Bound By Chains (MxM)

Chapter Thirty-One

It felt like we had been waiting for a lifetime when the sun finally dipped below the horizon. My heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings, and the anxiety that had been plaguing me all day today was at an entirely new level; to the point it was borderline painful. And Cayden...well, he seemed to be hiding his nerves incredibly well, because every time I had snuck a glance towards him, he looked to be as calm as ever. The only indication that he was nervous was the way his lips were tightened at the corners. I envied the way he could mask his worries and act like everything was fine. Then again...there was a lot I envied about him.

After pacing for about thirty minutes, I plopped down on the edge of my cot and dropped my head into my hands, hating the fact that we still had to sit here and wait for everyone to be deep in slumber before we left. After all, the deeper asleep they were, the harder it would be for them to hear us slink away into the night.

No doubt sensing my distress, I felt Cayden sit down next to me; the man silent for a moment before he spoke. "It shouldn't be too much longer before we can leave," he muttered, the heat of his gaze on me as I pulled my face away from my hands to look at him.

"Which direction are we going to go?"

Cayden pursed his lips and leaned back on his hands. "West would be our best bet. That'll take us further away from the castle, and anyone who may recognize me as Alton's son. "He then paused for a moment, fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes on the back of my hand. "I was perhaps thinking of disguising myself somehow, in order to get some supplies from the town nearest to us." He halted, then scrunched up his nose. "Actually, it would probably be wiser if we skip over the first two towns and get supplies then. Especially with Alton on our tail. Well, him and possibly Terry-if the bastard really is that hellbent on killing me."

I frowned, turning my hand so that our fingers interlocked, causing Cayden to turn those pretty, dark eyes on me. "What are we needing from town?"

Cayden sighed and scratched at his chin; a days' worth of stubble slowly growing on that tanned skin. "Well, ideally a waterskin and tinderbox, you know, so we're not stuck trying to hunt down rivers for water or struggling to light a fire with stones. A change of clothes would also do the both of us some good, I think." He glanced down at his shirt, which used to be a pretty cream color, but was now stained with dirt, and sweat and grime, and even had a couple of tears in the expensive fabric.

I turned my gaze away from him, nibbling at the inside of my cheek. A tinderbox and waterskin would definitely do us a lot of good, and I would love to wear something other than my filthy robes...but how were we going to pay for these things? I had no coin to my name, and it wasn't like Cayden had time to snatch anything worth trading from his room when we were running.

I voiced my worry aloud and watched as Cayden frowned; his gaze lowering once he realized I was right. Without money, we wouldn't be able to get anything he mentioned...well, unless we stole them, and while I was used to occasionally stealing food for myself in the castle...my skills were not anything to brag about. I mean, there was rarely ever anyone in the kitchens when I snatched rolls, or fruits for myself. Stealing from someone who needed our money to support their own families...it didn't sit well with me.

Mentally shaking my head at myself for even thinking of such an option, I turned my attention to Cayden, who seemed to be deep in thought. I felt bad for pointing out the flaws of his plan, and as guilt sunk deep into my bones, I gingerly placed a hand on his back; right on his shoulder blade, causing him to glance at me. "I'm sure we'll figure it out. I mean, we've figured out how to be on our own for this long, right?"

Cayden searched my gaze, his eyes growing soft before he grabbed my chin and pressed a sweet kiss against my lips. I melted against him easily, my eyes sliding shut as his warm mouth moved against mine. My heart thundered against my chest, my cheeks warming. Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last too terribly long, and before I knew it, he was pulling away from me, his thumb rubbing just under my bottom lip.