Page 26 of Blood and Fate

He took her in. “Would you like my coat, Your Highness?”

The offer took her off guard, and as though her body remembered it was raining and cold, she shivered. She should accept, but for some reason she couldn’t form the words as she held his gaze. Finally, she shook her head no.

“Very well,” Teague said, and he began leading her toward the camp.

They didn’t walk far before Teague stopped and turned toward her. “Here, Your Highness.”

She recognized the worn grey canvas of the tent she had slept in the night before, but it was in the wrong location. Turning her head slightly to the right was all she needed to do to tell her that much. Kais’ much larger tent sat directly beside the one she had been granted use of.

She blinked away some of the rain dripping into her eyes. “I don’t think this is correct.”

Teague glanced from her tent to Kais’ beside it and then back to her. “This is where they were told to put it.”

Apprehension filled her at the proximity to the leader’s tent. It must have shown on her face because Teague spoke up again, “Your Highness—“ He paused, waiting for her to look at him. “You’re safe here. You won’t be harmed, certainly not by Kais, and being this close to his tent, I would wager if any of the other men had designs on your honor previously, this will certainly dissuade them.”

The sincerity in Teague’s eyes and voice disarmed her. When he used her title, it wasn’t in a disrespectful way or mocking. He genuinely paid her honor.

She hadn’t interacted with many of the men in the camp—very few of them, actually—but none of them seemed to have ill intentions toward her. What she saw warred in her head with what she knew.

These men were from Evandor. There had been rumblings and rumors for ages that they intended to attempt to overthrow her father and take over. They had her in the palm of their hands, so why weren’t they using her? Why would Kais simply return her? She was spectacular leverage. The only child of the reigning King of Dunleigh; she was gold. And yet he said he would return her. Was he lying? Trying to put her at ease? Was this all an elaborate scheme to make her feel comfortable before turning on her? Perhaps Kais hired the kidnappers in the first place? Maybe taking her back was a way for him to get close to her father without all the fanfare of that first ball.

Satori ran a thumb across her palm as her stomach rolled over with all the possibilities, and she found she needed to sit. She swallowed hard at the lump that had formed in her throat and thanked Teague before moving quickly toward the heavy tent flap and ducking inside.

Her breaths came quickly as she sat on the small cot, squeezing her eyes closed, continuing to rub her palm. The more she thought about her current situation the more she believed that Kais was behind it all. She was simply a pawn until the time was right, and then he could kill her and her father. The only thing that comforted her was knowing that Henrik would probably be there as well if he were still alive, and Kais would kill him too.

One thing she knew, she was not safe in this camp among these men. Voices from outside reminded her how thin the barrier between herself and the rest of the camp was. A flimsy cover of canvas. She would give half her kingdom for a door and a lock.

Outside, somewhere behind her tent, a loud crash rang out followed by shouts and curses from several men. The aggressive voices were soon replaced with laughs and loud teasing, but Satori’s heart raced again. There were so many of them. Would she even make it home to be killed alongside her father, or would it happen here, in her tent?

She pressed her palms into her face, begging her heart to slow. Losing her wits wouldn’t help her at all.

The flap to her tent suddenly flew open, and she yelped. Jumping from her seat on the cot, she recoiled back, tripping over the bed and nearly crashing to the ground.

Kais stood half in, half out of her tent, the large, vicious-looking knife that had been on his hip earlier, held tightly in his fist. His eyes darted wildly around the small space before resting on her. “Are you alright?”

She wrapped her arms around her torso, holding tightly to herself. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the blade in his hand.

“Princess!”

The word, like a dog barking, snapped her eyes from the knife to his face. His dark brow was knit tightly over his eyes, his dripping wet hair curled against his forehead.

“Are you alright?” he repeated.

“No!” she screeched the word. “I’m not alright. What are you doing in here?”

Kais seemed to take another look around the space and then his gaze came to rest on her for a moment, then two.

“Apologies, Princess.” He seemed to consider his next words before he said, “I thought I heard something. I won’t bother you again.” The giant knife hissed quietly as he slid it back into the sheath on his belt. He pushed the tent flap to the side, but turned back to her with one foot out the door. “You’re safe here.”

She pressed her lips together to keep them from quivering. His words did nothing to tamp down her panic. Lies. She was anything but safe.

“Someone will be outside at all times.” He paused. “Goodnight, Princess.”

He disappeared through the flap, straightening it so it lay perfectly closed.

The breath Satori had been holding stuttered out through her lips as she dropped onto the cot once again. She had to get away. Could she run? She was being guarded. Would she even make it anywhere? She had no skills, nothing to save her from whatever she met in the woods. She wasn’t even sure where she was or which way to go. But would taking her chances outside be better than certain, eventual death with these men?

Kais had said someone would be outside at all times. Was that to keep others out or to keep her in? Were his words meant to soothe or threaten?

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