Chapter Two #5
He said nothing, and she realized that she did have something to offer this man. A home where he would not be treated as a slave. “If you free my father, you could come and live among our people at Ossoria. You would have a place with us.”
The doubt upon his face made it clear that he did not believe her. “I intend to see my sister to safety. That is the only reason I am escorting you to Tara—to help her escape. After that, I will go my own way.”
She wasn’t ready to give up so soon. Not when there was a chance he could save her father’s life.
Yet there was so much bitterness locked away in Killian, it was festering deep inside. Despite the High King’s reputation, there was a blood bond between them, of father and son. There might be a way for him to gain Rory’s favor.
“And after Carice is safe? What then?” she pressed. “Will you return here and live among men who treat you like the dirt they walk upon?”
Rage flashed in his eyes and she knew she had struck upon his weakness—pride. This was a man who had the demeanor of a king, though he was trapped in the life of a slave.
“My decisions are my own.” He took a step toward her, letting his height intimidate her.
But she refused to back down—not when she believed he had the power to save her father.
This man had single-handedly fought back against the chieftain’s strongest men, proving that he could overcome the odds.
When she looked upon his face, she saw a man of determination, a man of courage.
He reached down and caught her wrist. “Don’t think I’m unaware of what you’re doing, a chara.
You want me to speak on your father’s behalf to King Rory and ask my father to free Devlin,” he said.
He sent her a sidelong look. “As if a bastard son has any influence at all.” She tried to pull her hand back, but he gripped it tight. “I’ll not be risking my life for his.”
He wouldn’t want that, no. But there was something else that might sway him.
Taryn reached beneath her skirt to a pouch she’d tied beneath it. From the pouch, she withdrew a silver coin. She held it up and said, “If you do go your own path, you will need to build your own wealth. You could start with this.”
She pressed the silver into his palm, but he caught her hand and held it.
The small piece of metal warmed beneath their joined hands, but there was more than a simple touch.
“This is what my word is worth,” she continued.
“If you rescue my father, I can give you a chest of silver so heavy, you cannot lift it. You could buy anything you want.”
Killian’s steel eyes smoldered with fury, and he looked as if her offer had wounded his pride.
Taryn’s skin tightened, her body flushing at his intense stare.
She tried to look away, but every part of her was strangely attuned to him.
Her body had grown sensitive, and the coldness of his face caught her breath.
Like a fallen angel, his features were darkly handsome. Though he didn’t bruise her skin with his grip, he was letting her know who was in command. And it wasn’t her.
“I’ve never met anyone of noble blood whose word could be trusted.” He pressed the coin back into her hand, as if to say he wanted nothing she could give.
His words infuriated her. She had done nothing to warrant such distrust, and it was insulting. “You don’t even know me, Killian MacDubh. I am a woman who keeps her promises.”
“Are you?” he asked softly. “The first words you spoke were lies and deceptions. Why should I believe you?”
Her face flushed at the memory of how she’d told the soldiers she was Carice. From the shielded expression on his face, she realized that Killian was a man who trusted no one, save himself. No matter what vows she made, he would not believe them.
“Then perhaps I won’t help your sister after all,” she countered. “I’ll confess to the soldiers who I really am, and your father can take her to Tara to be wedded to the High King. I’ll find other soldiers to save my father.”
She started to move away, but he caught her waist, trapping her against the wooden horse stall. “Don’t.”
His hard body was pressed against hers, and she was completely at his mercy.
Though he was likely meaning to intimidate her, instead, it felt like an embrace.
Her body softened against his hardness, and she found herself spellbound by his iron eyes.
The fierceness of his expression was of a warrior bent upon gaining her surrender.
He kept her wrists pinned with his hands against the wall.
But instead of feeling trapped, her traitorous mind imagined what it would be like to be claimed by this man.
She suspected that Killian would only take what he wanted, never giving anything of himself. And though it should have frightened her, she wondered if there was any warmth at all behind his heart of ice.
“You will do nothing to harm Carice. Not ever.” Though his words were spoken softly, the threat was not lost upon her. “Not in word or in deed.”
Taryn stared back at him, facing him without fear. “I will do whatever I must to free my father. We can be allies and help one another... or we can be enemies. The choice is yours.”