Page 52 of Mastering their Maiden

“Don’t,” she whispered.

“He’s right. I’m sorry. We all are.” I pressed my lips to the space under her ear, savoring the feel of her body softening involuntarily into mine. “And we’re going to prove it. We’re going to take you back to the village and claim you tonight just as we vowed to weeks—”

The sound of a growl interrupted my promise, a low, guttural, violent noise that instantly made me tense. Aria’s slight body shifted in my arms, her muscles tightening. She pushed into me, letting me hold her tightly while her hands reached out to take hold of Zander’s tunic. His eyes darted to the side, then he shoved her toward me, and I practically lifted her off her feet so the three of us could move behind a tree and duck into the brush surrounding it.

Zander stood in front, Aria behind him, tucked against my body because I was going to be damned if I let her put herself at risk for what I thought was coming. What I knew was coming. The forest floor was alive at my feet. Insects, snakes, and small animals scurrying in all directions. A deer lowed in the distance, then a pack of them rushed by, bounding away from the beasts chasing after them.

“My bow,” Aria whispered, and Zander dashed out to grab it before he ducked into some thick brush when the pack of Skepna appeared.

The pack.

My arms tightened around Aria, and she didn’t resist when I pulled her further behind the tree. Her heavy breaths had quieted, but I could feel her heart beating, its pace matching my own. I knew that as Zander and I counted the beasts she was doing the same. Sizing up the threat. There were four at first. Then two more appeared. Then three, four, six more…

I’d never seen so many.

Zander’s eyes narrowed and he extended one hand toward us, motioning for Aria and me to get down. I pulled her with me when I crouched, keeping her out of sight when Zander stood and threw a large stone into the forest beyond where the Skepna stood. It bounced off a tree with a heavy thud, and the beasts looked in the direction of the noise, some of them moving to investigate. Zander rushed over to join us, instantly putting himself in front of Aria again. He gave me a look, eyebrows narrowed, but I saw the unease on his face.

How—how—were there so many? Kaiden sent men out to scout for them and they’d reported back with barely anything. Less than five. Now there were at least thirty if not more.

Questions raced through my head. Why were they here? What drew them into this area? I tried to sort out a reason; maybe merchants had attracted them or travelers who sometimes moved through the region. The pack moved again, murmuring in their guttural language as they did. Zander and I exchanged a look, but when he jerked his head in the direction of the village, Aria jolted out of my arms and almost made it past him.

“Where the hell are you going?” Zander demanded after he caught her arm.

“Frayne,” she hissed. “He might be back at the cabin. We can’t let… We have to warn him. He won’t stand a chance if they—”

“Neither will we,” I countered. “He wouldn’t want—”

“I can’t just leave him!” she whisper-screamed at me, expression horrified. “We can get his attention and have him come back to the village with us. He can fight if they attack.”

“She has a point,” Zander agreed, though I could tell he was reluctant to admit it. “If they came to the village, we’d need everyone we could find, and even if they didn’t, it’s not right for us to leave him out here. The man’s been good to us.”

He raised his eyebrows at me, and I knew he wasn’t just talking about the letters Frayne helped us with over the past few months of planning. He’d kept Aria from leaving. He’d kept her safe.

We owed him for that along with everything else.

Zander and I kept her between us as we walked, the bow in her hands, my sword feeling oddly heavy on my back. It had been so long since I’d used it in battle. It had been so long since I’d needed to.

But something in my bones told me I’d be bloodying the steel before night’s end.

Frayne’s cabin finally came into view. We could hear the Skepna growling and grunting in the distance, not far from where the building stood. Aria was rushing, trying and failing to be quiet in her haste to get to her friend. I kept up with her while Zander played guard, his hand on the short spear on his belt. His eyes had been aimed south toward the sound of the Skepna, but they quickly darted to me, then to the cabin, widening dramatically. I knew the reason, because I’d heard the same sound that had drawn his attention.

Voices.

“Wait,” I hissed, grabbing Aria’s arm. Her hearing wasn’t as attuned as ours was, but she’d slowed, and when I yanked her back, she didn’t fight. Her eyes were wide, heart pounding but her breath seemed stuck. I followed her gaze, my eyes narrowing at the group of ten men standing on the porch.

Hoval stood at the front of the group, his expression sour. Frayne had gotten back home from wherever he’d been, and now stood across from Hoval, tense and defiant.

“…won’t do it, Hoval. Those women deserve to be free to choose whoever—”

“And how would you control their lust?” Hoval scowled when he spoke, his eyes narrowed into slits. “What would you have us do to prevent the people there from breeding like rabbits? There’s only so much space and resources—”

“You have more than enough thanks to the Kavari.”

“The Kavari ruined our way of life! They have stolen our women. Sullied their bodies with their debauchery, poisoned their minds, stoked rebellion and disobedience—”

“Don’t act like the lot of you care about piety and controlling lust.” Frayne scoffed and turned back to his cabin. “I know what happens in your sanctification rituals. I know how those women come out broken. How many bastards in that village belong to you? You claim to care so much about children but—”

Hoval moved so quickly it caught me off guard, and I barely managed to hold onto Aria when she tried to bolt toward where Frayne stood on the porch. There was a flash of silver at the Elder’s waist, a hitch of breath when he lunged, then a pained grunt that would have been drowned out by Aria’s scream had I not managed to get my hand over her mouth.

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