Warrior's Lady by Amanda Ashley

Author:Amanda Ashley [Ashley, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Butterfly Kisses Press
Published: 2016-06-14T04:00:00+00:00

No one came to her for what seemed like days. She lost all track of time. Hunger gnawed at her belly, her throat grew dry. She huddled in her corner, shivering from the cold, from the fear that held her fast. Where was Jarrett? Why didn’t he come for her? Had he been captured? But surely, if he’d been taken prisoner, he’d have been brought here. Had he decided the risk was too great and abandoned her?

No! She would not believe that.

She tried to think of something pleasant: the unicorn meadow at home, the touch of Jarrett’s hands, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything other than the awful fear that she’d been left here to die, alone, in the dark.

When she heard the muffled sound of footsteps, she didn’t bother to look up, assuming it was Rorke coming to see if hunger had loosened her tongue.

“Leyla.”

His whispered voice went straight to her heart. Scrambling to her feet, she hurried toward the cell door. “Jarrett! Oh, Jarrett.” Tears of joy and relief burned her eyes.

“Shhh, it’s all right.”

She heard the harsh rasp of a key in the lock, and then the door swung open and she was in his arms, holding on as if she would never let go. He was here. She breathed in the scent of him, let her arms twine around his neck. She could hear his heartbeat beneath her cheek. Yes, he was here. He was real.

She clung to him when he tried to loosen her hold. “A moment more,” she begged.

“Leyla, there’s no time for that now. Come, we’ve got to get out of here.”

He took her hand and led her down the passageway. It was narrow and cold, so dark she couldn’t see him ahead of her. They walked for a long distance, then turned left.

She felt Jarrett’s arms wrap around her, and then he was pulling her close, his hands moving over her shoulders and back, caressing her face.

She pressed herself against him. “Is something wrong?” she asked anxiously.

“No.” She heard the smile in his voice. “I just can’t wait to hold you any longer.”

For several moments they stood in each other’s arms. And then, reluctantly, he let her go. “We have to crawl the rest of the way,” he said, “but it isn’t far.”

The stones were hard and cold beneath her hands and feet as she followed Jarrett along the narrow passageway. She felt his tension as they made their way through the darkness, knew he was fighting memories of another kind of darkness.

At last, she saw light ahead. Moments later, they were in a small vessel headed across the moat.

When they reached the far side, Jarrett caught hold of a sturdy vine and climbed up the side of the moat.

“Grab hold,” he called, tossing the vine to her, “and I’ll pull you up.”

She knew a moment of sweet relief when she was standing beside him.

“Let’s go,” he said, and taking her hand, he led her into the cover of the trees.

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