Page 36 of Feral Guardian
I had always told Lily how important she was to me, that there was nothing more I wanted in the world than to stay by her side and protect her. Of course, that want stemmed from my training, from not wanting the world to fall into chaos. It persisted, though, because I grew to care for her, because of the amazing girl she was.
But she is not a girl anymore. Now she’s a woman with a honey-rose scent, full lips and a fuller figure, a playful grin, and big, innocent eyes—
“Fuck,” I growl and rise to my feet.
Her admission does not change my duty. I must protect her at all costs and see her ascend the throne.
That means going out and finding us a way home.Now.
I fill another cup with water and leave it on the nightstand beside her, then reinforce the ward on the window and the door. No one will get in here without grave injury.
I stop at the door and look back at her. She’s slumbering peacefully, her mouth slightly open, her arm over her eyes. She will be safe here for an hour while I find us transportation.
My mouth goes dry as I watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest. How could my affection for the girl she was evaporate so quickly, replaced by something else, something so unwanted and so much worse?
Desire.
“In love with you.”
“Fuck.”
I leave before my thoughts can destroy me.
The tavern is louder than when we left it, the revelry of dockworkers in full swing. I will say that the establishment is much nicer than the Last Slab. No masturbators looking through the window, and no pirates—that I can see.
I return to the bar to speak with the man who had been helping me before Lily got it in her head to drink an entire keg of their foul beer. The bartender nods when he sees me, pointing toward a table near the center of the room.
“John. Dark hair and brown hat,” he says as he serves one of the pink-tinged drinks to another customer.
I dip my head and move into the crowd. This building was not made for someone my size, but the others scoot in and step aside as they see me coming. There’s no open chair at John’s table, but when he sees me coming, my eyes locked on him, he waves his hand to excuse one of his cadre.
These men don’t look much better than the ones Trask was dealing with when we arrived, but I’ll try to withhold my misgivings until I get a few words out of them.
I take the open seat and dive straight into business. “I need transport for myself and another to Fynren Kingdom. And a horse.”
“How much supplies do you have?” John asks.
“None, but we can get them.”
He scratches his dark stubble. “Timeline?”
“Immediate departure.”
He whistles. “You must be someone important.”
“No, just someone in a hurry,” I say.
“I’m not leaving port until I collect a bounty too good to pass up,” he says. “In fact, you look like the kind of man who could help with such a bounty. If you can lend your services, I could knock down the costs of transport a measure.” He grins broadly, like he has my balls in a vice and he’s ready to give them a twist.
“I don’t need money, or a discount. I need to depart tomorrow,” I say, holding my temper at bay.
John shrugs. “Find another boat, then.”
Nol’Ther, give me peace.
I lean in and lower my voice. “What bounty could be more important than five hundred gold marks?”
John gives me an expression somewhere between a snarl and a smile. “Fourthousandgold marks.”
