Page 86 of Ruthless Scoundrel
With her marriage proposal last night, I know she won’t try to escape me now, yet I still don’t want to leave her. What if someone else comes to take her?
“You’ll give anyone who comes through that flap a face full of fire, yes?” I ask.
She glares at me with simmering rage. “Yourself included if you don’tleave now.”
I sigh and stuff my feet into my boots. “I’ll return shortly.”
When I emerge from the tent and the smell of Reina’s blood leaves my senses, I can think clearly again.
A monthly bleed which means she’s not pregnant. Perhaps my Heat was reacting to her being fertile? I know the mating and child-rearing of Men is different from selkies, butmonthlyopportunities to conceive a child is unbelievable.
A man pats me on the shoulder as he passes. “C’mere, my wife’s got something for yours.”
The hairs raise on the back of my neck and my fangs descend as I eye the man. He might be trying to lure me away and distract me. Reina curses in frustration and the need to help her overcomes my trepidation.
I follow the man through the mismatched tents, some tall enough to stand all the way up inside of, some so low to the ground I wonder how the occupant even got in. There are canvas coverings of tan, blue, grey, yellow, and green. Some are faded, and some so worn they’re barely doing their job anymore. It seems many of these merchants have been traveling with the same gear for decades.
The man stops at a well-cared-for tent that’s lighter tan at the top and darker near the bottom.
He turns to me and holds up a hand. “Wait here.”
I glance over my shoulder and find our tent in the bunch, then nod at the man.
He says something in a hushed tone and a woman replies. “It’s right over there.”
The man emerges a moment later with a strip of bloodstained cloth fastened with four strings. His cheeks bloom with red as he holds it out to me. “This’ll at least keepthingsfrom…getting everywhere.”
I reach out to take it, then lean in and whisper, “Will she know how to use this?”
He scrunches up his face and nods. “Likely. If not, you can bring her over here.”
I give him my thanks and then go to the center of camp. Someone has boiled water from the nearby river and I take a small cup of it with me back to the tent.
“It’s me,” I say from outside, fearing for my hair and eyebrows.
“I’m decent enough,” she says and I slip inside.
Her face is red, and her lashes are stuck together. Teardrops stain the bedding in front of her. My heart lurches into my throat at the thought of making her cry.
“A man around camp said you would know how to use this,” I say, holding out the…thing.
Reina looks up at it and her eyes glisten with fresh tears. Her expression screws up and she buries her face in her hands as she begins to sob. I drop to my knees in front of her and set the cup of water aside so that I can hold her.
She folds into my arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled…or thrown my boot. I know you’re just trying to help me.”
My heart cracks open. “I don’t understand what’s happening, but you don’t need to be embarrassed. You can ask me for whatever you need, and I’ll try my best to get it.”
She keeps crying and my body aches to move, todo somethingto fix her tears. But there’s nothing to do. I must keep holding her until she directs me.
After a while, she sniffles and looks up at me. “I’m hungry.”
Finally, something I can do.I hand her the…thing, and turn to my bag. Inside is more bread, cheese, and water.
“It’s not what a princess is used to eating, but it’s what I can offer right now,” I say, holding the measly meal out to her.
She grabs the bread with both hands and nibbles on it as silent tears slip down her cheeks. I want to reverse time and make them return to her.
“What else can I do?” I ask, desperate for directions.
