Page 16 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Linota rolled her eyes.

She wouldn’t trust either man. They were both only interested in what they could get rather than the lives that were at stake. Erik grinned at her and the air whooshed out of her lungs. The full force of his smile turned her knees to liquid.

‘This makes things easier,’ said Erik quietly, as the pair moved away.

Linota frowned, trying to concentrate on her surroundings and not the new sensations running through her body. ‘How is this better for us? Surely those men taking Cai makes it harder?’

‘Now we know all the men aren’t chasing us. We follow these two until I can set up a decent ambush. Then I take back Cai and we ride on.’

‘How are you going to manage that? They have your sword and their own.’

Erik still hadn’t moved away from her. His body still pressed her gently into the tree. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with amusement. ‘You really think it would be difficult to defeat those two?’

Linota smiled at his confidence. ‘If you’re that sure, why not get Cai back now?’

The amusement in his eyes faded. ‘We’re too close to the others. If I don’t manage to silence them, those two could bring the rest of the gang running and we’d be back to the beginning. Or worse, in my case, because it sounds as if they want to keep you alive, which means they’ll probably want me dead. That way I can’t save you again or reveal your location to Borwyn and his men.’

Erik said the words lightly, but dread curled in Linota’s stomach. She couldn’t be responsible for Erik’s death, not when he had gone to such lengths to protect her.

He finally stepped away from her. Cold air rushed over her and she shivered. She pulled her cloak tightly around her.

As she followed Erik through the forest she made sure to concentrate on where she placed her feet and how she moved through the undergrowth. The two men didn’t know they were being followed and she didn’t want to be the one to draw attention to the two of them following close behind. Erik might be confident he could fight them without his sword, but she didn’t want to be the reason he found out if that were true or not.

The men ground to a halt and seemed to be arguing about which direction to take. One seemed keen to take the horse to the nearest settlement and get a quick sale, the other wanted to walk a little longer and get a better price.

‘What would you prefer them to do?’ whispered Linota as they watched the altercation.

‘I’d prefer them to head to the nearest hamlet. I want this over with. Heading further away means we’re out in the open for longer.’

Linota shivered. She did not want to encounter Gamel again.

‘Are you cold?’ asked Erik, his blue eyes turning to look at her.

She was about to shake her head. She was cold, but not desperately so. It was the thought of Gamel’s lecherous gaze that had goose pimples running down her legs. But before she could think of what she was doing, she nodded instead. She wanted him to curl his arms around her and pull her to him, warming her with his body as he had done in the night.

For a long moment he looked at her, his gaze skimming her face as if he were trying to read her thoughts. She held her breath. His hands twitched against his thighs and her heart skipped a beat as she waited for him to move towards her.

In front of them the two men started walking again.

Erik’s gaze flicked away from her as he watched their progress.

‘It looks like they’ve made a decision.’ Without sparing her a second glance, he began to follow them once more.

Linota fell in behind him, her steps heavy with disappointment. She’d wanted him to hold her and, although she knew it was ridiculous, she felt cheated.

If they were able to recover Cai at the next settlement, then it would be no time at all until they reunited with the rest of their party. She knew that should make her glad. Her time with her abductors had been terrifying and being surrounded by Borwyn’s ferocious guards would make her safe once more but...it would also mean her life returning to normal. And in that life Katherine was relying on her to make a good marriage to a wealthy nobleman, hopefully Borwyn himself. She wouldn’t be able to sleep in the arms of the man that she chose, especially a steward who was rumoured to be an unclaimed bastard.

Linota knew she was being selfish. Katherine was probably out of her mind with worry. They’d never been apart before. Linota had heard the screams her sister had made as she’d been dragged away. Katherine would not want to let her out of her sight once they were reunited.

Deep down, Linota knew it was a gift to be loved so much, but sometimes that love could be constricting. It was as if she’d spent her whole childhood tightly wrapped in ribbons and now she was beginning to experience what is was like to have them loosened. She wasn’t sure she could go back to being the biddable sister.

Not for the first time Linota wondered how different her life would have been if her father hadn’t been executed for treason. Braedan and Katherine would have been first to make fine marriages. Perhaps that would have left her, as the youngest child, free to marry for love.

‘I hate traitors,’ she said, her thoughts bursting forth.

Erik glanced across at her. If he was puzzled about her outburst, he didn’t say.

‘Is that because of your father?’ he asked.

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