A Soul for Trouble

by Crista McHugh

  He’d be damned if he let her out of his sight again.

  She attacked first. When he swung his stick up to block her, the weakness behind the swing surprised him. He parried her next two blows and frowned. Something was different this time. Perhaps fatigue had taken hold of her. When he finally attacked, he easily knocked her stick out of her hands and pressed his against the center of her chest.

  “Well done, Your Highness.” She bowed when he withdrew his weapon.

  He picked up her stick and leaned close when he returned it. “You weren’t as quick this time,” he said low enough for only her to hear.

  Although her face remained blank, her eyes mocked him. “I figured I should at least let you win once so you could save face in front of your men.” She let him win? Of all the arrogant things to say. Who did she think she was? He cast a glance at Dev, noting how his amusement at the situation mirrored Arden’s. They were two of a kind, and they needed to be shown he wouldn’t stand for this.

  “Play fair this time, Trouble,” Kell warned.

  Her mirth faded when he used that name.

  Good, let her get angry. Maybe she’ll get sloppy.

  The second she assumed the en garde position, he attacked. This time, he held nothing back. He treated her like an enemy, and he wanted blood. To his amazement, she either blocked or dodged most of his blows. Her quick reflexes startled him, but when her stick came within inches of his face, he snapped out of his daze.

  She retreated as he continued to swing at her, breaking the circle of men surrounding them. Free of their confines, her movements took on the grace of a dancer. She twisted and pirouetted, using her slender body to its best advantage while her weapon whizzed through the air. What she lacked in strength, she made up for in speed. And as he chased her around the campsite, his admiration for her multiplied. He had to admit he’d never fought an opponent like her before.

  They reached the tree line. Her movements stiffened. He continued to attack, pushing her farther back. She was running out of room, and unless she found some way to escape soon, he’d have her.

  Her feet tripped over an exposed root. Now was his chance. He surged forward, pinning her free hand between her back and large tree. With his other hand, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it until she dropped her stick. A grin formed on his lips as he prepared gloat over his victory.

  Then the light from the three moons illuminated her face. His breath caught. His anger melted, leaving behind an odd emotion he’d never experienced before.

  His brother, Therrin, once told him that falling in love was like falling off a horse. He never saw it coming, and when it happened, it knocked the wind out of his lungs and left him stunned.

  Kell felt that way now as he stared into her eyes. Whether she’d used magic or not, he fell completely under her spell. His lungs burned for air. His heart beat in perfect rhythm with hers.

  Her curves pressed against him as her body yielded. He focused on her lips, drawn to them as if they alone could provide the life-giving air he needed. He leaned closer until her warm breath caressed his mouth.

  In that moment, he no longer feared losing his heart.

  Chapter 19

  Arden braced herself, her pulse quickening. She’d never been kissed before. Please don’t let me swoon like some of those idiot girls I’ve seen.

  “It all depends on how well he kisses,” Loku replied.

  Before Kell’s lips could brush hers, a very annoyed voice interrupted them. “I think you’ve made your point. You can release my apprentice now.” Her cheeks burned from the acid in Dev’s order. This is ridiculous. I shouldn’t feel this way from losing a swordfight.

  Loku laughed. “My dear Soulbearer, this is more than just swordplay, and you know it.

  It’s foreplay.”

  “Foreplay? We were fighting, not flirting.”

  “Fighting, flirting—there’s not much different between the two. It’s all about dominance, and I have a feeling Prince Kell has a sword he wouldn’t mind letting you play with.”

  “Shut up, Loku.” Yes, she found Kell attractive, but she knew better than to allow him any liberties with her body. Her mother fell into that trap, and she refused to follow in her footsteps. That did little to soothe the fluttering in her chest, however.

  Kell held her gaze as he backed away. Something had changed. His expression lost the cocky arrogance he’d extruded earlier. He seemed as shocked and uncertain as she did. He spun around on his heel, pushing his way through the crowd. His men followed him with their eyes and fell back into place, concealing his escape route.

  Her lungs sucked in the cool air, and she slid down along the tree. Her hands trembled as she brought them up to her flaming cheeks.

  Dev knelt beside her. “Did he hurt you?”

  “Who?” Then she understood his question. “No, he didn’t hurt me.” He examined her wrists before tilting her chin up to search her face. “Are you sure?

  Because if he did—”

  “No, Dev, I’ll be fine in a few moments. Just let me catch my breath.” He continued to watch her with an intensity that made her fear he’d read her mind.

  “You’re acting strange.”

  “I’m not going insane, if that’s what you’re worried about.” At least, she hoped not. No, everything she had experienced was physical, not mental.

  “It’s called lust, and it’s about time. I was beginning to fear you’d remain a frigid virgin for the rest of your life. My only question is, who are you going to turn to, to satisfy the need inside you? Dev or Kell?”

  “Neither.”

  “Keep fooling yourself, but we both know better. Just be careful. If you don’t make a decision soon, they’ll decide it for you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Dev doesn’t feel that way about me.”

  “No? Then why does he look like he wants to castrate Kell?” She focused her attention on Dev. Lines carved into his face around his mouth and between his brows. “No, I don’t think you’re showing signs of insanity.” He released her.

  “Yet.”

  “Meaning?”

  “The sooner I get you to Gravaria and away from the prince, the better.” He stood and offered her his hand.

  “I told you he was jealous.”

  “And I still find that hard to believe.” She took his hand and stiffened her legs, ignoring the fatigue that threatened to turn them into dough.

  “Do you realize what you did wrong?” he asked.

  Besides almost letting Kell kiss me? “Um, no.”

  “You lost awareness of your surroundings. You let him back you into a corner, and then you failed to notice the exposed roots on the ground. If he’d been an enemy with a real sword, you’d be dead now.” He led her back to where Cinder stood guard over their belongings.

  “And then Loku could torment someone else.”

  Dev halted and spun around. “For someone who’s collecting death threats, you seem very nonchalant about all this. I’m trying to teach you what I can so you’ll stay alive long enough to get to safety.”

  “And I appreciate it—really, I do.” She placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

  His lips curled up into a smile. “I wouldn’t say your performance was a complete disappointment, Trouble. I had to keep from laughing when you got the prince in less than a minute.”

  “So, I’m learning something, right?”

  “Yes, you’re learning quicker than I thought, which is a good thing, considering you have a necromancer hunting you.” A serious expression replaced any mirth that he’d allowed to show on his face. Back to business once again.

  He didn’t say anything else, much to her relief. Whatever happened between her and the prince was just a one-time thing, and life showed signs of returning back to normal. She sank to the ground by her saddle, reaching for her bedroll. The rush from the battle and almost getting kissed seeped out of her body, taking all her energy with it. She’d sleep well once she q
uieted her mind.

  She had just unrolled her blankets when Dev cursed under his breath.

  The prince’s right-hand man, Lord Bynn, approached them. “Come with me.”

  “Both of us?” Dev’s sarcasm held an edge as sharp as any blade.

  “Just the girl.”

  Her heart skipped a beat . “He’s going to punish me for publically humiliating the prince, isn’t he?”

  “If he tries anything, I’ll make him regret it. Dev probably would, too.”

  “Why?” her protector asked. His hand slid down his leg to the edge of his boot.

  She remembered the slim knife he concealed there from the one night he removed his entire arsenal in front of her. How many other weapons did he still have on his body?

  “Prince Kell’s orders. He wants to make sure she has a safe place to sleep.”

  “She’s perfectly safe next to me.”

  A smirk appeared on the noble’s face. “I’m afraid the prince disagrees with you.” Arden found a break in the conversation and jumped in with her opinion. “Why? Because he thinks I’ll be safer next to him?”

  “You won’t be sleeping in his tent, if that’s what concerns you,” came the clipped reply.

  “You can either come with me peacefully, or I can have the men take you like they tried to last night.”

  Dev’s fingers disappeared into his boot, but she stopped him before he could retrieve the weapon by covering his hand with her own. “It’s fine, Dev. I’ll take Cinder with me again.” Bynn didn’t look very pleased at having to accommodate both her and the wolf, but his annoyance eased when she rolled her blankets back up and stood. Dev’s expression, however, remained unchanged; he still looked like he wanted to gut the young lord standing in front of him.

  “This way.” No thanks for defusing a potentially explosive situation. No mention of her name. Nothing.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll stay in my tent tonight.”

  Arden dug her heels in. “Listen, I’ve already told the prince I’m not going to warm his bed, and I sure as hell won’t be passed around his friends. You got that?” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her so his face was inches away from his. “For someone in your position, you have a lot of nerve speaking to anyone that way. I should order you whipped for that arrogant display earlier this evening, witch.”

  “You mean the one where I wounded the prince’s pride?” And almost made him kiss me?

  “Come now. He’s a big enough boy to fight his own battles and lick his wounds afterwards.”

  “Right now, he’s the only thing standing between you and a pyre, so I suggest you mind your tongue and show him some respect.”

  His words chilled her blood enough to where she kept her mouth shut after that. He led her to a small tent and pointed to a corner, telling her to sleep there. He lay down on the opposite side, blocking her exit. Sensing there was nothing else she could do that night, she let her mind drift into sleep.

  ***

  “Arden, I see you.”

  The eerie voice roused her from her dreams. She knew Loku’s voice as well as her own by now, but this wasn’t him.

  “Do you think the prince and his men will keep you safe? Or do you tragically place your trust in your protector?”

  She lifted her head from the ground and looked around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from. “Loku, if this is some kind of twisted joke…”

  “It’s not me—I promise.” The alarm in his voice only added to her panic.

  “You’ll be mine before the end of the fortnight.” The sinister voice danced around her like a hummingbird, whispering in one ear and then the other . “You and the soul of the god who lives inside you.”

  “Don’t listen to him,” Loku urged . “He’ll just eat away at your mind until he finds enough holes to worm his way into it.”

  Lord Bynn rolled over onto his side, snoring louder than ever. The noise blocked out the eerie voice long enough for her to build a shield around her mind.

  “It’s the necromancer, isn’t it?” She pulled her knees up to her chest and began rocking.

  As perverted as Loku was, he didn’t seem to mean her any harm. She could almost touch the cold malice in the new voice. How had the bastard gotten into her mind?

  “Go to sleep, my Soulbearer. I’ll keep him from haunting your dreams.”

  “Too late.” The experience rattled her nerves to the point that sleep became impossible.

  Instead, she sank her hands into Cinder’s fur and clung to it as if it offered some kind of magical protection. The wolf licked her hand and went back to sleep, leaving her to stare out into the darkness.

  An unknown amount of time passed, but by the time the sun rose, Arden’s eyes stung like she’d just gotten caught in a dust storm. As soon as Bynn sat up, she dashed out of the tent.

  She needed to tell Dev what happened.

  She cleared the flap and collided into a rock-hard body. “Excuse me,” she began and froze.

  “Anxious to leave?” Kell asked.

  Her tongue acted like it was twice its normal size as she tried to reply. She took a step back and moved to the side so she no longer stood between the two men. “I wanted to speak to Dev about something.”

  “Your face is pale. What happened?” The prince gave his friend an accusing glare.

  Bynn raised his hands in the air, palms out. “I promise you, I didn’t harm her in any way.”

  “Lord Bynn was every bit the gentleman as expected by his title.” And acted like a total ass.

  “Then what troubles you?”

  Besides the fact he still had the strange glow in his eyes from the night before? Despite Kell’s insistence that she trust him, there was only one person she did. “I’d prefer to tell Dev.” He tried to stop her, but Cinder growled in warning. She ran to the spot where she left her protector, relieved to find him still there.

  Dev jumped to his feet when he saw her approaching. “What did they try to do to you?”

  “Not them,” she replied between pants. “He’s in my head now.” His mouth hardened into a thin line. “What does he have of yours?” His question surprised her. It took a full three seconds before she could reply, “My hair.”

  “Do you know how to raise shields around your mind?” His fingers curled into fists, blanching the skin of his knuckles.

  “I’ve had them up most of the morning.” And thankfully, they seemed to be working.

  “Keep them up. And if we run into Sulaino again, remind me to retrieve your personal effects from him.”

  “Personal effects?” Kell asked behind them. Suspicion now filled his eyes.

  Arden welcomed his changed demeanor. “We had our own skirmish with him before we ran into you, and one of his undead cut off the end of my hair while I was fighting him.”

  “He used it last night to contact her,” Dev added.

  Kell’s dark brows furrowed together. “I’m not following this.”

  “Of course not.” Dev packed his belongings as if the prince wasn’t standing there. “You have no concept of how magic works. Sulaino is concentrating his magic through something that belonged to Trouble—in this case, her hair—and using it to invade her thoughts.”

  “Should I worry that he’ll try to influence her?”

  A chill rippled down her spine. “The only way he’ll influence me is if I’m dead and reanimated.”

  Dev nodded in agreement. “She’s aware of the threat and has taken measures to ensure he’ll hit a few walls if he tries it again.”

  The prince seemed confused with their answers but walked away without asking any more questions.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Dev squeezed her upper arm in an iron vise. “You’re telling me the truth, right?”

  “Why would I lie about something like this?”

  “Tell me everything. Every word he said. Every threat he made. Leave nothing out.” She tried to wrestle free from him. “Let go o
f me, and maybe I will.” His hand relaxed, and she recounted the entire night’s events.

  ***

  Arden kept her mouth shut the rest of the day. Keeping her shields up required too much concentration, even though both Dev and Loku reassured her Sulaino was less likely to make contact with her during the day since his powers were weakest while the sun shone.

  They stopped that night at the edge of an apple orchard. The first frost of winter hadn’t coated the trees with its sparkling crust yet, and the thin branches remained heavy with ripe fruit.

  Dev sank into a dark mood, one she knew better than to disturb. His attention travelled back and forth between the men setting up the camp and the orchard while he drew lines in the ground beside him.

  She ventured into the trees. A few minutes away from the stares and accusing glances would ease her worried mind. Besides, she needed to find a couple of sturdy sticks for tonight’s lesson.

  “What are you doing?” Kell asked a few feet away from her.

  She almost jumped out of her skin. Dev’s voice filled her mind, lecturing her about being aware of her surroundings. She’d been so engrossed with finding the perfect stick that she didn’t hear the prince sneak up on her. “A little warning would have been appreciated, Loku.”

  “Why should I warn you about him? He doesn’t mean any harm.”

  “Depends on your definition of harm.” “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  “You’re either gathering firewood or tearing down trees.” The playfulness had returned to his voice. He picked a rosy apple off the branch and bit into it.

  She stiffened her spine and placed three long strides between them. If she wanted to keep from giving away any more of her secrets, she needed to keep her distance. “I have enough respect for whoever’s orchard this is not to steal from him or destroy his livelihood.” His mouth froze, poised to take another bite from the apple. “And what does that mean?”