The Robber Knight's Love (The Robber Knight Saga #2)(125)

“Because, you see,” Reuben continued, and Ayla could hear the explosion approaching under the superficial calm of his voice, “I’m not ordinary. And I most definitely do not fight fair.”

“Yaa!”

Dashing forward, Sir Luca again pretended to strike at Reuben with his sword. This time, though, he didn't change the direction of his blow but simply stopped it and moved his leg up sharply, sinking his knee into Reuben's crotch. With a dull thud, his knee made contact.

It had absolutely no effect.

For a moment, just a moment, all the eyes of the men on the wall went wide, and Ayla could see it in their faces: they weren't thinking about the fight anymore. Hands went to areas between legs. Hundreds of male faces twisted in mixed pity, awe, and incomprehension. It was obvious to Ayla that whatever Reuben had done before to weave a legend around his name, this would easily outstrip it.

“Satan's warty prick…” Burchard murmured behind her, his voice raw. “What's the matter with the fellow? How is he still standing after…that? He isn't…you know…missing something?”

Ayla’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t even considered that possibility! But no, that couldn’t be it! Not with a smile as lascivious as his! He had to have…stuff down there. It had to have been his painlessness. It had to!

“No. He isn't. It's something else. He’s, um…fully equipped down there. I am absolutely sure.”

Burchard's voice got a good deal more suspicious. “And how the hell would you know?”

“Psht!” She waved at him imperiously. “Be quiet!” She was watching Reuben, listening intently.

“There, you see?” Reuben’s voice rose. It was becoming more menacing by the second, deep and growling, like the warning sounds out of the belly of some fierce beast just before the inevitable attack. “I'm not just any knight you can trick with your underhanded ways and stab in the back. I know them all— I invented most of them myself!”

His hand shot forward, gripping Luca by the throat. If not for the metal bevor around his neck, Ayla felt sure he would have crushed Luca's windpipe.

“I am different,” Reuben hissed. “I'm the Red Robber Knight. There's nothing you can hurt me with.”

“That's where you're wrong,” Luca gasped. He brought up his sword to slash at the arm holding him. Reuben let go and brought his own blade around to counter the attack—but Luca had already broken it off. He had dived for the tower door and now flung it open again. Expecting this to be another attack, Reuben brought up his hand to shield himself—in vain. The door slid open just wide enough to admit Luca into the tower.

“Satan's hairy ass! Come out and face me!” Reuben marched towards the door and flung it fully open—just as Luca emerged from the second door right beside it, behind Reuben. Ayla gave a startled cry.

“Reuben! Look out!”

She knew it would come too late. Luca was too close already. But then…then Luca ran past Reuben, away from him, down the walkway. What was this? The fight was over there. Why was he running towards her?

And then the penny dropped.

“Reuben! Reuben, he’s going to-!”

But the rage in Reuben’s eyes showed that he already knew why Luca was heading away from him and towards her.

Quickly, Ayla bent down, grasping a dagger that had been dropped by one of the dead fighters, and held it out in front of her with trembling hands. Luca just smirked, ducked underneath her clumsy strike, grasped her wrist, and twisted. The merciless grip of his iron-clad hand sent red-hot pain through Ayla's fingers. She screamed in pain, and the dagger clattered to the ground.

“Let go of me, you ugly brute!” Writhing, she tried to somehow get out of his grip. But he just ignored her, enveloping her in his steely grasp. A moment later, she felt something she had felt only twice before: a sharp blade at her throat. She growled. “Let me go, you bastard!”

“Now, now,” a silky voice hissed into her ear. “That's not the appropriate way for a lady to talk, is it?”

His blade remained at her throat, but his other hand shot up, palm out. “Not another step closer! Not one step closer, or she dies!”

Through her tears, Ayla saw Reuben, frozen to a red statue of rage, only a few feet away from her.

“Let her go,” he said, his voice as deadly as death itself.

Slowly, Luca shook his head. Ayla could feel the movement in the way the blade moved across the skin at her throat and cut into her.

“Oh no. That's the last thing I'm going to do, bastardo.” He smiled. “You see? There is a way to hurt you. And I believe I have found it.”

~~*~~*

Reuben stood there, gazing at Ayla in the arms of that monster, and didn't move a muscle. Oh, if only he could take one more step forward. One step would be enough, and the danger to the center of his world would be ended. But if he could take that step forward, he wouldn’t actually kill Luca. Oh no, not so fast. He would cut off his hands and feet so he could cause no more harm, and then the fun would begin…

Suddenly, a movement from behind Luca distracted him. Burchard, wounded and weak as he was, had dragged himself over to the Italian and grabbed the fallen dagger on the floor. Slowly, he raised it, ready to plunge it into Luca's calf.