Chapter 5 Cruel and Reckless
Cruel and Reckless
Caramyn
This wretched asshole, pretending to be the honorable one here, while spewing his threats like an entitled, petulant child.
She would expect nothing less. But let him throw his tantrum.
He was only confirming to her that he needed her information more than he needed her dead.
At least for now. At least until she could get close enough to find out what he wanted from the Shadow Woods and kill him first.
He startled her when he spoke again, as though he’d been stewing on their last exchange.
"You think me cruel? If I were cruel I would have left you to die in those Woods. You were barely breathing. It’s a miracle the Shadows hadn’t already finished the job.”
“Ah, so you rescued me, all for merely the price of my blind obedience. And to be punished for not responding not to your liking. For simply not remembering what you want to know.” Caramyn spat.
“If you truly don’t remember, then it shouldn’t matter where I take you, should it? You have no home awaiting you. No family missing you. At least none that you know of, so you say.”
He wasn’t wrong. There was no town she could tell him to take her that wouldn’t turn her right back in.
And anywhere beyond the Havenspeak mountains would be unfamiliar territory that she couldn’t risk crossing weaponless.
If she told him to leave her in the Bleak Wilderness, he’d be even more suspicious…
and she’d never learn what he wanted from her Woods to begin with.
She reached to pet the horse’s neck, desperate for something to distract herself from the painful sting of his mention of home and family.
Just as she moved, Asterious grabbed her arm and whispered against her ear, his breath warm along her neck.
"Don't think you can make him run away or whatever else you're plotting in your pretty head.
He'll only listen to me." She ignored the tingle that fluttered down her back.
She peered down at the mighty black stallion below her, his hooves nearly the size of dinner chargers, and his ebony mane reaching past his chest in flowing waves.
It was said the Blackwynds were known for their superior horsemanship, and perhaps that proved to be true by the loyalty of this stunning animal.
What a shame for it to be at the command of this bastard, thought Caramyn.
"What's his name?" she asked.
"Alofreise." She was surprised he answered, and even more surprised when he halted the animal with a cue she couldn’t detect and dismounted.
“What are you doing, Your Highness?” Riven asked, the riders slowing their horses.
“Securing her,” he mumbled, taking out a rope from his saddle bag.
“Excellent call, Asterious,” Wyran barked, his hollow hazel eyes gliding over her in a way that made her want to shrink. “Best not to take chances with these kind.”
The prince had told her not to try to take control of the horse, but she tried anyway.
For all she knew he was lying, and she wanted to test him, if anything just to piss him off.
She kicked with her heels as hard as she could, but the stallion stood in place like a statue, his ears pinned.
Asterious laughed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Alofreise wouldn’t dream of betraying me. ”
She rolled her eyes as the prince reached up and slid the rope around her wrists, binding them up so that she had no choice but to keep them clasped together in front of her.
She tried to focus on the horse as Asterious mounted back up and settled behind her.
With her hands so tightly bound, it was all the more difficult to scoot her body away from his.
“What are you so afraid of, Prince? Am I that much of a threat to you that you must tie me up?” she sneered.
Asterious chuckled low, the sound vibrating through her spine. “If I were afraid, you would already know. Fear has a way of making the best of us cruel. Reckless.” He leaned in, voice dropping. “And you haven’t seen me cruel and reckless. Not yet.”
They continued without further exchange. Her backside grazed his crotch with every stride, and it disgusted her that she blushed at the feeling. But as the hours passed she forgot about the sensation as the ropes irritated her skin, scratching and leaving her wrists red the more she maneuvered.
After a while, she found the warmth of the prince’s chest against her back almost pleasant.
He was secure, like a wall holding her steady as the horse's body swayed underneath them. And every so often she could feel his breath on her neck as he exhaled, which made her skin fizzle in a way that was unfamiliar to her. But she reminded herself that it was normal for her body to react this way. She’d never known the touch of a man, and despite the ferocity of her natural desires, she wouldn't let her body’s physical reaction change what she thought of this selfish prince. Or what she planned to do to him.
As day slipped into night, the lights of Havenswood shimmered in the distance, a solitary beacon of civilization in the wilderness.
It was a large city, surrounded by towering stone walls that followed the curves of the mountains.
She expected they would pass through, as the main road went right through the center.
Which is why it surprised Caramyn when the prince commanded his men otherwise.
"We’ll go around the city. Soldiers will be patrolling the borders by now and we can't risk being seen."
"Aren't you the Blackwynd Prince?" Caramyn raised an eyebrow.
"I am. But I no longer wear the Blackwynd chains.”
She twisted her face into a sneer at his cryptic answer. "Why go around? That'll take half a day, if not more."
His knuckles tightened on the reins. "Remember our agreement? You don’t get answers until I do. And as such you are in no place to question my decisions."
"And you are in no place to be such an ass," she replied boldly.
"Best watch your words before you find out what the prince is capable of." Wryan spouted off. Caramyn rolled her eyes.
"He's right. It's best not to provoke him.
" It was Tyrios who spoke this time, to her surprise, and something in his voice almost seemed pleading.
She wondered what cruelty the prince must have shown them to make them bleat these warnings.
But she refused to show any sign of fear.
She would not be silent to make any of these men comfortable.
She was glad they would stay out of the city.
The last thing she wanted was to bring more attention to herself and potentially have someone accuse her of being the Witch of the Woods in front of the witch-killer prince.
The fewer who saw her, the better. She knew why she had to hide.
But why did Prince Asterious seem to be traveling in secrecy through his own kingdom?