A Soul for Vengeance

Chapter 15



“I found some shelter, m’lady.” Parros motioned for Zara and Kell to follow him, his voice muffled under the layers of scarves wrapped around his face. “Stay close—the storm seems to be worsening.”

Kell came up behind her and wrapped his hand around her waist. There was staying close so they wouldn’t get lost in the blinding snow, and then there was too close. Thankfully, his mind appeared to be more focused on getting out of the freezing cold instead of getting her out of her clothes.

Ortono’s camp was well hidden in the mountains to the north that divided Ranello from Thallus and Gravaria, along the easternmost portion of her father’s duchy, Cordello. It always struck her as odd that Bynn would choose a camp on the opposite side of the kingdom when their home provided so many hiding spots, but she suspected it had something to do with the fact that Cordello was one of the hardest-hit duchies during the invasion. Every time she returned here, her eyes burned with tears at the sight of the burned homes and sheared forests.

They were less than a day away from Ortono’s camp when the storm hit. The snow came at them sideways, the cold wind ripping through their clothes and freezing them to the bone. They’d gotten off their horses about half a mile ago to keep from slipping on the slick trails, inching up the narrow mountain roads. There was no way they could press on in this weather without putting their lives in danger. As much as she hated to stop, she knew she had no other choice but to hunker down in the shelter Parros had found and wait out the weather.

He led them to a crude shelter that was basically a wooden wall built to enclose a small crevice in the mountainside. Still, the rock would protect them from the wind, and the previous tenants of the shelter had been kind enough to leave a small stack of dry wood. There was even a set of makeshift stalls for their horses. She piled up a bunch of kindling while Parros struck his flint, her fingers numb and stiff. After a few tries, they got the spark they needed and built up a cozy fire.

Kell sat huddled in the corner, staring at the dancing flames. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold in my life.”

“You’ve been away too long in the heat of Gravaria.” Parros tossed the wineskin at him. “This ought to warm you up a bit.”

If it contained the brandy the old knight favored over regular wine, they’d all be toasty after a few sips.

Kell drank from the skin, sighing as he handed it back to Parros. “Very good vintage.”

“You could use a sip yourself, m’lady,” the knight said, refusing to take it back until she’d taken a drink. He stretched his legs out by the fire, his lined face as thoughtful as a philosopher’s. “I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it could be worse. At least we have a fire to keep us from turning into ice and enough room to stretch out for a nap.”

“Indeed.” Kell rubbed his arms and began peeling back his scarves. “A nap doesn’t sound like a back idea.”

Zara wished she could share their ease. It was bad enough that the layout of the crevice forced her to be smashed against Kell if she wanted to lie down. Besides, if both of them went to sleep, that left her standing for guard duty. She dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of dried meat, chewing the tough sinew instead of cursing her situation.

Kell rolled over on his side. “Aren’t you going to get some sleep?”

“Someone needs to keep an eye out for the Thallians.”

“I seriously doubt anyone in their right minds would be out in this weather.” He tugged on her arm. “Now lie down so you’ll be rested and ready to go when the storm clears.”

She snatched her arm, eyeing the space between him and the fire and wondering how she’d be able to sleep without winding up on top of him.

Or under him.

He caught her eye and grinned. “What’s the matter, Zara? Frightened of me?”

She gulped. If he only knew. Instead, she hid her fear behind an icy voice. “Hardly.”

“Then why aren’t you lying down?”

“Because I’m worried that…” That you’ll wrap your arms around me and get me in a compromising position faster than I can blink? That I wouldn’t do a thing to stop you if you did? “That you’ll flail around in your sleep and push me into the fire.”

“So you’re worried about getting burned?” he said with a chuckle.

In more than one way.

He scooted away from the fire until his back was against the rock and patted the open floor. “Will that give you enough room?”

She nodded and slowly slid down into the space he’d given her, her eyes never leaving his face. “Promise you’ll behave?”

“Does that sound like fun to you?” His grin widened to cut a devilish dimple into his cheek.

“You’re willing to risk pissing off Parros?”

A loud snore came from the opposite side of the shelter, announcing to both of them that the old knight was already beyond the point of caring what they did.

“If we were very quiet…”

She laughed in spite of herself. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“I’m just teasing. As much as I’d like to warm up that way, I’m afraid the cold weather has me at a definite disadvantage.” He took her gloved hands in his own and blew his hot breath over them. “I’m content to stay this close to you for now.”

“Then I suppose my virtue is safe.” She closed her eyes and cuddled up next to him.

“What virtue?” he teased, earning him a playful punch before he tucked her hands into his doublet. It was times like this, when she caught glimpses of the old Kell, that made her hope he was back to being the man he was before the Thallians had captured him.

When she opened her eyes again, the wind had died, Parros still snored away, and Kell had managed to unbraid her hair and was running his fingers through her snarled curls. There was something so gentle in his touch, so out of place from the rakish swagger she’d seen from him that she suspected she was dreaming until he met her gaze. “You should wear your hair down more often.”

“It’s not practical.”

“Are you always so practical?”

As if Kell knew the meaning of the word. “I’m a border lord’s daughter. I was raised to be practical.”

“Even now?” He pulled her closer so her chest pressed against his, his heartbeat drumming through her chest like a call to battle.

“Yes, even now. I’m only staying this close to you because you’re keeping me warm.”

“And if I pulled you closer?” He lowered his head until his lips were inches from hers.

Her stomach fluttered. If she let go and indulged in a moment of frivolity, if she let her lips touch his, would she be able to stop when she needed to? “Are you pushing your luck?”

“I’m curious to see if you’ll reprimand me as harshly as you did before. After all, I’ve had some practice since then.”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Kell was a flirt, a man who’d had his share of women and hadn’t seemed to have any long term interest in them until he met that yellow-haired witch. “Yes, I’ve heard all about your practice.”

“And yet, out of all the women I’ve kissed, I can’t forget the first one.”

She turned back to him, searching for some flirtatious wink and finding only sincerity. The glimpses into his softer side puzzled her. It also endeared him to her in a dangerous way. As much as her body yearned for his touch, she knew better than to engage her heart. He’d only break it, especially when he learned the truth about her. “Nor I,” she admitted.

“I’ve also learned the importance of being patient since then.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and resumed stroking her hair.

Inside, she screamed for him to be patient for someone else, someone worthy of his time, someone who would be able to give him what he needed in a wife, in a queen. She was none of that. The best she could hope for would be a few wild nights in Kell’s arms and a future as the second wife of a doddering old lord who only needed her to raise his brats.

“I think the storm’s passed.” She sat up and began rebraiding her hair, a dull ache filling the center of her chest. “We should wake up Parros and get moving before the next storm hits.”

Kell propped up on his elbow, watching her with a creased furrow between his brows until he at last sighed and stepped over the burnt-out fire to nudge the old knight awake.

A cloud of confusion hung over Kell as their horses plowed through the freshly fallen snow. He couldn’t make up his mind about Zara. One moment, he was all hot with desire for her; the next, he was backing away out of respect to his best friend. But he couldn’t let go of his fascination with her. How could a woman be brave and cunning in battle, practical to a fault, and yet wear clothes with dried mountain lilac petals sewn into the seams so they always smelled like summer fields?

How could a woman so very different from Arden feel so right in his arms?

That was the one question that troubled him the most because as much as he tried to ignore his attraction for Zara, it kept ambushing him in unexpected ways like this afternoon. In truth, he found himself thinking of Arden less and less the longer he was with Zara. At first, he felt a little guilty for moving on from her, especially after all the times he’d sworn he loved her. Now, he was beginning to see their relationship changing. Instead of reaching out to Arden as a lover, he longed only for her friendship.

A shadow flickered above him, and he tugged on his reins just in time to see a man running along the ridge. His hand went for his sword. “We’ve been spotted.”

Zara followed his gaze, her face tense until they heard the familiar call of a whippoorwill. “He’s one of us.”

“Are you certain?”

The hoot of an owl followed, the sequence the same as when they approached Bynn’s camp. Zara gave her salute and grinned. “Very certain. We’ll be inside Ortono’s camp in a matter of minutes.”

The mountain path rounded a corner and disappeared into a cave. Parros plunged into the dark opening first, followed by Zara. Kell nudged his horse forward, his hand still on the hilt of his sword as the blackness enveloped him.

After a few seconds, his eyes adjusted to the dark. He could see the shadowy outlines of Zara and Parros dismounting and leading their horses further into the cave. He followed them through the narrow tunnel for another hundred yards until it opened up into a large cavern. The bright light stung his eyes, but when they came into focus, his jaw dropped.

If Bynn’s camp rivaled a small town, Ortono’s was a full city. Lamps and torches flooded the cave with light. A small market hummed with activity, and people came to and from over a dozen different tunnels feeding into the room. “How did this come to be?”

“It’s an old mine,” Zara replied. “It had been abandoned about a century ago, but the structure was still stable. No use letting it go to waste.” She gave her horse to a young boy standing in front of a nearby room that served as a stable and looped her arm through his. “Let me give you a tour.”

Over the next hour, she showed him how the ever-resourceful Ranellian people turned an abandoned mine into a safe haven, complete with everything they needed from fresh water courtesy of an underground spring to stone ovens fired by the coal that had been mined from a distant shaft. The main shafts acted like roads, and the smaller side shafts had been converted into living quarters for families.

“How is it you know so much about this place?” he asked toward the end of her tour.

She paused. “I spent several months here before I could be reunited with Bynn.”

This new information puzzled him. “I just assumed that you’d always been under your brother’s care.”

She shook her head, her breath catching before she explained, “No, I was too injured from the Thallian attack on my home to travel far. Parros and some of my father’s men managed to sneak out and bring me here to recover. As the rebellion took shape during the days that followed, the others found their way here.”

“How long were you here?”

Another pause. “A little over two months. By the time I was well enough to leave, the Thallians had already conquered most of Ranello.”

His breath seeped out in a silent sigh. Two months. That’s how long he’d been free from the prison ship. The Thallians had managed to ravage his entire homeland in that small amount of time, and he’d barely begun to make plans to take it back. But on the other side, two months was a long time to recover from injuries, making him wonder how close to death Zara had actually come.

Zara led him to the end of one of these main shafts where it ended in a large, round cavern. Three young boys giggled as they darted past a blind-folded man. “Where are you little devils?” he asked.

Kell recognized the voice and immediately grinned. Ortono. The young captain of the royal guard seemed to have aged ten years while he was away judging by the gray sprinkled in his hair, but his devotion to his family appeared stronger than ever.

Zara leaned back against the wall, watching them play with a wistful smile on her face. It reminded him of the same expression Arden wore when she was asked to use her magic to save him so he could return home to his sons. And despite the heavy losses sustained from the Thallian invasion, Ortono’s family had remained intact.

The Lady Moon must be smiling down on the young captain.

One of the boys ran toward Kell, using his legs to hide from his father. Unfortunately, his continuous laughter acted like a beacon, and Ortono came straight for them. He reached down to grab the boy and found Kell’s thighs instead.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Ortono began, his ears a deep shade of pink as he pulled off the blindfold. Then he froze, and all the color drained from his face. “Your Highness?”

“It’s good to see you again, old friend.” He grabbed the soldier’s hand to shake it, but Ortono seemed too flustered to speak.

“Papa, who is he?” one of the boys asked.

That was all Ortono needed to pull him out of his shock. “It’s Prince Kell,” he replied and bowed low. His sons copied his behavior, the youngest one staring at him with round eyes. “Now go find your mother and let her know we have guests for dinner.”

The boys scampered off, and Ortono stuffed the blindfold into his pocket. “By the Lady Moon, I prayed you’d return, and you have.”

“I have, and I’m here to learn more about your role in the rebellion. Zara has nothing but praise for your efforts.”

He gave them a nervous grin and ran his hand along the beard he’d grown since Kell had left. “It’s not much, really.”

“Nonsense, Ortono.” Zara crossed the room toward the rough-hewn table in the center. “It was your ambushes that inspired me to start my own.”

“Believe me when I say they were born out of necessity.” He stood back, waiting for Kell and Zara to sit before he did. “I had to find some way to feed the people who fought alongside me. Thankfully, this mine is close enough to the trade routes coming out of Thallus for us to take what we needed.”

His voice held an edge as though there was more he wanted to say, but didn’t.

“They’re using more guards, aren’t they?” Zara asked, pouring a cup of steaming tea from the kettle resting on the table.

He nodded. “I lost two men during the last raid.”

“Our tactics have kept us alive during the winter, but with spring coming, we’re going to have to change our plans.” Her gaze slid to Kell. “That’s where you come in, Kell.”

His throat tightened. The yoke of responsibility never felt so heavy upon his shoulders. “Zara suggested I come here to meet with you, find out where we stand as far as our resources, and—” His voice caught with the gravity of the pledge he was about to make. “And to let our people know I’ll do everything I can to drive the Thallians out of our homeland.”

Ortono’s head rose a little higher, his shoulders sat a little straighter, and his eyes shone a little brighter. “You won’t have to do it alone, Your Highness. I vow to follow you wherever you lead me.”

“I’ve never doubted your loyalty, Ortono. Now please, tell me what you have in the terms of men, weapons, supplies. I need to know what we have and what we need if we’re going to take on the Thallians.”

Hours passed as Ortono outlined the small army he’d managed to gather under him. Zara questioned him about messages they’d intercepted, the supply routes, and the information they’d gathered about the Thallian forces in the area. Kell sat back and soaked in all the information, marveling at how confident and in-charge Zara was without her brother smothering her voice. In a kingdom where women were expected to be submissive and obey their blood, she stood out. She was a general rather than a genteel lady, a leader who constantly challenged the status quo rather than defer to the men in her life to take care of the problems they faced. And she did it all for the love of her people. When she talked about planning a future raid with Ortono, it was not about crippling the Thallian forces or snaring an arsenal of weapons. It was about attaining enough grain to keep the camp fed for the next month.

Ortono’s wife interrupted them briefly to deliver bowls of thick stew and a pitcher for malty beer, but it wasn’t until the sounds of loud and lively music filtered into the room that they finally halted their discussion.

Ortono rose from the table. “I can ask them to stop if you’d like, Your Highness.”

“No, don’t.” Kell closed his eyes and listened to the first music he’d heard since returning from Gravaria. It revived his weary spirit, reminded him that despite the dark days his people had endured under Thallian rule, that they still managed to find joy. His feet itched to dance. His heart yearned to be young and carefree, if only for a few moments while he swung a pretty girl around a dance floor. And when he opened his eyes, he found the one woman he wanted that pretty girl to be.

He held out his hand to her. “Care to join me for a dance?”

For a second, Zara hesitated, and he feared her practical side would result in a refusal. But, much to his surprise and delight, she smiled and took his hand. “You have to promise not to step on my toes.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Ortono led them back to the main cavern of the mine, where the booths that had sold wares hours before had been pushed back to the walls to turn the area into a massive town square. Musicians gathered in one corner, their pipes and bows producing the music that echoed off the walls and stirred the people into a joyful frenzy. Couples laughed and grinned as they swirled by. Kell watched for an opening, pulling Zara along with him when he found it.

She proved to be light on her feet, her grin never fading as her cheeks grew rosy from the fast pace of the reel. Around and around they went, all the other faces fading into a blur except hers. Her gray eyes twinkled under the torchlight with a merriment he’d never seen in her before. For once, the practical border lord’s daughter seemed to forget about her responsibilities and just enjoyed the moment.

And he’d never seen her look more beautiful as she did dancing in his arms right then.

They danced until his lungs burned, demanding that he slow the pace. Kell steered Zara toward the edge of the cavern where they could take a moment to catch their breaths.

“Tired already, old man?” she teased, even though her chest heaved in time with his.

“It’s been a while since I danced with a beautiful woman.”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and rested with her back against the wall. “Do you ever stop flirting?”

“What if I said I was being sincere?” He leaned closer, his heart still pounding with a frantic beat that had nothing to do with the dancing now.

She gave him a faint smile. “You know we shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t what?” He inched closer, his thighs brushing against hers.

“Be like this.” Yet despite her warning, she gave him that sultry through-the-lashes gaze and lifted her face.

By the Lady Moon, he was going to kiss her tonight, right now, and satisfy his curiosity once and for all. But before he could elegantly take her in his arms and deliver a kiss that would leave her swooning, someone shoved him forward until his lips collided with hers.

His body stiffened in horror. This was not the way he wanted to kiss her. He barely had time to register the softness of her lips before he pulled away, his tongue tripping over an apology.

Zara bunched his shirt in her fist, yanking him back. Her other hand wound around the nape of his neck, tilting his lips back to hers. “You can do better than that,” she said in a soft purr.

Then she kissed him in a way that made his toes curl and his knees grow weak.

It was not the shy, hesitant kiss he’d gotten in the past from other women. This was strong, forceful, demanding, and damn sexy. Her tongue swept along the seam of his mouth, boldly requesting access. Her fingers threaded his hair, holding him close while the curves of her body rubbed against him in the most tantalizing of ways. This was the kiss of a woman who knew how to stir up her lover’s blood, to take what she wanted and to leave him wanting more.

He braced his hands on her hips, holding them still before he lost all control. Now it was his turn to make demands, his turn to explore the sweetness of her mouth, his turn to lead their dance of desire. He’d been patient, waiting for this moment since he first experienced that spark between them, and he intended to savor every second of this kiss by taking his sweet time.

But Zara refused to surrender that easily. Even though a moan of pleasure rose from her throat, she tightened her grip on his hair and dug her nails into his shoulder. With every twist of her tongue, every rock of her hips, he got a taste of what she’d be like in bed, and that left him hungry for more.

He sat on the verge of picking her up in his arms and taking her to the nearest bed so they could finish this evening properly when a man loudly cleared his voice behind them. Zara broke away, her cheeks red and her pupils large and glazed with passion. They were breathing even harder now than when they’d stopped dancing.

They remained locked in their embrace until the same masculine voice repeated even louder directly behind Kell, “Uh-hum.”

He turned around to find Parros standing less than a foot away, his hands calmly clasped behind his back but his stern expression rivaling an irate father who’d just caught his daughter being compromised. “Lady Zara, perhaps it was time you retired for the evening.” He fixed his gaze directly on Kell and added, “Alone.”

She slipped her hands down his chest, biting her bottom lip as she stepped to the side. Something in her grin told him she wouldn’t let this be the last time they kissed. “Thank you for the lovely evening, Kell.”

“The pleasure was definitely all mine,” he replied, bowing to her and wincing when the motion reminded him of his unresolved desire. Hopefully, there would be a next time, and it wouldn’t end with an overprotective knight interrupting them.

She faded into the crowd. Parros blocked him when he tried to follow and managed to push him back against the wall without ever laying a hand on him. “You’d be wise to leave Lady Zara alone, Your Highness.”

The words could have been a threat, but the hint of sadness in the knight’s voice intrigued him. “Why?”

“Because Lady Zara knows better than to engage your attentions, especially considering that her brother has other plans for her.”

Kell wanted to ask what he meant by that, but Parros turned on his heel and disappeared in the same direction Zara had gone.

Now that he was alone, the music didn’t seem as joyful. His body throbbed from his head to his feet, and both fatigue and frustration weighed down his limbs. He managed to find Ortono among the throngs of people, who was kind enough to lead him to a quiet crevice that contained a makeshift bed.

Sleep, however, evaded him. His mind kept circling around two things late into the evening long after the music had stopped. One—Zara wanted him as much as he wanted her. And two—he needed to have a long talk with Bynn when he got back to camp to find out exactly what he had planned for his sister if he ever wanted a chance to see if their desire could lead to something else.