Page 30 of Blood and Fate

He nodded once.

“Why?”

“Well, your dress looked a bit worse for wear and we still have some traveling to do yet. I thought this,” he gestured toward her, “might be a bit more appropriate.”

Her eyes fell to her clothes and then ran across the ground at her feet. Frustration burned through him, and he knew it was hers.

Finally, she looked back at him. “Thank you.”

That was it? She’d been fighting through her frustration until she could work up the words, “thank you”?

He laughed once. “You’re welcome, Princess.”

Her frustrated expression quickly turned to annoyance. Clearly she didn’t enjoy being laughed at, even though he wasn’t strictly laughing at her.

She turned a glare on him. “Why are your men mad at you?”

The smile on Kais’ face evaporated. He knew she’d been listening. He’d felt her attention, her presence, as though she had been beside him. He bit down on his bottom lip, slowly pushing it back out through his teeth as he studied her.

“They’re mad because we’re taking the crossing. They think we should take Carter’s Pass.”

“I’ve heard of the crossing.” Her face slackened. “It’s large and rather dangerous, is it not?”

He didn’t answer her right away. Not as her words and the reality of their situation settled further still onto his shoulders. He would be taking not only his men through the crossing, but Satori as well. It wasn’t fair to her. She’d been kidnapped and forced from one danger to another, and now he was taking her to the next.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, blowing all his air out through his nose before he tried again. “It’s faster.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m delivering something.” Never mind that half of his cargo had been traded off for her.

“Something?” Satori said, as though she were waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t. “Weapons?”

Did she really believe a man of his position spent his days crossing massive, dangerous bodies of water to smuggle weapons?

“You think I’m delivering weapons? I’m not a smuggler, Princess.”

She raised a hand slightly, waving him off. “Pardon? It was only a question.”

He took half a second to compose himself. Had she really thought that, or was she just trying to provoke him? And why did he care what she thought? Time to change the subject.

“Breakfast?”

She gave him a wary look, and the feeling of mistrust smacked him.

“It’s only breakfast, Princess. There are no nefarious schemes at work.”

Her brows dipped toward her nose, suspicion clouding her gaze. How was it that he could sense her emotions so easily, and she couldn’t seem to feel his?

“Sausage, oatmeal...”

Her brow smoothed out, and she nodded. He held out a hand in invitation for her to join him, and they began walking toward the food tent.

“How old are you?” Satori asked.

He looked down at her, surprised by her question. But she didn’t look at him. He was met with the sight of the top of her golden-blonde hair.

“I’m thirty. Dare I ask how old you are, Princess?”

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