Page 5 of The Lost Princess

“Why won’t you tell me more about what I am going to do? It seems unfair,” I protested, tearing off a bite of the dried meat with my teeth.

Jarrett looked at me with such despair that I stopped chewing. I was sick to death of the pitiful looks. “I refuse to tell you more because it will simply break my heart.”

A lump formed in my chest, and I couldn’t swallow. I spat the jerky out on the ground and offered my remaining piece to him. If hetrulycared, then he would prepare me for what laid ahead. But no, all he had was mourning and groaning lined with excuses.

“I’m going to sit by that fire over there. Please don’t follow me,” I ordered, and Jarrett sat back down with a frown. I moved away in the darkness toward the small lit area and sat down on a log, adjusting my golden dress around me. I tried to pretend it wasn’t riddled with tears or covered in mud. I glanced at my hand, cringing at the amount of dirt under my nails. I’d given up on my hair a few days in, simply braiding it down the middle to keep it from further damage.

I was filthy.

I looked over my shoulder and Jarrett scowled, stomping off. Hopefully he was searching for something better for us to eat. No one else was around, which made me wonder if this fire had been built specifically for me. If it had been, I appreciated it. We were camped on a high ridge that overlooked both the southern woods we’d just traversed, and the northern plains that stretched ahead. Beyond that lay the desert. There we would turn away from mountains to the east and head west toward Cilla. At least, that’s what I knew from the maps I had studied as a girl. Even though Jarrett had said we weren’t going all the way to Cilla. I pondered what that meant. There were no other towns between our kingdoms that I could see on the maps. Perhaps one of the small farms?

I threw Jarrett’s cloak around my shoulders, clutching it tightly to me. It smelled of smoke and pine, a scent that was quickly becoming synonymous with safety. It had unofficially been mine ever since he’d ripped my dress, insisting I keep it. The slit in the skirt went all the way to the top of my thigh, exposing my bare legs to the firelight. I could wrap the cloth around my shoulders, or cover my legs like a blanket would. Not like it mattered, since I was alone.

What a mess. My father and my people had abandoned me. And now my only protector was a grumpy courtier who was clearly forced to deal with me. It left me feeling empty and hollow.

Were they going to kill me then? I hoped not, and it didn’t make much sense. Perhaps they wished to keep me as my father had, and simply wanted their own ‘gift of the gods’ to sing and entertain them?

That wouldn’t be so bad. Yes, that must be it. There was no other reason, was there? As my father had said, the King of Cilla was already married, and his sons spoken for.

“Hey. There you are.”

A smiling man with brown hair and blue eyes appeared from the darkness, the flames throwing his figure and face into sharp relief. I squinted against the firelight, trying to make him out better. I twisted back to see if Jarrett had reappeared. He had not.

I was alone with this man.

The thought filled me with sudden panic. I couldn’t recall any time in my life I’d been alone with a stranger other than Jarrett. There had always been Selena, or my father, a maid, or a guard—someone.

I shoved my fear down hard, putting on a brave face.

“Hello,” I offered, pulling Jarrett’s cloak around my body as if it would shield me from the world, and the odd gaze of this man as he took in my shimmering shoulders. His gaze fell to my legs, which he stared openly at.

Uncomfortable, I shifted them and moved the cloak so they were covered. While I did that, he sat down next to me without asking. I fought the urge to shift away from him.

“I can’t believe I’ve stumbled upon you. Everyone’s talking about you,” he exclaimed, unaware of my discomfort, or simply not caring.

Perhaps this man would be willing to tell me something, if Jarrett wouldn’t. “Why is that?” I inquired. “Do you know what my fate is?”

He flashed a blinding smile at me, and I blushed. He was quite good looking, with dimples on each side of his cheeks and a strong jaw.

His hand inched closer to me, his eyes glued to where his darker skin grew close to the pale, iridescent surface of mine. “

“They didn’t tell you anything, did they?” he asked quietly.

His hand gently brushed mine. My heart thudded heavily in my chest, flooded with nervousness. I was anxious. I was … intrigued. Why would a touch of a hand make me feel this way? It wasn’t nearly as bad as father had made it out to be.

“I would appreciate it if you would rectify this error,” I said, my voice soft and breathless.

He leaned in closer, and then I could smell him. The scent of leather followed him, as well as sweat and a dark spice. Likely whatever leaf it was that I’d seen other men smoking earlier. It smelled musky and inviting—exotic and dangerous.

His fingers encircled my wrist, then trailed up my forearm. They ghosted along my flesh, his eyes never leaving the surface of my skin, as if he couldn’t believe it was real.

I may have stopped breathing. I was transfixed by his attention. It wasn’t mean or demanding like father had said. It felt … nice.

Then he leered, a smirk tilting the corner of his lips. “And what will you give me for my assistance?”

I stiffened, taken aback. I didn’t have anything to offer him. Didn’t he know that? “I … I don’t understand. I wasn’t allowed to take anything with me from the castle, I—”

His hand tightened on my upper arm, and his other was suddenly in my hair, supporting the back of my neck.

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