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

Ayla shivered. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she asked herself how she could have ever swallowed his tale of being a merchant set upon by robbers after she had found him in the forest. Just now, as he stood towering over her, his fists clenched, his strong, muscled body tense and coiled to spring, he looked nothing like a merchant. He looked like the most deadly killing machine imaginable.

But fear couldn't long preoccupy her. Anger was taking up far too much space in her mind right now.

“You lied to me,” she hissed.

“Yes.” Reuben's face was still as cold as steel. “Quite a wise policy, in my opinion. I didn't think you would be over-enthused to take in and heal a man who had just robbed you of all your possessions.”

“You stole from me.”

“Indeed I did. I think I already mentioned that. And?”

Ayla felt her temper rising even higher. How could he be so cold, so distant? Deep inside she knew how and why: he had never really cared for her. It had all been a pretense to save his neck.

“You haven't answered my question!”

“Which one, Milady? You seem to be rather curious this fine evening.”

“Where. Is. Eleanor?” Ayla had to fight to keep her voice steady. Her beloved mare. Her only childhood friend. What had he done with her?

Reuben shrugged. “How should I know? I didn't particularly pay attention to what happened after I got shot. Being unconscious can be quite distracting, you know. I suppose the surviving mercenaries took the horse, along with everything else of value they could find.”

His words hit Ayla like a blow in the stomach. Falkenstein! Falkeinstein's mercenaries! Her archenemy held Eleanor in captivity. She could feel her eyes growing moist, but she willed herself not to cry. Not now. Not in front of him!

“You… you…” she stammered, simmering with rage.

“Yes?” Reuben raised an eyebrow. “Are you looking for some insults to throw at me? Search well, I beg you, Milady. You will have to be quite original to come up with something I haven't heard before. I have a large and varied vocabulary.”

“You…blaggard! You pock-marked villain!”

“Oh, surely you can do better than that. I've never had the pox.”

“You wayward pignut!”

“Oh, please…”

Ayla couldn't take it anymore. She slapped him once again, then turned and ran to the door, endeavoring to conceal her angry tears.

At the door, she turned once again and raised her hand, pointing at Reuben, who stood leisurely in the middle of the room, a lascivious smirk on his face.

“You…you…I never want to see you again in this world or the next, you miserable worm!”

Then she rushed out, slamming the door behind her with an almighty crash!

On the bed, Sir Isenbard's eyes jerked open. “What is happening?” he demanded in a sore voice. “Are we being bombarded?”





Two Hating Hearts?

Reuben managed to keep the smirk on his face for about two seconds after she had left. Then it disappeared, and he staggered back.

She knew. She finally knew.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Reuben was aware of the fact that he should feel pain. Yes, he definitely should. He was in love with this girl, after all, wasn't he?

He decided that he probably would feel pain—but later. Not now.

Instead, all he felt now was…efficiency. He was in enemy territory again. And he had lived too long as an outlaw under the Emperor's rule not to know that outlaws and robbers who didn't watch their backs died quick and painful deaths.

“Are we being bombarded?” the old knight on the bed demanded to know again. But Reuben hardly heard him.

With two long strides, he was at the door. Ayla hadn't locked it behind her. That could be a good sign. Maybe she still didn't think of him as an enemy and a prisoner.

Or maybe she has left it open for her guards to fetch you, said a nasty little voice in the back of his mind. That voice had often kept Reuben alive before. Now, he didn't like the sound of it very much.

You should have killed her on the spot, the voice told him. You would have, in earlier days, before you became so soppy. Maybe she hasn't told anyone about your little secret yet. You could have escaped without anybody being suspicious.

Didn't like it? No, he hated that voice right now. Anyway, what it said wasn't quite true. He might be able to escape the castle. But there was that small matter of an enemy army building siege fortifications all around its walls.

Reuben chuckled darkly to himself. He was in quite a unique situation. Knights like him had to deal with castle sieges often enough. But most of the time, the enemy was either inside and you had to get in, or he was outside and you had to get rid of him. It wasn't often the case that the enemy was both inside and outside and you didn't know where best to go so as not to lose your precious head.

Carefully, he pulled the door ajar and peered out into the corridor. There were three guards posted at its end. Were they just the normal number of guards posted throughout the castle, or were they placed there for the express purpose of guarding him?

“What in God's name are you doing?” the old knight demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I'm not in the habit of doing anything in the name of God,” Reuben replied, absent-mindedly.