Page 25 of Restored

I sit on one of the furs and glance over at him, trying not to get caught this time. His skin is bronzed, his back broad and littered with scars. As he moves, the muscles in his abdomen flex. He has a body earned from training ruthlessly and being disciplined.

My eyes roam over his lean abs and the long scar marring his ribs. They amble over his strong arms and down his veined forearms.

He is intimidating, his presence imposing.

“What did I say about looking at me like that?”

I snap my eyes away. “You think very highly of yourself,” I huff. I brace myself as he brushes past me and lays down, covering himself with the furs.

I sit with my back to him, scooting a few inches away, pulling the other fur up over my shoulders.

I can practically feel the warmth of Ledger’s body heat as my skin prickles with the awareness of him. I could do this, I could sleep in a tent with this harsh male. It’s only temporary.

Despite my exhaustion, it takes me a long time to fall asleep. Every snap of a branch, every whisper of wind, has me flinching and my heart racing.

I am not used to the sounds or the fact that only a thin piece of fabric separates me from the creatures that stalk in the night.

Ledger slumbers peacefully next to me, and I inch closer to him, taking whatever refuge I can.

Eventually, hours later, I must finally drift off, because I’m awoken by Ledger’s palm pressed against my lips.

His large body is crammed tightly against mine, and I instinctively begin to struggle beneath him. My brain is heavy with sleep, but the second I hear commotion from outside the tent, I freeze.

There is rustling and footsteps, and my heart hammers wildly in my chest. Ledger hauls me up from the ground, plastering my back to his front tightly and releasing his hold on my mouth.

“Do not make a noise,” he warns in my ear and my mouth snaps shut.

I’m too scared to struggle, thinking the worst. Is it the Maladra or another creature I know nothing of?

The cool night air nips at my skin as Ledger pulls me out of the tent. He navigates impressively through the woods with no sound until we run into Cam and Mia, who are crouched together. Their eyes are laser-focused on where the noise is coming from.

I nearly jump out of my skin when Archie stumbles over to us, making such a racket Ifeelthe death look Ledger shoots him.

“What was that?” Maddox’s voice filters through the night and everyone freezes.

My body reacts almost immediately, kicking out and wriggling in Ledger’s tightening grasp. I go to call out to him, but Ledger is ready. He claps his hand tightly over my mouth, and his arm flexes firmly against my small frame.

A group of men about forty feet away appear in the clearing. The moonlight is dim, but I can make out about six of them. Hecktor is in front with Maddox, a flame in his hand lighting the way.

My muffled screams are drowned out by the quiet roar of the waterfall. This is my chance to escape. We are outnumbered, and I recognize some of the King’s most powerful men among the group.

Maddox makes some hand movements, and the men spread out. He and Hecktor begin quietly searching, moving towards us.

I elbow and kick Ledger, my body silently thrashing against him, but he doesn’t even flinch. His hold does not waver, his arms iron bands around me.

If Maddox finds us, I could be safe and sound back at the castle by nightfall tomorrow. Back to exploiting the people of Bellehaven for money they don’t have in exchange for a taste of my power. The thought gives me pause.

“I think it came from over here.” Maddox heads in our direction; he stops just fifteen feet from us. We are hidden in the trees, away from the light of the moon, cloaked in the night.

I track his gaze as he searches the woods. Ledger’s hold is so tight around my body and mouth that it’s difficult to breathe. His eyes skim over where we lay crouched, cloaked in shadows.

The side of Maddox’s handsome face lights up for a moment as Hecktor signals him with his flame. My heart pinches. I can tell by the distance that Hecktor had found our camp.

Maddox gives us one last unseeing look and turns to go to Hecktor. I half-heartedly fight Ledger as he pulls me in the opposite direction through the woods. Despair and confusion flood my emotions.

Did I truly want to return to my life at Bellehaven?

Smoke plumes into the air from where I crane my neck. Hecktor must have scorched the campsite.

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