Chapter 3

Roxanna

Varkaan underestimated me.

Most men did, and I had used that to my advantage many times.

But now… He thought, because I allowed him to touch me, to caress me, to make me shiver…he thought he had me cowed. He thought he had won and I would meekly give up my goal to return to the only home I knew.

A part of me whispered: You allowed him to caress you because you liked it .

And mayhap, yes. Mayhap I was curious. Curious because in all my experiences with men—albeit based on youthful curiosity—none had made me shiver like that. None had teased me, taken me almost to the edge, made me squirm in desperation against his hard thighs because I wanted him closer closer closer .

I think I would have allowed it.

If Varkaan had told me I was to be his and had tossed me from that horse and taken me there on the soft grass…I would have gone willingly, just to know how my body would respond.

My sister Sorcha's prized possession was the scroll containing her copy of A Harlot's Guide to the Forbidden and Delightful Arts . We were just two sisters among many, and thus she had no idea how often I had snuck into her room to study that scroll.

‘Twas the legacy of some long-forgotten lady who recorded her favorite sexual positions, with descriptions and illustrations provided. Many times I had read them until I was breathless, then snuck away to the stables to touch myself…or practice with an over-eager partner.

When Sorcha had shown the scroll to Effie in the hours before our abduction, I pretended interest. But in reality, I likely had the lists of sexual positions memorized. I had tried a few, but found the act itself to be brutal and short, over far too quickly, with none of the pleasure I received from my own fingers.

So aye, I was no stranger to desire. But I had never known a male with the patience to tease me like Varkaan had. Was he even aware what he was doing with those gentle touches, or the way his fingers came closer and closer to my core without actually touching me?

God Almighty, even now, lying in the darkness across the dying fire from his gently snoring mass, I was aroused.

I wanted to ruck up my skirts and reach beneath them to touch myself. I wanted to glide my fingers through my wetness and imagine The Soldier and the Cruicible , the position which had always intrigued me. Varkaan would be strong enough to hold me against the wall like the male in the illustration.

But instead, I curled my hands into fists and pressed them against the ground, reminding myself I did not want the beast to touch me. I wanted to get home.

Did I not?

Aye.

There was only one life I had known, and I wanted to return to that. Which is why I had been so patient for the last few hours as Varkaan made camp and fed me again…why I had pretended meekness as he made a bed with an extra plaid for me, before curling up on the other side of the fire .

The poor male had been awake for two days straight—no wonder he had fallen right off to sleep.

But now…

I was prepared. My stomach was full, I was rested from my hours asleep, and I was prepared to run.

Cautiously, I rolled to my hands and knees, pressing my fingers into the dirt, ready to throw myself down again if he gave any indication he had heard me.

But there was naught. I held my weight lightly as I rose to my feet, watching his sleeping form. I slipped backward toward the shadows, willing my slippers to make no noise on the soft pine needles.

Then I was among the trees.

I was free .

Breathing a little prayer, I turned and ran.

Varkaan

I came awake suddenly and lay still, allowing my hunter's senses to spread out from where I lay curled in my plaid.

What had woken me? A sound? A scent?

Or a lack ?

Aye, that was it.

The sound of Roxanna's breathing—a sound which had become part of me in the last day—was missing, as was her distinctive scent. I rolled and was unsurprised to see her plaid empty on the other side of the now-dead fire.

I should've been angry.

She lured me into trust, into thinking she'd given up thoughts of escape. But my wee firebrand was anything but meek, was she not?

I tipped my head back to the stars and I laughed. A laugh from my gut, a laugh of joy. Because this was going to be fun .

Roxanna was leading me on a hunt and she had no idea how skilled I was.

Even in the dark, her trail was easy to follow. The moon was a day past full and she was not experienced prey. Those slippers she wore were better suited for floating through her father's keep, rather than climbing over rocks and dirt and scree, and her bright gown kept catching on thorns and pine boughs.

She would've been better suited running across the valley, but I would have found her then anyhow. I would find her anywhere .

I kept my pace steady and even, senses alert for wild animals even as I strained to hear her ahead of me. She had at least an hour's lead on me, but I was better suited for this.

Sure enough, the shifting wind brought me her scent at the same moment a break in the clouds revealed a smear of blood on the boulder I was about to climb over. Blood?

My Kteer snapped to attention.

Roxanna was bleeding.

She was out here alone, bleeding, and needed me.

Nay, calm down. She's running from ye, and those slippers werenae meant for climbing rocks.

But she needed me! My Kteer howled in helplessness, and I fought the urge to bellow her name. Instead, I curled my hands into fists and began to jog.

I could now hear her ahead, hear her panting and muttering quietly to herself. She was safe, I tried to tell my Kteer , she was healthy. My firebrand would not be brought low by a mere blister.

Still, as I silently closed the distance between us, something sharp and distasteful spiked through the night air.

Roxanna's sweat, aye, and the tang of her blood. And now… fear .

Palton's Spear, she was afraid!

My pace increased until I was hurtling through the undergrowth, not heeding my surroundings. My firebrand was hurt and afraid, and I would not fail her. I would hunt her down and—

I crashed into a small clearing just as Roxanna reached the other side, and she whirled with a small scream, facing me as she stumbled backward.

She's afraid of ye! Cease yer rush !

But nay. In the split second before her mask of determination fell back into place, I saw the relief flash across Roxanna's face when she realized who hunted her.

Still, I pulled up short, trying to steady my breathing. I ached to go to her, to comfort her. The way she pressed against that tree, as if trying to climb it with her shoulder blades, made me want to whisper to her like a wounded animal.

Instead, I kept my voice light. "Where are ye running, Lady Roxanna Tarbert?"

It was the right thing to say. Reminding her I thought her a lady triggered her anger, and she pushed herself away from the tree.

"Home," she said bluntly, hand fumbling at her waist. "I am leaving you."

"The stone circle is more than a day's ride west of here." I slowly stalked toward her. "And willnae open for another twenty-seven days. "

"I do not care!"

With one defiant movement, my firebrand whipped her hand up, holding a small dagger she must have secreted in her bodice. My brows went up, impressed, as I halted.

"Aye, you see, orc? You cannot take advantage of me." She inched backward toward the shadows of the forest. "I will leave you now."

"Ye think I'll take advantage of ye?" Remembering the scent of her arousal, my lips curled as I resumed my slow stalk. "I told ye what would happen. Ye're coming to the village with me."

"I will not ," she repeated, waving that blade at me like someone who knew what to do with it.

Knowing Roxanna, I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

"Where did ye hide that?" I growled, moving closer, forcing her to back against the tree trunk again.

Her expression remained fierce, but fear flickered in her eyes again as she lifted the puny dagger between us. "I have my secrets."

"Aye, ye do, Roxanna."

With that, my hand lashed out, knocking the dagger from her fingers. I grabbed her wrist even as I snatched the falling blade from the air. She struggled, but I pressed her back, pinning her between the tree and my body.

When she felt my hardness, she froze.

‘Twas dark here in the shadows, but I didn't need my eyes to tell me what my body could sense. Her frantic heartbeat. Her fear-stained sweat. And below it all, when I flexed my hips, so my cock pressed into her belly…arousal.

I leaned closer, tipping my nose against her temple, and inhaled, low and slow.

"So do I, Roxanna," I murmured. "So do I."

I was a hunter, and I'd caught my prey.

Her pulse stuttered, and by Torvor, I swear I could feel it.

I wanted to taste her. My Kteer demanded it. I leaned closer and brushed my lips against her temples. I tasted her sweat, her confusion…but it wasn't enough.

My hips shifted away so I could lean down until our lips were a hairsbreadth apart. Hers were parted, her breaths coming in pants, her eyes wide. I flicked my tongue against my right tusk, then eased forward.

The kiss was soft. Undemanding. To my surprise, my Kteer quieted immediately, an odd purr filling my chest in what I had to assume was contentment .

We did not move. I did not force my tongue between her lips or tuck them between my teeth and tug the way I wanted to. Instead, I stood still, allowing her to get used to the feel of me.

And after a long moment, Roxanna was the one to push upward, push against me. Not to get rid of me, but to claim me. I felt her pulse jump in her wrist beneath my fingertips, even as her lips parted and her tongue dragged across mine.

Aye .

I had not been wrong about her arousal.

But here and now, she was afraid. She was bleeding. And she was far from safe.

So I reined in my Kteer and straightened, swallowing down the almost overwhelming urge to flip up my kilt and bend her over and take her here and now. I'd hunted her through the dark, and she was mine .

Even if she didn't know it.

So, I lifted her hand by her wrist until it sat between us and pressed the hilt of her small dagger back into her palm.

Her eyes widened in confusion, and I nodded. I have my secrets as well, my firebrand .

If she could hurt me with that wee weapon, then I deserved it.

Once I was certain she would not drop the blade, I nodded my approval. "Re-sheath yer claws, Roxanna."

Still looking uncertain, she slid the small dagger into its hidden sheath, and I nodded again. Then I lowered my shoulder, wrapped my arm around her arse, and slung her over my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, beating at my back. "Put me down."

I grinned against the darkness, ignoring my throbbing cock and the way my lips still tingled from her kiss. "I'm taking ye back to camp, firebrand, where I'll tend yer wounds. Then I'll tie ye to me so we can both get a good night's sleep."

"You cannot do that!" Her tiny fists hammered into the tight muscles of my back. "I will escape you!"

I was already moving through the forest toward the remains of our camp. "Then I will find you, my delicious prey." Aye, delicious.

With that, I tipped my head back to the stars and laughed. Roxanna was by far the most important prey I'd hunted, and I would welcome her attempts at running if it meant I got to chase her.