Free SnaredbySaber by Shelley Munro Page A

noticed the valley
was alive with the calls of birds. The undergrowth on either side of the path
rustled suspiciously, and Eva increased her pace while trying not to think
about the horrors of the beasties inhabiting the bushes. She checked the path
ahead, fear crowding in on her when she realized she couldn’t see Saber. The
man might be annoying, he might even be in league with the Dearbhorgaills, for
all she knew, but at least he seemed to want to keep her safe for now. He was
her best chance of getting out of this mess in one piece.
    Eva quickened her pace until she was
practically running. She burst around a bend in the path and came to a
screeching halt to avoid a collision with Saber. The cat let out a rumbling
purr, and Eva froze.
    What now? Why
has he stopped?
    “What’s wrong?” she whispered, because
something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. Her fingers curled
into his fur, and she found herself inching closer until her hip was pressed
against him.
    He made another low sound deep in his
throat and rubbed his head against her arm, while Eva swung her gaze across the
path. Next, she swept the skies. If the big bird grabbed them again it could
drop them anywhere, even in the middle of the sea, which held the potential for
greater terror.
    “I can’t see anything,” she whispered.
    Saber made another low sound and pulled
away. He padded down the trail, and she realized he’d simply been waiting for
her. Warmth bloomed in the region of her chest. She could count on one hand the
number of times other people had worried about her well-being. Eva found
herself smiling, a smile so wide it hurt her mouth. She increased her pace to
catch him once more.
    They stopped to pick and feast on several
different types of fruits and berries she recognized. Once her thirst and
hunger were appeased, her mind finally focused on her various aches and pains.
She could also smell herself, and it wasn’t pleasant.
    Saber, now in his two-legged form, stopped
again. He grinned. “I think I can hear water,” he said. “This way.”
    Eva followed him down the trail, her gaze
going to his tight butt, outlined nicely in his black trews. His upper half
remained bare and that drew her gaze too. She’d never known a male like him,
not one who continually drew her attention. He fascinated her, brought her
curiosity to the fore and made her want to ask dozens of questions—including
why he might have accepted money from the Dearbhorgaills to kidnap her.
    Maybe she’d attempt a few casual questions
later tonight. They had to fill the hours of darkness somehow.
    Memories of what they’d done this morning
heated her cheeks. She wouldn’t mind repeating that again either, although she
was sure it couldn’t be as spectacular as she remembered.
    “There’s the water,” Saber said.
    Eva had been so deep in thought and busy
staring at Saber, she hadn’t noticed the change in scenery. “What is that
smell?”
    “I’m not sure,” Saber said. “There’s steam
coming off the water, so it must be some sort of hot spring due to the
volcanoes. It can’t be that hot though because there are birds swimming in the
water. On Earth, the hot springs smell of sulfur, but this is a different
scent. It’s almost floral.” He frowned and lifted his head, his nostrils
flaring. “It reminds me of the scent of lavender, a plant on Earth. My
grandmother used to grow it in her garden. She made oil from the flowers and used
the dried petals in soaps.”
    “Do you see any flowers?” Eva asked,
fascinated by the tiny snippets he revealed. They were so far outside what she
knew.
    “No. We’ll go closer. If the water isn’t
too hot, we might be able to swim.”
    “Wash?”
    Saber gave her a quick smile and her heart
beat a little faster. Looking at him when he smiled—the flash of white teeth
and the tiny fan of lines around the outside of his eyes—did something to her.
His smile softened his harshly carved face and made her want to