Seduced by the Beast by Jaide Fox Page A

him.
                “Can I trust
you?”
                “Can you afford
not to?”
     
    * * * *
     
                They packed
light, for travel was harsh if overburdened, and her change with the day almost
certainly slowed their progress.  He had planned for that, however.  One basket
held their provisions and space enough for their garments, the other was
empty.  Raphael did not inform Swan that it would be for her when she shifted. 
Likely it would disturb her knowing he planned to cage her, but even dumb
animals recognized predators when near, and he could take no chance she would
harm herself while she was trapped in the form of a bird.
                It seemed no one
took note of their departure from Barakus.  From what Swan could see, the
castle, built into the ground and foothills, was empty.  True, she had only
been there a short time, but she had seen no one else, not even so much as a
servant, nor heard anything but the haunting call of wolves in the distance. 
                Regardless, she
had the eerie sense of hungry eyes following her every move as they set out,
watchful but unseen.
                She was glad to
be going from this place and wondered how he could stand it.  But then, the
beastmen were his own kind.  She could never adjust to such a place, could not
imagine ever wanting to.  It was alien, brutal.  Her place was with her people,
her sister, who even now was in grave danger.
                She was more than
a little dismayed to discover that the common mode of travel, when magic was
not used, and what was expected of her now, was running.  This might well be
easy enough for those accustomed, but she was unused to the constant physical
exertion she’d been subjected to since arriving.  Riding horseback kept her
muscles lithe, but she was a ruler, not an athlete.
                Unfortunately,
due to the nature of predators, there were no common beasts of burden willing
to carry beastmen and, that being the case, none were available for her use.
                They set out at a
steady paced jog under the rising moons, guided by plentiful light, the
landscape washed with watered red that revealed as much as it hid.
                Watching the
silver and blood light mingle and play on the muscles of his naked back, Swan
was struck by the raw power he exuded with each movement, with each breath that
he took.  It was difficult to reconcile him as one of the monsters.  Wild, yes,
but a monster?  She was no longer as certain as she had once been that he
deserved such a judgment.
                Strength was
ingrained in the people of Shadowmere.  Until ill had befallen her, she’d never
before realized just how vulnerable she was as a human, helpless even to cast
magic.  The best defense she’d had was training with a blade, as all women must
learn, but she’d seen no weaponry with which to arm herself since her arrival
in Shadowmere.
                It rankled being
dependent on another for everything, including protection, particularly when
she trusted nothing about the man save the fact that his nature alone precluded
trust.
                She had only
these thoughts to keep her company, for Raphael said little and responded
less.  The darkened landscape afforded no distraction, lying indistinct beyond
the circle of her vision, without even the shelter of trees to break the
monotony.  Gradually, the loam, softened and pungent with fallen, decaying
leaves, gave way to hard, barren ground.  Thousands of rocks littered their
path, as though mammoth stone had once been moved across the earth and rubbed
to pieces.
                Swan was grateful
for the sturdy boots she’d been given, but still the stones made their mark
felt on her soles, made walking difficult and hazardous.  Her feet and legs
ached with the near constant