Chapter 4

I was in a bitter mood. No, worse than that. I had never been so angry in my whole life. Here I was, with my hands tied to Zander’s saddle, riding into the Ayris wilderness. How had I allowed myself to be captured so easily? I ground my teeth around the piece of cloth, tied tightly around my mouth to keep me quiet. I wanted to scream out at him, but all I could do was feel my body sway to and fro with his as we rode on into the darkness.

Behind us, a pack of Dingoes followed, kept in line by Zander’s men. He hadn’t said anything since my capture and I hated that. I wanted him to gloat or something. Anything to give me another reason to hate him. I kept my eyes forward, watching the landscape change as we approached a mountain range. Occasionally, I would look at Bianca who rode next to us, tied to Zander’s horse. I had to figure out some way to get us out of this mess.

Finally, we stopped. He left me on his horse as he helped his crew set up camp for the night. I started to rub my wrists together, reaching into the lapel of my jacket with my mouth, trying to remove the small blade I kept there in case of emergencies. I finally got it between my lips, thankful that the gag was loose enough for me to do so. I leaned down and started filing away at the coarse rope that kept my hands bound.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Zander asked, standing by his horse and watching me. I jumped, startled by his sudden presence. I dropped the small blade and looked at him with pure hatred. “What, you think I don’t know that trick?” He removed the hair tie on his braid and it turned out to be a malleable file.

I glared at him. Was he mocking me? I mumbled for him to let me go through my gag. He chuckled again, finally getting me off the horse. His hands rested on my hips, squeezing them slightly as he held me close. I had always been a tall girl, but Zander was much taller. I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

With gentle, nimble fingers he untied the gag and let it slide down to my neck. I rounded my jaw, trying to loosen it up. “Let me go!” I screamed at him almost instantly.

“Now why would I do that? We both know that you would simply turn me in and I can’t have that.” He picked me up over his shoulder and carried me toward the fire.

“Let go of me this instant!” I demanded, pounding against his bare back with my still bound hands.

“If you say so.” He shrugged, dropping me on the ground. I groaned, landing on my shoulder.

“That’s not what I meant,” I grumbled, sitting up and feeling my headache.

“Well, next time choose your words more carefully.” I narrowed my eyes in his direction. My hat had fallen off in my fall and he quickly snatched it up, putting it on. “What’s the point of this thing?”

“It’s none of your goddamn business!” I spat, trying to get back on my feet.

“Oh come now, don’t be like that. If you’re going to be my prisoner, we should really learn to get along.” His smooth voice wrapped around me, working to pacify me for a brief moment. My cheeks reddened and my heartbeat quickened.

“Just give it back.”

He chuckled, his radiant smile shooting right through my soul like a bullet, my knees going weak. What was happening? Why was a criminal having this sort of effect on me? I tried to ignore the pestering thoughts in my head, but no matter what I tried, I could only notice how incredibly attractive he was.

He looked down at me and wrapped his hand around my elbow, helping me up. He guided me toward the fireplace, setting me down and then placing the hat back on my head. We sat in silence for a moment. His men were separated from us, talking amongst themselves, their voices melding together into some indistinguishable background noise.

“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” He asked, leaning back and looking up at the sky. Ayris’ dual moons hung overhead like someone had shot two silver holes in the black sky. I said nothing. All I could think about was why a man like him, who was obviously smart, cunning, and quick-witted decided to waste his talents on being an outlaw.

“Why do you do it?” I finally asked.

“Do what?” He returned, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

“Why are you an outlaw? It doesn’t make any sense.”

He just laughed, the sound coming from deep within his belly. “That’s a good question.” He paused and looked up at the sky once more. “You know, you and I, we aren’t all that different. You’re just like me, I can see it in your eyes.”

“Don’t you dare compare me to yourself.” I snapped at him, getting angry. “I’m not some lowlife criminal!”

“No, you’re not.” He said calmly in response. “But you do have a love for adventure, just as I do. You love the wilderness and yearn for it. There’s that same glint in your eyes which I see whenever I look into a mirror.” He explained, his voice like liquid honey. I found myself listening to him with the utmost attention. “The only real difference is that we’re on opposite sides. I choose to break the law while you choose to uphold it.” He turned, leaning on his elbow and looking at me. “It could’ve easily been the other way around.”

“Then why isn’t it?” I challenged, finding myself gravitating closer to him. “Tell me why you choose to ruin the lives of those around you.” Our faces were nearing now, getting closer and closer together.

He just grinned at me, our noses practically touching. “That would be a story much too long to tell right now. And, I much rather let my lips do all the talking.” Suddenly, he leaned forward, closing the gap between us. His lips collided into mine and my eyes grew wide for a moment, feeling the roughness of his blue lips. They felt strange at first as if they were setting mine on fire.

I tried to push him away, but he was too strong, pulling me closer, his hands running along my body. I didn’t want to admit it, but his touch started to turn me on. I could feel a fire forming between my thighs and it was driving me insane. Finally, I gave in, kissing him back, feeling like my head would explode. What was I doing? Why was I kissing this man?

Still, I couldn’t pull away. His lips were too sweet and his touch so intoxicating. He pulled me onto his lap, letting his fingers crawl into my pants. My eyes grew big, but to my own amazement, I allowed him to continue, wanting to find out how far he would go.