remaining men. The dark haired one stabbed at him with his
dagger. Ian kicked out and managed to block the blow with the side
of his boot. He stepped forward and brought his other leg up, his
foot connecting with the other’s chin.
I grabbed my bow and notched an arrow,
letting it fly at the last man. He cried out and turned toward me,
his hand clutching his arm. My next arrow took him in the
heart.
“Chaela! He’s got Klora!” Ian swore and
looked around for a dagger to free his hands. I grabbed his arm to
settle him.
“It’s fine, Ian.”
“But…” He gestured, wide eyed in the
direction my horse was being taken.
I smiled and cringed as the split in my lip
opened. “Just give it a second.” I heard Klora’s telltale grunt as
he dropped his head between his knees and fired his hind legs into
the air. His rider’s surprised cry was emphasized by the hollow
thump of a man’s body hitting the ground. I stopped Ian from going
over. Whisk’s snarl echoed back to us. I gave a whistle and both
horse and hound came trotting back to us while footsteps could be
heard running away.
“You’re just going to let him go?” Ian’s eyes
were saucers in his head, or one was. The right one was well on its
way to being swollen shut.
I shrugged. “We have bigger issues to deal
with in the near future. Do you really want to be hauling a
prisoner around?”
“I wasn’t planning on keeping prisoners. The
bastard was going to die.” The anger in his voice was evident. My
heart skipped as he dropped his tied hands over my head and pulled
me to his chest. “Are you alright?”
I took a deep breath. If I was being honest
with myself, the thought of being raped had never crossed my mind.
Now that it was obviously a possibility, I felt as though someone
had punched me in the stomach. I hesitated a fraction of a second
before wrapping my arms around him.
“I’m fine.” I choked out the words and hoped
he believed me. I would not cry. I refused to. I leaned against
him, my legs suddenly weak.
“Shush, now.” He laid his cheek on the top of
my head.
“I… I never thought…” I sucked in a breath,
suddenly mad at myself for showing weakness. That anger sparked and
spread to him. I ducked out from under his arms and kicked one of
our packs.
“Chaela, it’s alright. It’s over.”
I shook my head and wiped my tears with my
arm. “It’s not alright!” I screamed at the top of my lungs until
all of my strength left me and I fell to the ground. I heard Ian
cut his hands free and kneel in front of me.
“That never would have happened…” A sob shook
me. “If I’d been…” I tried to sort through everything that was
running through my head. I gazed up into his worried grey eyes and
my anger dissipated. “I am not a man.” I remembered the feeling I’d
had at the age of six when I’d gotten lost at the market. It was
exactly what I was feeling now. Completely lost.
Ian’s eyes saddened and he shook his head. He
took my face lightly in his hands. “No, you’re not.”
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” I
whispered.
“You’re Chaela McKinney. Beautiful, brave,
honorable Chaela.” He moved closer to me and pressed his lips to my
forehead. “You are an amazing woman.”
I frowned. “You can’t stand me.”
He smiled. “You annoy the hell out of me.” He
wiped a fresh tear from my cheek with his thumb. “That doesn’t mean
I can’t admire your other qualities.”
I tried to settle on one emotion as many
raced through me; confusion about who I was, a certain degree of
fear at how my heart had sped at the feel of Ian’s lips on my skin,
and somewhere deep inside of me, anger at my father. The last must
have shown in my eyes and Ian’s saddened as he let go of my
face.
At a loss as to how to explain myself, I
watched him toss a few more logs into the fire. I decided that the
best way to get through my identity crisis was simply to keep
going. I moved the horses to where they could eat
dagger. Ian kicked out and managed to block the blow with the side
of his boot. He stepped forward and brought his other leg up, his
foot connecting with the other’s chin.
I grabbed my bow and notched an arrow,
letting it fly at the last man. He cried out and turned toward me,
his hand clutching his arm. My next arrow took him in the
heart.
“Chaela! He’s got Klora!” Ian swore and
looked around for a dagger to free his hands. I grabbed his arm to
settle him.
“It’s fine, Ian.”
“But…” He gestured, wide eyed in the
direction my horse was being taken.
I smiled and cringed as the split in my lip
opened. “Just give it a second.” I heard Klora’s telltale grunt as
he dropped his head between his knees and fired his hind legs into
the air. His rider’s surprised cry was emphasized by the hollow
thump of a man’s body hitting the ground. I stopped Ian from going
over. Whisk’s snarl echoed back to us. I gave a whistle and both
horse and hound came trotting back to us while footsteps could be
heard running away.
“You’re just going to let him go?” Ian’s eyes
were saucers in his head, or one was. The right one was well on its
way to being swollen shut.
I shrugged. “We have bigger issues to deal
with in the near future. Do you really want to be hauling a
prisoner around?”
“I wasn’t planning on keeping prisoners. The
bastard was going to die.” The anger in his voice was evident. My
heart skipped as he dropped his tied hands over my head and pulled
me to his chest. “Are you alright?”
I took a deep breath. If I was being honest
with myself, the thought of being raped had never crossed my mind.
Now that it was obviously a possibility, I felt as though someone
had punched me in the stomach. I hesitated a fraction of a second
before wrapping my arms around him.
“I’m fine.” I choked out the words and hoped
he believed me. I would not cry. I refused to. I leaned against
him, my legs suddenly weak.
“Shush, now.” He laid his cheek on the top of
my head.
“I… I never thought…” I sucked in a breath,
suddenly mad at myself for showing weakness. That anger sparked and
spread to him. I ducked out from under his arms and kicked one of
our packs.
“Chaela, it’s alright. It’s over.”
I shook my head and wiped my tears with my
arm. “It’s not alright!” I screamed at the top of my lungs until
all of my strength left me and I fell to the ground. I heard Ian
cut his hands free and kneel in front of me.
“That never would have happened…” A sob shook
me. “If I’d been…” I tried to sort through everything that was
running through my head. I gazed up into his worried grey eyes and
my anger dissipated. “I am not a man.” I remembered the feeling I’d
had at the age of six when I’d gotten lost at the market. It was
exactly what I was feeling now. Completely lost.
Ian’s eyes saddened and he shook his head. He
took my face lightly in his hands. “No, you’re not.”
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” I
whispered.
“You’re Chaela McKinney. Beautiful, brave,
honorable Chaela.” He moved closer to me and pressed his lips to my
forehead. “You are an amazing woman.”
I frowned. “You can’t stand me.”
He smiled. “You annoy the hell out of me.” He
wiped a fresh tear from my cheek with his thumb. “That doesn’t mean
I can’t admire your other qualities.”
I tried to settle on one emotion as many
raced through me; confusion about who I was, a certain degree of
fear at how my heart had sped at the feel of Ian’s lips on my skin,
and somewhere deep inside of me, anger at my father. The last must
have shown in my eyes and Ian’s saddened as he let go of my
face.
At a loss as to how to explain myself, I
watched him toss a few more logs into the fire. I decided that the
best way to get through my identity crisis was simply to keep
going. I moved the horses to where they could eat
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