Page 43 of A Lick of Flame

He smiles. “Oh, you’re a feisty one, aren’t you? Save it for when I’m buried deep—"

“Leave her be,” one of the men shouts.

“Let me go!” I yell, but the brute picks me up, hoisting me over his shoulder like I’m a sack of potatoes. I pummel his back, but it does no good. I may as well be beating a stone wall.

The men at the fire applaud and shout. They say crude things I try not to listen to.

“Put her down and leave her alone,” the same man says. “Ethan will have your balls if you touch her.”

“Ethan wants her for himself,” the man growls. “He has a woman, Harrison. I want this one. I don’t care if she’s a fae lover. She’s pretty and smells nice.”

“She’s ruined,” someone at the fire yells, and the others cheer.

“Take her!”

“Give her the tumble she deserves. Make her forget the fae bastard.”

“Put her down!” Olivia says in a relatively calm voice, given the circumstances. “Do it now! We have our orders. Neither of them is to be touched. Ethan will kill you…any of you, for that matter. The fae must remain unharmed, the girl, too,” she shouts.

“She’ll scream good and proper, but I’m not going to harm her,” the brute says with a snigger. “She might be a little sore between her—”

“Put her down right now!” Olivia’s voice is raised and commanding.

I feel his whole body stiffen. “Don’t point a sword at my nethers.”

“I’ll cut it off if you don’t put her down, you disgusting piece of—”

“Fine. Remove the sword, and I’ll put the girl down,” the bearded beast deadpans.

I feel him relax, and I am lowered to the ground. Blood rushes from my head, and I sway for a second before catching myself.

My eyes focus on Olivia, who still has a sword pointed in the general direction of the bearded monster. “Come near her again, and I’ll gut you.” She looks over the fire at the others and then at all the men standing around us. “That goes for all of you. These two are not to be touched…not for any reason. I hope that I have made myself clear.” She glares at the brute, who mutters something under his breath about it not being fair and walks away. There is laughter and sniggers from the men at the fire.

Harrison, seeing that the threat is over, walks away as well.

Olivia hooks her arm through mine and leads me back to our fire pit. “Are you okay?” she asks, sounding genuinely concerned. “I can’t stand a man who can’t hold his liquor,” she mutters with a sigh.

“I’m fine,” I whisper. My mouth feels dry, and my whole body is shaking. That was close. We sit next to the fire. I pull in a few deep breaths, trying to still my racing heart.

“You need to be more careful,” Olivia says. “Some of these men are hired help. They’re not all from Ethan’s group and are not to be trusted.”

“Why did Ethan hire them, then? Why do you need so many men?” My voice is a little shrill.

“We were given a mission. We needed extra hands, that’s all.” She shrugs.

“What mission?” My voice is still shaky.

Olivia narrows her eyes, pursing her lips. It’s clear she doesn’t want to tell me.

“I mean, to hire such despicable men…you must have been desperate for hired hands. Isn’t Ethan afraid of leaving you with them? Anything could happen in his absence. That brute was going… He was…” My lip wobbles, and I bite down on it, holding back tears that threaten to spill. I sniff a few times, barely holding it together.

Something in Olivia eases. “I’m so sorry, Maya. I don’t know exactly what the mission entails. I’ve only been part of Ethan’s group for a few short days. I might warm his bed, but I’m not privy to that kind of information. Not yet, anyway.”

And yet, those men listened to Olivia. She seemed to have more authority than Harrison, who was left in charge. I’m not sure I believe her. In fact, I don’t believe her at all. My gut is screaming out that something isn’t right.

I push my hands between my knees, willing them to stop shaking. Then I look Olivia in the eye. “What was that about not touching us? You said that the fae and the girl were to remain untouched and unharmed? What did you mean by that?”

“I was trying to save your skin,” Olivia says, giving me no indication that she’s lying.

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