Page 2

Chapter 2

In the Saddle

R aewyn

“Ho there, another night owl,” the strange man called out in a jovial tone.

When the sound of his horse’s footfalls came closer, a new note of recognition entered his voice.

“Prince Pharis,” he said. “You’re out and about late—or should I say early? Dawn is near, as my wife will soon realize, unfortunately.”

Tension filled Pharis’ body, his chest going rigid beneath my cheek. His deep voice vibrated against it as he responded to the man.

“I don’t sleep much. Far too many things to… do,” he said then added a suggestive laugh.

The man laughed as well. “I see. I was just returning from the pleasure house in Grayport myself. Don’t tell my bond-mate, Your Highness, but the King isn’t the only highborn with an itch for human companionship now and again.”

Pharis’ body tensed further, but he laughed loudly. “I won’t tell, if you don’t. I have no taste for human women myself, but I don’t mind a little stroll on the lower Fae side occasionally. Some of the commoners wash up quite nicely.”

His body shifted in what I could only assume was a gesture toward me. The other man’s lewd laugh confirmed it.

“I’ll let you get back to it then,” he said, urging his horse forward. “A pleasure not-seeing you, Your Highness.”

“Same to you,” Pharis said and pressed his legs against his horse’s sides.

As soon as we rounded the next bend, Pharis directed the horse off the road, into the dark woods.

I lifted my head and looked around. Here in the forest, the waning moonlight was mostly obscured. I wasn’t sure how Pharis could even see where he was going.

“Are we hiding?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “Who was that? Someone dangerous?”

“Just some randy lord. I forget his name. And yes, as far as you’re concerned, he’s dangerous. They all are.”

“That’s why we’re getting off the road,” he added.

“Are you afraid he’ll come back and follow us or something?”

“I’m not worried about him . He’s attempting to beat the sunrise and get home before his wife wakes,” Pharis said. “But he might mention seeing me to someone, and word could travel to the wrong ears. As day breaks, there will be more and more riders on the road. We’ll be taking a different route.”

I looked around again at the dense trees and thick underbrush. The large horse would have to move painstakingly slowly to pick his way through this. I didn’t know any way other than the road to get to my village, but this couldn’t possibly be the best route.

“The road would be much faster,” I said.

“No doubt,” Pharis agreed. “And we could take it… if you’re in a hurry to end up back at the palace in Stellon’s retinue—or my father’s. Is that what you want?”

I shuddered at the thought of having to serve the cruel king in such a manner.

“Of course not.”

Pharis continued. “The King is a late sleeper and not likely to learn you’re missing for a few hours yet. But when he does, he’ll send out patrols in every direction. Apparently he considers you quite the prize.”

“Because he wants to publicly accuse me of attempted murder and execute me in front of the entire Fae Court?”

“No.” There was a pause. “Because you’re important to my brother. I wasn’t there obviously, but Stellon told me our father intended to use you as a bargaining chip… to ensure he’d remain the obedient son he’s always been. You’re the closest I’ve ever seen Stellon come to rebellion.”

And he was the closest I’d ever come to being loved.

A feeling of emptiness came over me that had nothing to do with the inedible quality of my last meal.

Poor Stellon. He’d been so full of joy and hope and misplaced optimism. And misplaced trust.

I twisted to try and see Pharis’ face, but it was shrouded in shadows from the trees.

“Is that why you broke your promise and told the King about us? So he could save him from the ‘terrible human?’”

“I kept my promise to Stellon,” Pharis said, sounding offended, “and I’ll continue keeping my promises. I told no one about the two of you. I swear it. I swore it to him, too, and he knows it’s true. I was with him before I went down to the dungeon.”

“Is he okay?” I asked eagerly. “I’m worried about him. Your father was furious when he found us together in the stables.”

“Stellon will be fine. The King wouldn’t hurt a hair on that pretty golden head,” Pharis drawled.

I didn’t know my riding companion well—at all, really, but he sounded resentful.

Turning back around, I faced forward as we moved at a snail’s pace through the forest. The sky above the trees began to lighten noticeably. Dawn was breaking.

Pharis spoke again. “In case it isn’t clear, by the way… whatever was between you—is over. My brother intends to never see you again. He told me that himself.”

I rubbed my chest to soothe the heavy ache inside. My response to Pharis came out in a hollow whisper.

“I know.”

We were quiet for a long while after that. I almost dozed off. I hadn’t been able to sleep at all in the cold, reeking dungeon last night. The horse’s slow pace and gentle rocking motion was nearly hypnotic.

The rumble of Pharis’ deep voice against my back caused my eyelids to fly open.

“About what?” he asked.

“What?” Had I actually dozed off and missed the beginning of his question?

“Before we ran into the errant husband back on the road, you started to say something. You said, ‘About that…’”

I shook my head trying to clear it, trying to remember. I gripped the pommel in front of me and sat up straighter, realizing I’d sagged back against Pharis in my drowsy state.

He huffed an aggravated sigh, rustling the top of my hair with his exhale.

“I called you an assassin and a liar, and you said, ‘About that…’ What were you going to say?”

Oh. I was stunned he actually wanted to hear my side of the story.

“I was going to say that Stellon never had anything to fear from me, and neither did the rest of your family. I’m not an assassin. Not really.”

“You had poison,” Pharis argued reasonably.

“I did. But I would never have used it,” I told him. “And I knew nothing about it when I got to the ball and met you and Stellon. Sorcha brought the poison to the palace.”

Knowing he wasn’t likely to believe me, I explained anyway.

“After she gave it to me and told me what she’d sent me to the ball to do, I started trying to find a way to get out of there and go home— so I could get my family to safety. She threatened them with retribution if I didn’t follow her orders.”

I wished I could see his face. What I pictured was a set of eyes so hardened they looked like tourmaline gemstones. He said nothing, so I went on.

“This whole thing has been about them. I was desperate. They were literally days away from starvation when I made the bargain with the Earthwife. We all were. I didn’t know what it would entail. If I had, I never would have agreed to it.”

A long moment passed before Pharis responded. “If you’re expecting me to react like my brother and go all gooey, pouring sweet forgiveness all over you, you’re in for some disappointment.”

“I didn’t expect you to believe me,” I said. “But whether you do or not, the truth is the truth—I had no intention of hurting any of you. I could never kill anyone .”

“I could,” he said flatly. “If they were truly threatening my family, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

A knot formed in my belly. It was hard to take a full breath. I couldn’t let myself forget for a moment that this man was not a friend. He was not his kind brother.

We were literally in the middle of nowhere, and he was vastly larger and more powerful than me. He was helping me out of obligation to his brother—nothing more—and I had no idea how far that motivation went or how long it might last.

“Why did you agree to help me?” I asked. “You hate me.”

His breath huffed against my hair again as he let out a small laugh.

“I don’t hate you. I just didn’t think my brother should marry you. You’re not… well-suited for him.”

“Because I’m ‘just’ a human?”

After a protracted pause, he said, “Well, you are human, aren’t you? And he’s Elven royalty. Do you think you’re a suitable mate for an Elven prince?”

I answered immediately. “No. I tried to tell Stellon that—many times.”

Pharis made a satisfied sound, a little hum in his throat.

“My brother was spellbound.”

Now I did turn and look at him. “There was a love spell?”

I knew it. Why else would someone like Stellon fall for someone like me?

“What did Sorcha tell you?” I asked.

“Not much. The woman speaks in riddles,” Pharis said. “But I got enough out of the old witch.”

He made a growly sound that sent shivers down my spine. “I should have killed her on the spot when she confessed what she’d done. I was in too big a hurry to get back to Stellon’s suite and stop him from—”

He stopped speaking abruptly.

“From bonding himself to me,” I finished for him. “Stellon told me how it works for Elven people, how you can only have one bond-mate for a lifetime.”

“Yes,” was all Pharis said.

“So Sorcha’s still in the dungeon then?”

While I also would have preferred her dead, I was relieved she was at least still locked away. For now.

“She’s still in there. I confirmed it with the jailer before I sent him to free you.”

“She won’t give up, you know,” I warned. “She was adamant that your whole family needed to be eliminated. And she’s crafty.”

There was a smile in his voice. “I’m not afraid of an elderly human woman, no matter how many parlor tricks she may know. Besides, it’ll be hard for her to plot regicide once her head is disconnected from her neck.”

“She’ll be executed?”

“As soon as I return to the palace, I’ll tell my father she is the assassin they’re looking for, and she’ll pay for her crimes,” Pharis said. “It’s true enough that I’ll pass any lie-detecting glamour he might wish to use.”

Lie detecting glamour? “Your father wouldn’t take your word for it?”

Pharis snorted a bitter laugh. “He wouldn’t even see me last night when I told his guards it was of the utmost importance. He was too caught up in his fury over his number one son deceiving him and falling in love with a human.”

It seemed the king didn’t treat Pharis with any more respect than he treated Stellon. I couldn’t imagine having grown up with a parent like that.

As far as my own father, I’d be seeing him soon, along with my little sisters. It seemed like a dream come true after all this time apart.

I shifted in the saddle, feeling like I might burst out of my own skin as I looked around and then up at the treetops.

“Can’t we go any faster?”

The day was growing brighter, and I could see much better now. Surely the horse could too?

“Of course, my lady,” Pharis said in a facetious tone, “if you wish to run headlong into a tree—or for Dargan to break an ankle stepping in a hole or on a rock. Don’t worry, you’ll be rid of my company soon enough.”

The morning wore on with the horse moving step by plodding step, and I grew more and more restless and uncomfortable. I squirmed, trying to find a better position.

“Stop that,” Pharis barked so loudly it made me jump.

“Why? Is it really that sensitive?” I asked over my shoulder.

His response sounded choked. “What?”

“I mean, it’s huge,” I said.

Pharis let out a cough and shifted positions behind me.

“This is by far the largest horse I’ve ever seen,” I continued. “He must be the largest in all the lands. And this can’t be the first time you’ve ridden him with a lady in this position.”

Behind me, I felt Pharis’ body relax, and he let out a chuckle.

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“Your reputation of course. Even we humans know about your escapades. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of ladies in the saddle.”

Now his laugh rang out through the forest.

“Ah, the old ‘Prince of Tears’ thing. Not my favorite nickname.”

He laughed again, this time a bit more privately. “Be careful, or you’ll fall in love with me, too.”

Bristling at his ridiculous and highly unnecessary warning, I said, “I assure you, Your Highness… that will never happen.”