by Rinelle Grey
Adrenalin surged through him, strengthening him enough that he could push away the fear that rose at the thought. He didn’t know how he was going to do this, but he had to try. “Take care of Yass. And if I die, whatever you do, don’t let her name the baby after me.”
Uma gave a short laugh. “Good luck. You know she doesn’t listen to a word I say. So your best bet is to stay alive.”
“I’ll do my best,” Jasyn promised.
He didn’t know how to say goodbye. His throat choked up at the thought, so he clapped Uma on the shoulder, and turned away before his friend could see the tears in his eyes. He forced his feet to walk towards Kriss.
Before he caught up to her, she turned and strode towards the armoury. By the time he pushed his way through the flap, the cold had frozen the tears on his cheeks. He swiped them away, and stared at Kriss, who stared back, her arms folded.
“What was that all about? You’re not planning on running, are you?”
How much had she overheard? Not that it mattered.
“No, even though the thought is tempting.”
“What, more scared of me coming after you than you are of the puny humans? You should be.”
For some reason, Jasyn felt like smiling. At least some things were still predictable. “Well, you’re pretty scary.”
She scowled at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind. Aren’t we supposed to be finding me some armour?”
Her scowl deepened, then she shrugged and turned to the armour stand. “I doubt we have anything that will fit your scrawny frame.” Despite her comment, she pulled out a large leather chest plate and tossed it at him. “Here, try that.”
The full weight of the chest plate hit Jasyn in the stomach and he barely managed to stay on his feet. He fiddled with the heavy leather, trying to figure out which way was up.
Kriss watched him impassively for a few moments, before sighing heavily. “Here.” She took the armour and twisted it. Suddenly, it looked like a chest plate again. She lifted it over Jasyn’s head and settled it into place.
It was like trying to stand with a log on his shoulders. The heavy weight pushed all the air out of his lungs, and his knees threatened to collapse. How did warriors manage to run and fight in this stuff?
Oh, that’s right. They had muscles. Something he lacked.
“I can’t do it,” he said helplessly. “I can’t even walk in this.”
Kriss stared at him, her arms crossed. “Well, this was a stupid idea, wasn’t it?”
“It wasn’t my idea!”
“It was your idea to stand up in the middle of the tent and announce that we should try talking to the humans. What kind of nonsense was that? What did you think would happen?”
“I…”
“You didn’t think, did you? That’s why you’re not a warrior. A warrior would think through the consequences before acting. And you’d better start doing that, or you’re not going to get out of this alive.” She paused. “Of course, the sooner you die, the less time I have to spend hauling your butt around.”
“Well, don’t worry, I’ll probably die pretty quickly.”
He’d meant his comment to come out as a joke, but somehow, it sounded mournful. He should have kept his mouth shut.
Kriss turned away. He couldn’t blame her for giving up on him. He was a lost cause.
“Here, try this.” She held out a smaller breast plate.
Jasyn lifted off the huge one and swapped it with the one she held. At least this one he managed to put on without any help, even if there were gaps at the sides. He flexed his arms. He could move more easily, too. “This is better. Why didn’t you give me this one before?”
“It’s the one we give to kids when they’re training,” she said dryly. “It’s not designed to stop anything more than a wooden sword.”
“Do the humans have wooden swords?” Silly question, of course not. How could they kill trolls with wooden swords? “I guess you want to see me get killed even quicker,” he joked.
“You won’t die if you stay out of their way. Don’t try to be a hero. Let us do the killing. You just grab any food you see and stay low.”
He couldn’t follow her. One minute, she seemed like the considerate and fair troll he’d met in the forest, and the next she was the cutthroat warrior again. Did he dare to hope she’d thought about him since then, too? Jasyn stared at her. “It’s almost like you don’t want to see me die?”
“I don’t want to see any of my warriors die trying to save you.”
Jasyn swallowed. “No, of course not. I’ll stay out of the way.”
“And do exactly what I, or any other warriors, tell you.”
Jasyn nodded solemnly. What was he getting into?
“Here.” Kriss held out a sword.
Jasyn stared at it. “I… I can't.”
“Trust me, it comes naturally when a human is running at you, screaming bloody murder. I know you have no training, but they're puny and small and not that hard to kill. Even you should be able to take a single human out.”
That didn't make him feel any better. He shook his head. “I can't kill someone.”
Kriss raised an eyebrow. “Not even if they're trying to kill you?”
Images flashed through his mind. Humans running at him, swords swinging wildly, followed by dying screams and blood. Jasyn’s stomach clenched. He shook his head again. “I can't.”
Kriss stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then shrugged and put the sword back. “It's your funeral.”
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Bound by Magic, United by Love.
Jasyn is at the bottom of the food chain in the troll camp. As a mage, he lacks the brute strength that he could use to demand respect. He certainly will never catch the eye of a warrior woman like Kriss. But when he finds a book in a human village detailing unknown facts about the curse of the trolls, he knows he has to act before the trolls fight themselves into extinction.
Ever since she was a little girl being bullied around by her brothers, Kriss has been determined never to be weak. She’d never look twice at a troll like Jasyn. Strength and being able to beat anyone is her goal, and she won’t let anything distract her from it. Until Jasyn stands up to their leader and insists there is another way. A more peaceful way.
The two of them form an alliance, bound in a marriage of convenience, focused on finding a way to end the fighting. An alliance that tests them in more ways than one. But can a people who have been ruled by strength and war ever find a peaceful solution to their problems? And can Kriss and Jasyn find time to look for their own happiness?
About the Author
If you read a Rinelle Grey story, you can trust in a happy ending. Love will always triumph, even if it seems impossible… Rinelle Grey writes feel-good romance usually in science fiction or fantasy settings. Her heroines are independent and headstrong, and her stories are hard to put down.
She grew up in a remote area of Australia, without power, hot water, or a phone, but now lives with all of those and her (happily ever after) husband, daughter, chooks, ducks and veggie garden.
She loves to receive e-mails at [email protected], or follow her on facebook or twitter.
More by this Author
Stranded on a dying planet Marlee has given up hope of finding love. Until a spaceship crashes on her planet, and she rescues the daring captain, Tyris. Will she risk her heart one last time?
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When his centuries long slumber ends abruptly, dragon prince Taurian finds himself in a whole new world. Now, pursued by an ancient enemy, he finds his survival depends on the human woman whose presence woke him. Despite being irresistibly drawn to the half-naked man she discovered in an ancient chamber, Karla is sure he’s crazy. The sensible thing to do would be to drop him off at the nearest police station. But she soon finds out that dealing with dragons is never that simple.
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Rinelle Grey, Forbidden Bond
