had mixed feelings about the scene, but she also hadn’t known that Aric had warned him off. And a part of her—a part she knew was wrong—felt excited, or at least appreciative, over being defended. Bridget had defended her a time or three, verbally, but those instances had been rare and typically involved her shaming or out-smarting some mouthy guy. There was never anything physical. If Rochelle were hurt, Bridge offered comforts and sympathy, but this was the first time anyone had struck back on her behalf.Is it really so bad to be grateful?
“My son,” Harald said. He’d moved to hover halfway between Lennart and Aric, visibly uncertain. “How could you strike my son?”
Aric held still. “I simply gave him a taste of his own medicine. It was the tamest punishment I was willing to mete. You, Harald, won’t be so lucky. You defied my orders and seem to have been trying to flee your responsibilities. I’m going to need the record book in order to pass it along to your replacement.”
“Replacement?” Harald nearly screamed the word. “You have no right—”
A cold breeze whipped through, seeming to steal Harald’s breath, and Aric said, “I have every right. It is my sworn duty to protect the people of this kingdom from all who would do it harm. Even its nobility. That is my prime objective, above and beyond any situational circumstance.”
Lennart groaned and pushed himself to a sitting position. It sounded as though he were trying to speak as he glared over at Aric.
Aric remained unfazed. “I can search your things after your arrest,” he said. “You may not like that.”
Magic filled the air, the vibrations of it rough and unfamiliar to Rochelle’s senses.
“I don’t advise that,” Aric said.
Harald’s eyes held unfiltered animosity. “You should have perished with your family and spared this kingdom the stain of you,” he said as his magic circle appeared over his head. He held out his arm and fire, crackling with lightning, rushed from his palm.
