Page 40 of The Marked Princess

“Go where you are or don't go at all.”

“I doubt Prince Stefan would want a bunch of mercenaries gaping at his future bride as she urinates on the side of the road.” She glared. “He is the one who hired you, is he not?”

He cursed. “Fine. I'll have them turn their backs.” He turned to the others. “You hear that, guys? No gawking at Her Highness, you got it?” He waited for them to turn before looking back at Josselyn. “Happy now?”

Not really.

She made a face. “If I go like this, it'll run all over my skirt. I need my hands free so I can hold it up.”

“You're a royal pain in the ass, you know that?” He let out a long suffering sigh, but stepped forward to grab her hands, working the knots out of the rope that bound them together.

Josselyn held her breath until she felt the rough rope drop away. The moment it did, she pivoted around to face him, thrusting her palm up into his nose with a satisfying crunch. This was immediately followed by a kick to the gut that sent him stumbling backwards, swearing loudly as he clutched his bloody nose.

Turning toward the woods, she plunged into its depths, branches tearing at her clothes and scratching her skin. She could hear Conrad pursuing her, his footsteps pounding on the forest floor behind her. Reaching down, she yanked at her skirts as she ran, her fingers wrapping around the hilt of her dagger.

“You think you can escape me, bitch? Do ya?”

Her skirt snagged on a branch, making her stumble. She gave the gauzy fabric a hard jerk, and it tore free with a loud rip.

A hand grabbed her forearm, and she let out a cry as the fingers dug into her skin.

“You're going to regret that little move, Princess,”Conrad growled, pulling her back into his chest.

Her fingers tightened around her dagger, and she plunged it into his thigh as hard as she could. His grip loosened as he let out a roar of pain, and she pushed forward, yanking her arm free. Her sandals slipped on the dead leaves that covered the ground, making it difficult to run.

An angry roar tore through the dark woods as Conrad chased after her, moving quickly despite the gaping wound in his thigh. Josselyn searched the woods frantically for somewhere to hide, but he was too fast, and she suddenly felt her feet fly out from underneath her as he caught hold of her hair, ripping her head back with a vicious jerk. She hit the ground hard, all of the air leaving her lungs.

Conrad panted, his chest heaving above her, as he pulled her across the ground by her hair. She tried to swing her dagger back at his hand, but he slammed his foot down on her wrist, grinding it into the dirt.

“Oh, no, Princess. No more knives for you.”

Pain shot up her arm, and she felt heat begin to build in the black lines of her mark. Please, if there really is something inside me, now would be a really good time time to come out. Her arm started to pulse, sending tremors rippling through her body. Come on, come on...

And then, it stopped, fizzling out as she was being lifted up by her hair. Her feet scrambled to find purchase on the ground as she found herself face to face with her captor. Fury simmered deep in his eyes, and he pulled his free hand back before smacking her across the face with it.

She fought against his hold, trying to thrust her knee into his groin, but he blocked her leg.

“Haven't had enough yet, Princess?” He smacked her across the face again with the back of his hand, and her vision spotted. Blood filled her mouth, a coppery tang on her tongue. She lifted her sluggish head so that she was looking him in the eye, then spit a mouthful at his face.

“Never.”

He stared back, unfazed by her blood running down his face, as he slid his hand out of her hair and wrapped it around her neck, squeezing just enough to make breathing difficult. His pupils dilated, his breath coming faster, as his fingers tightened. “I could end you, right now, Princess. It would be so damn easy,” he whispered. Pulling his other arm back, he smashed his fist into her face, and the world went black.

Chapter Twenty-Three

They were back on the road, galloping across the hard packed dirt. Josselyn was draped across the front of Conrad's mount, both her wrists and ankles bound this time. A gag had been shoved in her mouth, and her throat burned with a need for water. She blinked dry eyes, her head woozy from hanging off the side. Dust from the road wafted upward, and she squeezed them shut again.

Some warrior I turned out to be, can't even escape a single guard when I'm armed. No wonder my beast won't come out. I'm pathetic.

She bit back a groan as a wave of pain rolled over her, keeping her body slumped loosely over the horse. Better to let them think she was still unconscious, rather than listen to anymore of Conrad's threats.

“Hey, Conrad, the road's blocked up ahead. Bunch of trees down, stacked up like a barricade.”

The horse she was on slowed as Conrad grumbled above her. “What the... there weren't any roadblocks when we came through here before. What's this all about?”

Josselyn turned her head to face forward, trying to see what they were talking about. Sure enough, several large trees were lying across the road.

“Well, just go around them. It's not like we're hauling a wagon or anything,” Conrad called out, urging his horse forward at a walk. The party of men approached the barricade slowly, looking for the easiest way around. A light at the top of the stack caught Josselyn's eye, and she squinted, making out the silhouette of a cloaked figure holding some sort of staff from which the light was shining. The men seemed to notice it at the same time, pulling their horses up as they shouted.