Page 30 of Beguiled
I jerked to free myself from Mikkel’s grasp, but his fingers tightened around my arm.
“Release me.”
“You’re staying with me.” His handsome features had turned to steel and his eyes to ice.
“I must go to Tommy. He needs my assistance, or he shall surely die.”
Mikkel didn’t loosen his grip. “I’ll go with you.”
I attempted to shrug off his hold again. “I do not need you following my every move and acting as my bodyguard.”
“You’re my wife. I am duty bound to protect you.”
I spun to face him. “I do not want your duty.”
“You have it regardless.” Any trace of the tender young man from moments ago was gone, and the regal prince with his lofty ideals was back in place. He’d been born and raised to be a prince and a king. He took his duties and vows seriously, and I could respect that.
But a small piece of my heart rebelled against his integrity and high standards. The part that longed for him to simply like me for who I was and not because he was bound to me.
His hard expression dared me to defy him again. I would have challenged him further if not for the urgency of Tommy’s wound. “Very well,” I whispered tersely. “Let us be on our way.”
“Very well.” His response was just as terse.
I glanced at his hand pointedly, and only then did he let go.
Chapter
11
Mikkel
At the sightof the destruction within the camp, I sank to the nearest boulder and shuddered. The caves had been emptied, and everything of value had been broken or burned.
The main thought reverberating through my mind was that if Pearl hadn’t insisted on going to the prisoner exchange, the Inquisitor would have captured her along with Felicity and the other women.
“No sign of their boats,” Toad called from the highest point of camp, a tall rock that gave a view of the northern side of the island and the sea surrounding it.
“They can’t be far away.” Irontooth didn’t pause in strapping on his armor over his chain mail, armor now blackened from the Inquisitor’s bonfire. “Everyone get ready to go! We’ll leave right away and head after them.”
“No.” I pushed myself up. “You can’t go yet.”
“No one is asking for your opinion,” Irontooth snapped.
I stalked toward him, my muscles tensing. This fearless leader might intimidate everyone else into obeying him, but I refused to allow him to bully me. “You’ll be a fool if you rush off after the Inquisitor.”
“Stay out of this!” He glared at me—a look that said he wouldn’t hesitate to beat me away if I dared try to stop him.
Pearl bolted up from where she was tending Tommy, and she took several rapid steps in my direction. Was she worried for me? Afraid of what Irontooth might do if I stood up to him?
I’d spent much time over the past couple of weeks studying the fearless leader and trying to see into his heart. And I’d come to understand that although Irontooth was a seasoned warrior and his tactics were sometimes unnecessarily brutal, he wasn’t a killer.
I strode up to him and sent my fist flying into his face. At the crack of my knuckles against his cheek, pain radiated up my arm to my shoulder. But I unsheathed my spear and knife instantly, ready to fight.
Irontooth roared his anger and swung at me with his sword as I’d predicted.
Pearl shouted a warning, urging me to stop. But in all my recent analyzing, I’d surmised that the primary means of gaining his respect was by a show of force. He wouldn’t listen any other way.
Of course, I had no aspirations to usurp his leadership. But I couldn’t let him charge off in pursuit of the Inquisitor, not in his frenzied condition. Nothing good would come of leading with one’s heart without also using one’s head. And right now he was too upset at losing Felicity to think clearly.
