Page 45 of The Stolen Princess
They went into the trees again so she could take care of her business. When she came back, Drake threw out the bedroll onto the ground around the fire.
“You can sleep here,” he said, pointing to the make-shift bed.
Myka sunk to her knees, eager to rest.
He threw down an extra jacket. “You can use this as your pillow.”
She looked up at his empty hands. “What about your bedroll and pillow?”
“I only have the one.”
His kind gesture surprised her. Did captors usually give their bedroll to their prisoners? Myka didn’t know the protocol, but something told her that his kindness wasn’t typical.
“Thank you.”
He nodded and bent down, raking his hand over the dirt where he planned to lay. He picked up the larger rocks and sticks, throwing them off to the side. Myka recognized what he was doing and joined in, grabbing a large pine cone, throwing it behind them. It was the least she could do if Drake was giving up his sleeping gear to her.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
The entire exchange seemed odd, but she shook the feeling away.
Once the fire was going, the other men filled in around them. Old ’n Slow lay down next to her, and within seconds he started snoring.
Fabulous.
“Drake, are you going to make your move on the princess tonight?” Horseface asked from across the fire. “Or wait for a real bed?”
Myka hated him. Even more than Drake.
She closed her eyes, trying to ignore him, but she couldn’t ignore the anxiety bubbling inside of her.
“If you don’t do something,” Horseface continued, “I’ll take my turn. I’d be happy to get back at the little brat for biting me.”
“I would never allow anyone in this group to compromise the princess. It would jeopardize our entire mission. Besides, something tells me she’d bite off more than just your arm,” Drake said in response.
The men around the fire laughed, and Horseface shut up.
Myka opened her eyes, glancing at Drake. He was stretched out on his back with his arms folded across his chest and closed eyes.
“I didn’t know you were funny,” she whispered.
Drake peeked one eye open. “I have my moments.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She seemed to be thanking her kidnapper a lot.
He nodded and then closed his eyes again.
Maybe Drake Vestry did have some human decency in him. He was following orders based on false information. The Council had painted her father all wrong, and that was the information Drake had to go by. Myka could give him a little grace based on that, butonlya little.
12
Myka
Dawn broke through the skyline, sharpening the pink colors in front of them as they traveled. They had woken up early to get on the road before the sun came up. The sunrise should’ve meant something to Myka, like somehow a new day would make things better. She had survived the most terrible afternoon and night of her life, but the daybreak didn’t mean it was over. It only meant that another day of hell would begin.
Every once in a while, Myka would turn her gaze to the horizon behind her, wishing she could see a team of transporters chasing after them. Someone would find her. Her father would make sure of that. He was still alive; she felt it deep inside of her, and the hope that he wouldn’t give up until he found her was the only thing keeping her strong.
The flat terrain they’d been traveling on merged into rolling hills and thick woodlands. Myka tried to pay attention to the directions they traveled and landmarks they passed. To her right, off in the distance, was Lambeau Lake. Myka had seen parts of that lake when she’d traveled as a child with her parents, but she’d never been this far north before or seen the cement structure that protruded out of the middle of it.
