have drowned you if I hadn’t been a few yards behind.“
„I thought I was dying.“ She suddenly began to shiver. „I
was dying. I was so afraid.“ Her voice held a note of wonder.
„I don’t think I’ve ever been afraid before. I thought my heart
was bursting and I couldn’t breathe and – “
„Hush.“ Nicholas’s arms were suddenly around her,
rocking her as if she were a dearly loved child. „Don’t think
about it. It’s over now.“
„No.“ Her words were muffled in the warm flesh of his
shoulder. „I thought I was strong enough to win over anything.
But I wasn’t.“ The shiver had evolved into shudders that
racked her slim frame. „I was so frightened.“
Nicholas suffered a poignant ache deep within him. God,
she was young. How long ago it had been since he had
believed he had the strength to win every battle, vanquish
every foe, even one as powerful as death itself. „It’s all right to
be frightened. No one expects a wo – “ He stopped. This was
not a comfort Silver would be able to accept. His hand gently
stroked the silky dark hair at her temple. „No one is strong
every moment of every day. Everyone is afraid at some time in
his life.“
„You?“
„Oh, yes, many times.“
She began to relax, the shivering gradually ebbing.
„Truly?“
He chuckled. „Truly.“
She lifted her head to look more directly at his face. „Why
are you being so kind to me?“ she asked haltingly. „You were
very angry with me in the saloon tonight.“
„I’m still angry with you.“ Something flickered in the
depths of his eyes and then was gone. „But I’ve never enjoyed
a battle against an unarmed opponent, and I believe it’s safe to
say you’re amazingly defenseless at the moment.“
She looked away. He was right. She had never felt weaker
or less sure of herself. She moistened her lips with her tongue.
„It won’t last.“
He laughed again. „I’m well aware of that, but for tonight,
at least, we’ll call a truce. I gave orders that a boat not be
launched until dawn, so we must rely on ourselves until then.
Lay down your weapons, Silver. I promise I’m no threat to you
and I’ll protect you from danger.“ His ebony eyes twinkled in
the firelight. „Including river monsters.“
How foolish she was being, clinging to him as if he were a
life preserver thrown to save her from the river. She released
him and edged backward. „I feel very stupid. I’ll try not to be
– “
He placed two fingers on her lips, silencing her. „Not
stupid,“ he said softly. „Now, lie back down and rest while I
see if I can find us something to eat. If you recall, we didn’t
have dinner.“
„I can help,“ she said eagerly. „Apache girl children are
taught exactly the same skills as boys until they reach the time
for the rites of womanhood. I can travel forty miles a day
through rough country. I can trap and hunt and fish and I was
the best tracker in the village.“ She frowned. „Though some of
the warriors wouldn’t admit it. I told them – “
„I’m sure you did,“ Nicholas interrupted, his eyes dancing.
„And I’m certain you’re as competent as you claim, but let me
be the provider this time. I may not have your qualifications,
but I have a certain amount of experience in foraging.“
„But you’re – “ She stopped.
He lifted a brow. „Yes?“
„You’re a prince.“ She scowled. „And I think I’m hungry.“
He burst out laughing as he rose to his feet. „I assure you,
my entire existence hasn’t been spent in marble palaces being
pampered by armies of servants. I’ll find you something to eat,
Silver.“ He glanced down at his bare feet. „Though I have no
intention of hunting or trapping tonight. I know what stones
and brush can do to unprotected feet.“
„But I still think – “
„No.“ He turned away.
She gasped, her gaze fastened in shock on the long line of
his back. White scars crisscrossed his flesh from his shoulders
to the base of his spine, scars that could only have been
inflicted by the lash of a whip.
He turned to look over his shoulder. „What’s the matter?“
Then, as he saw her face, a crooked smile lit up his face. „As I
said, palaces are not the full extent of my experience.“ Then he
faded into the dense forest shrubbery with a silent grace that
surprised her.
She sat frozen, staring after him in the darkness. She felt…
strange. What kind of a man was Nicholas Savron? She
couldn’t really know, since their every encounter had been
colored by anger, conflict, and lust. She had seen glimpses of
the character of the man in his relationship with Mikhail and
Valentin, but had been too wary to believe what she had seen.
Now her defenses were down and she was forced to accept
another Nicholas. A Nicholas who had held her and comforted
her with a tenderness she had never known, who had laughed
and teased her, who had made her aware he possessed a past
that could hold the same pain and humiliation she had known.
A Nicholas who had saved her life at the risk of his own.
He had saved her life! The realization came with the
shocking force of a blow. „No!“ She didn’t wish to owe
Nicholas Savron anything. He was the enemy.
But he had not been an enemy when he had held her in his
arms and told her it was all right to be afraid. He had permitted
her to lean on his strength and had taken nothing from her in
return. How would it feel to be able to lean on someone else as
Elspeth leaned on Dominic? Not that she needed support, she
assured herself quickly. But it would be pleasant to know there
was a hand to hold your own on a rough path. So pleasant…
Pleasant. It was not a word to describe Nicholas Savron. He
dazzled and wooed, he struck with the glittering sharpness of a
renaissance dagger and then danced, away to watch with an
entrancing smile as his opponent crumpled. Yet she had felt
something else in him tonight, a strongly anchored rock to
cling to in the darkness.
Oh, she just didn’t know. She was confused and weakened,
as much from that moment of tenderness from Nicholas as she
was from the blow on the head. She would think about it when
she was fully herself again. Tonight he had offered a truce that
she would gladly accept.
The warm night breeze gently touched her cheeks and
playfully tugged at her hair, bringing with it the pungent scent
of moss, river, and burning wood. She had been imprisoned in
cities too long. She glanced around her, curiously content with
both this place and this moment. Two huge weeping willow
trees showered veils of lacy fronds over the mossy bank, and
the moonlight on the Mississippi was breath-takingly lovely.
She could see the pale gleam of the riverboat hovering in the
distance, but both the Rose and her captivity seemed far away.
She drew closer to the fire, her gaze on the brightly
glowing flames. The night was warm and the fire was not
really a necessity but it would serve to finish drying her
clothes. She threaded her fingers through her hair, holding the
long straight strands out to let the heat flow through them. Her
hair was nearly dry. She must have been unconscious longer
than she had believed, yet the blow had been really nothing. It
was very puzzling.
Dear heaven, surely she hadn’t swooned? Indignation
surged through her at the thought. She couldn’t have been such
a ninny. She had been frightened but she did not swoon. It was
ridiculous and she – She suddenly began to chuckle. Perhaps