Page 155 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

A raven cawed in the distance, dropping something at the mouth of the cave. The mercenary grabbed it before unrolling the tiny parchment. Her mouth twisted with concern as she read it. Letting out a huff, she crumpled the paper into her pocket.

“My contractor?” Caiden asked.

“None of your business.”

Caiden blew a blond lock of hair from his eyes.

“If someone has a contract out on me, I should be at least entitled to know who it is and how much they’re offering you. My family is very rich. I could probably match it.”

She ran her hand over the amulet.

“They promised me your weight in gold.”

Caiden chuckled. “Is that it? I can match it. Have my father send it.”

She mulled over Caiden’s proposition, placing a piece of willow bark on her lower lip.

“Nah. You see, your contract is special. If I go back on it, my counterpart, Alwin, could just capture you again and claim he’s a better merc than me.” She slapped his cheek lightly. “And I can’t have a rumor like that getting out.”

“Your reputation is worth more than gold?”

She narrowed her amber eyes on him.

“My reputation is everything.”

Caiden considered his words carefully. If her employer was Erissa or Gideon, their threat alone would not be worth his release.

He needed to get out of here, but with the chains binding his wrists and ankles, it would be nearly impossible. He needed to get her to release him. Everyone had a weakness; he just had to keep talking to her.

“What was in the note?”

“None of your business.” She skinned a rabbit for her dinner.

Caiden scanned the cavern. A bow and a curved sword rested against a boulder. This woman was well trained. The Rasa were known to be fierce warriors but rarely left the desert. Had she been excommunicated from her people, or did she choose to leave on her own?

“Well, considering I’m in your care, I think it is.”

“Marks don’t get a say in how they’re treated.” She skewered the rabbit on a stick and stuck it into the fire. The smell of burning flesh filled the cave.

“Could you at least tell me where we are?”

“No. And if you don’t shut up, I’ll gag you.”

Caiden closed his mouth. He knew when to push and when to pull back. She was a mercenary—a killer for hire. Her fuse was likely short.

He watched as she devoured the rabbit, pulling the flesh from its bones with her teeth like an animal. Her weapons were well made—mercenary work paid well. Was this a custom of the Rasa people, or had she become feral from being out in the wild for too long?

When she finished her dinner, she rose, pulling a sack of wine from her pack. She drank deeply, red liquid dripping from her mouth. She wiped it on her arm.

When she’d finished, she grabbed Caiden’s arm, hauling him to his feet.

“What’s going on?”

The mercenary bent down, unlocking the shackles binding his feet.

“We need to move out, and I released the horse.” Their eyes locked. “If you try to run from me, prince, I will bring you within an inch of your life.”

Caiden swallowed hard and nodded.

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