see me won’t be suspicious.”
“Good plan.”
“Hey, this is what I do, Arikia. It’s my job.”
“And I see you’re very good at it.” She smiled at him, truly glad for his presence on this journey. Without him she wouldn’t have made it three feet outside Lucan’s door. For that matter, she would never have escaped at all. She’d still be chained to Lucan’s bed, serving his perverse pleasure.
They arrived near the outskirts of the sizeable town before long, just as the sun made its journey toward the distant horizon. The sparse trees gave way to cultivated fields closer to town. Rows of tall corn stood against the pink and orange sky. Rays of the setting sun silhouetted Nico’s strong features against the bright orange and red horizon.
He was so handsome, she had to catch her breath every time she took a moment to think about how beautiful he was—both inside and out. So far he had been all that was kindness to her and his valor was unquestioned.
Nico had faced down Lucan’s torture, his guards, and just now a deadly skith, without any weapon except his amazing ability to transform into a dragon.
Riki trusted him with her life and knew, deep down, she would give him her heart as well, with little protest, if he but asked. Still, she had to guard against letting him know how easily he could make her fall in love with him. Nico was a rogue. Worse than that, he was a prince of royal blood and no matter that he said she was some long-lost noble of Draconia, Riki would always be nothing more than a runaway slave. She could never have Nico in her life. Nor would he, in all probability, want her for more than a
few precious days.
Better they remain friends and comrades. Better for her physical safety and the safety of her fragile,
untried heart.
“This ought to do,” Nico mused as he looked at their surroundings. “It’ll be dark soon and these fields
are probably your best bet for concealment, but I want you to have an escape route should you need it.
If a skith comes along—”
“I’ll run like hell.”
Nico chuckled softly. “I like your attitude, sweetheart. That’s good. But skiths are pretty fast. Even your
lovely feet won’t carry you fast enough. But what you can do is climb.”
“Climb what?”
“See that tree over there?”
They were on the edge of the cornfield now, closest to the town. In fact, the field backed up to the walls
of the town, which were formed by the backs of barns, houses and sheds with planking between to keep the skiths out. The tree Nico pointed out was just on this side of the wall, right next to a barn with a slightly sloping roof.
“I see it, but I should warn you, I haven’t climbed a tree since I was eight years old.”
“If a skith is chasing you, you’ll climb all right. Fear for one’s life is a wonderful motivator.”
That sobered her. She had lived the last years in nearly constant fear for her life. And Nico was
right—fear was a good motivator. He must’ve seen her expression in the dimming twilight because he
scooped her into his arms and hugged her for a quick moment. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed the crown of her head softly, almost apologetically, and his tenderness made her want to cry. But this was no time for hysterics. They had to get in and out of here as quickly as possible.
“It’s all right, Nico. Really. So, you want me to climb that tree?”
He let her go with a final kiss to her hair. “Yes, but only if you need to.
Climb the tree, then scoot back
onto the roof as close to the peak as possible. No skith will be able to get you there, and you should be
out of spitting range.”
“Then why don’t I just go up there now, while you go into town?”
“Because you might be seen. Even at night, people travel the road and farmers keep odd hours to bring
in their herds. Don’t go up there unless you need to, all right?”
She nodded as understanding sank in. The tree was a good ten yards
“Good plan.”
“Hey, this is what I do, Arikia. It’s my job.”
“And I see you’re very good at it.” She smiled at him, truly glad for his presence on this journey. Without him she wouldn’t have made it three feet outside Lucan’s door. For that matter, she would never have escaped at all. She’d still be chained to Lucan’s bed, serving his perverse pleasure.
They arrived near the outskirts of the sizeable town before long, just as the sun made its journey toward the distant horizon. The sparse trees gave way to cultivated fields closer to town. Rows of tall corn stood against the pink and orange sky. Rays of the setting sun silhouetted Nico’s strong features against the bright orange and red horizon.
He was so handsome, she had to catch her breath every time she took a moment to think about how beautiful he was—both inside and out. So far he had been all that was kindness to her and his valor was unquestioned.
Nico had faced down Lucan’s torture, his guards, and just now a deadly skith, without any weapon except his amazing ability to transform into a dragon.
Riki trusted him with her life and knew, deep down, she would give him her heart as well, with little protest, if he but asked. Still, she had to guard against letting him know how easily he could make her fall in love with him. Nico was a rogue. Worse than that, he was a prince of royal blood and no matter that he said she was some long-lost noble of Draconia, Riki would always be nothing more than a runaway slave. She could never have Nico in her life. Nor would he, in all probability, want her for more than a
few precious days.
Better they remain friends and comrades. Better for her physical safety and the safety of her fragile,
untried heart.
“This ought to do,” Nico mused as he looked at their surroundings. “It’ll be dark soon and these fields
are probably your best bet for concealment, but I want you to have an escape route should you need it.
If a skith comes along—”
“I’ll run like hell.”
Nico chuckled softly. “I like your attitude, sweetheart. That’s good. But skiths are pretty fast. Even your
lovely feet won’t carry you fast enough. But what you can do is climb.”
“Climb what?”
“See that tree over there?”
They were on the edge of the cornfield now, closest to the town. In fact, the field backed up to the walls
of the town, which were formed by the backs of barns, houses and sheds with planking between to keep the skiths out. The tree Nico pointed out was just on this side of the wall, right next to a barn with a slightly sloping roof.
“I see it, but I should warn you, I haven’t climbed a tree since I was eight years old.”
“If a skith is chasing you, you’ll climb all right. Fear for one’s life is a wonderful motivator.”
That sobered her. She had lived the last years in nearly constant fear for her life. And Nico was
right—fear was a good motivator. He must’ve seen her expression in the dimming twilight because he
scooped her into his arms and hugged her for a quick moment. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed the crown of her head softly, almost apologetically, and his tenderness made her want to cry. But this was no time for hysterics. They had to get in and out of here as quickly as possible.
“It’s all right, Nico. Really. So, you want me to climb that tree?”
He let her go with a final kiss to her hair. “Yes, but only if you need to.
Climb the tree, then scoot back
onto the roof as close to the peak as possible. No skith will be able to get you there, and you should be
out of spitting range.”
“Then why don’t I just go up there now, while you go into town?”
“Because you might be seen. Even at night, people travel the road and farmers keep odd hours to bring
in their herds. Don’t go up there unless you need to, all right?”
She nodded as understanding sank in. The tree was a good ten yards
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