Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Briana had been cold toward them all for the past two days since the incident with the Cameron messengers, refusing to talk unless directly spoken to and turning her back at every opportunity.
For Theon, it was somehow both an irritant and a relief.
Her silent protest at least meant she wasn't nagging or protesting or arguing, but in its absence, he found he missed countering her criticisms. She infuriated him with her blind loyalty to her father, but then, he had been a laird's son once too.
Would he have followed his own father into the darkness? He liked to believe he wouldn't, but perhaps it was different for a young woman with such a perfect life who had little choice but to rely on her father, brother, or future husband to maintain it.
The whole thing was starting to weigh on him.
Briana had been their hostage for days now, and they were no closer to using her to get what they needed.
They would need to put a plan into action soon if they wanted to make any of this worth it.
Grumbling to himself under his breath, he finished feeding the horses and left the stables, heading back toward the center of their little makeshift village.
The clashing of swords greeted him, and the sight that waited there made his bad mood lift a little as he smiled.
Keir and Graeme sparred together next to the extinguished campfire, Graeme taunting Keir playfully as they went.
The sight of his best friend's glee while sparring wasn't anything particularly new, though it always made Theon laugh, but what really warmed him was the expression on Keir's face.
Though his little brother was harsh and more than capable, Theon worried about him often.
Being only fifteen when the MacKenzies fell—when their parents and family and clan were destroyed—he had needed Theon's support, even if he rejected it often.
Theon had frequently worried that the boy would never know joy again.
But here, in this moment, Keir was laughing, grinning, and occasionally swearing with gleeful annoyance.
It was enough to put a little warmth into even Theon's carefully cooled heart.
"Got ye!" Keir crowed excitedly as he moved to tap Graeme on the side with the flat of his sword.
But Graeme moved in a complicated maneuver, spinning out of the way, and a second later Keir's sword was parried and Graeme's sword was pointing directly under Keir's chin.
Graeme winked, and Keir cursed. "Bastard. "
With a flourish, Graeme stood and bowed. "Ye'll have tae get up earlier tae beat me, wee one," he teased.
"Ye're four years older than me, ye eejit," Keir replied. He slipped back into a fighting stance. "Again."
Theon smiled and his gaze traveled around the camp.
Noah was gone for the morning, off to hunt game again.
It wasn't his turn, but Noah's exceptional skill with a bow meant he often volunteered to take on that task, especially when he was stressed or upset.
The source of that stress and upset was here, too, and Theon's eyes landed on her as she sat on one of their carved log benches nearby.
Briana was darning her worn dress, but her eyes were on the sparring match, and there was a glint in that green gaze that was something like awe. It intrigued Theon to see it, and he wondered what he'd have to do to elicit such a reaction from her.
"Let me step in," he called to the other men before he knew what he was doing.
He shocked even himself—why did he care so much about Briana seeing what he could do? But at the same time, he wanted to prove to her that he lived up to the reputation he had built. He did not make empty threats. It wasn't about impressing her, just showing her the truth.
"Ye can fight the winner," Keir called back. "I've got tae teach Graeme a lesson first."
Theon snorted and didn't argue. He turned to see Briana again and raised an eyebrow to see her approaching, her chin held high. He didn't speak until she stood before him, still dressed in one of his oversized undershirts belted around the middle, a regal look of pride in her eyes.
"Can I help ye?" he asked once she stood in front of him with her arms folded.
Briana narrowed her eyes for just a second, then resumed her haughty expression. "I have finished repairing my dress. I would like a bath."
He tried to remain serious, but his lips twitched as he watched her.
It was so ludicrous, the whole situation.
He tried to imagine how the Theon from ten years ago would have reacted to a young woman talking to him about bathing and it took everything he had not to laugh out loud.
No doubt Briana was used to attendants seeing to her every whim, but here she was, putting on airs to ask a wanted outlaw for a wash.
"Certainly, me lady," he replied, sweeping down into a mocking bow. "Shall I fetch a gold tub and the lavender oil as well?"
Briana did not laugh, nor did she react in any way to his mockery.
In fact, she folded her arms, continuing to stare at him with the same unimpressed expression.
"I would like a bath," she repeated. "I am tired of washin' in the same washbasin ye use tae clean blood from yer hands.
Ye'll show me tae the nearest river where ye fetch yer water, and I'll use it tae bathe.
I havenae felt clean since the moment we met. "
"Amusin' that Laird Cameron's daughter would talk about the blood on our hands," Keir called over from where he and Graeme had paused in their sparring to shamelessly listen. "Show her the burn, Theon. Perhaps she'll be swept away by the current and she'll nae be our problem anymore."
Graeme nudged Keir hard with his elbow, but Theon simply took Briana's arm and led her away, preventing her from the chance to retort.
She did not speak to him as he guided her out of the camp and through the forest trees, nor did she look at him except to make sure they were still headed in the right direction.
After about ten or fifteen minutes, they stepped out from the dense trees into the small clearing through which the burn ran, the water racing fast down the slight slope over stones beaten smooth by years.
He loved this spot. He often came here to think, or swim, or, yes, bathe.
They fetched water from further upstream, but this place—this was his.
"It's fair bonny," Briana said, forgetting to sound unimpressed as she hung her fresh dress over a tree branch and took an eager step toward the water.
Theon grabbed her wrist. "Nae so fast." He pulled her back against him, wrapping his arms around her, trying not to notice how warm and soft she felt pressed up against his chest. "I caught ye like this once before.
If ye want tae bathe, ye need tae earn it.
Break me hold, show me ye can protect yerself for even a moment. That's all ye have tae do."
Briana scoffed, her breath quickening even as she tried to hide it. Her hair tickled his chin, and when she squirmed against him, his body shivered with the urge to pull her even closer. "As if I could. Ye're mockin' me. I have nae idea where tae even start."
Keeping her pinned with one arm, he lowered his other hand and indicated the points on her body she could use to fight back.
He touched her lower abdomen, his finger lingering for just a moment as he said, "Drive yer elbow back here.
If yer attacker isnae grippin' ye well, it should be enough tae drive him off. "
She let out a little gasp at his touch, so small he might have imagined it, and something inside him growled. Slowly, she drew her elbow back, aiming for the spot in his belly he'd shown her. It connected with no pressure, and Theon nodded.
"Good," he said. "But if I was holdin' ye with both arms, there's nae way it would work." He trailed his fingers up her arm, then to various other points, explaining as he went the moves she'd need to take to break a tighter grip.
Every time his hand moved, her body responded with the smallest of shivers or the tiniest of caught breaths, and every time she reacted, heat and longing washed over him in a way he hadn't felt in a long, long time.
Frustrated, he pushed those feelings away, focusing only on what was happening now, growing more and more irritable as he went.
He guided her through the moves, and soon her dismissive and angry responses transformed, a look of concentration and pure focus appearing on her face by the time she finally turned to face him.
"What next?" she asked as they separated, an eagerness in her tone now. "How would I disarm him so he couldnae grab me again?"
Theon's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Seems the princess wants tae fight."
"I'm nae princess," she replied with a scowl. "Answer me question."
He grabbed her wrist again and pulled her back to the starting position. "Ye run," he murmured in her ear. "Now, again. Show me what I just taught ye."
They practiced the moves again and again, first with him guiding her and then with her taking charge until she was almost perfect. When they separated for the fifth time, he saw her shaking out her hands and knew that she must be sore, but he pretended not to notice.
"Ready tae try it for real?" he asked.
She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I dinnae suppose I can simply bathe?"
He frowned at her teasing, shocked to the core by her smile.
Something dangerous rose within him like a wave on the tide, and he had to fight the urge to grab her face between his hands and greet that smile with the urgent attention it demanded.
His mouth prickled with anticipation, and he scowled as he banished the idea.
Didn't she understand who she was? Who he was? What was happening here?
"Take this seriously. Ye're in danger," he reminded her.
Her eyes flashed. She stepped closer. "Maybe ye're the one in danger."
He grabbed her wrist again without any warning, and she cried out in surprise as he dragged her back against him. There was no gentleness or holding back this time as he used both his arms to lock her in an iron grip, caging her in a tight hold. "Let's see," he growled. "Break it."
Briana immediately tried to hit back with her elbow, but his grip was too tight, his stance too strong, and she couldn't do it.
She let out a frustrated noise and struggled against him, and as she writhed, his grip only tightened.
He was going too far, and yet some animalistic part of his brain roared at him to never let go—to hold her in place until she yielded once and for all.
But then she cried out, her frustration mounting, and kicked backward with her foot, catching him by surprise.
Theon stumbled, and Briana took advantage immediately, twisting in his arms so that they were face-to-face.
He reacted on instinct, tightening his grip rather than releasing her, and he lost his balance entirely.
The two of them fell as one, crashing to the ground.
Silence followed the fall, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the racing water.
Briana lay on the ground, her hair fanned out behind her, her eyes wide and astonished as she stared up at him.
Theon pinned her in place, his body weighing hers down, their faces so close that he could feel her breath on his lips.
She was entirely in his power, he realized with a shiver—and yet, at that moment, he felt powerless.
The spell broke in a moment as Briana began to thrash under him, trying to push him away. "Get off!" she snapped. She managed to pull one wrist free and tried to push him away with no effect.
He chuckled darkly and grabbed her wrist, pinning it to the ground. He leaned even closer, the tip of his nose pressing against hers. "A pity. If ye want yer freedom, Briana Cameron, ye're gonnae need tae fight harder than that."
She pursed her lips. His eyes darted toward them without him even thinking about it. "And if I dinnae learn quickly enough?" she breathed.
Theon's belly tightened and heat pulsed through him. He leaned closer, pressing his chest against hers as he did, and whispered in her ear, "Then ye'll have tae yield tae me."
The silence fell again, and in that moment, he could hear and feel the thrumming of her heart beating in time with his, both of them racing. He leaned back again and saw that her pupils had dilated, her lips slightly parted. She caught his eye and then blinked a few times.
"Never," she whispered. "I'll never yield tae ye. Nae as long as we both live."
Theon held her there for a moment longer, frozen in place by her gaze, stuck in place by the feeling of her body pressed tight against his.
After a breath, he got control of himself and pushed himself back to his feet, putting down a hand to help her up.
She hesitated before taking it but did after a moment, allowing him to haul her back to her feet.
"That's enough for today," he said, not meeting her eyes. "If ye want tae bathe, ye have ten minutes."
Her expression showed surprise, but she didn't stop to question him.
She raced to the water and Theon turned his back to wait.
He heard the rustle of her disrobing and the splash of the water as she entered.
His heart contracted painfully at the sound of her delighted laugh, and, almost without knowing it, he stole a glance toward the river.
Briana's back was to him, the water covering up to her hips, but the sight of the soft skin on her back sparkling with water sprays, the way her hips curved just above the water, and the slight swell of her breast from the side was enough to drive him to distraction as she washed her hair and combed it with her fingers.
The dark animal inside him growled and he fought against himself to stay in place, dragging his eyes away to focus straight ahead once more.
She was not meant to be a temptation. She could not be a woman to him; she could not be someone he could consider as anything but currency to be exchanged. All Briana Cameron could ever be was his chance to take everything back that had been stolen from him ten years before by her very own father.
But the stolen glances continued, and the guilt and desire roiled, and Theon knew she had been right. He was the one in danger—a danger he needed to deal with before it became a hold that was impossible to break.