Page 18 of A Song of Thieves

My focus darts to the trees, searching for a sound, a movement, anything. But only silent stillness greets me. If he’s telling the truth, thefellowclearly can’t find where we are after our chase through the woods. Otherwise I would have a rope tied around me by now.

Ifthe guard was telling the truth.

There are only moments left to shake this man, grab Prue, and get the hell out of here. I spring in his direction before I can finish another thought, my mind and heart steady. His confusion melts into unblunted discipline, his instinct and training meeting my own.

I jab left, then right. He ducks, and both shots miss. He brings a fist to my side as I circle back and out of the way of the blow. My leg swings high as I twist around, but not high enough to meet his head. It’s a direct kick to his shoulder and arm, but from what I can see, he doesn’t even wince.

Trust yourself, and you will win them all.

We go again. A quick block deflects his swinging fist, but he pulls back effortlessly, his form still unwavering. He’s pulling his punches, not aiming to hurt me. Is he afraid I can’t take it? Do I look that fragile?

I falter for a moment. He can fight, I’m certain of that. The way he moves— he’s not just some dumb guard. There’s practice here. Skill even.

We circle each other for a few breaths, both of us unsure, maybe even slightly perplexed by the other. But I lock my curiosity away. Whatever his motives are, I’m not sticking around to find out. I swing another kick from the left side, high enough this time to connect with his jaw. He pivots, opening up his right side just enough for me to swing my elbow around. He grunts as it sinks into his side.

As I turn to face him an arm reaches around me, grabbing and gripping me tightly. "I just want to talk," he says through ragged breaths.

I curse under my breath. He purposefully opened himself up to be hit, and I hate that I fell for it. I bring my knee up to connect between his legs— just enough to break his concentration so I can get away. He lets go of my waist to catch my incoming knee, seeing its path and intention. In that single motion of deflection he grabs underneath my leg, pulling hard and landing me on my back.

I roll as he tries to land on top of me, threatening to pin me down with his weight. My leg hooks behind his neck. His size is definitely his advantage on the ground. He rolls to the side before I can swing my other leg to push him away, instead pinning me to the ground. If he makes it all the way over, I will be vulnerable for a severe beating. Or worse, tied up and taken to wherever he will question me.

I’m not afraid of this man, or Reynauld for that matter. But freedom is definitely superior to a black eye and broken ribs, or a quiet room with prodding eyes. I release my leg from his neck, kicking him hard in the chest with the heel of my foot. I smile as he grunts hard and falls back.

“Your size has always been your advantage,” I whisper down to him as I move to my knees, a trickle of sweat beading down my back.

He’s clutching his chest like I actually made a dent.Good. I have only a few breaths to stand up, jump on Prue and ride out of here before he comes to, or before his hidden man follows the grunts and bursts through the trees and joins our little soirée.

But I’m frozen. For whatever reason, I can’t leave just yet. Maybe it’s pride or sheer hatred, or something else entirely, but I kneel down, one leg straddling his waist as my other burrows into the dirt preparing to spring. My hand digs into his shirt, grabbing a fistful before I open my mouth to speak.

“But not when you fight someone who has spent her entire life learning how to pave her way against strength and power.” His eyes bore into mine. A sliver of moonlight reflects their urgency, a question lurking there. I stare, getting lost as I search for the answer, missing when his gaze snaps into a determined focus.

Before I know it, I’m thrown on my back again. Both arms are bound at my stomach in his grip, and his legs are firmly hooking mine.

“You think you’re the only one who’s spent their life learning how to use other people’s strengths against them.” He looks down at me. “If it wasn’t for my mesmerizing face, you may have actually won this one,” he quips, looking a little too smug with himself.

I roll my eyes, making sure the dramatics show my disdain. “Your face is as mesmerizing as the bottom of my horse,” I choke out, trying to get my arms free from his grip, but failing miserably. He’s trying to tire me through my struggle. But my anger at losing to someone so obviously winnable is giving him exactly what he wants.

His hands are warm against the cooling night air, a prickling sensation moving across my entire body. He’s staring at me now, and I cease my struggle. There are no words and no movement between us. His dark hair falls into his face, swaying in the light breeze weaving through the air. If my hatred of the guard didn’t run so deep, I may even take this time to admire his handsome face.

Instead I close both eyes, saving my energy as I lie still under his weight.

9

The Captain

Hergazeisswirlingas I look at her, my weight the only thing keeping her small frame in place. A stray strain of violet rests in the color of her eyes, the shade of night reflecting what must normally be a vibrant whorl of greens. She struggles against me before going still, her eyes closing. The longer I touch her, the more it feels an invisible string is knitting my hands to her skin.

The crunching of leaves in the distance signals that Aiden has finally found us. He walks into the clearing, panting and wide-eyed at the scene laid before him. “I’m sorry. It took me a moment to figure out where you ran.”

“Aiden. Impeccable timing,” I say, nodding in gratitude and acknowledgement toward my subordinate before looking back to the girl underneath me.

Her face is now devoid of emotion— once as curious and lit up as my own, it now seems passive and indifferent. Our eyes meet again briefly. Her impassivity reaches everywhere but those eyes. I don’t know what I see there, but suddenly I wish Aiden was anywhere but here. A part of me feels drawn to follow this thief to the end of the world if she asked it, and the ridiculousness of it nearly causes me to double over with laughter.

“Do you have any rope on you?” I ask, purposefully breaking away from our unspoken tether.

“I have enough to tie her hands,” he responds, grabbing a piece of rope he had knotted from his shoulder, across his chest, and down to his waist.

Seeing the rope breaks through the strange hold on me, bringing my senses back on board. “I’m not sure that will be enough. But perhaps between the two of us, we can get this young lady back to the grounds.”

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