B00CGOH3US EBOK (22 page)

Surprised, she gaped at him. "You're going to let me go? Alone?"

"You are right. If we are to succeed, then we must learn to trust one another. If I have your word you will return quickly, I trust you to do so."

She felt a rush of elation, as if she'd just been given the keys to the car for the first time. She rose on her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. I won't disappoint you this time. I promise."

At his stunned expression, she turned and walked toward the lake, wondering if she'd just taken the first tiny step in taming a dragon.

She had kissed him.

Baelin touched his cheek, still tingling from the caress of Lady Jill's lips. The woman never ceased to confound him. When he'd been loath to touch her, even to wipe her tears away, she'd kissed him without hesitation, without fear, and—most significantly—without disgust.

Could it be possible he did not repulse her? That, dare he hope, she might even grow to care for him?

Just who was this woman from another time? How was it she could see him so differently from all the other maids that had come before her?

She was bold and strong-willed, stubborn and brazen. Aye, infuriating though she may be, it was those very traits that gave him hope. Hope that maybe she was the one after all, the one to break the curse. So far, she'd made it farther than any of the others.

He stood in the shadows of the forest, listening to the sounds coming from the lake as Lady Jill sang an off-key tune while she bathed. Something about washing a man out of her hair. How was that even possible?

What an odd tune. Then she sang a line about sending that man on his way. Was she singing about him? Probably. She was no doubt angry with him. He couldn't blame her. He may have been living in a cave for over two hundred years, but he still recalled how women liked to remain tidy and presentable. He'd behaved like an ass in trying to deny her the small, simple pleasure of a bath.

By the saints, he was at a loss as to how to handle the woman. The other maids had done as he asked, ever fearful of angering the dragon. But not this one. Nay, she seemed to thrive on constantly arguing with him, opposing him at every turn.

She paused in her singing to shout out, "I'm still here."

Her words stabbed through him. He wanted to trust her. He needed to. But he did not dare. His word of honor was everything, and his faith in her word had been shattered.

She began yet another song. This one was about bathing with a rubber duck, whatever this thing rubber was. He didn't even attempt to try to comprehend its meaning.

The woman's very presence tormented his peace of mind, baffling him at every turn. One moment she was a shrieking harpy, ranting about things he often didn't understand, and the next she would gaze at him with a warmth and tenderness he'd not known in centuries.

It was moments like that, when she made her way past the dragon to the man, that he was most vulnerable. The ancient heart within his chest was a desiccated ground, soaking up the smallest drop of her kindness, even at the risk of drowning in the overwhelming flood of those long dormant emotions.

He groaned, the sound of her bathing recalling images he best not think of. But they refused to stay at bay.

He could easily imagine the cool lake water flowing over her soft flesh, caressing her body with liquid fingers—fingers he longed to replace with his own. Another splash brought the vision of her standing by the shallow pool of the cave, drops of water glistening on her pale skin like thousands of tiny diamonds, while streams trickled in a curving trail between her breasts, down her belly, to the enticing thatch of brown curls between her thighs. His mouth grew parched, his throat dry. He was a thirsting man dying for but one sip to drink.

He paced under the trees, wrestling with the need to get away from the temptation of Lady Jill and his wicked thoughts, but needing to stay close in case of danger. The torture of his own imaginings was almost too much to endure, the sound of his own breathing too loud to his ears.

He stopped before a large oak and beat his forehead against it until he thought he might see stars. He had to stop the wicked visions poisoning his thoughts or he would be no better than the leering dragon she'd accused him of being in the cave. He stilled himself and squeezed his eyes shut to calm the beast inside.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze landed on a small willow tree, its branches supple, always bending to the wind, but never breaking. The willow looked deceptively fragile and delicate, but grew in the rockiest of ground, strong and constant.

That was his Lady Jill. She thought she was weak, unworthy to the task at hand. She said he demanded too much of her. But like the willow, he could see the strength hidden within her. A strength she did not realize she possessed.

But he had to remember she was also alone and afraid, a woman far from her home and family. She'd already been through more for his sake than he had any right to ask. Never, in all the years he'd been taking the maidens, had he imagined the tests would be so physically challenging. He only prayed the tests that yet remained would not cause her more pain and suffering.

Baelin breathed a sigh of relief. At least they seemed to have reached a truce of sorts, after the argument over the bath. If he could remember to allow her small pleasures such as that every now and then, perhaps they would get along better.

He smiled, recalling her chaste kiss on his cheek. Aye, if they could get on like that, they just might survive this quest without killing each other in the process.

It was then he noticed the silence and his smile vanished.

Lady Jill had stopped singing.

Jill stumbled from the icy water before she lost all feeling in her extremities.

The idea of a bath in the lake had sounded good in theory. The reality was bone-chilling, teeth-chattering frigid. Where did the water come from, a glacier?

She'd just pulled the last clean smock over her shivering body when she heard a horse's whinny close by. Her first instinct was to shout for Baelin, but she bit back the sound. What if it brought unwanted attention to where she was, when whoever it was might pass her by if she stayed quiet?

She contemplated diving back into the cold water to swim across the lake to safety, but could she make it? Probably not. With her luck, she'd drown.

Before she could make a move, a lone man rode out of the trees. He wore a white surcoat with a blue gryphon rampant over a suit of mail, complete with a long sword and shiny shield. This was no dirty woodland outlaw. This man was a knight like Baelin.

But that didn't make him any less of a threat.

He pulled his large horse to a halt, surprise at finding her standing before him evident on his handsome face. He surveyed the area, evaluating every tree and boulder in sight. Was he looking for signs of danger? She almost laughed. Like she was a big threat, standing barefoot and shivering in her medieval slip.

Evidently determining it was safe, he left the cover of the forest and urged his horse closer.

Jill glanced around for a weapon and grabbed a branch that had washed up on the rocky shore. She hefted it like a baseball bat and the rough bark bit into her tender palms. She might not be able to do much damage with it, but she hoped it might keep him from coming too close.

"Greetings, my lady."

"Hi there, yourself. That's close enough, if you don't mind."

The knight stopped his horse. "As you wish." He glanced around the shoreline once again. "My lady, how is it you are alone and unprotected?"

Jill looked into the woods behind him, relieved to see no more men materializing out of the shadows. "I was beginning to wonder the same about you."

The knight looked perplexed for a moment and then he laughed. "Ah, you jest with me. Myself, unprotected. 'Tis humorous. But if the truth be known, I am not alone." He called over his shoulder without taking his eyes off her. "Master Owen, come forth and present yourself."

Jill tensed, wondering if a whole army of knights was about to surround her. She breathed a sigh of relief when a lone boy, no older than eleven or twelve, rode out of the forest on a small pony. Guess one knight and a tweener didn't count as an army.

The knight dismounted with ease and tossed the reins to the boy, then walked slowly toward her. Still not sure if he was friend or foe, Jill raised her impromptu bat, prepared to bash him in that handsome head of his if he made one wrong move.

"That's far enough. I think it would be better if you got back on your horse and rode off into the sunset like a good little knight."

He stopped just out of striking distance from her. "Fear not, my lady. I mean you no harm. My only desire is to ensure your safety."

"I'm safe enough, thank you. My friend is waiting just around that bend. He's a knight. A very protective one," she felt compelled to add. "One shout from me and he'll be here before you can get back on that big Clydesdale of yours. And trust me, I don't think you want to be here when he does. He's got a fiery temper." Sometimes quite literally, she thought.

"A fellow knight? Truly?" He glanced around the area once more, as if he didn't believe her. "Then I look forward to making his acquaintance. 'Tis been a long time since I shared the company of a fellow man of the sword."

He took another step toward her but stopped short when she raised the stick higher. Ignoring the possibility she might actually clobber him with it, he bowed to her.

"I am Sir Roderick of Kendale and this young lad behind me is my squire-in-training, Owen." The knight straightened and placed his hand over his heart. "On my honor, my lady, we intend you no harm."

Jill stared at him, trying to gauge whether he was telling the truth or not. If he was anything like Baelin, he would rather eat his mail before tarnishing his honor. Then again, she ventured to guess there was no one else quite like Baelin within a hundred miles. Or a hundred centuries, for that matter.

She glanced at his squire trainee sitting silently on his pony, the lake breeze tousling his blond hair about his young face. Even though he was still more boy than man, Jill felt a bit safer knowing he was around. After all, this Roderick wouldn't try anything funny with an impressionable young kid around, would he?

Cautiously, she lowered the branch but kept a firm grip on it with one hand. Better not to let her defenses completely down.

Sir Roderick nodded, acknowledging her reluctant ease. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Lady…?"

"Jill."

"Ah, Lady Jill. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Jill had thought the knight handsome when he rode out of the forest, but when he smiled at her, as he did now, he was drop dead gorgeous. Black shoulder-length hair framed a chiseled face and his brilliant blue eyes twinkled with charm and seduction. Now
this
was what the knights in the fairy tales were supposed to look like. They weren't supposed to go around with pterodactyl wings on their back and snorting fireballs.

Distracted by his GQ looks, she hardly noticed when he reached for her free hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. A frown marked his brow and he turned her hand over.

"My lady, you are injured."

Jill jerked her hand from him, barely resisting the urge to hide it behind her back. "Cooking accident."

"I see." The look he gave her said he suspected she was not telling him the truth, but he had the decency not to question her further about it. "So where, pray tell, is your knight?"

"He's back at our camp, giving me some privacy while I took my bath."

The unspoken inference that he was not as gallant went over his head.

"Then 'tis fortuitous we have stumbled upon you. Allow me to escort you back to him, and then perhaps we can share the warmth of your fire and the company of you and your companion for the night."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. My companion likes his privacy."

"In that case, I shall see you safely into his care, and then Master Owen and I shall be on our way."

Jill ground her teeth. This guy just couldn't take a hint.

"Thanks, but I'm perfectly capable of finding my own way back. Besides, I'm sure you want to get going before it gets too dark. After all, don't you have a castle to defend or a damsel to rescue?"