AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Most of that has been taken by Lord Beaufort.”
“Ah, yes. I guess fighting overseas for the king calls for greater protection. I also suppose that’s why most of the weapons are gone.”
“How did you know the earl went to fight overseas for the king?”
“You told me,” he said. “In the garden,” he added, sounding a little nervous if she wasn’t mistaken.
Maira was sure she hadn’t told him that the earl was leaving, so that meant he had to have been spying on her or gotten the information in another way. He wasn’t inside the castle walls long enough for anyone to have divulged that fact to him.
“Oh, that’s right. I did tell you,” she lied, watching for his reaction. If Fia were there, she would have been able to read the man’s mind and know his secrets just by the way he responded. She ran a finger along the table, keeping her eyes downcast. “It was right before you tried to kiss me.”
“What?” He lowered the sword and his eyes shot over to her.
“You tried to kiss me, but I wouldn’t let you. Don’t you remember? Thank goodness you didn’t persist or I would have had to take you down.”
“Take me down,” he said under his breath with a chuckle. “The day I’m taken down by a wench the size of you is the day I turn into a pitiful, pathetic shell of a man. You could never do it, so don’t even pretend that you could.” He picked up a dagger next and inspected it.
She wanted more than anything to prove him wrong, and the competitive side of her made her bold enough to take the challenge. She sidled up next to him, putting her hands on his arm. He turned to look at her. This was her chance. She tried to act like her cousin Willow who always used to flirt with the men before she married Conrad. Maira batted her eyelashes and tried to talk in a soft, feminine, sing-song voice.
“I wish you had kissed me,” she said, noticing he was taking the bait.
“Really?” He put down the weapon and did a quick scan of the room and door to make sure no one was coming.
“Really,” she said, pressing up close to him and lifting her eyes, keeping her head down, trying to act shy. “Don’t you wonder what it would be like to kiss me?”
“I think I’m about to find out.” Jacob reached out and put his hand under her chin, lifting her mouth to his. She hadn’t actually meant to kiss him, but something about him was so alluring that she had to know how his lips tasted. The kiss was soft and warm. It isn’t at all what she expected from a thief. Plus it was gentle for a man who was used to taking whatever he wanted without asking.
“Mmmm,” he mumbled, coming back for a second helping. Suddenly, Maira realized how foolish she was being. She couldn’t let him kiss her again. Taking a hold of his arm in a tight grip, she turned to the side and used her shoulder and hip to set him off balance. She managed to flip him around and push him to the ground. He landed with an outtake of air from his mouth when his back hit the rushes. In one motion, Maira drew her dagger, wishing for her sword that was being shined by Branton in the stable. She put one foot on his chest and leaned forward, holding the tip of her dagger to his neck.
“Today is the day,” she snarled. “Know that you have been taken by a woman half your size. So, I guess this makes you naught but a pitiful, pathetic shell of a man after all, doesn’t it?”
“Nice move,” he said, raising his brows. “I must say you never cease to surprise me. I’ve never met a wench quite like you before.”
“I’m not a wench, I’m a lady!” she retorted. “And you have severely underestimated me. You’d be best to remember that in the future. Now, whatever game you are playing, I warn you, it’s not going to work. Gather up your men and leave now while you still can.”
“Lady Maira, you are a clever woman and very skilled at fighting. However, I must tell you that you have underestimated me as well.”
In one move, he had Maira down on the floor on her back and was kneeling over her. He pressed the edge of a jewel-hilted dagger to her throat. She had never seen this weapon before. He hadn’t pilfered it in the armory. Nay, he pulled it out from under his cloak and had it all along.
“Get off of me and let me up,” she cried. “Do it, or I will call for the guards to haul you away to the dungeon for assaulting me.”
“Now, now, it doesn’t have to come to that.” He stuck his weapon into his waist belt and with one strong arm, pulled her to her feet. He did it with such momentum that she barreled into his chest. His arms closed around her and before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers again.
“Stop it,” she said, pushing out of his arms and slapping him hard across the cheek. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve never been treated like this before by a peasant!”
“Nay? Then how about by a nobleman or a knight?” he asked, making her wonder what he meant by that.
“Where did you get that dagger?” Her eyes settled at his waist as she surveyed the jeweled piece. It was exquisite and she longed to see it closer.
“You like it?” he asked, removing it again and holding it out for her to see. “Go ahead and feel the weight of it in your palm. It’s made from Damascus steel. The gems were from my – from the necklace of a noblewoman.”
“Oh, so you stole this, too.” She took the dagger in her hand and marveled at how light it was. “My sword is made from Damascus steel as well,” she told him. “My father paid a lot of money to have it constructed by a bladesmith overseas. However, I don’t have any daggers made from that material. It’s so balanced and light yet it looks so sharp. It is the most beautiful weapon I have ever seen.”
“It can gut a man in less than ten seconds and still be sharp enough to scalp the next man with little effort at all.”
Maira felt sick with the visual of that in her head. She was good at sparring and using weapons but had never killed anything other than a rabbit or pheasant, the largest thing being a deer. Thinking how excited this man sounded at ripping into another man’s flesh made her leery of being alone with him.
“I think it’s time for the meal,” she said, hearing a small squeak in her voice. “Here, take back your dagger and let’s go.”
