Page 16 of God Touched

"Okay, let's see how far we have to work with." Imogen went left, following the border. She tried to keep the castle in sight as much as possible, so she didn't get too lost. The forest was larger than she expected and could hide all sorts of enemies.

Maybe Arawan trusted that his wards would pick up anything that would cross through them. A few months ago, Imogen would've been okay with that. After Aneirin attacked the Ironwood mansion, she would never think they were infallible again.

Something crashed in the undergrowth behind her, and Imogen whirled, her ax already growing to its full size. A large white dog stalked out from behind some rocks, its red ears pricked high and alert.

"Hey there, handsome," Imogen crooned, keeping her voice steady. Her hand tightened on her ax. "You must be one of the Cwn Annwn."

"Good guess," Arawan said from behind her. She wasn't dumb enough to whirl around and give her back to the hound. Arawan wanted her alive, at least for now, but she didn't know about the beast. "He won't hurt you unless I command him to."

Imogen slowly lowered her ax, all her instincts screaming that it was a bad idea. She finally turned. Arawan was leaning against a tree. He was back in leather pants and a long overcoat with a high collar. His large silver sword hung at his side.

Arawan's eyes ran over her, and she fought not to fidget or sneer at him. Her boots and black jeans were splattered with mud, and her braid was a mess from the ride. She should just give up on ever looking neat, especially in front of him.

"Hello, darling. Nice to see you followed instructions and didn't make me come after you," he said with a small smile.

Imogen rested her ax on the ground, going for casual.

"Well, you did seem rather insistent about it. What are you doing lurking in the woods?"

"It is my land, and I can go wherever I wish. What is your excuse?" he replied, crossing his arms.

"I like to be aware of my surroundings. If I am going to stay with you, I want to know what the borders are like and where they are. Not that I don't think you will honor your vow to protect me. I just don't trust you or anyone else," Imogen replied.

Maybe she should be more cautious about how she spoke to him, but fuck it. She always liked to be honest.

"So you shouldn't. I'm bound by our bond to protect you, but you should protect yourself first."

Imogen picked up her ax. "Good. I'm glad you understand. I'll be on my way." She began to walk away when she heard footsteps behind her. "You don't have to follow me. I'm sure you have things to do."

"The thing I need to do most right now is escort you. Let me take you on a tour." Arawan let out a low whistle, and another huge hound appeared. Imogen watched in fascination as they grew to the size of horses.

"Get on. We can ride," Arawan instructed, and one of the hounds lowered down to the earth beside her.

"I don't think I'm comfortable with the idea. My ass is already sore from the ride here today," Imogen said.

Arawan mounted the other hound. "You can ride him alone or ride with me; those are the choices."

He held a hand out to her, a small, challenging smile on his lips. "And if your ass is still sore by the end of it, I'll rub some healing balm into it myself."

Imogen shrank her ax, tucked it into her leather belt, and climbed onto the other dog's back. It trotted up beside Arawan. He looked weirdly pleased.

"See? Isn't it easier to just obey me?" he said.

Imogen laughed. "I don't know if you've realized this, but I'm not really one for taking orders."

Arawan hummed. "We'll see about that."

8

Arawan had known the minute that Imogen had crossed the borders into his lands. She was the only one that was breathing on it for a start.

He had announced to his court that they would be getting a new living ambassador residing amongst them and had delighted in their scandalized faces.

It was recklessly out of character for him. He knew it and didn't care. Keeping them guessing would help him flush out the disloyal ones. He had slept too long, and now he would have to find inventive ways to get them back in line.

Imogen's appearance would make them uneasy.

Arawan was genuinely surprised that she hadn't forced him to chase her down. Looking at the sway of her lavender braid and how she kept one hand on her ax told him that she was no coward. It was one of the things he liked about her.

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