Free Arissa's Fate (Redemption Trilogy) by Amanda Daul Page A

his ribs, there was a subtle bump under his skin, indicating a broken or fractured rib that was healing.
                  Literally counting the seconds that ticked by on an old clock that was barely working, Arissa never let go of his hand until, finally, he stirred. Her heart leapt into her throat and she bolted upright, leaning ahead on the edge of her chair.
                  “Cayl?” she whispered, her breath catching on every inhale.
                  He moaned groggily but when he opened his emerald green eyes in a flash, Arissa smiled, gasping heavily as if trying to catch air again.
                  “Cayl, you’re alright,” she repeated several times, gripping his hand even tighter. Immediately he tried to sit up, but Arissa rose, gently pressing his shoulder back down to the table.
                  His eyes were clear and alert, but they were clouded with the familiar alarm and paranoia that Arissa had grown too accustomed to. His gaze darted around the room quickly, trying to take in their dark surroundings. “Where are we?”
                  “We’re at Landon’s. Yasmine helped us, she took care of your gunshot wound and your fever. We have to stay here for a little while until you feel better.”
                  Against her warnings and best efforts, Cayl quickly pulled himself upright and she could see the pain it inflicted instantly. His facial muscles were clenching in agony, his jaw becoming taut and prominent. “We can’t stay in one place. We’ll have to move.”
                  “Eventually, but not right now.”
                  He looked up to her again and nobody said a word for several moments. They had a way of nearly communicating together without speaking. Arissa had expected this reaction from him and was scrambling for something to say that would convince him. He could be just as stubborn as she was, but she was determined to make him see her reason.
                  Cayl spoke before she could think of anything to say. “If they find out we’re here, we are all dead. We can’t bring Landon and Yasmine into this anymore than we already have.” He attempted to stand on his feet, but he staggered and swayed, having to lean against the table he had been on. 
                  Gripping his arm, Arissa shot back without thinking, almost feeling angry, “You can’t even walk! Cayl, we are safe here until you are strong enough to move again. Look, I’m in charge right now and nothing you say is going to make me change my mind. Do you realize how hard this is for me? Every single day, for the last three months, I didn’t know if you were dead or alive or where you were. I had nothing to go on and all I could do was hope and pray that I could somehow find you and we could return together to our home, to our family. I had to promise that to myself every day, just to keep me going. When I finally found you, I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. But now that you’re here and you’re alive ...I refuse to do anything that would ever risk your life again.”
                  His piercing green eyes never left her own dark glare all the while she ranted on to him. Nothing she said had been planned in her mind, it had simply been her temper taking over her emotions.
                  It worked though. Cayl’s gaze softened and then he slowly lowered himself back down to sit on the edge of the table again. Arissa watched as his expression quickly melted from tense and assertive to pained and sorrowful.
                  “I’m sorry, Arissa. For everything you’ve been through. I’m sorry I got you into this.”
                  “You didn’t get me into anything. We don’t even know why they kidnapped you. All I could figure out was that I was set up with the Governor’s death and they