Victor didn’t even blink. “Done.”
“Really?”
“That’s a fair request. I’ll return your friends for your cooperation. You have my word of honor.”
She knew she was pushing her luck here, but she couldn’t stop milking it for all its worth.
“You’ll give Mia and Jules the wedding she’s always dreamt of, including a fancy Cinderella gown, even more glamorous than the one I wore.”
“Is that all, milady?” A grin grew across his lips.
“No.” The face of the little girl with the long red hair and sunken face flashed across her mind. “You’ll send food to the village of Lato. The people there are starving. You should be ashamed of yourself, sitting in your fancy castle and hosting your parties, drinking and eating to your heart’s content, while babies and children are dying.”
“Lato belongs to King William, not me.”
She frowned, anger rising up inside her. “I don’t care who it belongs to. Those people need help…and fast.”
“No woman I know would make such demands in such a dire predicament as the one you are facing. Rather, they’d be begging for mercy, begging me to spare their lives for their betrayal to their king.”
She pushed out her chin defiantly. “I’m not a submissive woman like the kind you are used to.” She couldn’t even imagine what someone so attractive, wealthy, and powerful would want with her anyway. Victor could have had his pick of the most beautiful, submissive maidens in the kingdom. Sarah knew she looked nothing like Cinderella with her straight brown hair and brown eyes, and when it came to personality, she wasn’t a Snow White kind of girl. Sarah would’ve mopped the floor with her evil stepmother’s and stepsisters’ hair before she would’ve put up with all that crap.
He nodded. “Fair enough, my Queen. I see you’re definitely meant for something great—to rule by my side and be my equal.”
She raised her hand to touch his cheek, her fingers moving along his jaw line of their own accord. She knew she shouldn’t allow herself to get attached to him, yet she couldn’t help herself. Something deep and strong drew her to him, making her want to touch him and spare him any further disappointment in her. “About my betrayal…I’m sorry for the pain and anger I’ve caused you, but I don’t regret my decision for a minute. You see, I’m not into being treated like property, and I’ll live my life the way I see fit.”
“See, milady? You’re feisty, strong-willed, and unpredictable. It’s what I love the most about you. I shall meet all of your demands, including helping the village of Lato, though it doesn’t belong to me.”
“Guess we have a deal then.” She reached for his hand; a current of electricity flowed through it, like she had touched a live wire.
Freaky
. Glancing down at their hands, the rings glowed brightly, as if they were in perfect tune. Perfect peace washed over her.
There has to be a way to get out of this psychic bond from these rings and this marriage.
Sure, every fiber of her being was attracted to him, but she had no desire to be stuck in Medieval Land for the rest of her life, magic rings and queen status or not.
They spent the next thirty minutes chitchatting about the simplest of things, from the weather to the wildlife in the forest. Victor didn’t seem at all like the tyrant people made him out to be, and Sarah began to think that he was just misunderstood. At the very least, he deserved a second chance.
He bent down to pick up a wildflower in full bloom and held it out to her, his lips twitching, his eyes sparkling with something she couldn’t quite pinpoint.
Murmuring a thank you, her hands clasped around it and, in a bold moment, she rose on her toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, her heart beating like a drum in her ears. When he pulled back he didn’t seem to react, but she could see something change in his attitude, his skin glowing as though a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.
“You know what I love about these woods?” Victor whispered, pulling her close and burying his face in her flowing hair. “They smell divine.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure whether he had truly meant the woods or her. “Did you…?” Her voice broke, and the question remained trapped somewhere inside her throat.
He shook his head, grinning. “That’s for you to find out,” he said, as though he was reading her thoughts. Gripping her hand, he pulled her along, his face smiling down at her.
She could sense the immense pleasure and joy he felt from holding her hand, and she was sending the same vibes right back. She looked away as heat spread across her cheeks. She wasn’t going to be able to hide anything from him.
“My horse is tied up by the huge oak tree,” Victor said.
“I know being in enemy territory is beyond dangerous. I’m sorry you had to risk your life to come here, but I never asked or wanted you to come to my rescue. I don’t need a knight in shining armor.”
He pulled her along until they reached a clearing. A dark horse neighed to greet them. “I understand your motivations, but going into King William’s castle was a suicide mission for both of us.”
“You mean for me?”
“No. I mean for
us
. Putting your life at risk is putting
my
life at risk too.”
“I’m sorry I made you risk your life by coming over here,” she said softly. It was true, even still, she doubted she would’ve acted any other way. “But you didn’t have to come.”
The lines around his mouth tightened. “Yes. I did.”
“I sense there’s more you haven’t told me.”
“You haven’t figured out why King’s William’s men are after you?”
“The king is pissed I took the identity of Gloria.”
“No, my love.”
“Then what?”
“We’re connected as one beating heart. If I get killed over here, you have just as much to lose.”
Sarah sighed. “You’re talking in riddles. Do you mean I’ll feel all the pain that you’re experiencing?”
“Worse.” He glanced into the towering ferns and cocked his head. “Quick. We must leave.”
Curiosity overwhelmed her. “Wait. I want to hear more.”
He gripped her hand. “I hear horses nearby.”
“Immortals or King William?”
Before he could answer, an arrow whizzed past her head and hit the tree, causing her to jump.
Two knights lunged toward Victor, knights bearing the crest of King William.
Cramps spread across her legs and she crumbled to the ground. Dirt and dust fell into her eyes, blinding her for a second. “Victor!” she yelled. “Are you okay? I’ll help you.” She scrambled up while rubbing her eyes to get the dirt out.
Somewhere to her right, someone groaned.
She turned her head sharply in that direction, wondering whether the blurred shape was her husband. As she pushed up for a better look, her legs buckled under her, and she toppled back onto the ground. Whatever the knights were doing to him, she was feeling it, and that was probably why they weren’t paying her much attention; they didn’t really need to. Dizziness flooded over her. She fought it, as she couldn’t allow herself to lose consciousness, yet something pulled her under, making her pulse race faster. Desperately, her mind tried to cling to reality. Her muscles weakened as darkness gathered around her. With a last breath, Sarah fell into oblivion.
Chapter 2
“Where am I? What am I doing here?” Pushing up on her elbows, Sarah rubbed her head, wondering how long she’d been passed out.
What is this stuff? Sawdust? Dried grass?
Her skin itched
from the
straw poking through her cloak. The swish of a tail, the slosh of water, and chewing noises echoed to her right. A horse whinnied. The smell of musty hay and manure made her gag as flies buzzed past her ear.
She pried her eyes wide open, still wondering where she was. Flaming torches hung on the white-washed stone walls. An outline of a man holding a Viking-like battle axe stood over her. She blinked against the glaring sun and sat up, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden brightness. At the sight of him, Sarah’s heart lurched, and she let out a short shriek that turned into a groan against the onset of a throbbing headache pounding in the right side of her skull. “Please don’t hurt me!”
The man held out his hand, then pulled back again, hesitating, as though he’d had a change of heart.
Frowning, she peered from his axe to the wooden stalls behind him, then back to him.
The guy didn’t look like he’d be offering an aspirin and a glass of water anytime soon. “You’re awake,” he said, a frown perched between his brows. Slowly, he lowered the axe.
Sarah scooted back on her elbows, nearly paralyzed by panic, her body trembling from head to toe. “Wh-who are you?”
“You weren’t supposed to wake up.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m King William Jarod.” He was tall with short blond hair, muscular arms, and broad shoulders. Staring into his eyes, which were blue as the sky, she couldn’t picture him being any kind of serial killer. He reminded her more of a medieval Ken doll with his dark green tunic, simple matching belt, and gold eagle emblem. “Welcome to my castle. This is the room where I keep my most prized horses. If you had stayed unconscious for a minute longer, you’d have woken up in a better place.”
She was sure he was about to kill her, and he proved the old adage that looks could be deceiving. A whimper escaped her throat. She sat up, ignoring the protests from her aching body as she yelled, “Please don’t do this!”
“You are doing this country a great service. Your sacrifice will be honored.” He held up the battle axe, ready to swing.
“NO!” She jumped up, ready to knock that thing out of his hand one way or another. She wasn’t going out without one heck of a fight. “What did you do with Victor?”
King William spat on the ground inches away from her leather shoes. “Your husband escaped. I won’t let the same happen with you,” he said, swinging the axe over his head like a madman.
Sarah’s breath caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. “Why are you doing this?” Her words came low and hoarse, and she realized that her heart was about to give up on her.
Narrowing his gaze, he lowered his arms, but he didn’t loosen the grip around his axe. “You look confused, which makes me believe you truly are in the dark about what’s going on. Believe it or not, I’m an honorable man. If you are to die today, it is only fair that you know the reason.”
It didn’t sound particularly promising, and Sarah sighed at the hundreds of reasons invading her mind. In her world, none of them stood a chance, because normal people from her time period knew better than to take out their axe and threaten people, but Sarah was a stranger in a strange world. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe any of the modern-day rules applied here. She considered her options. Throwing one reason after another at him, particularly the part that she had cheated her way into immortality, might only enrage him.
Maybe I could just play along until I get to a point where I can bargain for my life, whatever it might be worth to him.
“You’re right. I have no idea what you want from me.”
He cocked a brow. “Nothing comes to mind?”
She tapped a finger against her lips, wondering whether to keep pretending or change tactics and make him aware that, if it weren’t for her, he might have more important things to tend to. “You’re angry that I impersonated Princess Gloria.” She stopped, watching the expression on his face for a moment. When it didn’t change she continued, “I think you should be happy I married that crazy nut, King Victor, instead of him really forcing your daughter into it. He planned to use her as a pawn in his sick little game.”
“Yes, I’m painfully aware of his reasons for wanting to wed Gloria.”
“He would have, too, if it weren’t for me. I distracted him so she could get away, go back into hiding in the forest. You should be thanking me, not trying to kill me.”
He nodded, his expression still not changing. “I am grateful for your kind and sacrificial deed.”
She moistened her lips, regarding him intently. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not really feeling that right now. I just wish you’d explain everything to me.”
“You’re mistaken.” He took a deep breath, his gaze glazing over as though he was a million miles away. “I told Gloria she wasn’t going to step one foot on King Victor’s land, but she wouldn’t listen once she received word that Charles and his knights were walking straight into a trap. She took a group of knights and headed into enemy territory behind my back.”
“Did she find Charles?”
“Gloria was captured for a few hours before she escaped. She was able to meet up with Charles in time and warn him, which ultimately saved his life. They headed back, but the enemy gave chase. The only way they could lose them was to enter the forbidden forest of the Guardians. King Victor’s men followed them right in. A battle ensued, and they were separated. Charles made it back, but Gloria didn’t. I feared the worst.” His gaze focused back on her. “I think you might have had something to do with that.”