Free A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund

Collin followed my gaze and then nodded to the man, who proceeded to position himself a discreet distance away.
    Once we had a modicum of privacy, I spoke in hushed tones. “I only regret that I’ve subjected myself to this extravagance when so many of my friends would be satisfied with the crusts of bread left over from the banquet.”
    â€œThen we shall send them a banquet of their own. I shall have the cook prepare anything you wish. Tell me what you want, and it shall be so.”
    I shook my head.
    â€œAnything,” he said, pulling me to him, ever so gently.
    I couldn’t resist the tug. And when his arms closed about me, drawing me into his embrace, I crumpled against him and rested my head on his shoulder as though it fit there.
    I didn’t know what about him drew me, except that he was kind and concerned about me in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Even though Bulldog cared about me as fiercely as if I were his own daughter, he never hugged me. He expected me to be tough, like a man. And I always had been.
    But with Collin . . . He had a way about him—a tenderness—that seemed to break through the hard walls I’d built around myself.
    I nestled my nose against the silkiness of his tunic and breathed in his spicy scent.
    His hand cupped the small of my back and pressed me nearer, so that his chin rested against my head. In the short time I’d known him, it hadn’t taken me long to realize he was kinder and sweeter than any man I’d ever known. In fact, he reminded me of my father. Had my father been alive to meet Collin as he was now, I was sure he would have liked him—perhaps even a great deal. Maybe he even would have agreed to the union Collin’s father had wanted, and would have gained an ally.
    â€œTell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it,” he whispered again. “I’ll do anything for you.”
    I closed my eyes at the comfort that came from his words. I’d had to be strong for so long. I’d had to fight and scrap and struggle to stay alive. Everyone else depended upon me. And it felt so good to lean on someone else for a change and to know I wasn’t alone.
    He held me quietly for a long moment. In a distant stable, the baying of a hunting hound rose in the night air. But otherwise, the orchard was silent, and the steady thud of Collin’s heart filled me with peace.
    What would it be like to stop fighting? To stop thieving? To stop living in the woods? What would it be like to return to a normal life, one where I wasn’t hunting every day or being hunted by those who wanted me dead?
    I shook my head and pulled back from Collin. “No. There’s nothing you can do.” I spoke the words sadly at first. But then the hopelessness of my life crashed back into me and renewed my anger. As long as Uncle lived, there was very little chance that my friends or I would ever be able to move out of our secret homes deep in the forest. We would have to hide there for the rest of our days, continuing to find ways to survive as best we could.
    Even if Collin sent Bulldog a feast of the grandest proportions, the food would eventually be gone, and we would be left in the same situation we’d been in before—helpless, homeless, and hunted.
    Revolt was out of the question. Look where it had gotten Father—he’d been mortally wounded during the uprising he’d led. Friends had brought him back to his hut where I’d been able to say good-bye to him before Bulldog had dragged me away into hiding. I’d heard that not long after our leaving, Father had been captured. Even though he’d been bleeding to death, Uncle’s men had still tortured him in the most hideous fashion and tossed the pieces of his bloodied remains into the gutter.
    Collin brushed a wisp of hair off my cheek. “There’s got to be something I can do to make you happy. Something I can give you.”
    I