Page 70 of Bought to Break
‘I gave her a sleeping draught. She’ll be out for a few hours. Here.’ Sorin tossed him a jar of ointment. ‘Rub that on her injuries while she can’t feel the pain. Put it around the shoulder, too.’
Kane caught it deftly and flung it on one of the other beds with a scowl. ‘You fucking do it.’
Sorin shook his head with a chuckle. ‘I’d give a large portion of gold to be there when she finally breaks you.’
Kane ignored him. ‘I meant why does she seem so weak?’ He looked back at her, taking in her wan complexion and the dark circles under her eyes.
Sorin shrugged. ‘She’s tired. She’s been through an ordeal – a few, actually – in a very short time. She’s not used to this life.’
‘Well, she’d better get used to it or she won’t last long,’ he forced himself to growl even as every fibre of his being cried out at the idea that she might not survive the path they were leading her down.
Sorin didn’t reply, just methodically covered Lana’s cuts and bruises himself and then put the salve away. ‘I have some things to attend to. Stay with her. If she seems afraid, soothe her. If she wakes, have her drink some water.’ He left without waiting for a response, leaving Kane standing awkwardly in the berth. He supposed he should lie on one of the other beds, get some sleep, but instead he climbed over her limp form and settled next to her, ensuring the blanket was pulled up to her chin and that she was warm.
As he made her more comfortable, all the times he’d performed a similar ritual came to mind. He’d been no more than a boy then. For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to briefly remember the events that had led him to join the Dark Brothers. He thought about Lily and Toman, but it was too painful even for a moment, so he shut them away in his mind once again. There were more important things to think about now.
What would they do when they reached the mainland? How were they going to survive now that they were traitors for deserting the Dark Army? Killing was his only skill, but Viktor had been a farmer before, and Sorin could make a passable alchemist and healer. They’d have to move around, though. Not for the first time since they’d departed did Kane find himself wishing he’d gone back and slit Greygor’s throat before they sailed.
While first and foremost getting rid of an enemy that may well follow them, the ensuing power struggle, with him gone as well, would have delayed the army in the Islands for weeks. Too late now, though. He’d stayed with Lana instead. He would just have to trust that Greygor would be more interested in getting his payment for that relic they’d been looking for than in hunting them.
Kane’s eyes widened and he sat bolt upright in the cot. If Sorin was right and it was the Collector who had hired them to invade the Islands, they could use all of this to find him once and for all.
By his side, Lana stirred in her deep sleep and cuddled closer. He settled next to her again, not wanting to disturb her, but in his mind, the cogs were turning quickly. If they bided their time, all three of them could still have their revenge.
A while later,Sorin and Viktor came back to the cabin, and Kane carefully extricated himself from the bed once more.
‘Glad to see you can be trusted not to fuck her while she sleeps, at least,’ Sorin remarked, and Kane’s lip curled as the comment hit too close to the mark.
‘Why are you still harping on? You avenged her, didn’t you? After going for my face like a crazed whore. I still can’t open my fucking eye.’
‘You deserved everything I gave you and more.’
‘That isn’t our way. You used your fists, the mistake was punished, and you got your satisfaction. It’s done. Keep bringing it up and I’ll rip your pretty face to pieces as well.’
‘As if I ripped your face to pieces,’ Sorin scoffed. ‘I could have done much worse to you. I would have, too, but I know she wouldn’t like it because even though you’re always a fucking bastard to her, she still cares about you.’
Kane didn’t reply. Hehadbeen a bastard to her. He wanted to make amends; he just didn’t know how. As for her caring about him, he doubted it. He hadn’t been kind to her in all the weeks since they’d met. He had been cold and harsh. He’d pushed her harder than he should have in their training sessions to make her suffer – as he was suffering, he supposed. He hadn’t said one nice word to her and in fact had gone out of his way to be cruel. He’d told himself it was to make sure she didn’t get arrogant, but each time he’d seen the tears in her eyes that she’d tried to hide, it had given him a petty satisfaction. Every time she’d walked away with a new bruise from their sparring, he had been a tiny bit delighted that she was paying for making him want her so completely.
Now, things were changing. What pleased him was the strength he could see in her eyes as she adjusted to being a freewoman, the happiness she exuded when she learned a new skill, the noises of contentment she made at his simplest touch.
In his breeches, his cock throbbed painfully. He rubbed his hands over his face. Being in here with her and not able to have her was torture.
‘Did she wake?’ Viktor asked.
‘No. She’s just slept since Sorin left.’ Kane sat heavily on one of the other beds and tried to focus on his plan. ‘There’s something I’ve been thinking on.’
Chapter 36
Lana
As she lay unmoving with her eyes firmly shut, listening to the Brothers’ low voices, Lana felt she should really stop waking up to eavesdrop on conversations. But what Kane, Viktor and Sorin were discussing now was seated firmly in the sphere of subjects they never spoke of in front of her, though she was purportedly one of them. She knew she shouldn’t really expect to be told everything, but she did wish they would trust her a bit more. It was the wrong way to go about it, but she needed to know what was going on.
‘This may well be our only chance. That is, if you truly believe it is he who paid the Brothers to invade the Islands, Sorin.’
‘I do. Who else would have the wealth? Who else would bother sending an army to collect some rare trinket? It’s him and you’re right; this might be our last chance at revenge.’
Viktor’s voice joined the others. ‘It’s simple, then. We know where they’ll make landfall. We just need to wait for them and follow them to wherever they’re making the exchange. We follow his agent and hope we are led to the bastard.’
‘What about Lana?’
