bows his head before shuffling away. Zane hands my sword to me and I sheathe it as well. He picks up my pack from the ground, tying the quiver to the side. As he's helping me position the bag on my back, the shorter of the two mercenaries approaches with my bow in his hand.
"Your combat skills are quite impressive," Daren says, holding out the bow. Zane takes it and ties it to my pack next to the quiver. "I'm sorry we weren't able to protect you better."
I nod in response since I have no idea how to respond. The man shakes hands with Zane before walking away. Lukas is silent, patting my shoulder before shaking Zane's hand and heading away to join Daren. Taking my hand in his, Zane brushes a kiss on my knuckles before leading me over to Klein.
"Thank you for your help, both of you," he says, his somber brown eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Ashlyn."
"It's not your fault," I mumble. Not wishing to relive the events of the evening, I avert my eyes from the merchant.
"I feel responsible," Klein adds, sadness apparent in his tone. "Shadow was guarding us when you were attacked. Your dog killed three bandits right in front of us. We might be dead if not for his actions."
"Shadow knows I can defend myself," I say, meeting his sad eyes again.
Klein's grief is evident in his deep frown, but I don't have the energy to coddle or console him right now. Zane pulls on my hand as a signal to leave. Without another word we begin walking away.
"Zane," Klein yells. Zane stops and glances over his shoulder. "May the grace of the Goddess watch over you and light your path."
"May the gold never cease to fall like rain in your presence," Zane replies.
I gaze up at him, curious about the exchange. He just grins and continues leading me south down the merchant trail. The sun is rising to our left, bathing the distant foothills in vivid streaks of red and orange.
"The sunrise is spectacular!" I whisper, awestruck by the beauty. Zane stops and pulls me into his arms. He brushes my forehead with his lips.
"It pales in comparison to the halo of fire around your face," he says, tucking some stray strands of hair behind my ear. The intense gleam in his eyes sears into my soul, and I'm rendered speechless. Then those sultry eyes fill with an intriguing combination of surprise and laughter. "I can't believe I just said that! It's got to be the cheesiest line I've ever uttered."
"I…" I'm so lost in his eyes I can't manage to say anything else.
"I meant every word," he whispers in my ear.
Taking my hand again he leads me down the trail in silence. My cheeks must rival the sunrise in spectacular color right about now. When Zane gazes at me, I notice a slight red flush on his face as well. For some reason this emboldens me. I move closer to him and kiss his cheek right where the red color is still visible. Smiling, he pulls me against him and places his arm around my shoulders. A brilliant smile lights my face as we continue traveling south along the worn merchant road.
Chapter Nine
Zodiac Inn Gemini
The sun is low in the western sky, but Zane shows no sign of slowing the fast pace he set early this morning. Today has been rather uneventful after our tumultuous night. To say Zane is tense would be a vast understatement. His constant survey of our surroundings is beginning to fray my last nerve. It's as if he expects to be attacked at every bend in the road, yet around every curve, there's nothing but more of the same endless plains.
If I thought the landscape of the forest was annoying, the flatness of the plains threatens to drive me crazy. There are no landmarks to gauge distance, no trees to provide shade from the sun. Sometimes I feel like we're just following some unending path, doomed to wander aimlessly for all eternity. The melancholy feeling sits like a stone in my heart, weighing down my legs as I force them forward. Perhaps a monster or two would be a nice diversion from the monotonous path before
"Your combat skills are quite impressive," Daren says, holding out the bow. Zane takes it and ties it to my pack next to the quiver. "I'm sorry we weren't able to protect you better."
I nod in response since I have no idea how to respond. The man shakes hands with Zane before walking away. Lukas is silent, patting my shoulder before shaking Zane's hand and heading away to join Daren. Taking my hand in his, Zane brushes a kiss on my knuckles before leading me over to Klein.
"Thank you for your help, both of you," he says, his somber brown eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Ashlyn."
"It's not your fault," I mumble. Not wishing to relive the events of the evening, I avert my eyes from the merchant.
"I feel responsible," Klein adds, sadness apparent in his tone. "Shadow was guarding us when you were attacked. Your dog killed three bandits right in front of us. We might be dead if not for his actions."
"Shadow knows I can defend myself," I say, meeting his sad eyes again.
Klein's grief is evident in his deep frown, but I don't have the energy to coddle or console him right now. Zane pulls on my hand as a signal to leave. Without another word we begin walking away.
"Zane," Klein yells. Zane stops and glances over his shoulder. "May the grace of the Goddess watch over you and light your path."
"May the gold never cease to fall like rain in your presence," Zane replies.
I gaze up at him, curious about the exchange. He just grins and continues leading me south down the merchant trail. The sun is rising to our left, bathing the distant foothills in vivid streaks of red and orange.
"The sunrise is spectacular!" I whisper, awestruck by the beauty. Zane stops and pulls me into his arms. He brushes my forehead with his lips.
"It pales in comparison to the halo of fire around your face," he says, tucking some stray strands of hair behind my ear. The intense gleam in his eyes sears into my soul, and I'm rendered speechless. Then those sultry eyes fill with an intriguing combination of surprise and laughter. "I can't believe I just said that! It's got to be the cheesiest line I've ever uttered."
"I…" I'm so lost in his eyes I can't manage to say anything else.
"I meant every word," he whispers in my ear.
Taking my hand again he leads me down the trail in silence. My cheeks must rival the sunrise in spectacular color right about now. When Zane gazes at me, I notice a slight red flush on his face as well. For some reason this emboldens me. I move closer to him and kiss his cheek right where the red color is still visible. Smiling, he pulls me against him and places his arm around my shoulders. A brilliant smile lights my face as we continue traveling south along the worn merchant road.
Chapter Nine
Zodiac Inn Gemini
The sun is low in the western sky, but Zane shows no sign of slowing the fast pace he set early this morning. Today has been rather uneventful after our tumultuous night. To say Zane is tense would be a vast understatement. His constant survey of our surroundings is beginning to fray my last nerve. It's as if he expects to be attacked at every bend in the road, yet around every curve, there's nothing but more of the same endless plains.
If I thought the landscape of the forest was annoying, the flatness of the plains threatens to drive me crazy. There are no landmarks to gauge distance, no trees to provide shade from the sun. Sometimes I feel like we're just following some unending path, doomed to wander aimlessly for all eternity. The melancholy feeling sits like a stone in my heart, weighing down my legs as I force them forward. Perhaps a monster or two would be a nice diversion from the monotonous path before
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