Hunted by a Night Fae

Chapter 18

We both rode upon Ronan's horse--Nea-- as we left the Inn.

I watched the silvery form of Trahern gallop alongside us trying to ignore Ronan's overheated body at my back. No matter how much I tried to scoot myself forward, I couldn't escape Ronan in the small space atop the saddle. His arms stretched around me, holding the reins in a loose grip. Ronan's horse was so in tune with him that he barely had to steer.

I leaned forward what little I could, trying to ignore the flush growing at my cheeks. It was hard to forget how he had looked when he returned after his shower that morning, cleaned of the blood stain in a fresh tunic and trousers. His loose dark curls had hung damply around his face framing his sharp features, now softened by the morning light.

Ronan's chest brushed my back and he lowered himself closer to the horse, urging it to move faster while Trahern started to struggle to keep up. I became acutely aware that not only did Ronan look even better after bathing, but he smelled much better too.

Gone was the scent of blood and sweat, leaving behind a woodsy smell intermingled with a trace of mint. With nothing but the warmth of him at my back and the smell of him overwhelming me—along with the almost boyish way he raced with Trahern...

He seemed less frightening.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Eventually, we lost Trahern, leaving the phooka behind us. Only Trahern had come out to bid us farewell, attempting one last time to convince Ronan to let him have me. Trahern was oddly fascinated with me, and I couldn't help but feel relieved that Ronan did not cave.

Even if that only made me more curious about Ronan himself. It was hard to read him, his expression varying between angry and intimidating to mischievous and sinister. But what that all meant about what was going on inside his mind was a mystery to me.

"Why didn't you get me my own horse?" I asked once we had settled into a steady pace. As I watched the trees whip by us, I couldn't shake the disorienting feeling that when I looked down at Nea, he was moving much slower than we were really going. It appeared that he was only moving along at a leisurely trot, his strong legs able to move us faster than any human horse could.

I was quite certain Nea was not ordinary.

Ronan was silent for a long moment, and I figured he was either ignoring me like he had been before, or simply did not wish to speak with me. I sighed, wondering how I was going to figure out anything important to get myself out of there if he wouldn't even talk. Right now he was my only source of information, and I needed more than what I had learned so far.

Though I doubted he would ever help me leave Faerie, perhaps he knew something that could help.

"We don't need another horse when we have Nea," Ronan said finally, startling me for how close his voice was to my ear. The tone of it resounded deep and smooth, sending a chill across my skin.

I turned my head to try to look back at his face, but he wasn't looking at me. His red eyes turned a bright shade of tangerine as the sunlight caught on them. Ronan narrowed them, as if they were particularly sensitive to the light.

Interesting.

"Well, then you wouldn't have to share with me. It must be hard for him to carry both of us," I reasoned. Mostly, I just didn't feel comfortable with Ronan pressed up against my back.

Plus, with another horse, maybe I could stand a chance at escaping, not that I voiced that thought out loud. Even I knew having my own horse wouldn't help my odds much. Still, it would be an improvement over having my captor's body acting as my cage.