Page 71 of The Great Pursuit
Deep seas.She could hardly find her voice. She whispered, “Tell me.”
His face inched closer to hers, his eyes still so serious. “I’ve loved you as long as I can remember, Wyn. Since we were a lad and lass. Even when you were with Breckon, I wanted you.”
She stared, dumbstruck. And in that moment it was as if the empty, raw places within her heart began to fill with a warm salve, and an earnest sense of home covered her. She thought of the times she’d caught him watching her throughout the years. She’d always thought he was admiring Breckon,looking up to his cousin, and that his devotion to Wyn was an extension of that. Could it truly have beenherthat he was admiring all along? The very idea bent and twisted Wyneth’s mind, reshaping years of their history together.
The castle door opened, casting a dim light over the three of them.
“Lieutenant Gillfin and Lady Wyneth, the curfew is in effect,” called the guard.
Harrison slowly stepped back and broke the gaze between them. He waved her forward like the gentleman he was. Wyneth moved up the path and stairs with Furball at her side. She stared around at the castle walls, everything seeming new and different. And suddenly the edges of dullness shed away from winter.
Harrison walked her to the entrance of her chambers and although her heart and soul were brimming with new awareness, all she could bring herself to murmur was “Thank you.”
Harrison gave her a polite bow and put his palm out to Furball, who sniffed him and seemed satisfied. So Harrison set to scratching the beast on the head. Without looking away from Furball, Harrison asked, “Are you upset with me, Wyn? Shall we pretend I never behaved wrongly?”
“Wrongly?” The word chafed her. “What part of that felt wrong to you?”
He looked at her now, a sense of grateful disbelief in his eyes. And Wyneth was done with gentleness.
She grabbed the sides of his uniform collar and pulledhim down until their mouths crashed, and then her arms were around his neck and his hands held her waist. In a swift move, he pinned her heavily against the doorframe and kissed her with what she now knew to be years of pent-up passion, his hips pressing against hers.
I didn’t know, she wanted to say, but they never broke away long enough to speak. She’d always wanted him to marry Aerity, but only friendship was there. Wyneth thought for years that Harrison must have fallen for a woman while he was out on duty. He’d always been so private.
But now she knew. There’d been no mystery woman. Only her. And she knew if Breckon had lived, Harrison would have taken his love for her to the grave and never told a soul. That kind of dedication and willpower . . . her respect for him grew to new proportions. And all the feelings of friendship she’d had for him all her life, they grew and morphed into something bigger and more spectacular.And, oh, seas, his mouth was a glorious thing.Their hunger was well matched.
A dark, unamused chuckle sounded nearby, and Harrison broke away from her, brandishing his dagger in a flash and pressing her behind him. Lord Alvi stood there, his arms crossed, a deadly look on his face that Wyneth had never seen before.
Furball tensed and growled.
“Down,” Wyneth warned him. She was suddenly shaking.
“You’ve taught him to fear me?” Lord Alvi asked. His eyesbore into her, filled with pain and torment, and unfounded guilt kicked within her abdomen.
“Of course not. He can sense your mood,” Wyneth warned. “What are you doing in this hall?”
“I came to check on you.” His eyes flashed to Harrison and back to Wyneth.
“Well, I don’t need you to do that. Please, just calm down and go. Now.”
“Indeed,” Lord Alvi said. He glared at Harrison. “You’re a luckyflekk.”
He turned and walked away. Wyneth ran a shaking hand down her face.Flekkwas Ascomannian forthief. But Lief was wrong. Harrison had stolen nothing from anyone. Did the coldland lord think he could collect women like toys and keep them all for himself?
“Don’t worry about him,” Harrison said softly. “He’ll cool his head tonight and soon move along. But you need to tell me if he becomes a problem.”
Wyneth nodded. She still felt rather ill. Harrison didn’t attempt to touch her again. He could read her so well.
“Get some rest, Wyn.”
“Aye,” she whispered. She went into her chambers with Furball, and Harrison gave her one last look before closing the door and leaving her with her thoughts.
Chapter
31
As they marched through the Kalorian jungles at sunrise, thousands in their party, one thing became clear to Paxton: the Kalorian majority was afraid of them. Villagers ran for cover when they saw them coming. Doors were shut tight and windows shuttered. The villages appeared empty. These were not people who wanted to cheer for their ruler as he came through. They wanted to hide from him.
It felt extremely strange to Paxton, and even stranger that the army seemed to be okay with it, as if the people’s fear was a sign of respect and proof of the army and prince’s power. And then Paxton began to see just why people were hiding. Throughout towns, bodies were strung from trees, leftin shackles to rot, beheaded at stumps, or simply lined along the ground in neat rows, without an injury in sight. Those had obviously been victims of Lashed hands. And all the dead were left out as morbid reminders to the living.
