Page 21 of Born Savage

My reaction was even stronger, a sense of knowing that left my palms sweaty. She’d removed her hat, which allowed her long hair to fall past her shoulders. Blonde hair, the color so golden I was lost in the moment of sunshine. With the flickering light of the candle, I was also captivated by her beauty, natural and unassuming.

If she was aware of how her presence affected me, she didn’t show it. As opposed to when she’d fought valiantly, she was much more nervous, including a slight twitch in the corner of her eye. She didn’t move, her glare quietly harsh, but she had her own questions, the same level of uncertainty. That was easy to see in her eyes.

“Is there something wrong with Wren?” The question broke the ice. Empathy. Some would call it a weakness, exploiting it to gain whatever they wanted, but she carried the emotion alongside her weapons.

“She is fine. You went against my orders giving her medicine.”

My comment brought a hint of her rebellious personality, her forehead wrinkling while she folded her arms. “I’m not one of your soldiers, Savage.”

I exhaled slowly, trying to maintain control, both a word and behavior that seemed to elude me. “You will do as I say until such a point you’re told otherwise.”

“I see. You think you own me.”

In closing the distance between us, I was pushed into a deeper sense of knowing that had me sweating across the back of my neck. However, I had to know the reason for the connection and the strong sense of longing. If there was one aspect about being a Verndari I appreciated, it was in requiring answers to every problem and working through the issue until I found them.

Only she wasn’t merely a problem. She was a cataclysm brought on by extreme need.

“What I think is that you’re being hunted.”

“It would appear a predator already found me.”

“The Borgata weren’t searching for us, Star. They were searching for you.”

“You’re so certain of that.”

I inched even closer until we were only a few inches apart. “I am.”

She mulled over the suggestion. “How do you know?”

“My instinct.”

“Oh, by instinct. Savage instinct. I didn’t know monsters had any aspect of intelligence let alone perception. You’re beasts who follow orders and nothing more.”

“Perhaps you’re right, but no matter your thoughts on who or what I am, the fact remains you are being hunted and if I had to guess, I’d say there is a huge bounty on your head.”

At least my statement seemed to bother her.

“Then I want my weapons returned.”

“Not until I know I can trust you.”

Her laugh sent a wave of vibrations through me. “When do you think that will be?”

“Never.” I was being honest.

“The feeling is mutual.”

We stood staring at each other, not moving even though the pulse on the side of her neck was as affected as mine. The heat between us was explosive as another sense of knowing strangled my thoughts.

I should leave her alone before my thoughts turned irrational, but ignoring the seriousness of my desire wasn’t anything I was used to dealing with.

Instead of walking away, I curled my fingers, brushing them across her cheek. She jerked back, lowering her chin while her breathing shifted again.

“I’m not staying here. I have a home, people counting on me. I will be leaving in the morning whether you want me to or not.”

Violence came naturally to me, a first thought instead of a follow through. Maybe that was why my reaction was without thinking, my fingers suddenly wrapping around the side of her neck. With my thumb under her chin, I tilted her head until she was forced to look me in the eye.

“I don’t know the reason I was asked to protect you, but that doesn’t matter. What does is that you will follow my orders until we reach our final destination. If you do not, I won’t hesitate to keep you in chains to ensure your safety. Do you understand me?”