Free Renegade (The Captive Series Book 2) by Erica Stevens

tonight.”
    Aria stared silently at him, her mouth
parted slightly as her heart hammered in excitement. She so badly
wanted to stay with him for this night, and for every night after
this, but she couldn’t have those nights. She could have this one.
Guilt tugged briefly at her as she thought of her family and
friends, but it was only one night. It was the only night she would
have for the rest of her life.
    “Ok,” she said softly.
    His mouth curved in a soft smile, his
head tilted slightly to the side. “I expected more of an
argument.”
    She grinned back at him, her fingers
playing with the soft cushion of the couch. “I’m not always
difficult.”
    “Could have fooled me. Come.” He held
his hand out to her as he came over to her. She slipped her hand
into his, smiling softly at him.
    He led her down a darkened hall,
flicking on light switches as he moved. The mouth watering scent of
food hit her before they even reached the kitchen. Her mouth
parted, her eyes widened in surprise as she stepped into the room.
Food was set up on the counters, cheeses, breads, fruits, and meats
were stacked neatly upon two plates. She glanced around, wondering
who had done this, but she saw no one else within the small house.
Her gaze fell upon Braith, who was watching her in
amusement.
    “You did this.”
    “I’m not completely helpless,” he
replied lightly. She couldn’t help but grin back at him. It was one
of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her. She didn’t
stop to think about what that said of her life, it wasn’t worth it.
She was ok with getting by on very little. “Come on, you’re
hungry.”
    She didn’t ask him how he knew that,
her stomach was rumbling loudly, and repeatedly. She settled into a
stool at the counter while he heaped food onto her plate. She
cocked an eyebrow at him, amused by the amount of food he was
piling on for her. “I’m not starving,” she told him.
    “You’ve lost weight again,” he replied,
sliding the plate before her.
    Aria shrugged; there was no help for it
in the forest. They didn’t have enough to eat, and they worked
endlessly. “Thank you,” she said softly. He slid into the seat
across from her, folding his arms before him. Aria studied him for
a moment, feeling slightly self conscious as he watched her eat.
“What is this place?” she asked softly.
    “It belonged to my mother’s family, it
was their summer getaway.”
    “Really?” Aria glanced over the large,
airy kitchen. “It’s very nice. Will they come looking for you
here?”
    “Jericho and I were the only ones that
ever came here, except for some cleaners once every couple of
weeks.”
    “Why did the two of you come
here?”
    Braith shrugged as he sat back. “To
hunt, to get away. To be alone for awhile.”
    “To get away from what?”
    He watched her for a moment longer
before leaning back in his seat. “From many things,” he replied
evasively. “Eat Arianna.”
    She picked up a piece of apple and
began to chew on it, barely tasting its sweetness in her mouth as
she thought over his words. “Will they come looking for you
here?”
    “No. I doubt my father even remembers
where this place is, and Caleb is busy. They won’t even notice I’m
gone.”
    “What about Jack? Will he come here
looking for me?”
    Braith tilted his head slightly;
confusion filtered through his eyes, then realization dawned. “I
forget you call Jericho that.”
    Aria smiled at him, leaning slightly
toward him. “It’s what we know him as. He certainly isn’t a prince
to us.”
    He grinned back at her, poking her nose
lightly as he settled back in his seat. “I suppose he isn’t. But
no, Jericho will not come here. I doubt he will even think about
it.”
    Aria nodded, relieved to know that they
would not be disturbed tonight. She settled in, a large weight
lifting off of her as she eagerly dug into the delicious food. They
talked softly, exchanging stories. She told him what it was like to
grow up