Free Knight Awakened by Coreene Callahan Page A

recover.”
    She stared at him. He seemed so certain. A desperate urge rolled through her. The heavy weight pressed down on her chest, suffocating her with the need to know. How would he heal? How did one recover from brutality? She wanted to know for Qabil. But most of all, she wanted to ask for herself. How did he
know
?
    His expression sharpened, his eyes so pale they became almost colorless. Locked inside his intensity, her windpipe contracted and she couldn’t force the question past her throat. He held her there, time ticking, allowing her to wonder before he said, “Because I did, lass. That’s how.”
    A broken breath rushed from her lungs. The goddess be saved. Who had dared to hurt
him
?
    The tightness banding her chest eased and empathy moved in, infecting her with the need to soothe him. Ridiculous as far as impulses went. He was too tough to ever need her compassion. Her soft heart was like a rampaging disease: painful, unwanted, debilitating. And she needed to find a cure before it killed her.
    Well, that, and the nearest escape route.
    She must get away from him. Now. Before all that crippling emotion took over and left her a willing captive.
    Willing.
    The word clanged inside her head. Blessed goddess give her strength. ’Twould be so easy to give in, to let him take care of her, protect her, give her a home. He was so strong in all the right ways. His strength of spirit drew her, planting ideas she couldn’t allow to flourish. Vladimir wanted her, enough to kill anyone standing between him and the throne. Enough to pay well and bring death to any who aided her.
    With bone-deep certainty, Afina knew she was better off on her own. Alone. Insulated. Safe from all those who craved the coin and would betray her to gain it. No matter how much Drachaven’s thick walls appealed to her, she refused to bring that kind of trouble to Xavian’s gate. There were other boys involved...innocent ones. Qabil had told her so. The very reason they planned to stop at the bazaar, to gather supplies for the winter months.
    Where would she be, Afina wondered, when the bitter cold and snow let loose? Snug and warm with a roof over her head or frozen in a barren field? Her heart dropped, the familiar worry churning her stomach until she felt sick.
    Afina swallowed the burn, taking solace in her strategy. Blessed be, she hoped it worked, that Qabil’s slip of the tongue—and the sure knowledge it provided—would give her the advantage on the morrow. The marketplace at the base of the mountains was the perfect place to make her escape. With so many people thronging the vendors, the men would be occupied trading for goods and packing supplies. Their distraction would equal her freedom. A freedom that included distance from Xavian and all the safety he provided.
    Her bottom lip trembled a little.
    Xavian reached out. He caught her chin on the tips of his fingers. With a gentle nudge, he turned her face to his. “What?”
    Afina swallowed past thump in her throat. “Nothing.”
    “Liar,” he said, his thumb drifting over the curve of her jaw.
    The soft stroke sent a wave of heat through her, soothing tense muscles and her sore heart. With a frown, she pulled away from his touch. She couldn’t accept his comfort. It was weakness come to life and the surest way to become snared in his net. “I am tired. That is all.”
    He arched a brow, laying her deceit bare with a look.
    Her eyes narrowed, she warned him with a look. The message was clear...
leave me be
. “How is your arm?”
    He studied her for a moment longer, his gaze probing. Silence stretched as he fingered the knife hilt, turning it over in his hand. “Fine.”
    Afina rolled her eyes. “Have you changed the dressing?”
    He shrugged.
    “You haven’t changed it?”
    “You are the healer,” he said, something light and altogether untrustworthy in his tone. “’Tis your duty, not mine.”
    Confounded man. His wound was no doubt infected, and he was teasing her.