He raised a brow.
Scarlet sat up and eyed his torso.
“What?” he asked, looking down at himself.
“Nothing.” She bent to kiss his lips and then sat back up. Resting a hand on the grass, she set the dark green edge of the leaf to Tristan’s side and began to draw on him, the green syrup from the leaf staining his skin as she traced across his hip.
“What are you doing?” He looked down, amused.
“I am drawing an arrowhead, for you are a great hunter and your arrows are true and steady. Just like your heart.”
She kept her eyes on his skin as she finished the arrowhead and began to draw around it.
Soon, her leaf became dry and she quickly found another, breaking it in half to squeeze out more of the green stain. She went back to her drawing, making strokes that went upward, and then started to draw strokes downward.
Her hands drew a stroke low on his hip, passing his hipbone and traveling even lower to the center of his body, causing him to shiver at her touch.
“And what are thosemarks?” he slanted his eyes to her.
“These marks,” Scarlet finished with her drawing and ran her fingertips along the lower design, clearly loving the shiver she pulled from him. “Are just for fun.”
She tickled him again and this time he caught her wrist with a smile. “You are evil, woman.”
She started laughing and Tristan gathered her into his arms, trying to tickle her neck with his lips. Her laughter rang up to the trees, across the quiet water, and rolled along the soft grass. Beautiful and free, the melody was everything Tristan wanted to feel inside himself for the rest of his days.
When he released her from his grasp and her laughter cooled, she tucked herself right back into his arms, laying her head against his chest.
He stroked her hair for a moment, thinking of how wonderful his life had been since Scarlet had entered it.
“Marry me,” he said.
He could not live without her and he did not want to. Not ever.
Scarlet was silent for a long time. “Don’t be foolish, Hunter.”
He smiled at the sky above them. “Marry me, Scar.”
She turned her head to look at him with big blue eyes, her cheek smashed against his chest. “I do not belong in your village or your castle.”
“You belong right here.” He looked at her and stroked her back. “With me. We can live in the village, or the castle, or the woods or the water…wherever you want. We will take your mother and be a family.”
Scarlet eyes looked pained. “But I have nothing for you. I am a thief. I am nothing.”
He smiled at her. “You are everything.” He went back to stroking her hair and lowered his voice to just above a whisper, “Marry me, Scar.”
“Are you sure you want me?” Her eyes looked so insecure that Tristan thought his heart would break. How could this girl doubt his love even for a moment?
“I love you,” he said. “I want you more than life itself. Forever.” He brushed a hand across her cheek. “And I will take care of you always. Marry me.”
Scarlet blinked and stared at him with her lips parted.
“Okay,” she whispered.
A slow smile spread across his face. “Yes?”
“Yes,” she repeated, smiling. “But only because I love you.”
Filled with joy, Tristan’s heart felt as full as his arms as he wrapped Scarlet against his chest and kissed her passionately.
He was complete.
Ana awoke to the cold trickle of water sliding down her throat. Dizzy and confused, she slowly opened her eyes and found herself propped up against Francis as he held her mouth open and tipped his jug of evil water into her throat.
“No!” Ana slapped the jug away and quickly stood up, bending her knees, ready to fight. Or run. Or claw his eyes out with her fingernails. The edge of her mouth throbbed and Ana felt hot blood ooze from where her brother’s punch had split open her lip. “Are you mad?”
Standing from the floor as well, Francis yelled, “Yes! Yes, Ana, I ammad! I am mad with thirst and I am quickly running out of my supply of blue water. I need the map!”
“You needfreedom. You are enslaved by your wicked water!”
He walked up to her, his vile breath wafting into her nostrils. Ana refused to budge. She would not flinch or cower. She would not be afraid.
He curled a lip. “As are you, my sister.” He shook the jug in his hands. “You have now tasted the wicked water and you will now need it to survive.” He looked proud of himself. “Now, give me the map and we shall find the water we both need, together.”
Ana swallowed back her fear. “No.”
He screamed and knocked the small wooden table in the center of the room over. Pointing at her, he cried, “The water will drive you to insanity and you will need more. And I,” he lowered his voice and strode back up to her face, “will be back to save you. I will return for the map and you will gladly hand it to me in your suffering.” Whipping his head around, Francis left, clutching the jug to his side.
For a few minutes, Ana stood still, breathing in and out heavily.
She was going to die.
Francis had just poisoned her and there was no escape. She would become like him and perish without more water.
Her mouth ceased to throb and she brought a hand up to inspect her bloody lip. The wound had already healed, leaving only a dab of dried blood as evidence of her injury. The water was already working.
Ana had two choices: She could surrender the map to Francis and use his resources to find the fountain and save her life.
Or she could die a painful death, letting the poison die with her.
Ana straightened her back and rubbed her palms on her dirty dress as she came to a decision.
She would die. Painfully.
But first, she needed to speak with the Archer boy and make sure he would care for Scarlet once Ana died. Tristan would keep Scarlet safe.
From the way he spoke of Scarlet to Ana, he probably intended to marry her.
Although the earl might never allow it.
Tristan probably planned to run off with Scarlet and while that was deeply romantic, it was not what Ana wanted for her child. Scarlet had been running and hiding for too many years. She deserved a chance at a real life. A life without danger. A life where she could be free to love and live without having to beg or steal.