Sharon Shinn - Reader And Raelynx

He was unimpressed. “Yes, and I will counter with fresh soldiers of my own-Arberharst troops marching down through Tilt. You still do not have the numbers, Senneth. You cannot win.”

“We have numbers we didn’t count on,” she said. “Nocklyn forces ride with Rappengrass.”

She had the satisfaction of seeing his eyebrows twitch together in a frown. “Impossible. Nocklyn is-” He pressed his lips together.

She felt a moment’s triumph, and it was sweet. “Nocklyn is under the control of marlady Mayva,” she drawled. “Whose husband has been arrested for murder. Oh!” She put her free hand to her mouth. “Wasn’t her husband a relation of yours?”

His eyes narrowed, but he offered her a cold smile. “So. Mayva surprises everyone, and my cousin most of all, no doubt. You may be pleased, and I may be disgruntled, but it makes no material difference. I still have superior forces-and I still have you. Next to Amalie, you are the most visible figure in the royal army. And you are in my power. That will shake the princess. That will shake her defenders. Mark my words, when the fight resumes in the morning, the royal camp will be in turmoil, and my allies will press their advantage.”

That’s not why you took me, she wanted to say-except she didn’t want him to answer, didn’t want him to speak of his plans for her. Instead she said coldly, “You will be surprised at how fiercely they will fight. Whether or not I am with them.”

“Well, I might be, except I will not be there to see it,” he said. One of his men took away their plates and Halchon stretched his legs out comfortably before him. “You and I, Senneth, are headed to Ghosenhall. I have a regiment stationed there, and I understand the residents of the city have become quite-ah-eager to accommodate my soldiers in all regards. I thought it an interesting move when you decided to abandon the city-strategically wise, perhaps, but symbolically disastrous! Ghosenhall is where the king resides-whoever resides in Ghosenhall is the king. Once we are installed in the palace, my dear, we will be hard to dislodge. And if, as seems to me very likely, your little princess is soon advised by her regent to flee for her life, well, then! She will be in Brassenthwaite or Kianlever-but I will be sitting on the throne in Ghosenhall, with you at my side. It will be easy for me to call myself king, then, don’t you think? It will only seem natural.”

“It will never seem natural to think of you on the throne,” she said.

He laughed. “Nonsense. You will quickly grow resigned to the notion, I think.” Unexpectedly, he jerked her into his arms and laid his mouth heavily upon hers. It was like being kissed by death. Senneth felt as if she was suffocating, as if her body had been coated with ice. He held her tighter, and she lost all ability to breathe.

When he finally lifted his head, he smiled down at her, his own breathing harsh and his eyes lit by dark satisfaction. “I have waited so long to taste your mouth,” he murmured. “And it is just as delicious as I had always hoped. Senneth, I live for the day I take you as my wife.” He bent his head to kiss her again.

She struggled madly in his arms, trying to at least get one hand free. She was a swordswoman; she had trained with Riders. Surely, even if her magic had failed, her physical strength was still uncompromised. He shifted his hold, and her right arm slipped from his grasp. She balled her fist and swung her hand hard into his ribs.

Halchon grunted and loosened his grip, and she punched him again. Dimly she was aware of movement around them-his men, hearing their struggle, coming to his aid-but she paid them no attention. She struck him again and fought to her knees as his hands flailed and his fingers slipped and, just for a moment, he lost contact with her.

She kicked him hard in the groin and somersaulted backward, calling flame from both hands as she landed in a crouch. Shouts rang out from all around her; the campfire leapt skyward. Halchon would not burn, so she sprayed the rest of the soldiers with a fine fire, and they yelped and started running away from her. Could she hold them all at bay? She got one foot under her and tried to push herself to a standing position.

Someone struck her a hard blow from behind, flattening her to the ground, and then Halchon was sprawled across her, covering her body with his. Instantly, the flames at her fingertips went out. The campfire hissed and died away to coal. Instantly, she was wretched and dull and wracked with misery.

Halchon was breathing heavily in her ear. “So! Not quite as docile as you have pretended all afternoon! To tell you the truth, I was beginning to be a little bored, but this display of temper reassures me. Such a tumultuous life we will have together, Senneth! But I see I will never be able to relax my guard for a minute.”

“I’ll kill you when I get the chance,” she panted.

He hauled himself to a sitting position, dragging her up with him. “But you’ll never get the chance, my dear.”

“Everyone is careless,” she said. “Even you.”

He patted her hair, as if she was a rebellious child of whom he was inordinately fond. “I think soon you will become so used to me that you’ll lose all desire to murder me in my sleep,” he said. “That, or you’ll become so worn down that you’ll be unable to summon the strength to fight. It will be interesting to see which.”

She didn’t answer him; indeed, she didn’t speak to him again as the whole camp began to bed down for the night. Once she was under Halchon’s control again, the soldiers returned, clearly unnerved by her display of power and sheepish about how quickly it had routed them. The marlord and one of his men discussed their route in the morning while the other soldiers divided the watches. Someone built the fire back up. The rest of them distributed themselves on the ground or took their stations to guard the perimeter.

Halchon pulled Senneth back to the blanket where they had sat for their meal. A second blanket had been unrolled on top of it, and Senneth silently allowed him to situate her beneath it and then lie down beside her. He slipped his arm over her waist and pressed his body to her back. Sweet gods, such a horrific mockery of the loving embrace she was used to sharing with Tayse every night.

Halchon kissed the back of her head. “Sleep well, Senneth, and recruit your strength. Today can’t have been easy for you, and I’m afraid we have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow.” His arm squeezed her closer and then relaxed a little. “I’m so glad you’re here with me tonight.”

She didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure if she should try to sleep, and thus be rested enough to make another try for freedom in the morning, or if she should stay awake so she could attempt to slip away from him while he slumbered. His touch was still poisonous, still nauseating, but a sense of fierce elation was helping her combat the helpless despair his very presence engendered.

As soon as she had escaped from him, she had been able to call fire. It bided in her blood, ready to be summoned at an instant’s notice. All she needed was a second. All she had to do was get free.

DAWNarrived, overcast, cold, and grudging. It was barely light enough to see, but Senneth heard a few of the Gisseltess soldiers grumbling as they rolled out of their beds, stoked the fire, and quietly assembled a meal. Most everyone else, Halchon included, was still sleeping. His arm was still leaden across her waist. He had not moved an inch away from her all night.

Senneth had slept fitfully, jerking awake over and over again, convinced that she was drowning. But that was just Halchon’s touch making it hard for her lungs to draw in air. Weariness had settled deep into her bones, right alongside fear-but determination was making a hard, cold shell around her heart.