Page 80 of Sword of Rage
“We should sleep so we can leave at first light,” Gytha said. “Ledger, if you can take the first watch, I’ll take the second, Ackley the third.” Both men agreed.
Ackley stood, pulling Harley up alongside him. “I’ll walk you to the loft.” Turning to Gytha he said, “I made room for us right inside the door.”
“I’m going to do a perimeter run for Ledger and then I’ll be in.”
Ackley led Harley to the barn. Earlier, he’d spotted a lantern just inside the door. He found and lit it.
“In Kreng, I was working at the inn so I wouldn’t have to sleep in the barn with the animals.”
Ackley chuckled. “At least there’re only horses in here.”
“It’s still a barn and horses are animals.”
At the bottom of the ladder, he held the light out so Harley could see as she climbed up. Once she reached the top, he couldn’t see her in the darkness. “Do you want me to bring the lantern up to you?”
“Yes, please.”
He looped the handle over his arm then climbed to the top, praying the ladder didn’t slip and he didn’t light the entire barn on fire. When he reached the top, he pushed the lantern toward Harley.
She grabbed it, dragging it closer to her. “Thank you.” She glanced at him, her brow furrowing.
Something in his chest tightened. “Do you want to talk?” Gytha and Ledger had revealed quite a bit of information, and Harley had barely said two words. “I can be a friend if you need one.”
She bit her bottom lip, then scooted back. “If I wanted a friend, I’d seek Ledger or Gytha out.”
The comment stung.
“I don’t think you fit the definition of a friend,” she revealed.
Ackley took a deep breath, figuring she only thought of him as an assassin or prince, not as a person. Not as a friend. “Of course. Well, if you need anything, I’ll be right down there near the door.” He started to descend the ladder.
“Wait.” She reached out, as if to grab him. “Let me explain what I mean. Please, join me for a minute.”
His body moved of its own accord. The next thing he knew, he was sitting beside her, his leg brushing hers.
Her lips curved into a small grin. It was enough to bring a smile to his face.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you are less than a friend.”
He had no idea what to say to that.
“I don’t have a lot of friends, so maybe I’m bad at this.” She sighed. “It’s just that I consider you…as something more.”
More? Had he heard her correctly?
“We’ve traveled across the kingdom,” she explained. “We’ve pretended to be married and, well, I don’t know. You just seem to be more than a friend to me.”
He turned so his body faced hers, allowing him to look into her beautiful eyes. “I wasn’t sure you even liked me.”
Her focus went to her hands, playing with the hem of her cloak. “I wasn’t sure I liked you, either. Until I got to know you better. I’m sad we’ll be parting ways tomorrow.”
So was he, but he didn’t know how to say that. This beautiful woman sitting before him was stronger than any woman he’d ever met, but he couldn’t tell her that. He didn’t know how to bring up what he’d discovered at her house. The type of man Lyle had been. A ruthless soldier who took what he wanted. Including Harley. What she’d been through and experienced with Lyle had to be atrocious. Ackley didn’t know how she was sitting there before him with a smile. It had to take a tremendous amount of strength to get through a marriage like that—which made her perfect for one of his plans. But he’d think on that later. Right now, the desire to reach out and touch her face overwhelmed him. He wanted to show her what real love was. He wanted to show her that he could be gentle and caring. She deserved a man who treated her well. He could be that man.
His eyes widened and his head jerked back, unable to believe that he’d just had those thoughts.
“Is something the matter?” she asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He shook his head, dumbfounded that he was falling for this beautiful woman before him. She wasn’t his type. In fact, she was the opposite of his type. She couldn’t even lift a sword.
