Free Seducing Anne by Lynch Marti, Chanse Lowell, Shenani Whatagans Page B

bellowed, his head darting around in frantic search of her.
    She tipped her head up at Guy and gave him a startled look.
    Had Henry not told her he loved her yet? She looked completely taken aback by the king’s confession.
    Or was it because he was like a crazed animal in this moment—braying in the wind and howling at the moon for her.
    “I know you are here! I will not take my anger out on you—just come to me now, and all will be well,” Henry hollered.
    He was barely twenty feet away, so if she moved even an inch, Henry would probably hear it, or see the motion.
    Guy held her tight and shot her a warning look.
    She stayed motionless and silent.
    “Good girl,” Guy mouthed at her, close enough to her face so she could see.
    She nodded slowly and smiled, her eyes lighting up.
    For several more moments Henry cursed the air and searched on his horse.
    At one point, he got down, roamed around and broke branches, kicked the bark of several trees and proceeded to have a spectacular tantrum.
    “Sire, someone is saying they think they saw her back at the stables with that man she left with,” one of his attendants said.
    “Who is that man? I have never seen him before, and yet he strides into my hall and steals away the one woman I cannot live without!” Henry broke another branch down and chucked it in their direction.
    “Sir Nicholas Carew knows. He is back in the hall, awaiting Your Majesty so he can explain the appearance of this man.” The servant hopped down off his horse and assisted Henry back on his.
    “I want that man found and brought straight to me. He will be lucky if he does not see the rack tonight—and every night hereafter for doing this to me and my darling girl!” Henry trotted off.
    Several moments later the woods were vacated of Henry’s search party.
    “What do we do now?” she asked Guy, her voice tiny and distant.
    “We wait a few moments so I can calm you down, and then we go back. Is there to be gambling tonight?”
    “Yes. Most nights there is—I should think tonight would be no exception.”
    “Excellent.” Guy leaned in and took a deep whiff of her at her left temple. “I shall explain myself over a game of cards, and all will be right. You shall see.”
    “I shall see you hanged. Harry won’t stand for this. I was insane to allow you to remove me out here. He may never speak to me again after this,” she said, her voice tight.
    Good. The bastard doesn’t deserve you.
    She frowned.
    Guy’s head ached, and his body was growing stiff all over.
    What was he thinking? He couldn’t go against his mission. How in such a short space of time had he gotten so tangled up in her that he’d lost sight of what he was doing here? She needed to stay in the king’s good graces. Guy’s seduction of her was all supposed to be covert.
    And here he was already bitch-slapping Henry VIII back and forth—and enjoying the hell out of it, too.
    “’Twill be all right,” he said with a soothing voice.
    She placed her palms on his chest. “Promise?”
    “I swear all that I am—you will be well. I will see to it.” He dropped his head and peered into her eyes. “Can you trust me to keep you out of harm’s way?” His heart yanked hard when he realized this was not a promise he could keep. She would be dead in a few years’ time when Henry was done with her. He blinked that thought away.
    “I trust you, sir. You have already proven more than a worthy adversary for the king, and you treat me with more respect than any man ever has. Why do you do this?”
    “Because you are worth it.” In the next breath, the words of John, his fellow SHROAG agent, rang through his ears when he took that phone call before traveling through time to be here with her.
    Because I love her. She deserves to be treated fairly, and if they hadn’t taken me back . . . I would’ve done my damnedest to find a way to save her.
    John had fallen hard for her, been racked and tortured, then taken back to the