His expression had turned bored. I’d been through hell over the past few days, and this man could have lightened my load. Instead, he looked moments away from yawning.
Fine. We’d see how he liked it when I left him for dead.
A sharp blade was suddenly nestled against my skin, right next to the spot where my pulse thundered. I wedged my own knife closer to Lorian’s throat.
“Put it down,” an amused voice said.
My skin turned clammy, a heavy weight pressing on my chest.
I stared into Lorian’s green eyes, and I made a silent vow to myself. If I lived through the next few minutes, and the gods ever decided to make our paths cross once more, I would ensure this man regretted leaving me to die.
His gaze sharpened as if he were reading my mind. A huge, callused hand clamped around my wrist, until I was forced to drop the knife.
Lorian rolled off me, but not enough for me to go anywhere. Who knew what they’d do with me now? They could violate me, kill me, turn me in to the king’s guards. The things these men could do to me would make that hunter’s quick death seem like a gift.
My desperation may have just cost me my life.
Lorian’s friend dragged me to my feet, reaching for my hands. The rough texture of the rope he carried scraped against my wrists.
My skin heated, and a sharp, insistent shriek filled my mind until there was only one outlet for it.
Stop.
Time froze.
Sweeping up my knife, I turned and sprinted toward their horses.
I had moments. If I was lucky.
I untied the closest horse.
And my body hit the ground.
“What did you do?” No amusement filled that silken voice now. I was once again helpless. I went still, frustration coursing through me. I was so fucking tired of this day.
“Let go!”
“Use your magic on me again, and you will regret it.”
“My magic?”
“Do not feign stupidity.”
He flipped me over, and I panted, desperate for breath. His gaze dropped to my heaving chest and then flicked back up to my face.
Lying was stupid since the mercenaries had seen what I could do. In this case, the truth was my best defense. “I don’t. Not like you mean. I can just do this one thing. And only sometimes. And not for long.”
I was rambling now, desperate to make him understand. I never should have come here. Should have known better than to think I could steal one of their horses. I was tired enough and hungry enough that I’d allowed my desperation to overrule my logic. Now, they’d hand me over to any guards who came for me, and then they’d enjoy the king’s reward.
Lorian studied the empty spot on my temple, where the blue circle would have been if I’d reached twenty-five winters. His expression was inscrutable, and yet I could practically feel his mind racing as he attempted to understand exactly who I was.
My own gaze slid to the blue mark on his temple, resentment sliding through my veins. But the brute was already speaking once more.
“How did you end up in that river? Lie,” he purred before I could speak, “and I’ll throw you back in. But not before ordering Galon to tie rocks to your feet.”
Fear punched into my gut, and for a long, endless moment, I couldn’t breathe. The thought of that water rushing at me, into my mouth, flooding my lungs…
Lorian was still studying me. He knew just how well his little threat had worked. I attempted to wiggle away from him, but all I was doing was moving my hips closer to his.
“Speak,” he growled.
“My mother…she pushed me into the river. Because the guards learned I was one of the corrupt. They were coming for me.”
My lower lip trembled, and I ruthlessly clamped down on it with my teeth. I’d been attempting to deny it since the moment Mama had pushed me, but it was time to face the truth.
My mother was dead.
The guards would have killed her instantly. Perhaps brutally since they’d watched her defy the king and help me escape.
My eyes burned, but I refused to mourn my mother here with Lorian staring down at me.
This close, I could see all the different shades of green in his eyes. This was the man I’d dreamed of over and over again, and I still didn’t know why. A small part of me had hoped…
I killed that thought. The reality of the man was nothing but disappointment.
“I suppose your plan is to get to the city.”
“Yes.” I definitely wouldn’t be telling him about my plan to get to a ship. The less he knew about my life, the better.
“Can you use your magic whenever you please, or must you be in peril?”
This man was obviously trying to keep me shaken with the unexpected way he asked his questions.
“I’ve only used it a few times in my life.”
Galon took a step closer and shook his head. “Tell me you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
I blinked at that. Lorian tightened his hands around me. Then he was getting to his feet, hoisting me up with him like I was a sack of grain. He planted me on the ground.
The casual demonstration of his strength was scary. Likely, that was his intention.
“I have an offer for you.” Lorian’s expression had turned contemplative. Any offer from him was unlikely to bode well for me. And while I’d made some desperate—albeit necessary—choices so far, getting involved with a group of mercenaries would be the worst choice of them all.
Since it didn’t seem as if these men were going to kill me, I took a big step back.
“I don’t want anything you’re offering. Remember that time you left me to freeze to death?”
He sighed. “Are you always this dramatic?”
One of his men snorted, and I trembled with the need to punch Lorian in the mouth. He merely raised his eyebrow at me, as if reading my mind.
“Yes. Yes, I am. A great reason for you to let me go.”
“I don’t think so. You haven’t listened to my offer yet.”
I clenched my teeth. Maybe the smarter move was to listen. To study their weaknesses. “Fine. Talk.”
“We are also going to the city.”
It was my turn to snort. Of course they were. The mercenaries were either returning to a client, their job done, or heading to the city in search of work. The kind of work that would involve someone ending up with a much lighter purse—or worse…dead.
“And?”
“And,” he ground out, “we could use someone like you to help us arrive…undetected.”
Ah. Someone with magic like mine would be very helpful to mercenaries who needed to sneak into a city. “What exactly is it that you’re offering?”
“Three meals a day, a horse, blankets, and whatever clothes we can find to fit you. In exchange, you’ll help us at the city gates.”
“Wait. You want me to use my magic on purpose? In front of the king’s guards? Are you mad?”
My future flashed before my eyes. It featured flames, a jeering crowd, and my own agonized screams as I burned.
One dark brow lifted. “If you use your magic properly, no one will know we were there.”
“I don’t know how to use it!”
“I will teach you.”
“You…can do that?”
What if I could learn to wield my power? I could use it to keep myself safe. With my gift, I’d have a much greater chance of staying alive.