a familiar voice asked.
“ Marcus!” I got slowly to my feet. I meant to get up more quickly, but my stiff shoulders and sore leg wouldn’t allow it. “Where were you?” I smiled wide up at him.
He raised one eyebrow at me as I limped toward him. “Just…looking around.”
“ For?” I raised my chin to see him better.
He pressed his finger to the tip of my nose. “Not Ryan.”
“ Good boy.”
He laughed lightly. “Always, ma’am.”
“ Then, what were you looking for?”
“ Breakfast,” he raised both of his eyebrows at me comically.
“ Mmm, what’s on the menu this morning, Mr. Letrell?”
“ Nothing as fine as you are accustomed to I’m afraid, Miss Sinclair.” He nodded his head toward the door.
I was surprised to see how light it was. I wanted to be horrified that I had not been returned home before first light like he had promised. Instead, I only felt ridiculous joy that I was still with him.
“ Your banquet awaits, my dear,” he held his arm out grandly.
I daintily placed my hand on his offered arm and let him lead me to where he had a small fire burning. I didn’t even want to know what animal he had cooking over the flames. It smelled delicious, and my stomach rumbled in response.
When he laughed, the sound seemed to travel through me, making me laugh in return.
“ It should be done by now.” He pulled off a piece of the meat to check.
“ How long have you been up?”
“ I couldn’t sleep.”
“ How did you even catch…whatever that is?”
“ It just jumped right into our fire.” He shook his head. “He must have known you would be hungry.”
He handed me a large piece of the meat skewered on a short stick. “Is this my fork?” I asked with a grin.
“ Only the finest.” He bowed and took a seat close by my side.
“ Aren’t you going to eat?”
“ I ate earlier, while you were still sleeping.” He poked a long stick around in the ashes of the fire. He must have been out there for a while, I realized. Had he slept at all?
As I chewed the breakfast Marcus had supplied, I watched him from the corner of my eye. I tried to not let him see me watching him, but he may have noticed anyways.
“ Why are you looking at me?” he asked.
“ I’m not.”
“ Yes, you are.”
I widened my eyes and shook my head. “You are imagining things.”
“ Eat,” he ordered. “When you’re finished, I’ll take you home.”
“ What if I don’t want to go home?” I challenged.
“ Eventually, you’ll have to.”
“ I should wash up first. Can you imagine what Aunt Dora will say if I show up like this?” I gestured to my ruined nightclothes.
“ I saw a river not far from here. I’ll take you there to wash up, although I’m not sure how much good it will do.”
I took another bite without saying anything. I found myself wondering what Edmund would have been like out here. Would he have caught an animal so I could have something to eat when I woke up?
Would he have found somewhere for us to sleep? Or would we have slept on the ground? Would I have been infatuated by him as I was Marcus, or would he have just annoyed me?
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was pretty confident that Edmund would in no way measure up to Marcus Letrell.
“ What are you thinking about that has you so sad, Claudia?” Marcus asked.
“ Nothing,” I denied, but quickly added, “the animal that you killed; I was thinking of that poor animal.”
His eyes narrowed immediately. “Nice try,” he teased.
“ We women are not like you men,” I reminded him, “we don’t crave blood like you do.”
He stood up abruptly, but when he turned to me, his eyes were lit with amusement. “Some women crave blood.”
“ Eww.”
“ Are you finished?” He nodded toward my discarded meal.
“ Yep.” I slapped my hands against my thighs and stood up. “It was actually not bad.”
“ Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“ Maybe.” I smiled up at him, enjoying
“ Marcus!” I got slowly to my feet. I meant to get up more quickly, but my stiff shoulders and sore leg wouldn’t allow it. “Where were you?” I smiled wide up at him.
He raised one eyebrow at me as I limped toward him. “Just…looking around.”
“ For?” I raised my chin to see him better.
He pressed his finger to the tip of my nose. “Not Ryan.”
“ Good boy.”
He laughed lightly. “Always, ma’am.”
“ Then, what were you looking for?”
“ Breakfast,” he raised both of his eyebrows at me comically.
“ Mmm, what’s on the menu this morning, Mr. Letrell?”
“ Nothing as fine as you are accustomed to I’m afraid, Miss Sinclair.” He nodded his head toward the door.
I was surprised to see how light it was. I wanted to be horrified that I had not been returned home before first light like he had promised. Instead, I only felt ridiculous joy that I was still with him.
“ Your banquet awaits, my dear,” he held his arm out grandly.
I daintily placed my hand on his offered arm and let him lead me to where he had a small fire burning. I didn’t even want to know what animal he had cooking over the flames. It smelled delicious, and my stomach rumbled in response.
When he laughed, the sound seemed to travel through me, making me laugh in return.
“ It should be done by now.” He pulled off a piece of the meat to check.
“ How long have you been up?”
“ I couldn’t sleep.”
“ How did you even catch…whatever that is?”
“ It just jumped right into our fire.” He shook his head. “He must have known you would be hungry.”
He handed me a large piece of the meat skewered on a short stick. “Is this my fork?” I asked with a grin.
“ Only the finest.” He bowed and took a seat close by my side.
“ Aren’t you going to eat?”
“ I ate earlier, while you were still sleeping.” He poked a long stick around in the ashes of the fire. He must have been out there for a while, I realized. Had he slept at all?
As I chewed the breakfast Marcus had supplied, I watched him from the corner of my eye. I tried to not let him see me watching him, but he may have noticed anyways.
“ Why are you looking at me?” he asked.
“ I’m not.”
“ Yes, you are.”
I widened my eyes and shook my head. “You are imagining things.”
“ Eat,” he ordered. “When you’re finished, I’ll take you home.”
“ What if I don’t want to go home?” I challenged.
“ Eventually, you’ll have to.”
“ I should wash up first. Can you imagine what Aunt Dora will say if I show up like this?” I gestured to my ruined nightclothes.
“ I saw a river not far from here. I’ll take you there to wash up, although I’m not sure how much good it will do.”
I took another bite without saying anything. I found myself wondering what Edmund would have been like out here. Would he have caught an animal so I could have something to eat when I woke up?
Would he have found somewhere for us to sleep? Or would we have slept on the ground? Would I have been infatuated by him as I was Marcus, or would he have just annoyed me?
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was pretty confident that Edmund would in no way measure up to Marcus Letrell.
“ What are you thinking about that has you so sad, Claudia?” Marcus asked.
“ Nothing,” I denied, but quickly added, “the animal that you killed; I was thinking of that poor animal.”
His eyes narrowed immediately. “Nice try,” he teased.
“ We women are not like you men,” I reminded him, “we don’t crave blood like you do.”
He stood up abruptly, but when he turned to me, his eyes were lit with amusement. “Some women crave blood.”
“ Eww.”
“ Are you finished?” He nodded toward my discarded meal.
“ Yep.” I slapped my hands against my thighs and stood up. “It was actually not bad.”
“ Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“ Maybe.” I smiled up at him, enjoying
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