Chapter 4
She really couldn’t suffer fools, especially not ones who needed to know what she knew but were too hard-headed to listen.
Now, he was actually trying to feed her, removing her gag only long enough to stuff some sort of foul-tasting mush into her mouth, followed by another before she could even form a single word.
Bits of whatever he’d deemed edible covered her face where she’d attempted to turn away, but there was only so far she could go before that damn spoon was back in her mouth.
Finally, she squirmed until she was face-first in the dirt to get away from his attentions. Once she’d swallowed her mouthful, she spoke into the ground as she asked, “If I promise not to say another word about how stupid your plan is, will you please stop feeding me that horrible stuff.”
“Are you not a fan of mashed turnips? They’re quite healthy and plentiful; however, I wouldn’t expect you to be familiar since they are a favorite of the poor and enslaved of the land.”
“Well, it tastes like the buttend of a shit-eating insect who’s been feasting all day. I’ve had my fill, thank you very much.”
He laughed, but it was different this time than before.
Whether she’d amused him or it was sheer enjoyment at her pain, she didn’t know for sure, but she turned to meet his mirthful gaze.
In that moment, for just the briefest of seconds, she saw him as a little less dangerous than before.
She still didn’t think she had a chance to sway him to her side, but he seemed a little more…
human than he had before. It just made her anger at him grow.
She didn’t want to see him as anything other than the psychotic monster who had taken her from her sister.
She couldn’t allow herself to forget that.
She eased back into a sitting position and continued to hold his gaze. “And I’ve eaten turnips before. They were just seasoned and…cooked with a little more care for taste.”
“Oh, so now she insults my cooking ability. I am well and truly wounded.”
Liv would have taken the time to give him an insult she’d learned from Gemma Marolinia when she and Val had gone to find their brother Tavorius, but with her hands tied behind her back, she couldn’t lift her middle fingers in the way she would have liked.
He probably wouldn’t have understood it anyway.
“Do you think you could at least wipe the muck from my mouth? It’s beginning to dry and feel a bit crusty.”
“Of course, your highness. Shall I also dress you in your prettiest frock?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. It’s just that I can’t wipe it away myself with my hands tied behind me, and I doubt you plan to change that situation.”
“Trust me, with as much dust as you’re wearing, a little dried turnip mash around the mouth isn’t going to hurt your aesthetic.”
Having lived with her sister all these years, Liv had perfected biting her tongue, but one man was about to make her throw out any and all of the patience she’d learned over the years. She pulled in a steadying breath, relaxed her jaw, and gave him a serene smile.
“Again, I’m not asking for your help because I feel I am owed your service. I am asking for you to be a decent being and simply wipe off the food you smeared onto my face.”
He was suddenly kneeling in front of her, his fingers under her chin, lifting it to meet her gaze. His icy-blue eyes were full of rage as he asked, “Do you recognize me at all, princess?”
His question threw her just a little. She cocked her head and studied his features.
His skin was smooth, and a brown shade that showed he spent most of his time in the sun.
Lines at the corners of his eyes showed his age to be around hers, maybe a few years older, but not much more than that.
His mouth looked hard and unforgiving, and she had a sudden, ridiculous urge to smooth the tension from his face.
Yet, it was his scar that drew her focus at last. It was distinctive but slightly whitened, like he had received the wound that caused it at a much younger age.
Could she have forgotten giving such a scar to him?
Surely, she would remember having injured someone in such a way.
She met his gaze once more and shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry. If I could, I’m sure I would remember you, and I just don’t.”
He pulled back slightly and settled on the ground in front of her.
“Perhaps, this will jog your memory. As a petulant child many years ago, you wanted to play in the rain. Rain fell so infrequently that your request was, of course, immediately granted. What the princess wanted, the princess got. But, as you know, the rain in Hedonista is slightly acidic, so none could be allowed to touch your skin. Instead, they pulled a slave boy from his detail in the kitchens to walk in the rain with you, making sure that every inch of you was constantly covered by a device called an umbrella. All the while, the rain burned my skin. I lay in bed for two days recovering from the burns.”
A sudden memory rushed back to Liv. She did recall that day, and she recalled her father insisting she play in the rain.
She hadn’t wanted to, but his eyes had glowed with his excitement.
Val hadn’t even been at the castle at the time, or he probably would have put her out there as well.
It was her mother who had pushed for someone to protect her from the acid rain.
Liv had cried the entire time she was outside.
She’d had no idea the consequences to her protector at the time.
“I…I…how horrible. I had no idea my actions resulted in such pain for you.” She glanced at the ground a few silent moments before looking up once more. “You were a slave in Hedonista? I am sorry. It’s fortunate you no longer are.”
For a moment, he looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe. He sat perfectly still, the smug look of triumph that had sat on his face seconds before melted away. Yet, it didn’t last long.
He shook his head as if to clear it, stood up once more and approached his bag. When he turned around, he held a piece of cloth in his hand. With swift movements, he crossed to her once more, wet the cloth with a little water, and began to gently wipe the grime and food from her face.
“It’s a little late for sorry.”
“But I clearly still owe you one.”
He stopped wiping and stared at her for a moment, as if seeing her for the first time.
“After your father gave me this scar and…more, I escaped. I found a place where I could live. I grew bigger and stronger and vowed to make you all pay for what was done to me.” He lifted his hand to finish wiping her face clean, using rougher strokes than before.
Once finished, he threw the rag to the ground where she sat and said, “I don’t want to hear you say sorry. I want you to feel my pain. Once you’ve done that, then and only then, we’ll be even.”
He busied himself with tasks around the campsite, talking low to his horse, but ignoring Liv as if she weren’t there. He didn’t replace her gag, and she didn’t try to speak to him either. Her mouth felt too good without something covering it constantly.
Only once he’d laid out a square of cloth did he turn to her once more. “You’ll sleep beside me so that I can ensure you don’t try to run. And don’t worry about your doubtful virtue. I would as soon as bite my own hand off as use it to caress you.”
“I’ll cancel the wedding then.” She gave just the slightest snort of laughter and thought she caught a hint of a smile on his mouth.
As if he’d have gotten anywhere with her.
Even with her hands tied behind her back, she would have made sure the area between his legs was only good for a self-cupping while he had a good, long cry.
“I don’t recall asking you to marry me.” He pulled her to a standing position and helped her lower herself to the thin, reedy mat that would serve as their bed.
She tried to get comfortable on her side.
Yet, the minute he laid down behind her and draped his arm over her waist, her heartbeat picked up and she felt heat rising up her neckline.
“You haven’t proposed to me yet, but just wait and see, you will.”
Her comment got a dry chuckle, but no more. “Try to get some sleep. There’s more walking for you tomorrow, and we have a long way to travel.”
She tried to focus on his words. She really did, but all she could seem to think about was how impossibly heavy and hot, like a brand, an arm could feel when placed in just such a way on her body.
It didn’t help that her hands were still bound behind her, very near where she imagined his thighs met.
If they got any closer, she might get more of a handful than she’d ever wanted.
Perhaps, it would be best if she focused on something a little less…
provocative. Of course, she could think about her escape.
Perhaps, a grasp on such a sensitive area could be exactly what she needed to turn things around.
Once she had him at her mercy, she would demand he cut her loose.
Then, she’d take his horse and make a run back toward her sister, who should have been here by now.
It would be the first thing she addressed once they were reunited.
She began to squirm backwards, trying to encounter her means to escape, but he must have caught on to her plan because he grabbed her with both hands and turned her to face him, essentially removing her one and only opportunity.
She felt the intensity in his gaze as he asked, “Do you need me to bind your feet and put the gag back on you?”
Liv shook her head and a piece of her hair fell over her cheek as she said, “I would prefer not to have either.”
“Then, don’t give me a reason to, and I won’t.” He brushed the hair from her face with rough fingers, and she shivered slightly at his warm touch.
“I wouldn’t mind if you removed the ties around my hands either.”
At the sight of a lift of one side of his mouth in a crooked smile, Liv felt the breath leave her lungs in a hurry. He was handsome normally, but when he smiled, he was devastatingly gorgeous. It was unfair.
He shook his head and said, “I might be feeling generous, but I’m not stupid.” He yawned and with a muscular swipe of his hand, pulled her into his chest. “Besides, when we reach your father, I’m sure he’ll be happy to remove the ties himself.”
Liv felt chills for a different reason at the thought of seeing her father once again. He wouldn’t remove the ties from her arms. He’d be more likely to remove her arms from her body.
There was only one solution—whatever it took, she couldn’t let Rise hand her over to her father.
She’d just have to…to—a yawn overtook her, and she was suddenly incredibly sleepy. It had come over her suddenly, and she felt herself beginning to drift into sleep no matter how hard she fought it. From days of constant movement, the minute she relaxed, exhaustion took over.