Page 120 of Shadows of Winter

“At least I get a private room.” Kaylina tried to smile for Vlerion, who hadn’t stopped looking concerned.

“Search her before putting her in.” One of the guards pointed to a bulge in Kaylina’s dress pocket—her sling.

“I’ll search her,” one man volunteered, leering at her chest.

“I will search her,” Vlerion said. It was almost a growl.

“My lord,” the lead guard said. “We have to—”

“I will search her,” Vlerion repeated, his voice quiet and dangerous as he held the guard’s gaze. “You may watch, though I assure you that rangers are capable of this task.”

The guard sighed. “Yes, my lord.”

Vlerion also sighed as he faced Kaylina, putting his back to the guards so they could have a semblance of a private moment.

“My instincts told me something like this might happen,” he said softly as he withdrew her weapons from her pockets. “I apologize for bringing you here. It crossed my mind to help you and your brother to the harbor and onto a ship.”

“I can’t leave,” she said, though the words sounded asinine as they came out. Her life was in the balance. If she had an opportunity to escape, she would be a fool not to take it.

But she would rather clear her name and stay. To go home would be to admit defeat. Besides, that wasn’t even an option now, not if the queen believed Kaylina had tried to poison her. A warrant would be put out for her arrest, and she would be hunted if she stayed in the kingdom. Further, her family might be exiled. That would be even worse than Kaylina’s death, at least in her eyes. If she had come here to prove herself only to destroy the livelihoods of every person related to her…

The thought brought tears to her eyes. Not wanting Vlerion to worry, she blinked them away.

But he was standing close enough to see everything, even in the dim lantern light. After setting her knife, sling, and pouch of lead rounds on the desk, he lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed away a single tear that had slipped from her eye.

“I’ll find the messenger,” Vlerion said. “If I can’t, I’ll drug and question every server and dish boy at that woman’s inn. Someone helped her with this. I’ll find out the truth and clear your name.”

“Thank you,” Kaylina whispered, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. “I don’t know why you’re going out of your way to help me, but I… thank you.” It occurred to her that if she died, he wouldn’t have to worry about a commoner knowing his secret, a commoner who, as far as he and the rangers knew, might be tempted to join forces with the Virts.

She didn’t think he believed she would do that, but… he could make sure. Instead, he was helping her.

The guard cleared his throat. “Proper search procedure checks more than pockets, my lord. And I don’t believe the books mention cheeks.”

“Criminals sometimes stash items under their tongues to assist in thwarting locks,” Vlerion said.

“Then you can stick your hand in her mouth to check.”

“That’s not what he wants to stick in her mouth,” the guard who’d leered—he was still leering—said.

“Be professional, Toks,” the leader said. “Or I won’t stop him if he clobbers you.”

“Would you stop a ranger anyway?” one of the others asked.

“From clobbering Toks? No.”

Vlerion might have ended the search with Kaylina’s pockets if not for the guards watching, but he probably didn’t want to do anything—or fail to do anything—that would prompt them to do a second search after he left. He knelt, squeezed her slippers to look for who knew what lumps might be hidden in them, then brushed his hands up her legs as he checked the inside of the dress for secret pockets. He’d given it to her, so he had to know there weren’t any, but the guards didn’t.

Kaylina closed her eyes, trying to ignore them watching, and trying not to be turned on by Vlerion’s touch. He kept the search professional, his hands never straying beyond what the duty required, but every bump and brush ignited fire in her nerves.

This was Vlerion, not some guard she’d never met, and she’d found his touch arousing from the beginning. Whether she’d admitted it or not, she’d longed to have his hands run over her body, whispering over her bare skin, stroking her hip, trailing along her side, touching… whatever he wished. Never had such simple brushes raised gooseflesh while stoking heat that made her body tighten with painful longing.

If he died—or she was killed—she would be disappointed that they hadn’t ever kissed.

“She has no weapons or anything that would be useful in breaking out,” Vlerion declared.

“Put her in then.”

On impulse, Kaylina wrapped her arms around Vlerion and hugged him. He returned the embrace without hesitation, pulling her close, molding her against his body. Only then did she realize he’d also been aroused by his professional pat-down.

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