Page 18 of Kept to Kill
‘Why did you let the braziers go out?’ he ground out. ‘We’re going to fucking freeze tonight because of you.’
She blinked at him, opening her mouth to tell him that she had no idea how to keep a brazier lit, nor what fuel to feed it with, when Bastian, surprisingly, came to her rescue.
‘It’s hardly the girl’s fault that the servants didn’t keep the fires fed,’ he said, sounding bored.
Quin sniffed the air. ‘I smell blood.’
Lily hoped her face didn’t give anything away. Surely he couldn’t smell the cuts she’d made.
‘The girl’s probably on her monthly courses or something,’ Bastian said casually.
Lily wrinkled her nose at him and he shrugged.
‘Are you going to tell her before we go or just haul her out of bed in the morning and throw her up onto a horse?’ he asked, directing his question at Quin.
Quin’s eyes moved over her, narrowing when they noticed his blanket, though he said nothing about it. ‘We travel north tomorrow, girl.’
‘Tomorrow? Why?’
‘So you can earn your keep. You didn’t think I’d simply let you lounge around in my tent forever without paying your dues, did you?’
‘You want me to kill for you,’ she guessed and saw by his countenance that that was indeed what they meant. She nodded once and closed her eyes. It wasn’t much different from being in Vineri’s possession. She supposed that no matter where she went, as soon as her curse was found out about, she’d be used in such a fashion – or killed. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t put any serious thought into trying to escape. She had no money, no skills, and sooner or later someone would touch her and she’d have to run from whatever paltry life she’d built. She let out a sigh. Was this the best someone like her could hope for? Killing to live? Was she such a coward that she couldn’t choose death over this?
The next morning brought the same desolation, the only parting of the figurative clouds being the neat and quite large package that had been deposited next to the barrier around her little corner of the tent sometime while she’d slept. When she opened it, she found clothes that looked much like Maeve’s, including a thick black cloak and sturdy boots.
With no one else around, she donned them quickly and gazed at herself in the looking glass. She looked like one of them. What would they say to that, she wondered? Though she found she didn’t much care. If they’d wanted her to look different, Quin should have provided her with clothes himself instead of making her wander his tent half naked for days on end. Though Vineri had delighted in dressing her up in finery whenever she went anywhere in public – much like a child’s doll, she’d always thought – and held things back when she displeased him, she’d never had to walk about her tower room withnothingon. She thought on this for a moment as she plaited her hair.
At the time, she’d never really thought about it, but he was known far and wide as a hard and ruthless man and he was feared for good reason. But though he’d made her kill for him, threatened sometimes, punished once in a while, he’d never had her beaten. She even remembered him coming to her tower with smiles on his long, weathered face. Then, she’d thought it was because he was taking her out to show the power he held, but perhaps he had looked upon her with a fondness. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Regardless, her time in that tower could have been much worse, that was certain.
She missed him. That shouldn’t shock her. He was the only person she’d spoken to for weeks sometimes, after all. But she was surprised. He hadn’t been her friend. She knew that. And yet …
Someone walked into the tent as she tied off her hair with a piece of leather twine she’d found in Quin’s things. It was Bastian.
‘He sent me in here to …’ He trailed off as his eyes moved over her and she turned to him, ignoring his roving gaze.
Out here, all men seemed to think she was simply a prize to be ogled.
‘To …?’
He seem to recover himself. ‘To tell you to gather your things. It’s time to leave.’
She looked around the room and wondered if he was trying to be funny. He must know she had nothing save the clothes she now wore. ‘And we’re going north?’
‘Yes.’ He drew a flask out from under his cloak and took a gulp.
Gods, the man couldn’t go a moment without imbibing. Why? ‘You seem like such a jolly fellow,’ she mused aloud and then shut her mouth as his eyes flashed.
‘You don’t know me,’ he said harshly, his cold eyes boring into her.
She looked away from him, not answering and cursing herself for making another enemy. She’d be traveling with these men for gods only knew how long. It would be far less enjoyable to journey with men who hated her before they’d even left the camp.
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered as he stalked from the tent, not giving her any indication that he’d heard her.
She donned the warm cloak and two black things fell to the floor. She grabbed them up and tears swelled in her eyes.Gloves.She wouldn’t have to be so careful about every person around her if she had these. Hoping she’d see Maeve again to thank her, she put them on and left the tent, blinking in the bright sunshine.
The three Brothers were there, already astride their massive black horses, and if Quin noticed her clothes, he didn’t show it. One of the soldiers had one for her as well, an enormous thing that snorted and pawed at the earth. Vineri had only ever had her ride small ponies. This was arealhorse. She walked up to the steps that were by the side of him, glad they didn’t expect her to be able to simply jump up onto his back, which stood almost as high as the top of her head. She climbed up and swung her leg over the saddle, hoping she wouldn’t make a fool of herself by slipping off the other side. That would be mortifying, she thought; dressed in her Brothers’ clothes only to fall into the stinking mud as soon as she got outside. A chuckle left her at the idea and she bit her lip to keep any others from escaping.
Once she was on the horse and quite sure she wasn’t going to simply slide off, she looked up at the others. Quin and the quiet one looked impatient. Bastian still looked angry, but at least he wasn’t directing it at her. Perhaps she should apologize again, though she didn’t really know what for. What she did know was that she was in these men’s hands, and she didn’t want them to be any angrier at her than they already seemed to be.
