Elora thought about fighting Axel when he untied the rope from the saddle and came closer to her. He took the rope around her hands in his own and started to lead her into the large cabin. She watched him move and considered whether or not it would be worth it to try and escape him.
He was broad and moved with a kind of certainty that she wasn’t used to seeing. He didn’t stumble on the roots they passed and he didn’t slip on the leaves she skidded on. She tested him by pulling backwards a bit. She put a bit of her weight behind it. He slid his gaze to her and then made a point of yanking her closer than before.
She was beginning to think that just attacking him would be a bad idea. She looked over her shoulder. She couldn’t see Freya anymore. What would happen to the girl if she didn’t win the fights? How many would she be able to win?
Elora shook her head. If she got the chance she needed to get out of here, with or without the princess. They had intended on robbing her anyway. A fist of guilt tightened in her chest when she thought about Freya rushing to try and save her from Axel. She had gotten what she wanted but she still wasn’t willing to forget about Elora.
She was jarred from her thoughts when Axel suddenly stopped pulling her along. Without his momentum she wobbled and tipped backwards. She was able to get her balance in time to avoid falling but not before she noticed that he was leaning forward to catch her. She locked eyes with him. his dark eyes were endless and she wasn’t sure what she was looking for in them.
Dropping his eyes he moved to the other side of the room.
His steps echoed over the wooden plank floor. “Drink?” He lifted a half empty bottle of ale from the table in front of him.
The room wasn’t too big on the inside. It seemed like it should have been larger because of the size of the hut but the logs that made the walls were quite thick. As a result the only furniture that fitted in the room was one table at the back, a chest next to that, a leather chair with holes in it, and a single bed frame filled with blankets.
Elora stayed by the door, as far away from the table and Axel as possible. The bed was to her left and she found that she just couldn’t ignore it. She was looking sideways at it when Axel turned from the table with two drinks in hand.
He followed her eyes. “While I am tempted, not tonight.”
He laughed. She didn’t think it was funny. He came up to her and held out one of the cups. It was close to her face and smelt like melted butter.
He continued to smile at her until she didn’t take the cup. He narrowed his eyes and looked from her to the bed. He sighed. “Relax. I don’t intend to rape you.”
She wasn’t totally reassured, bandits were liars after all, but she lifted her bound hands and took the drink so as not to anger him. Just because she had it didn’t mean she had to drink it.
He smiled again. It was a bit disarming. It wasn’t the grin that Elora had seen on his face since she had been taken. It was somehow more open and naked. There was something about the creases at the corners of his eyes and the exaggerated lift of one of the corners of his mouth that made her want to smile too.
She pressed her lips together.
He took a loud gulp and paced back to the table.
Elora need to think. She had to find a way out of this. She needed to find Azura and then find Cade. She prayed he was okay. She tested her restraints. They were tight and grated against her skin. She wouldn’t be able to escape them. She glanced at the door and considered running. But while she was bound and surrounded by enemies there would be no chance of her escaping.
“What’s your name?”
His voice startled her. She whipped her head around to face him again. He was leaning against the table, half sitting on it.
“What?”
“Your name?”
“Why? Do you want to know what you can call me at auction?” Her tone was sharper than it was wise for it to be. She held her breath.
He chuckled. “If I was going to sell you then it wouldn’t matter what your name was. They would call you whatever they wanted. Most likely little slut.”
Elora thought that was disgust in his voice. She didn’t latch onto it. She most likely imagined it. “what do you mean if? What do you intend to do with me?”
He shrugged and took another mouthful of ale. Then he stood up and walked to her. She felt every muscle in her body tighten up. her jaw hurt.
Exhaling heavily he gently took the cup out of her hands. He keep his eyes on hers as he downed the drink.
“I don’t intend to poison you anyway.” He rasped.
“I was more afraid of being drugged.” She tilted her head at him. she waited for him to loose his cool. To freak out and attack her. At least then she could assume that he was just like the bandits she had met in her life and that would help her to figure out how best to outwit him.
He chewed on the corner of his lip, thought for a moment, then took out his throwing knife. The sunlight coming in through the window skipped off the blade and into his eyes. He had to squint against it. Elora might have taken this as her chance to swing for him, but she had no idea where Azura was and she couldn’t risk her safety.
She watched his every move. If he was going to kill her then he would remember her looking into his eyes while he did it.
He brought his hand down and took hers in one palm.
On instinct she yanked her hands away.
Growling slightly he jerked them back. the rope hurt when it pressed into her wrists.
Elora found herself watching his face. he wasn’t looking at her, focused on whatever he was going to do to her hands. His brows were quite close to his eyes which were wide and evenly spaced. His eyelashes weren’t very long but pitch dark. There was a small scar along his jaw bone and she had this wild impulse to touch it.
There was a snapping sound and Elora looked down at her hands when she felt the pressure around her wrists release.
Axel moved away from her and turned his back. “Your stay here doesn’t need to be awful if you behave. The princess will be sold to the highest bidder, that’s how things have to be. But you,” He leaned on the table again and looked at her. She started to squirm under the intensity of his scrutiny.
“We can find a royal house for you if you want. They will pay us a good bit for a pretty servant like you.”
Elora couldn’t help that the idea sounded appealing to her. It would be a steady job where no one was groping her. She would get a house with actual walls rather than a tent and wouldn’t have to worry about food. But what about Cade?
“Judging by the look on your face that’s something you would be interested in.” Axel turned to the table and there was a trickling sound as he poured himself another drink.
Elora approached him. “I would be interested. But I need to find my little brother.”
He was surprised by how close she was and she was shocked when he tried to put some distance between them, bumping into the table as he scotched around it.
“Don’t push your luck.” He said.
“I can’t just leave him.” She couldn’t really believe that she was appealing to a bandit right now. What was worse was that she actually believed that it might work. “He is my family. I have to help him.”
“You have to help yourself.” He leaned against the wall.
“He needs me. he could be hurt.”
“I think the man who attacked him came out of that worse.”
Elora put her hands over her face and held back the scream of frustration building in her throat. she needed to find Cade. If something happened to him and she wasn’t there to help she would never forgive herself. he wasn’t safe without her.
“Are you going to start crying?”
She dropped her hands to find that Axel was trying to look into her face. when she met his eyes he grinned.
“Its not all bad.”
She was sure that he was trying to cheer her up but as quickly as it had happened he was guarded again. Leaning away from her with veiled eyes and an arrogant smirk on his face.
Elora took a step closer to him. “Help me find my brother.”
Axel laughed. “You just wont give up. I already said no.”
She took a another step. “Help me find him and I will help you with anything you want.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “A guy could take that in anyway. Are you sure you want to make a promise like that to a bandit?”
She could hear the mocking in his voice but his eyes told a different story. they roamed up and down her body enough to make her shudder.
“He could be hurt and without me he has no one.” She was almost resting against his body now. All that was between them was air and his cup of ale.
“You must really care about this brother of yours.” He chewed on the corner of his lip again.
Elora knew she was playing with fire. If she made this promise, who knew what the bandit king would ask of her. During this conversation he had seemed fine, kind almost, but she had to remember that his men had tried to kill her brother and that Freya was outside fighting for her life and dignity. He wasn’t just a village boy she could kiss into forgiving her brother for stealing some bread. She touched her throat and remembered how the icy steel of his throwing knife had pressed there just a few hours ago. But Cade did need help and she wasn’t going to be able to escape without a bit of manipulation.
“Please.” She whispered, leaning in closer to him. she knew that he found her attractive. She had learnt to see the signs so that when she and Cade got into trouble she could flirt her way back out again.
She could smell the forest off him and felt his warmth leaking into her. His breath tickled her lips as she tipped her head back and waited for him to make the final move. If he kissed her and liked it, he would be more likely to make silly mistakes where she was concerned and maybe help or free her.
She closed her eyes and tried to ignore how much she was looking forward to tasting him.
He didn’t move. “Too bad he left you behind.”
She opened her eyes. “What?”
“Your brother. He left you behind. With us. To die.”
The words stung more than a physical slap. Elore reeled back a step and looked away from him. she felt angry words bubbling up behind her teeth and couldn’t stop them from spilling over.
“What would you know? You spend too much time terrorising people to know what caring looks like. He didn’t run away he fled.”
Axel pushed her backwards until he was free to pass her. He set down his cup so hard that the table rocked. “He still fled without you.”
Elora struggled to summon up a retort.
Axel smirked at her again and then went to the door. “Enjoy your stay.” He started to leave but turned back. “Oh and by the way, next time you try to manipulate me like that we will just see what kind of person you end up with. I’d say you would fetch a nice penny at a brothel.”
Elora glared at him while he went out the door and locked it behind him.
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