Chapter 11 #2
The woman's eyebrows raised and she looked at the two children before sighing.
"I wish I could, Miss," she said. "Me stores are empty.
I've nothin' tae give. They took it all, and I dinnae ken how I'm tae replenish.
Me poor daughters are doin' all they can tae gain a bit of coin, but this place will be ruined soon enough. "
Briana blinked while Rosie tensed beside her. "All of it?" She glanced over at the table again. "But look at all that food and ale. Ye'll be able tae restock with the coin."
The innkeeper snorted. "Coin! Me late husband's coin all went intae this place, and now these soldiers come and take what they please. They never pay. I'll manage, aye, but I cannae feed the bairns. I can barely feed meself."
Jock started to cry, and Briana felt as though the floor had fallen out from beneath her. "But… but ye must have somethin'. Anythin'."
The woman sighed. "We'll nae get any supplies until tomorrow. I can offer the bairns some water and a place on me floor next tae the fire, but I've naught else tae give. The soldiers—"
"They're supposed tae be protectin' this place! They're—"
"Hush." Theon spoke from behind her as he placed a warning hand on her arm, but his voice was gentle. "Dinnae speak so loudly. Ye'll put yerself, this woman, and these bairns in danger."
"But I cannae just stand here," Briana argued in a furious whisper.
Was this the truth of it, then? The truth she'd spent her whole life blind to?
She'd seen her marriage to Malcolm MacFarlane as a way to finally shed her past, and she'd hoped that her new husband, her new family would be good.
But even if Malcolm was kind to her, could she marry him and live in comfort as his Lady, knowing that children were left to starve and widows left to suffer?
She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts away. Her stomach knotted and she wanted to cry.
"Briana," Theon said, so quietly she almost thought she'd imagined it.
The sound of her own name made her shiver and gooseflesh erupted over her skin.
She didn't think she'd ever heard him use it directly before, at least not to address her…
not since they'd met again. Something about it felt raw, personal, and her body tingled just as it had when he'd held her in his arms and kissed her.
The hand on her shoulder lowered to touch her elbow, turning her slightly to face him.
"Ye're pale."
"I'm…" she stammered. "This is…"
He nodded. "I ken. I've never seen ye look so sad."
Briana looked back to the children, who were greedily gulping down water that the innkeeper had given them, and her despair tightened into fury. How could this be happening around her? How could anyone allow this?
"I'm nae sad," she said quietly. "I'm furious."
Theon's gray eyes widened in surprise, then his lips curled into a grin. With a new sparkle in his gaze, he said, "Well, then. Care tae be an outlaw for the day, lass?"
Briana furrowed her brow and tilted her head, confused, then saw the way his gaze flicked toward the drunken brutes at the table. One of them wore a very fat, very obvious money pouch on his belt, and as soon as she saw it, she knew.
Her pulse quickened with the adrenaline of what she was considering, but she heard the children talking in a low voice to the innkeeper behind her, and she met Theon's eyes and saw the expression there, and it was enough.
She returned his grin with a fierce smile of her own. "Aye."
Theon's gut was uneasy and he didn't understand why.
He had planned much more elaborate thievery than this, even teaching his baby brother to steal and fight when necessary.
The innkeeper, who'd revealed her name was Helen, had ushered the two children behind the bar while he and Briana had discussed their next move.
Theon had been ready to suggest any number of plans, but Briana led with her own idea.
"I was thinkin'," she said, toying with a loose strand of her own hair. "What about usin' the same trick ye did earlier?"
He raised an eyebrow, confused. "Which trick would that be?"
Her cheeks turned pink, and Theon understood, his nostrils flaring. His body growled in response at the memory of her pressed against him, and for a moment he almost stepped forward to take her in his arms again, forgetting where they were. But then she spoke again, snapping him back to reality.
"Me skirt is ruined anyway, is it nae?" she said.
"And there's nae fear of them recognizin' me.
Father never let me be seen by men from other clans, and, even if they happened tae glance me when MacFarlane visited, these types of idiots would never look any further than their own cups. I can get that pouch."
Theon suddenly realized what she was suggesting, but he still couldn't quite believe it. Surely he must be mistaken. Surely Briana—uptight, rich, spoiled Briana who had spent her whole life pampered in a castle—couldn't be implying what it seemed like she was.
But even as he thought it, she hitched up her skirt slightly, revealing the tear he'd ripped in her skirt, stopping just short of the scars he had discovered.
Theon's eyes lingered on the soft skin and the surprisingly toned muscles almost against his will, his fingers prickling where he had so recently touched her, hunger and joy and pure, unadulterated admiration shooting through him.
She winked at him and stepped forward, ensuring her bare skin was on display.
The uneasiness replaced the enthusiasm in Theon's heart as she stepped further away from him and closer to the soldiers.
He didn't like exposing her to danger, even if she herself had been the one to suggest it.
He didn't like leaving her defenseless, even if he was close enough to intervene.
He would rather not be filled with this need to protect her, but he also knew that if she got hurt now, he would destroy every last one of them.
He tried to convince himself it was only because of her value to him as a hostage, but the letters still burned in his pocket, accusatory in their silence and in the knowledge he was no closer to sending them than he had been before arriving.
Briana moved with a confidence he had never seen in her.
The soldiers took notice of her in moments, nudging each other and smirking or wolf-whistling as she approached.
She wore a coy expression on her face and held her back straight, tucking her cloak behind her, emphasizing the curve of her chest, the length of her legs, and the overall shape of her body.
Did she know the effect she was having on these men?
He knew she was aiming to be seductive, but he doubted she understood her true power.
If she looked at him like that in earnestness, he doubted that even he would be able to resist. Where had this come from? And why did it fill him with an absurd shudder of anger to see those men watching her?
"Come closer, pet," one of the men encouraged. "Come have a wee chat with us."
"Me?" Briana asked in a perfectly faked tone of astonishment. She raised a hand to her chest, ostensibly in surprise, but highlighting the skin at her collarbone as she did so. "Why, I'd be honored. I'm so hungry, ye ken, and I'd do just about anythin' tae share yer meal."
The men chuckled and Theon's monster reared its head inside him. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, reminding himself that he must keep control.
Another man spoke—the man with the pouch. "Join us by all means, ye bonny thing," he called, lust and wine mingling in his voice. He patted his lap. "Come, sit."
Briana laughed airily. It sounded nothing like it did when she really laughed—none of the warmth and none of the song that Theon associated with the sound echoed through the tavern. She moved closer to the man after he beckoned a few more times, and when he held out a hand toward her, she took it.
Theon turned away, his hands gripping hard on the bar, unable to bring himself to watch. This was a terrible idea. He had to intervene—and yet, he knew that if he did, he'd ruin everything. He forced himself to look back over.
Still giggling falsely, moving with a coy grace, Briana slid into the man's lap from the side, leaning back into his arm with a practiced casualness that impressed even Theon. One of her hands rested on the man's chest while the other disappeared behind him down toward the pouch.
Theon held his breath.
She offhandedly moved that arm again, this time touching the pocket of her cloak, slipping her hand inside while she leaned closer and whispered something in the man's ear.
The man shivered with a disgusting delight. His hand settling on Briana's waist. "I'll show ye a good time," he promised. "These other eejits dinnae have a clue how tae treat a woman, but I'll make ye see stars."
Theon snorted at the pathetic attempt at seduction, but Briana moved the hand on the man's chest to his face, cupping his cheek.
"I'm an honest woman, sir," she replied coquettishly, all the while moving her other hand between the pouch and her pocket, unnoticed by either the man or his companions. "Ye'd make a sinner of me?"
The man's voice dipped into a wolf-like growl. "I'll make ye see God and scream the devil's name." It sounded more like a threat than a seduction.
Briana froze, and Theon took a half-step closer.
But she gathered herself in an instant, moving both her hands away from the man and laughing airily.
"Och, I wouldnae wish tae pay too much attention tae one of ye than all the others.
I'd like the company of ye all," she said.
Casually, she moved to get up. "I can have a drink with ye all, surely. I—"
But before she could get away fully, the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her down again. She stumbled and the soldier stood, using her momentum to shove her against the table. With a dark, dangerous glee to his voice, he said, "Ye can give us all attention here and now."
Theon did not hesitate.
In a few strides, he crossed the room and swung his fist, colliding hard with the man's face. His knuckles connected with a satisfying crack and blood spurted from the man's nose as he released Briana and screamed in pain.
Briana had her wits about her and got back to her feet, slipping into a defensive stance at Theon's side. Theon caught sight of her, impressed by how quickly she'd learned, but the thought was interrupted as the other soldiers attacked.
"That's Theon MacKenzie!" one of them shouted.
"Oh, of course they recognize ye," Briana snarked, dodging out of the way as one of the men lunged for her.
Theon laughed wildly, caught up in the adrenaline and spirit of the moment, grabbing Briana's arm and shoving her behind him just in time to send another attacker sprawling to the floor.
He didn't bother reaching for his weapon, instead throwing another hard punch and crumpling one of them to the ground.
He knew they were outnumbered and that he wouldn't be able to win, but something about Briana fighting alongside him and having witnessed her audacity had lit a fire in him that would not be quenched.
One of the soldiers hit him back, opening the wound that his own brother had caused so recently, but Theon just laughed again.
Briana darted beneath his arm, tripping his attacker.
The other soldiers rounded on them, and Theon stood tall.
If this was where it was to end, then at least he'd go down fighting—with her.
The sound of glass shattering paused the scene for a moment as they all swung their heads toward it. The innkeeper stood on the top of the bar, her eyes blazing, looking as though life had finally returned to her.
"Take that, ye bastards!" she shouted, throwing another bottle at the soldiers. "And that!"
Theon gaped at her.
"What are ye doin'?" she shouted. "Run!"
Briana grabbed Theon's hand and pulled him, and the two of them fled out the door.
Theon wasn't worried about the innkeeper—the men would follow him for the bounty—but he hoped she had the sense to stop attacking once they were out of sight.
They turned, racing down the alley that had hidden them before.
When they reached the dead end, Theon spotted their salvation—a narrow crevice between the building and a back outhouse.
He pulled Briana's arm and they squeezed into the narrow space, counting on the shadows to hide them.
Panting, breathing heavily, the two stood together in the cramped space and tried to stay silent. They heard the clattering of soldiers' boots as they moved down through the alley, and Theon held his breath.
"This is a dead end!" someone shouted, only inches from where the two were hidden.
The boots clattered as the soldiers left the alley, and Briana and Theon remained silent for a few more beats before at last they were sure they were safe.
"At least ye didnae rip me skirt this time," Briana teased. "And I'm gettin' quite used tae watchin' ye bein' punched in the face."
Theon started to laugh under his breath. His nose and lip felt like they were on fire, but delight surged through him as Briana laughed too.
They were still worlds apart, and perhaps they always would be and should be, but in that moment, cramped together in that tiny crevice, Theon and Briana understood each other completely.