Page 114 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“Are there no villages close by, then?”

“No,” Voron said, hiding a yawn. “The closest one is in that valley between the two hills. It’s about six hours through the forest for anyone to get here from there. Magnus will let us know if anyone comes too close.”

I wasn’t really going to sleep. All I needed was a quick catnap to clear my head and get some strength back into my muscles. But the moment I got warm and comfortable behind Voron’s wide back, a deep, dreamless sleep claimed me.

Oblivion sucked me in. And when awareness finally returned, I felt like I’d slept for at least a year and a half.

I cursed under my breath. Did I sleep through my chance to escape?

Thankfully, Voron appeared to still be in a deep slumber. He had rolled almost entirely on top of me now, with his face buried in the dip between my neck and my shoulder. His arm was hooked around my middle, anchoring me to him. One of his legs was tossed across my thighs. I was essentially trapped. But at least he was sleeping, breathing softly into my neck.

It was warm here, inside my “Voron trap,” safe and cozy, with his clean scent wrapping around me like a blanket. I really didn’t feel like leaving. I had no desire to run from him. All I wanted was to close my eyes and relax with him.

If only it could last.

But it wouldn’t.

Sooner or later, he would wake up and drag me back to the palace. I had to use this chance to escape. It could be my last one.

Carefully, ever so carefully, I freed my limbs from under him, one by one. Then I took my belt off and tied his ankles together.

“Sparrow…” Voron patted the side where I’d lain before.

I froze, afraid to breathe or to move a muscle. But he just scooped an armful of the cloak and grass underneath, then snuggled into it, going back to sleep.

He looked so different when he was sleeping. His facial features relaxed, losing his usual expression of either grim or snarky. He appeared peaceful and, with the imprint of my hair on his cheek and forehead, even adorable. The urge to cradle his head in my lap and kiss the shit out of him was so strong, I had to close my eyes to fight it.

I reminded myself that Voron was most likely taking me to my death, even if he didn’t believe it. I couldn’t trust him, no matter how adorably harmless he might look in his sleep.

For all I knew, he was dreaming about chasing me through the woods right now. That was why he muttered my name in his sleep. He might start jerking his legs next, like dogs did when dreaming about chasing a squirrel.

Regaining some determination, I swiftly moved on with my plan.

There was a reason I’d slept with my boots on. It saved me precious seconds. Voron’s boots stood next to him, ready for when he was up. I took them and my cloak that he’d mostly tossed aside in his sleep.

Then, I padded to Voron’s horse and climbed into the saddle, sending Magnus flying. The horse didn’t even make a sound, likely just as shocked by my audacity as I was.

Shoving Voron’s boots under my arm, I gripped the reins with both hands and steered the horse back the way we came, away from Elaros.

Not even a second later, Magnus cawed. The sound was so loud, it made me jump.

Clearly, I couldn’t trust anyone in this world, not even a bird.

“Traitor,” I hissed under my breath.

Tossing Voron’s boots far away into the bushes, I hit the sides of the horse with my heels. With my miniscule experience at horseback riding, I wasn’t capable of getting away at a full gallop. But I didn’t need to be that fast. I only had to ride faster than Voron could run.

Gripping the reins tightly in my sweaty hands, I flexed my thighs around the horse’s wide back and let the animal wander out of the clearing while I concentrated on staying in the saddle and dodging tree branches.

Magnus’s loud cawing behind me was suddenly interrupted by Voron’s even louder laughter.

The man could laugh. Who knew?

As on edge as I was, I couldn’t help a smile. Did I finally manage to do it? Did I make this man laugh out loud?

Running for my life, I kept smiling to myself as his hearty laugher faded into the distance. This was my favorite sound in the world, I decided. The best music to my ears.

ChapterTwenty-Eight

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