Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Powerful arms caught her, but she fought wildly, striking at the broad chest in front of her and twisting to escape.
He grabbed her wrists, stopping her futile efforts.
Her gaze flew to his face and she froze… the king.
Relief swept through her so swiftly her legs weakened beneath her.
Dravic felt her body weaken and he released her wrists and caught her around the waist before she fell.
Adira did not stop to think he was the king and no one touched him without permission. She simply threw her arms around him and clung to him as if she intended to never let go, then she pressed her face against his chest as her body trembled.
Dravic welcomed her improper embrace, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight. He had her there in his arms. She was alive, living, breathing, trembling.
She was safe, and he closed his eyes briefly and held her tighter.
A man burst through the trees.
Dravic heard him before he saw him.
The man stopped abruptly, his eyes betraying his shock at seeing the king.
Two of Dravic’s warriors appeared suddenly behind him.
The man, hearing them, turned.
“Take him,” Dravic ordered, sharply.
The warriors seized him without incident.
Another shout came from deeper in the forest, followed by the clash of steel.
Adira felt the rumble in the king’s chest when he spoke strongly, and she turned her head to see one of the men who captured her being dragged away. She spotted more of the king’s warriors moving among the trees and knew the danger had passed.
Realizing how it must look with her in the king’s arms, she stepped away, but not far, since one arm remained hooked at her waist.
The angry red mark on her cheek caught Dravic’s eye and his expression changed. He reached up and brushed his fingers lightly over it.
Adira flinched and Dravic went still.
Anger rose in his eyes as he looked in the direction his warriors had taken the prisoner.
“Who struck you?” he demanded.
Adira watched his lips move but did not understand.
Dravic pointed to her cheek, then fisted his hand and gestured as if striking.
Understanding dawned and Adira looked toward the man being dragged away.
That was all Dravic needed. He turned, his arm falling away from her waist.
Adira grabbed his arm.
Dravic looked down at her hand, then at her.
She shook her head.
His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. Dravic wanted his blood spilled across the snow for daring to take what belonged to him.
Adira stepped closer and rested her hand against his chest. The rage in him did not disappear, neither did the fear he had felt for her. It was there, strong, and she could not help but turn a soft smile on him.
Dravic stared at her, his feelings conflicted. Anger. Relief. Worry. And a feeling he could not define but seemed stronger than all the others.
She shivered and he immediately removed his fur-lined cloak and wrapped it around her, pulling it closed beneath her chin before taking her hand firmly in his.
“Stay with me.”
Adira could not hear the command. She did not need to. Her fingers curled tightly around his.
Dravic turned to his warriors as Fiora fluttered down to land on a nearby branch.
“Three captured,” one of his men reported. “One dead. We search for the others.”
“Find them,” Dravic commanded, snow starting to fall around them.
The warriors rushed off.
Dravic looked at Adira.
She stood wrapped in his cloak, her cheek bruised, her hair tangled, and her face scratched from branches. Yet she looked at him with such complete trust that something tightened painfully in his chest.
He had found her. The thought should have brought relief. Instead, he found himself thinking of how easily he might not have.
Dravic tightened his hold on her hand.
He would never allow anyone to take her from him again.
Chapter Ten
Lost in the Snow
Shelter in the Storm
By the time the last of the prisoners had been found and bound, the snow began falling in earnest.
Dravic glanced toward the sky. The gray that had lingered there throughout the day had deepened, the clouds hanging low over the forest.
“We need to return to Caerith,” he ordered, knowing how a fast-falling snowfall could trap them.
The prisoners were placed on horses and secured while Dravic’s warriors gathered around them. Adira remained beside him, still wrapped in his cloak, and when one of the men brought the horse forward, he motioned for her to approach.
She looked at the horse, then at him.
Dravic pointed to the saddle.
Adira understood and reached for it, but the king caught her around the waist and lifted her onto the horse before mounting behind her.
The snow fell heavier as they started through the forest.
The flakes caught in Adira’s hair and melted against her cheeks. She tipped her face upward, watching them fall, and Dravic found his attention lingering on her longer than it should.
Her face was flushed, her green eyes a bit brighter in color instead of their usual softness, and her breathing was finally calming. She had been frightened and even though she had no voice to call out for help nor could she hear if anyone pursued her, she still had had courage enough to attempt an escape.