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CHAPTERTHREE
Rook follows the shore of the lake, which has no name on any map.
He wasn’t wrong. It’s goddamn cold tonight. Bolt’s breath clouds the air as it whuffs from her nostrils. Shivering, I clutch the cloak to my body, missing the fire in my belly. The wool smells like woodsmoke and the salt of a man’s sweat. I fight the urge to bring it to my nose and inhale deeply. His scent is intoxicating.
Rook. He gave me his only cloak.
Why does he care if I freeze or not? He needs me alive, for some reason, but he’s my captor. My enemy. I’ve never been taken prisoner before. Usually, dragonslayers want to chop off my head and loot my treasure.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask.
His horns swing as he glances back. “To the other side of the lake.”
“Why?”
“To camp.”
“And then?”
He lets out a sigh. “The sun will rise.”
“I won’t stop talking until you tell me why you need me.”
“I could gag you.”
I bare my teeth. “You could try.”
He grunts as if he’s mildly amused or irritated by me. He’s silent as we travel, and the only sounds are Bolt’s hooves thudding on the dirt and my frustrated sigh. My gaze drops to his tight leather trousers, lingering as he walks. He has a fantastic ass. Sculpted from years of running and fighting, if I had to place a bet on it.
“Has the bounty changed?” I say. “Am I worth more alive?”
“I don’t want the bounty.”
He must be a professional monster hunter, considering he came armed with aellurium chains and a horse that doesn’t spook at the scent of a dragon. Not to mention, he has night vision and inhuman strength. If he doesn’t want to kill me, then what does he want from me?
“Are you planning on selling me to someone?” I manage to sound more aggressive than afraid.
“No.”
“Are you bringing me somewhere to be sacrificed?”
“No.”
“Slaughtered?”
“No.” Rook stops walking and faces me. “I told you, I don’t want to kill you. You have my word that you will not be sold, sacrificed, or slaughtered while you are with me. Understood?”
It’s the most he’s ever said to me, and I stare at him, amazed it wasn’t yet another manly grunt. “The word of a demonspawn monster hunter. You are a monster hunter, aren’t you?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “On occasion. This is not one of those occasions. There’s a lock.”
“A lock?”
“It’s cursed. Dragonfire is the only thing powerful enough to melt both the iron and the magic.”
Anger rises inside me like magma. “Why didn’t you justaskme?”
His eyebrows shoot skyward. “Before or after you set me on fire? You have a reputation.”
