Free Rayne of Fire by Michelle Young Page A

saddlebags to the two horses.
    “What choice
do I have?” Keegan gave the leather strap a final tug. “I won’t force her to
marry me.” Six months ago when his father, king of Aquarius, and Pyros’s king
devised the plan for Keegan to meet Rayne under false pretenses, he hated the
idea. When the king assigned him as Rayne’s personal guard, he hated the ploy
even more. He’d gone along with this plan for the sake of peace, but never
dreamed he’d find Rayne so captivating. Now, Keegan could no longer agree to a
marriage of convenience. “After three days, she’ll either kill me or realize
she loves me.” His words were light, even though they carried more than an
ounce of truth.
    “If the
Raptors don’t kill you first.” Marcus crossed his arms and leaned against the
pasture’s fence. “Rumor has it they’ll do anything to stop this treaty. If the
war ends, so does their profit.”
    “I know how
to avoid the Raptors.” Keegan brushed off the warning. “You worry too much.”
    Marcus looked
skeptical. “What are you up to?”
    “Nothing.” He
didn’t need Marcus talking sense into him right now. “Just be here when I get
back.”
    Footsteps
sounded from behind. “Keegan,” Rayne demanded, “tell me where you’re taking me.”
    He looked
over his shoulder. “Where fire and water live in harmony.”
    The sun
highlighted her loosely braided auburn hair. Some of her long curls escaped and
framed her beautiful face. Her green eyes considered him for several heartbeats.
“There is no such place. Even in nature, fire and water cannot live together.”
    “If you say
so. Although,” Keegan argued playfully, “I’ve been by your side nearly every
waking moment for the past six months, and we’re both still standing. I daresay
you were growing fond of me.”
    A blush
stained her cheeks even as her eyes narrowed. “Only because you wore the façade
of my personal guard. I assume that masquerade has ended?”
    “Of course,
milady.” He bowed his head slightly and then reached for her hand to help her
mount her mare. “It may surprise you to know the man who wishes to be your
husband is no different from the man who served you.”
    She jerked
her hand away. “Aye, they’re both deceitful,” she retorted. Gracefully, she
swung into her saddle.
    ****
    They traveled
for a long while, meandering through the thick forest. Rayne’s anger simmered,
but frustration slowly replaced it. They rode single file, with Keegan in the
lead, to seemingly nowhere. The afternoon sun peeked through the forest
ceiling.
    Keegan twisted
his upper body to face Rayne. “You should drink something,” he said for the
fourth time, holding out a waterskin. “You could get sick. That would make for
a very unpleasant three days.”
    She had
refused earlier, but now her mouth was as dry as sand. Grudgingly, she took the
skin and guzzled the refreshing water.
    “Keep it.”
Keegan showed he had a second, water-filled skin in his possession.
    Rayne hmmphed
under her breath. Dense brush, fallen dead trees, and narrow passageways made
their progress painfully slow. Rayne hoped the sooner they reached Keegan’s
mystery destination, the sooner this ordeal would come to an end. “Stand aside.”
She maneuvered her horse past Keegan. Opening her hand, she created a flame and
tossed it onto the dry ground. It obeyed her magical command and intensified,
steadily moving forward, burning a path in its wake. She concentrated on the
contained ball of fire and pushed it to move faster.
    Sparks flew
off the fireball and ignited the dry, kindling-filled ground on both sides of
its path. One by one, she used her magic to contain them, but there were too
many. Several smaller fires escalated beyond Rayne’s control. She struggled to
keep her horse calm amongst the flames. Swallowing her pride, she turned to
Keegan in alarm. “I can’t extinguish them all. Is there anything you can do?”
    Keegan sat on
his steady, war-trained stallion,