Bound by Betrayal by Joan De La Haye

Author:Joan De La Haye
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joan De La Haye

14

The Lioness was still stretched out and fast asleep on top of Eithne’s Kist as Maretta watched the sunrise. The vibrant reds and oranges were so different to the last sunrise she’d seen in London. The sounds of soldiers breaking camp and orders being barked were hushed by the early morning mist, which was more ethereal and otherworldly than the London fog she was used to. It was like the mist of Scotland's highlands and her childhood running wild in the glens. The big cat snored loudly, utterly unperturbed by the humans around her.

“She does sleep soundly, doesn’t she?” the Captain said, inches behind her.

“Where the devil did you come from?” Maretta asked, struggling to keep her composure and not betray how much he’d startled her.

“I try to be where I’m least expected,” he said with a grin. “She won’t take kindly to being disturbed. If I were you, I’d leave her be. She’ll leave when she’s hungry or gets bored.”

“You speak as though you know her,” Maretta said.

“We’ve crossed paths before,” the Captain said as he stroked his beard. “She has a rather volatile nature, even for a cat, but once she considers you a friend, she’s more loyal than any well-trained canine.”

“Would you say that she considers you a friend?” Maretta asked with a smirk.

“I don’t think she’s quite made up her mind yet, but considering I still have all my limbs, it’s looking positive.” He smiled as he climbed up and scratched the lioness’s head and behind her ears. She rolled her head so he could scratch her chin as well.

“I think I prefer you in your cat form,” the Captain said with a chuckle.

The lioness opened her eyes, swatted his hand away with one of her large paws, stretched and went back to sleep. The Captain laughed as he climbed back down and walked past Maretta.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Maretta called after him.

“I have soldiers to get in line and across a river. Dealing with stubborn women is not my forte,” he said with a wave and disappeared into the throng of soldiers packing up the camp.

Maretta sighed as she glanced at the lioness stretched out on the Kist. She couldn’t help feeling like the large cat was watching her through her closed eyelids. She also couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she was being judged.

“Fine,” Maretta said. “Stay there. If one of the soldiers shoots you, it’s not my problem.”

The lioness made herself more comfortable in response, while Maretta sighed as she pulled the wagon’s canvas together and tied it, trying to hide the Kist and the large cat from prying eyes as best she could. She spotted Roger coming towards her just as she finished tying the ropes to get underway.

“Bugger,” she swore under her breath. She was tempted to untie the ropes and climb in the back with the lioness. If only the train tracks north hadn’t been blown up, she could have avoided all of this nonsense, but then she would also have run the risk of being unable to find Alistair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.