New Beginnings

Chapter 16

Finally through the trees I spotted home. I forced my legs faster and held Kinlee tighter. My lungs were burning and Kinlee whimpered as she wrapped her arms around me. Then a big body blocked our view and Kinlee let out a scream.

We veered to the left just as a big arm reached out and grabbed Kinlee around the middle. When her body was pulled out of my grasp something inside of me snapped. I didn't know where the air came from but I screamed. It wasn't a scream of fear it was a scream of rage. It was my battle cry.

Summoning up my strength I launched myself at the man and applied everything that I had learned even though I didn't have a sword. But I didn't need one. My limbs became my weapons and I attacked the man. I could hear loud footsteps approaching us as I punched, slapped, and clawed the man. If there were more men coming to join in the fight I didn't care. They weren't taking that little girl away from me. I swung on him over and over.

He was too big I wasn't making any difference. Strangely he didn't do anything to defend himself against my attack. He simply held onto Kinlee and I did everything I could think of to get her away from his grasp. He was trying to walk away from me as I swung at him.

Kinlee howled at the top of her lungs drawing the footsteps closer. The man started to run away from me. I tried to keep his pace but he was so much stronger and faster than I was.

I knew it was the end. Despite my efforts to save Kinlee and myself I had failed. What would Rollo think of me now? I had failed to protect something most precious to him.

Something launched from out of the trees and collided with the man I was desperately trying to keep up with. I was thrown off balance and I fell to the ground. My hands came up to break my fall but not before I was thrown into a large rock. My world went black as I thought that the man who launched himself from behind the trees had looked quite a bit like my missing husband.

---------------------------------------------

"Anna." someone called from far away. "Anna open your eyes. Look at me." Someone was patting my cheek. I opened my eyes slowly then closed them again. Everything was spinning. The light hurt. "Anna." they called again. They were very impatient with me couldn't they see that I was trying?

I groaned loudly and there was a deep chuckle. Forcing my eyes open a little at a time I was able to see past the spinning and my eyes locked with dark blue.

"Rollo?" I whispered my voice full of surprise and he chuckled again. I fought to keep my eyes open. "You can't be here. Grey is here and if she sees you she will kill the both of us."

"Why not? You are my wife" he stated taking my hand in his. He started to draw distracting patterns on my palm with his thumb.

"Grey is here you can't be here" I started to explain again but he interrupted me.

"Grey is the reason that I left. But I was coming back. I was on my way home through the forest when I heard Kinlee's screams."

Kinlee. I started to look around for the little girl where was she? I hadn't seen her. Then I realized I was in Rollo's bed.

"How did we get into your room?" I asked him confused.

"You were unconscious so I carried you." he explained as his thumb continued to draw the patterns. I looked down at our entwined hands and tried to form thoughts into words. It was proving difficult.

"Did you speak with Grey's father?" I asked him after much concentration.

"I did and after a lot of bribery, gold, and jewels I was able to convince him to release me from the betrothal" he said. His thumb moved up to my wrist distracting me further.

I wondered how much he had to pay to get out of the betrothal. Hopefully not too much I was hardly worth the money.

"How are you going to tell her?"

"I'll write a note and hook it onto an arrow then shoot it at her ship. And then I will run in the opposite direction" was his reply.

I couldn't help but smile. "Coward" I laughed. And he lowered his face to mine his eyes dark and serious. I quit my childish giggling. His eyes darted to my lips. I couldn't breathe. He looked at me and I felt as if I was locked by his gaze. His lips twitched into a teasing smile. Then he simply kissed my forehead, stood, then left the room while I tried to control the beating of my erratic heart.