matter in his mind, Dragon acted promptly. "I will tell you who I am when you have told me who you are."
She scowled at him. "It's just a simple question. Why can't you answer it?"
"Why can't you?"
At a loss for a moment, Rycca recovered quickly. "I asked you first."
Dragon grinned. He was enjoying this. Better yet, he saw his challenge had distracted her from the pain in her head, which he guessed was considerable. She was still very pale and dark shadows were creeping beneath her . eyes. The sooner she accepted that he was going to take care of her, the better.
"I don't think you remember who you are."
"I do so!"
"Then tell me."
Rycca started to reply, caught herself, and pressed her lips together in frustration. He had her neatly trapped. The longer she refused to divulge her identity, the more chance he might conclude the worst about her and take her to the authorities. Yet if she let him believe she was impaired from the fall, he would likely be even more determined not to leave her. She couldn't win in either case. Best then to seem to go along with him and wait for a chance to get away.
"My head hurts," she said. Again not a lie, for her skull pounded savagely. Yet she knew full well he would take it as an admission that her mind was not working properly.
His arms were around her before she could draw breath. He lifted her very gently and with no apparent effort. She was not a small woman but he made her feel absurdly like thistledown. Mayhap there really was something wrong with her mind.
"Where are you taking me?" He could tell her at least that much.
Dragon was already walking, feeling much happier now that he had her where she belonged. He stepped carefully to avoid jostling her. She was trying to keep her head up but that didn't last long. Soon enough she was leaning against his shoulder. "To a lodge no great distance away."
"Yours?"
"It belongs to a friend but I have the use of it. You can recover there."
"Then you are from here."
He looked down at her with a smile. "Did I say that?"
She winced, not up to more banter and feeling very weak. He saw it and was instantly repentant. "Enough chatter. You need to rest."
She subsided, but before long another question occurred to her. He had said the lodge was no great distance away, yet he had already carried her perhaps half a mile, as far as she could guess. That he did so with no sign of the slightest strain was not something she cared to dwell upon. Instead, she turned her thoughts in another direction.
"Why don't you have a horse?"
He looked at her chidingly but answered anyway. "I do have a horse."
"Where is it?"
"At the lodge. Enough now, be quiet and rest."
She obeyed but only because she had no choice. The shock of what had happened to her was finally setting in and she felt unutterably weary. Deciding she would close her eyes for just a few moments, Rycca slept.
HER FEATURES BECAME SMOOTH AGAIN AS THE awareness of pain slipped away. That was good. If only she would stay asleep until they reached the lodge, she might awaken feeling much improved. The lodge was about another hour's walk at the pace the Dragon was keeping. No great distance by his standards. Truth be told, he could have gone on carrying her much longer. There was undeniable pleasure in holding her, despite the circumstances. Of course, he would much rather have had her in his arms awake and amorous, but he wasn't going to think about that.
Instead, he mulled over the mystery she presented. Obviously she'd been headed for somewhere, and Hawkforte still seemed the likeliest place. What could a lone girl, probably of good family, hope to accomplish there? Was she, perhaps, intending to petition Hawk for redress of some injury? Possibly, but then why hadn't she just said so? Had she really lost her memory? Probably not, for there was too much awareness in those honey-hued eyes. But he was willing to allow that the brother might be real. Perhaps she meant to meet up with him
She scowled at him. "It's just a simple question. Why can't you answer it?"
"Why can't you?"
At a loss for a moment, Rycca recovered quickly. "I asked you first."
Dragon grinned. He was enjoying this. Better yet, he saw his challenge had distracted her from the pain in her head, which he guessed was considerable. She was still very pale and dark shadows were creeping beneath her . eyes. The sooner she accepted that he was going to take care of her, the better.
"I don't think you remember who you are."
"I do so!"
"Then tell me."
Rycca started to reply, caught herself, and pressed her lips together in frustration. He had her neatly trapped. The longer she refused to divulge her identity, the more chance he might conclude the worst about her and take her to the authorities. Yet if she let him believe she was impaired from the fall, he would likely be even more determined not to leave her. She couldn't win in either case. Best then to seem to go along with him and wait for a chance to get away.
"My head hurts," she said. Again not a lie, for her skull pounded savagely. Yet she knew full well he would take it as an admission that her mind was not working properly.
His arms were around her before she could draw breath. He lifted her very gently and with no apparent effort. She was not a small woman but he made her feel absurdly like thistledown. Mayhap there really was something wrong with her mind.
"Where are you taking me?" He could tell her at least that much.
Dragon was already walking, feeling much happier now that he had her where she belonged. He stepped carefully to avoid jostling her. She was trying to keep her head up but that didn't last long. Soon enough she was leaning against his shoulder. "To a lodge no great distance away."
"Yours?"
"It belongs to a friend but I have the use of it. You can recover there."
"Then you are from here."
He looked down at her with a smile. "Did I say that?"
She winced, not up to more banter and feeling very weak. He saw it and was instantly repentant. "Enough chatter. You need to rest."
She subsided, but before long another question occurred to her. He had said the lodge was no great distance away, yet he had already carried her perhaps half a mile, as far as she could guess. That he did so with no sign of the slightest strain was not something she cared to dwell upon. Instead, she turned her thoughts in another direction.
"Why don't you have a horse?"
He looked at her chidingly but answered anyway. "I do have a horse."
"Where is it?"
"At the lodge. Enough now, be quiet and rest."
She obeyed but only because she had no choice. The shock of what had happened to her was finally setting in and she felt unutterably weary. Deciding she would close her eyes for just a few moments, Rycca slept.
HER FEATURES BECAME SMOOTH AGAIN AS THE awareness of pain slipped away. That was good. If only she would stay asleep until they reached the lodge, she might awaken feeling much improved. The lodge was about another hour's walk at the pace the Dragon was keeping. No great distance by his standards. Truth be told, he could have gone on carrying her much longer. There was undeniable pleasure in holding her, despite the circumstances. Of course, he would much rather have had her in his arms awake and amorous, but he wasn't going to think about that.
Instead, he mulled over the mystery she presented. Obviously she'd been headed for somewhere, and Hawkforte still seemed the likeliest place. What could a lone girl, probably of good family, hope to accomplish there? Was she, perhaps, intending to petition Hawk for redress of some injury? Possibly, but then why hadn't she just said so? Had she really lost her memory? Probably not, for there was too much awareness in those honey-hued eyes. But he was willing to allow that the brother might be real. Perhaps she meant to meet up with him
Similar Books
Her Father's House
Belva Plain
One Lucky Lady
Kaylin Bowen
4 The Killing Bee
Matt Witten
Die for Me
Nichole Severn
Return to Exile
Lynne Gentry
Beguilement
Lois McMaster Bujold
Please Release Me
Rhoda Baxter
Search (SEEK Book 1)
Candie Leigh Campbell
Charmed I'm Sure
Elliott James
She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother
Bryan Batt