Page 4

Chapter 4

No Gentleman

R aewyn

It wasn’t long before Pharis spotted what he said was the perfect refuge.

We left the tree line and raced at full speed across the open land until we reached the huge rock formation. It must have been his superior Elven eyesight aiding him, because I didn’t see the cave until we were almost upon it.

Pharis jumped off his horse and helped me down from the saddle then led Dargan inside, speaking to him softly with reassuring words about the darkness and closeness of our hiding place.

The gentle whispers somehow reassured me as well. I’d never been fond of tight spaces and had certainly never been tempted to explore any caves.

“Are you sure we’re alone in here?” I whispered, looking into the inky blackness away from the entrance.

Stellon had told me Elves had far better night vision than humans, so I had to trust Pharis’ word on it.

“Other than that enormous bear? Completely alone,” he said.

My feet started speeding toward the cave opening, but I was stopped abruptly when Pharis snagged the back of my cloak. He was shaking with laughter.

“Your face,” he said between laughs. “You are gullible, little Wyn.”

I whirled on him, not amused.

“I’m so glad my desire to live through the day entertains you, Your Highness.”

“Don’t call me that,” he said.

“Don’t call me ‘little Wyn,’” I snapped.

Collapsing to the cave floor, I said, “And I’m not gullible—usually. I’m just exhausted. And weary of surprises. I was jumping at every twig snap as we were riding near the forest.”

“I noticed,” Pharis said. “You can rest now. Not here, though. Come deeper into the cave. There are no bears here, though they do exist in these parts along with plenty of other wild creatures.”

He pulled me to my feet then took my arm and started leading me and Dargan farther into the dark space.

“Back here my shadow power will be useful—if someone were to come along and check the cave for us.”

I shivered, both at the thought of pursuing troops and at the cold that increased as we moved deeper into the rocky enclosure.

The stone beneath our feet sloped downward so that it felt like walking down a ramp, and the cave walls curved, taking us out of sight of the opening and the daylight beyond it.

It seemed the cave was a bit wider back here, but I couldn’t be sure, as I had almost no visibility. Pharis’ grip on my arm was my only lifeline.

“How far does it go?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but we’re not going to find out,” Pharis said. “I only want to get far enough from the opening that our firelight won’t be visible from the outside.”

“Firelight?”

My voice held a hopeful note incongruent with the bone-deep tiredness that made me feel like dropping on the spot, cold floor or no.

“Yes. We’ll need it for warmth if we’re going to wait out the day in here—and get some sleep. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Pharis said.

“Neither did I.”

Unfortunately, the floor here was as hard as it had been in the dungeon. At least there wasn’t a stench.

All I could smell was Dargan, who wasn’t bad at all, and Pharis—who smelled very, very good as all Elven men did.

I wished I’d asked Stellon why. I certainly wouldn’t be asking Pharis.

Taking off his cloak, he laid it on the cave floor and invited me to sit on it.

“You’re not cold?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It’ll be warm in here soon.”

Grateful for the chance to rest, I took him up on his offer. The cloak was soft and thicker than I would have expected. I actually felt comfortable, as it blocked the cold from the ground.

During my time in Stellon’s suite, I’d discovered Elven-made fabrics were nothing like the human version I’d grown up with. The clothing felt lighter but warmer somehow, and its drape was more flattering.

The bed linens were nothing short of heavenly. Thinking back on waking in that enormous, luxurious bed in Stellon’s suite, my heart gave a sharp pang.

When my eyes had opened that morning, I’d caught him watching me intently as he sketched me. He’d made me feel seen in a way no one ever had, and he’d taken care of me in a way I hadn’t experienced since childhood when my mother was still alive.

I would never see him again, never feel that way again.

Stellon was who he was, and I was who I was, and the world was the way it was. It had no tolerance for love between a human woman and an Elven man.

Even less for a human commoner and an Elven prince.

I watched as Pharis went to Dargan’s saddle bag, coming back with a small, bumpy ball in his hand. It looked something like a lump of coal but imbedded with crystals.

He squatted before me, rubbing the object rapidly between his hands then dropping it to the ground when it began to spark. Within moments, there was a fire roaring between us.

It was astonishing. “What about the smoke? Will it give away our position?”

“Auspex fire doesn’t create smoke,” he said. “Are you beginning to warm up?”

I nodded. I was warm but thirsty, and I hadn’t had anything to eat since early the night before. I wasn’t even sure the dungeon rations qualified as food.

As if reading my mind, Pharis went back to the saddlebag and extracted a flask and a wrapped bundle. He handed me both.

Taking a drink, I recognized the taste of saol water. In the cloth was a bread roll and another food I didn’t recognize. Shaped like a thin stick, it was wrinkled and dry but felt heavy in my hand.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Raff—it’s a blend of salted, dehydrated meat, dried berries, fat, and hard, aged cheese. It’s not the most delicious thing, but I wasn’t sure how long we’d be traveling so I brought along some non-perishable food. It can last for years without going rancid.”

Nodding rapidly, I took a bite and followed it with a large swig of the water. Pharis needn’t have given me the disclaimer—both tasted amazing.

After swallowing, I said, “Thank you. It’s perfect,” and took another drink.

Pharis looked up from the fire and gave me a small grin. “Got you hooked on the saol water, did we? Be careful with it though, it can be intoxicating to humans.”

I laughed. “I know.”

His brows pulled together. “Stellon got you drunk on saol water?”

“I got myself drunk on saol water. Stellon was a perfect gentleman.”

Pharis sniffed a little laugh. “Of course he was.”

He held out a hand for the flask, which I gave him. He took a swig then went back to staring at the fire.

It cast a warm orange glow that illuminated the space around us and made his cerulean blue eyes look even more otherworldly than they usually did.

I wasn’t sure whether it was the saol water or the fire’s tranquilizing warmth, but I could no longer sit up. I lay down on his cloak, its heady scent surrounding me as my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” I asked then yawned widely.

Pharis’ gaze didn’t stray from the fire. “Not yet. I’m fairly certain we weren’t spotted as we crossed the field, but I want to make sure we weren’t followed. I’ll stay up a bit.”

Always wary. Always controlled. Pharis seemed invincible to me with his wide shoulders and powerful build and that cut-granite jaw moving slowly as he chewed a bite of his own raff stick.

After another yawn, I said, “Pharis?”

He looked up. The firelight reflecting in his topaz irises made them look like flames dancing on water.

“Why didn’t you tell your father about my part in the assassination plot?”

That mesmerizing blue-green gaze held mine for a long moment, then the side of his mouth quirked up, and he returned to staring at the fire.

“Go to sleep, little Wyn.”

Unable to stop myself, I did.

When I woke, Pharis was walking back toward the still-burning fire, apparently returning from the front of the cave. I pushed to a sitting position, swiping back the hair that had fallen over my face.

“Is it nighttime?”

“No, you’ve only been sleeping about three hours,” he said. “It’s just past midday.”

“Oh. What were you doing?”

“Checking on things.”

He answered my next question before I could ask it. “All clear. It’s raining. I didn’t even hear the storm in here.”

I cocked my head, turning an ear toward the direction from which he’d come. I couldn’t hear any rain either. But if it was raining outside, there would be no bright sunlight.

“Would your shadow glamour cloak us in the rain?” I asked hopefully.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never tried it. But it’s doubtful. I need some sleep anyway. You should lie back down, too.”

For some reason, I felt wide awake now. I did recline again but didn’t close my eyes. Instead I watched Pharis settle himself on the floor, resting his head on Dargan’s saddle.

“What did those Dryads say to you back there?” I asked. “And how do you know their language?”

He stared up at the firelight painting patterns on the cave ceiling. “I know all the Fae languages—learned them as a boy. As far as what they said… it was nothing good.”

His gaze darted over to meet mine then went back to the ceiling. “They were threatening… us.”

“So Dryads don’t like Elves?” I asked.

While my reading had taught me of the existence of other species, I knew nothing of their politics.

“Not anymore,” he said. “According to my history lessons, there used to be peace between the species, but it’s eroded since my father claimed control over all of them. They don’t like being ruled by an Elven king and want to rule themselves.”

He yawned. “I don’t blame them, but that’s why it’s dangerous for a single Elf and a human to run across a group of other Fae in a remote area.”

“Now I see why there were no other types of Fae at the ball,” I said.

Pharis nodded, closing his eyes.

“Anyway, there’d be no point in them attending a ball where the purpose was to find a bond-mate for the Crown Prince,” he said. “Intermarriage between Fae species is forbidden, just as it is with humans.”

“Because humans are so ‘inferior?’” I asked with a bit of an edge to my tone. “Or because Fae and humans can’t reproduce?”

“I’ve never heard of any children produced by such a union. Then again I’ve never heard of any Elves bonded to humans.”

He was quiet for so long I wondered if he’d fallen asleep. Then he spoke again.

“I doubt any Elves have even considered it—apart from my brother, who was clearly spelled by the witch.”

The offhand remark stung. I rubbed my nose, which had started to tingle and blinked back a surprising upsurge of tears.

Why did I even care what he thought?

Looking over at Pharis’ regal profile, I reminded myself how little regard he had for me and my kind.

Clearly he would never consider taking a human as a bond-mate, as Stellon had been willing and ready to do. I was surprised Pharis even considered my life worthy of preservation.

Of course, he was only doing all this at Stellon’s request.

As he’d said earlier when he’d ordered me to put my hood back on, Pharis was only being this careful because he didn’t want to get caught aiding a fugitive.

He was covering his own muscular backside.

I had to admit to a begrudging respect for the loyalty and love he held for his siblings. I could relate to that. But it was, as far as I could see, Pharis’ only admirable quality.

Suddenly I was filled with fresh urgency to get to my own siblings and my father.

If Sorcha could spell Stellon to fall in love with a human, she could use her magic to influence the jailer to release her or find some other way out of the palace.

I didn’t know her well, but I knew she was clever—and she was determined to make me suffer for failing to uphold my end of the bargain. I couldn’t let my family pay the price.

Waiting until Pharis’ breathing steadied and grew deep and slow, I pushed to my feet and crept toward the cave opening.

As he’d said, it was pouring out.

Well, I’d walked in the rain before, and maybe the gray skies and the downpour would make me less visible to the soldiers Pharis said would be searching for me.

I stepped into the cold rain and picked my way carefully over the uneven rocks at the cave’s entrance until I reached the grass.

Moving through it was even more difficult now that it was wet. The long fronds tugged at me like hundreds of hands grabbing at my long dress and trying to drag me down.

Travel had been much quicker near the forest where the shade of the trees inhibited the grasses’ growth, but there was no way I’d cross the field and get anywhere near that terrifying place again.

Pharis had told me the Dryads were nocturnal. It was possible the storm-darkened skies resembled nightfall enough to awaken them. So I moved closer to the large rocks again.

The footing was less stable here, but the grass was shorter. Keeping to the perimeter of the stony formations, I moved in the direction Pharis had been taking us this morning.

Hopefully when I got beyond the end of the forest to my left and the rocks to my right, I’d recognize something, a neighboring village perhaps. For now, I’d continue my escort’s policy of avoiding the roads—that seemed wise.

I tried to estimate how long it might take to walk home.

Riding to the palace in the horse-drawn carriage had taken a little more than two hours, but I wasn’t sure how long it might be going this way, on foot without the road to guide me and make travel smooth.

Thanks to the rain and the slippery stones underfoot, I made slow progress. And each time I reached a crevasse in the rock formations, I tensed, squinting into the heavy curtain of rain, looking for those bears Pharis mentioned.

All I could do was hope I’d have no need for self-defense against man or beast. I hadn’t so much as a peeling knife on me.

While creeping past Pharis’ sleeping form, I had eyed the daggers he’d taken out of his belt and laid on the floor but decided against trying to steal one. There was too great a chance of waking him should the tip of a blade scrape the floor or the sound of my skirts near his ears rouse him from sleep.

I was actually a little surprised I’d managed to evade his heightened Elven senses and escape at all. He must really have been exhausted.

I’d been walking for about twenty minutes, when the worst of my fears was realized. Actually the worst of my fears was being taken into custody and carted back to the castle to face the king. Until now.

A large cat jumped from the tall rock towering over my head and landed directly in my path. A mountain lion.

I’d never seen one in person, but I’d seen drawings and heard them described by villagers who complained of the creatures purloining their livestock.

I hadn’t realized how big they were.

This one stood as high as my waist and had to be at least three times my weight. Its lips were drawn back to reveal long, wickedly sharp teeth.

I froze, my mind going blank for a moment before my thoughts returned, rushing through my head in wild circles and crashing into one another.

The cat hadn’t made a move toward me, but it hadn’t left either. Its body was lowered in a crouched posture, its ears flattened against its head as it stared at me intensely.

A snarl left its mouth and sent chills racing across every inch of my skin.

What should I do?

One of the men in my village who raised cattle had talked of encountering a mountain lion in his pasture one day and living to tell the tale by scaring the wildcat off.

If I remembered correctly, he’d said he made a lot of noise and lifted his cloak over his head, waving it around in his arms.

Struggling to move my own sodden cloak, I pushed it over my head as high as I could and started yelling.

“Shoo! Go away! Get out of here now. Shoo!”

The lion’s tail twitched, and it pumped its feet in preparation to pounce. Clearly my attempts to be intimidating were failing.

My feet started stumbling backward over the wet rock, and then I turned to run.

And smacked directly into something.

Someone .

Behind my back I heard the lion let out a loud growl. An arm went around me, pinning me to the unidentified man’s body, and then he jerked in an abrupt, powerful motion.

There was a thud, not far behind me. I fought the arm restraining me, trying to look backward.

Managing a glance over my shoulder, I saw the huge cat splayed out on its side, a dagger protruding from its chest. It was dead, struck through the heart as it leapt.

Turning back to see my savior, I looked up at the underside of Pharis’ jaw.

Rain pounded the top of his head and nose, streaming from his long hair and creating rivulets that ran over his brow and sharp cheekbones.

He was breathing hard, still staring at the mountain lion behind me. Then he looked down, his eyes roaming over my face.

Sucking the rainwater from his bottom lip first, he said, “Did I hear you telling that vicious predator to ‘shoo?’”

My head shook back and forth vigorously—almost as hard as the rest of me was shaking now that the threat of lion attack had ended.

“I don’t remember what I said, actually. My brain was a bit paralyzed.”

Pharis released his tight hold and took a step back to look at me.

“Are you hurt? It didn’t bite you or swat you already?” he asked as his vision catalogued my body from head to toe.

“No. I’m okay. I’m not hurt.”

His shoulders lowered, and he let out an audible breath. “Very well then.”

Pharis retrieved his dagger. Then, bending forward, he grabbed me around the knees and lifted me, hoisting me over one shoulder.

My back end was hovering somewhere near his face, my shoulder blades and spine taking the brunt of the downpour now.

“What are you doing?” I demanded as Pharis began to stride back the way I’d come here, carrying me like a sack of potatoes or a smoked ham.

“Getting us back to the cave before that cat’s mate smells the blood and decides to investigate.”

“Put me down,” I commanded him. “I can walk on my own.”

“As you’ve demonstrated,” he said in a perturbed tone. “Walked right out into the teeth of the elements and into mountain lion territory without a single care. Foolish girl. I can’t close my eyes for a second.”

Pounding his back with my fists, I tried in vain to kick the front of his body. “I am not foolish. I need to get home to my family. I need—”

“A good spanking is what you need,” he growled. “And I’m sorely tempted to give it to you with this juicy bottom propped up directly in my line of vision.”

My horrified gasp only made him laugh, and I squirmed even harder, which made his hold on me tighten further.

“Don’t worry, naughty little Wyn. I can wait till we get back to the cave… and your clothes are off.”

“Don’t you dare,” I threatened as I bucked ineffectually. “You foul, malodorous beast! If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll…”

And there my threats died, because what would I do?

What could I do against someone so much larger and infinitely more powerful than myself?

Unlike Stellon, Pharis was no gentleman.

I was literally in the hands of a world-renowned rogue, outsized and overpowered, far from anyone who could help me if he decided to act on his threats and that lascivious nature I’d heard so much about.