Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 99593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
He gazed at her then, not cold, not angry just… resolute. “Only a weak woman would ask such a foolish question. Mercy is wasted on traitors.”
She looked away, staring at the distant village, thinking she was losing her mind, and wondering if that was her husband’s plan all along. To drive her mad and be rid of her. Perhaps he already had a woman in mind for his next wife. But then why chance getting her with child?
He grabbed her chin again, fiery anger in his eyes that burnt out quickly and he rested his brow to hers. “No matter what happens, I will not see you harmed. I will keep you safe.”
That was it. He was trying to drive her mad and she, like a fool, was falling for it. One moment he was cruel, the next tender. She couldn’t let herself be tricked. She couldn’t fall into his trap, since she was sure death awaited her there. But how… how did she ever survive?
Torrance turned the horse away from Clan Stott and led them once again into the forest.
They had been riding for some time, clouds growing darker as they followed overhead. The air remained heavy, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath. Each hoofbeat echoed in Esme’s ears, but still Torrance said nothing. The silence between them had grown thick, stretched so taut she feared one word might snap it.
Esme kept her hands resting in her lap, having no desire to wrap her arms around him. Her worrisome thoughts continued to grow. She silently continued to berate herself for being so foolish. Torrance enjoyed laying a trap for people, though he more enjoyed the punishment he inflicted for being caught in one. She had seen him do it time and again. She should have realized it. She had dug her own grave.
Her voice broke the silence, soft and unsteady. “Where do we go now?”
Torrance’s grip on the reins tightened. He did not answer her, did not look at her.
Esme swallowed the lump rising in her throat and tried again. “Will we return home?”
Still, he said nothing.
“Or do we continue on to complete the mission?”
Her only response was a snort from the stallion.
She kept her voice firm, but she could not prevent her unease from being heard. “Or are you not sure what you’ll do with me yet?”
That brought a response. She felt his entire body shift, muscles tense, though he maintained his silence.
Dread coiled in her chest. The way he had dispersed his warriors so fast and rode away with her and how he wouldn’t dare approach Clan Stott… it all gnawed at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something more than betrayal haunted him. The fear that she had made the most dreadful mistake clawed at her.
What if this was the trap? Not just for her but for warriors he felt weren’t loyal. It was an easy way to get rid of them. And what of her? Did he bring her this far just to be rid of her?
She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, wanted so badly to believe he had changed. But evil didn’t change and Torrance was an evil man capable of anything, especially deception.
Had she been a fool? Had she wanted to be free of Torrance so badly that she had conjured some reckless suspicion in her mind to free her of evil?
A sharp rustle to the left, in the woods, had Torrance drawing his stallion to a halt. Then a rustle came from the right.
Esme barely turned her head before men stepped from the woods—one, two, then more, surrounding the trail like wolves closing in. Their weapons were drawn and their eyes already locked on Torrance.
The stallion reared slightly beneath him, apprehensively.
Torrance swore beneath his breath.
Esme didn’t wait. This could be her only chance, and she took it.
She threw herself off the horse, hitting the ground hard. Pain jolted through her palms and knees, but she pushed herself up and ran straight into the forest. Branches whipped at her face, roots caught at her feet, and cold air tore at her lungs. But she didn’t stop. She ran as though the devil himself gave chase… and he did.
Fear pounded in her head louder than her heartbeat. He led me here. He knew. This was always the plan to get me alone. Get rid of me, so he could find a new wife.
The woods blurred around her, panic turning everything to shadow and sound. Then she heard it, the crunch of leaves behind her. Someone chased after her. The heavy footfalls grew louder, drawing closer.
She veered left, her heart thundering, her breath ragged. A branch snapped behind her. She didn’t look back. She couldn’t. She didn’t want to see who chased her, didn’t want to know how little time she had.