Page 71 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive
‘Where else did you see her?’ she asked softly.
His shoulders slumped slightly, the movement so small she wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been studying him intently. He’d been expecting a different reaction from her, but she didn’t know how to play this game, didn’t know whether he deserved to know of her forgiveness.
‘I didn’t see her anywhere else.’ He sounded tired and her heart twisted. ‘Let’s return to the fortress.’ He made to move out of the room. ‘There is still time for you to enjoy the last of the feast. I believe they have some of the same entertainment you so enjoyed the night I met you.’
That night at Ogmore’s seemed so far away now, the girl she’d been there so completely different from the one she was now.
‘You must have other places to explore,’ she said, refusing to budge. She would not return to the fortress until she had some answers.
He paused. ‘I have had no further success. Every avenue ends like this. A complete and utter waste of time.’
‘Show me...’ She walked over and lightly touched his sleeve.
His gaze locked on to her hand where it rested against him. She could feel the hard muscles of him underneath the fabric.
‘Lin, I...’
Her heart stuttered. No one had called her Lin since he’d last uttered that name.
He cleared his throat. ‘This could be dangerous, Lin. I don’t want you getting hurt.’
His gaze moved up to her eyes. She saw the vulnerability lurking in the shadows, behind the confident man he showed to the world.
‘I’ll be safe with you to protect me.’
He half smiled at that. ‘I haven’t done a great job of that in the past. You have been hurt on my watch many a time.’
‘That’s not true.’
He raised an eyebrow.
‘You’ve always come to my rescue. Come on.’ She began to tug on his arm, guiding him down the steps.
‘Where now?’ she asked as they stepped outside.
Night was falling now. Bats were appearing, their little bodies swooping and looping across the darkening sky.
Erik sighed. ‘Are you sure I can’t persuade you to return to the fortress?’
She didn’t respond.
Erik sighed again. ‘I traced him to an abandoned building on the east side of the town. He’s long since left. I’ll take you there if you swear to me that after you’ve seen for yourself that the place is deserted we will return to the fortress.’
Linota didn’t want the evening to end, but she knew she would have to return to her chamber before Katherine. She didn’t want Katherine to find out what she’d been doing when she’d assured her she was going to stay in their shared chamber and sleep.
‘I promise I will return to the fortress after we have been to this building.’
That stopped him in his tracks. ‘You do?’
‘Yes.’
He gazed at her for a long moment. She held his intense stare. She could drown in his blue eyes. The look in their depths was obvious even with her lack of experience. He wasn’t even trying to hide the desire that shone from them. She longed to reach up and brush her lips against his, to feel the thrill of excitement that raced through her whenever she touched him. But she didn’t. He had never given her reason to hope that his feelings ran any deeper than intense attraction, never indicated that he would like to spend the rest of his life with her. He’d promoted the match between her and Borwyn right until the end. If this evening was all she had left of her time with him, then she wanted it to be about discovering the truth, not about being blinded by desire.
‘Erik, please tell me what happened between you and Borwyn.’
‘Why?’
They began to walk along the now mostly silent streets, her arm bumping into his as they moved.
