Arranged: An Array Series (Book #1)(4)

Through the stampede of hooves, I heard Sam repeat over and over that it was going to be okay, but it didn’t feel like it. The look I’d seen in Charlie’s eyes said that nothing was okay. It posed unanswered questions that I was desperate to know the answers for.

Holding onto my reins for dear life, my horse thundered across the clearing. Small puffs of white mist from my horse’s breathing appeared through the cool night air.

“Across the field!” pierced another voice; one that wasn’t Ben’s or Sam’s. Hearing it was eerie in the silent night in the middle of nowhere, and it sent goose bumps crawling across my skin.

“Push that horse, Ava!” Ben yelled. “Don’t worry about leaving us behind.” Something whizzed past his head, and I couldn’t make out what it was. “Fuck!”

Ben turned his head away from me to say something to Sam. When he looked back at me, he motioned for me to speed up. I did as he asked, digging my heels into the sides of my horse.

Glancing over my shoulder, three shadowy figures rode behind us, and I groaned inwardly. If there were any higher powers watching over me, I needed them to save us.

My body suddenly lurched forward, and I caught myself from falling off the horse. Pain suddenly pierced my left shoulder as I gritted my teeth. Looking down, I saw an arrow tip protruding from my body, blood darkening my dress. Involuntarily loosening my grip on the reins, I reached for my shoulder, wanting to stop the sensation down my breast. My frame started to slide off the saddle, but I regained my grasp. With every gallop, agony pounded through me.

My horse jumped swiftly over something, making me cry out. Blurs of men hollered from behind us, ripping through the cool air, but I couldn’t look back. My vision started to whirl, the ground shifting from left to right. I blinked, trying to regain my equilibrium.

“Ava!” Sam’s voice cut through the array of noise. I slowly looked over at him, making his way to me. He faded in and out of vision as my body started to go lax. “Hold on!”

I tried, but everything turned black.

∞∞∞

“I need you to go,” an unfamiliar voice grated. It sounded hazy and far away, but I couldn’t open my eyes, overcast with drowsiness. “She may die, and I won’t have you hovering over her like a damn lovesick dog.”

“And I’m just supposed to trust you?” Sam snapped.

Discomfort shot through me as large hands grasped my left arm. I groaned, silencing the voice for a moment. The hand squeezed gently, traveled down to my elbow, and rubbed it, as if trying to comfort me.

“Sam, we need to let the doctor do his work,” Ben insisted.

“She is in pain! I won’t leave her like this. Especially with someone who says he is the king’s son,” Sam replied sharply.

George?

“I’ll throw you out by your ass if you don’t get the hell out of here,” the stranger stated harshly.

“C’mon, Sam,” Ben implored.

“I’ll be back, Ava,” I heard Sam say close to my ear.

I wanted to answer him, to tell him that I was fine, but my body wasn’t responsive. The soft caresses didn’t stop along my forearm as I heard a door close. And before I could focus on who was with me, the darkness took over again.





∞∞∞

Tink. Tink. Tink. The sound of water hitting metal brought me out of the weary blackness. Opening my eyes was a challenge all on its own; like weights had been placed on my face. My neck and shoulders were stiff, like my body hadn’t moved in years. As soon as my eyes complied with opening, I saw candlelight dancing over a wooden ceiling. I squinted. This wasn’t my bedroom; mine had a water spot in the center by a beam. Save for the methodical drip, drip, drip, my surroundings were deathly silent.

Easing my head to my left, soreness greeted me. My hand immediately went to my shoulder, a white bandage coiled around my shoulder and chest.

So, the arrow wasn’t a dream.

A small red dot stained the bandage, and I flexed my fingers and toes to see how much injury I was afflicted with.

Not too bad.

A clank sounded in the room, and I moved my head carefully, my eyes locking onto a man with broad shoulders hunched over a small table. Playing with a deck of cards, the light from the fireplace flickered over what looked like dark hair and a square chin. He appeared to be a younger man.

I bit my lip, wanting to ask him where Sam and Ben were, but not knowing yet if he was a friend or foe. I’d never seen him before, so I kept my mouth shut. He could possibly be my lookout to keep me from escaping. With my injury, I wasn’t going to go anywhere fast.

Bide my time, build my strength, then make an escape.

As though he read my mind, the man’s eyes fastened on mine, and he smiled. “You’re awake.” He pushed his chair back, and my body seized with fear as he approached. He was burly beneath his white shirt. Placing a candle on the nearby table, he sat beside me on a small chair.

“How do you feel?” His voice was deep, yet soft.

I struggled to find my own voice for a moment.

“Like a stampede of horses trampled on me,” I replied softly. He leaned toward the floor and picked up a black bottle.

“I need to put this on your forehead,” he advised. He raised a brow. “Do you mind?”

“What is it for?”