Page 47 of Stolen Thorn Bride
Something else had happened, something…
Three armored forms approached out of the crowd. The last three she would have wished to see in that time and place.
But it was the auburn-haired one—Fionn—who was the first to fall to his knees.
“My lady, Riene, I beg your forgiveness.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“We have wronged you,” Callum said quietly, his hands clenched on his sword hilt. “And while I still do not regret saving my lord’s life, I do regret…”
“Oh, shut up,” Nuala snapped, turning her fierce, amber-eyed stare on Kasia. “I think we can all agree that we did what we had to do. And maybe it was wrong. But we did it for moments like this one—when the Northwatch needed her Rian! We would not survive today without Dechlan, and everyone here knows this.”
“Who wants to explain?” Kasia asked wearily.
“Lord Dechlan has ridden out to face the swarm, to give messengers time to be dispatched,” Callum said bluntly. “But before his departure, he discovered exactly what was done in order to secure a human bondmate to save his life.” His expression suggested that he was not at all pleased with whoever was responsible for this revelation.
Kasia’s eyes narrowed. “And what exactlywasdone?”
Fionn answered, head hung low. “We opened the Hedge deliberately. We lured you across. And we implied that the penalty for trespassing was death.”
The full meaning of his words took a moment to sink in.
“I wouldn’t have been executed,” Kasia said, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears.
“No,” Callum admitted. “But we were desperate.”
“And you just…told Dechlan this?” She wanted to scream at them, but it would do no good. “As he was riding away to face an entire swarm of the creatures that nearly killed him, you told him youliedand tricked me into bonding with him?”
The three of them exchanged anxious glances.
“You are idiots as well as liars,” Kasia spat, desperation taking root in her heart. “Have you no understanding of what this will mean to him? What he’s likely to do?”
They might not know, but she did. She’d felt Dechlan’s despair. Knew how close he’d come to surrendering to the dark. And if he thought the only way to free her to return home was to sacrifice himself…
“Someone find me a wolf,” she said harshly.
“What?”
She’d startled them all.
“I saidfind me a wolf,” she snarled. “I’ll steal someone’s armor if I have to, but I’m going out to find him. And the three of you are going to stay out of my way, or I will ensure that you regret it!” How she would do such a thing, she had no idea, but nothing was going to stop her now.
Fionn remained on one knee, unrelenting. “Lord Dechlan said that we must guard you with our lives. If we allow you to take a wolf and ride out…”
Kasia reached out and grabbed the top of his armor, yanking him forward until they were eye to eye. “Allow?” His eyes widened for a moment. “Do not use that word again in my hearing,” she told him softly. “I am going, and if you want me to be safe, then I suggest you try to keep up.”
* * *
Kasia didn’t giveherself time to think about what she intended to do. Just raced for her rooms and burst in to see Eilis standing by the barred window, a rippling shirt of scales donned over her dress, and a silver-chased bow in hand.
“Armor,” Kasia demanded. “Where can I find it?”
Eilis raised one eyebrow and lowered her bow. “My lady, despite what you may have heard of other Rienes, defending the keep is not a duty anyone will expect you to undertake. You must remain here, where you will be out of harm’s way. I have trained to stand beside the Riene in battle, and am therefore well able to protect you from within the safety of these walls.”
She sounded both dutiful and resigned, and suddenly Kasia could bear it no longer.
“I am done with this!” she snapped. Eilis started in surprise, but Kasia was in too much of a hurry to moderate her tone. “I know what you think of me,” she said bluntly. “I know I’m weak and untrained. I know I’m not the one you thought you’d be called to serve. I even know you think I don’t deserve to be here.”