Vengeance (The Captive #6)(28)

Her brown eyes held his across the flames. “Tempest,” she finally replied. “And you are?”

“William.”

Her head tilted to the side as she studied him. She pulled her hands away from the fire and looked braced to run once more as she placed her hands on the ground beside her. “What are you doing out here, William?”

“Searching for someone, and you?”

“They must be someone of importance if they brought you this far into the mountains.”

He didn’t miss the fact she’d ignored his question in pursuit of her own. “And what has brought you this far into the mountains?”

Her mouth pursed; her gaze shot to the front of the cave as she lifted her hands and moved them closer to the fire once more. “Are we safe here?” she inquired, apparently determined not to answer anything he asked.

“Yes.”

For the first time since finding her, he didn’t sense her distrust; instead, he sensed her fear as her hands shook over the flames. “Are you sure?”

An uneasy feeling filled him, he looked toward the front of the cave but all he could smell and hear up there was Achilles. After Chester, he knew there could be other things hunting them in the snow. Things he could have drawn here by bringing her inside.

“What were you doing out there in this blizzard?” he demanded.

***

Tempest watched him as he rose to his feet. The light of the fire brought out the fiery red in his deep auburn hair and beard. His broad shoulders blocked out the wall of the cave behind him; his head nearly brushed against the top of the rock ceiling. She guessed him to be six-foot-two, about six inches taller than her, but his broad chest and shoulders made him appear far larger.

She couldn’t deny the handsomeness of his features with his square jaw and broad cheekbones. The striking color of his crystalline blue eyes kept her gaze riveted on him. He wore a heavy, fur-lined cloak, but the shirt beneath it hugged his firm body and emphasized his muscular frame.

She didn’t know what to make of this man, or what he was doing out here, alone. If he was a part of the group that had invaded her home, wouldn’t he be with them, instead of in the middle of nowhere? The cloak he wore wasn’t white, but that was no definite indicator of where his allegiance lie.

She hadn’t realized it, but the entire time she was studying him, trying to figure him out, she’d been biting her nails. Hastily she lowered her hand and wiped it on her cloak as she inwardly berated herself for slipping into old habits. Across from her, he folded his thick arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels.

“You saved my life,” she murmured.

“You’re a vampire; the storm wouldn’t have killed you.”

She almost brought her hand back to her mouth but forced herself to leave it by her side. “You’re a vampire too,” she replied.

“Hmm,” was his only response.

“It may not have killed me, but I wouldn’t have found my way through it and I would have starved.”

Something flickered through his eyes at her words; a muscle in his cheek began to twitch. “Where did you come from?”

He wasn’t going to let that one go, and she couldn’t successfully keep dodging his question. “My town. I’m not sure how far it is from here or how to get back right now. It felt like I was walking forever,” she murmured. “And I could have been going in circles for all I know.” Her gaze slid over the cave they sat in again, but none of it looked familiar. “Where did you bring me?”

“To a cave,” he replied in a tone that suggested she’d asked him if dogs barked.

Grinding her teeth together in order to keep a hold on her patience, she managed to ask in a clipped tone, “Is it in the side of the large stretch of mountains?”

“No, it’s a couple of miles away. It’s more of a rock cropping that has sprung up over time to form a cave.”

“Good,” she replied. She’d at least succeeded in putting some distance between her and those she’d fled.

“I’ve answered your questions, now it’s your turn. Why did you leave?”

Her hand fluttered up to her mouth. “Damn it,” she whispered and forced her hand down again before she bit at her nails.

Rising to her feet, she turned away and paced toward the entrance. A cool wind blew through the entranceway, causing her hair to flutter around her face, but the warmth of the fire enveloped the ten-foot circle of the main part of the cave they were in. It could almost be cozy if she didn’t feel so jumpy and unsettled.

“I was looking for help,” she finally answered.

“Help with what?” he inquired.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I only plan to talk to the king about it.”

“And how did you plan to get an audience with the king?”

“I hadn’t thought about that yet. I was mostly concerned with trying to survive and getting out of the mountains.”

“I see. Is what you planned to talk to the king about important?”

Unwittingly, tears sprang to her eyes. She wiped them hurriedly away. Crying wouldn’t get her any closer to her goal. “It’s a matter of life and death.” William clasped his hands behind his back as he continued to watch her. “It may already be too late.”