Chapter 4

It was easy for him to find the trail his horse had left. Trotting after, he pressed into the woods in the opposite direction from the way he had intended to go, cursing under his breath the whole while. He had been willing to put up with her attitude. He had been willing to be forgiving. But now, his mind raced with every kind of thing he could possibly do to her, and it made his blood burn.

The sun was near the horizon for the onset of night before he heard what sounded like splashing. Crouching, he crept behind some bushes, his sword drawn. Peering through the spaces of some branches, his eyes narrowed, his blood burning even hotter.

The elf stood naked waist deep in a stream, her elegant back to him. Her tanned skin shone wetly in the orange sunlight. The panther was dripping with the cold water, glaring at his mistress who giggled at him. He gave a huff, turning to leave the water. She grabbed his thick tail to stop him.

“Aw, Draen, c’mon, you aren’t clean! You still smell like wet dog!”

The panther spun. Roan thought surely it would attack her when its giant paw swiped at her, but there were no claws. It struck her side, throwing her slender, feminine form into the water. She stood back up, laughing. The panther pounced, pushing her under. Then it pounced again, landing on the shore. Strategically, it waited to shake and spray the elf as she surfaced. With a squeal, she splashed him, giggling.

“Certainly not!” she suddenly remarked, putting her hands on her shapely hips, the top curve of her ass just out of the water now.

The panther huffed and went over to Roan’s horse, taking a deep sniff of it. The horse whinnied and kicked out at the beast.

“No, Draen. You can’t eat it.” There was a pause as she rubbed her skin under the water. “Well, I’m hungry, too! I haven’t had such a luxury before, and I’m not letting you eat it.” Another pause. The panther now turned to her. “No! I doubt it. He won’t remember. They never do.” She wrung out her hair while the panther tilted its head at her. She made a sound of annoyance, shaking her head. “Just go hunt if you’re that hungry. I’ll catch up tomorrow.”

With a huff, the panther licked the horse’s haunch before bounding off, dodging another kick. Shaking her head, the elf continued her bath.

Once finished, she walked over to the horse. The beast whinnied, knowing this person was not his rider, but elves were known for their way with animals, and her gentle elven words soon calmed the creature.

Pulling an off-white tunic from her pack, she slipped it over her head. Hanging to mid thigh, it really didn’t offer much protection from the chilly tingle that crept up her spine. Was it the breeze?

The horse gave a pleased snort, making the elf reach for a dagger on the saddle. Too late. She felt the cold metal of a knife press against her throat at the same time the heat of Roan’s hard body pressed against her back. He grabbed her wrist with his free hand, twisting it behind her to make sure she couldn’t cast any complicated spells. “You made a serious mistake, elf!”

“Not as serious as you,” she hissed back.

With a quick word, she brought up her other hand, opening it in front of his face. A brilliant light flashed from the middle of her palm, blinding him. He snarled, feeling her slip from his relaxed grip. Luckily, most of the light had struck his silver eye. He blinked rapidly, peering about as his vision quickly cleared.

He parried the dagger that was swung at him from his side. The next swing she made, he was able to hook the dagger and wrench it from her grip. He heard her speak, a spell he knew would send fire at him.

The spell died when he shot out his open hand towards her with a short word. A wall of magical force threw her back. She landed heavily on her back, gasping as her wound, though healed, throbbed in pain. Before she could leap to her feet, Roan’s weight pushed her down. Joining her wrists in one hand, he placed the other on the ground beside her head. With a few words, roots shot out of the leaf litter, wrapping about her wrists and dragging them to the ground.

Smirking smugly down at her, he sat back to use his weight to stop her thrashing legs.

Beaten, the elf stilled under him, her chest heaving as she panted. Glowering up at him, she bared her teeth as though she would bite him if he got in her reach. “Will you kill me now, oh powerful Seeker?”

Roan felt the chuckle bubble out of him again. Really, he didn’t know why. He was infuriated, and she was helpless, but she still pressed him. Somehow, that seemed so funny. “I really probably ought to. You and your furry friend have been more trouble than I’m usually willing to put up with. Stealing from a Seeker carries a heavy punishment on its own. Assaulting one, well, I’m now free to do as I wish.”

He didn’t bother trying to hide the fact that her breasts were quite attractive to his male eyes. The thin cloth showed the tight buds furled underneath in sharp little shadows made by the light of the moons. The slit at the neck line twisted to the side to expose the top curve of a luscious globe. It would probably fit perfectly in his hand. How easy it would be to sample this delicacy with her held so immobile.

He felt the shudder of realization course through her. She was helpless under him. He straddled her so she could hardly squirm, but her struggles renewed, trying to push him off, free her arms, anything.

“You’re just going to wear yourself out, darling,” he stated sweetly, watching her twist and undulate under him. “But, by all means, keep that up, and I’m bound to get hard.”

Stilling suddenly, she panted hard, glaring up at his grinning face. He was enjoying himself far too much. It made her stomach tingle and churn all at once. Maybe she had underestimated this one. He had seemed so easy.

He idly drew something out of his belt, but she didn’t recognize the blowdart until he twisted and Draen fell from mid-leap, stumbled a few steps, then dropped with a dull, heavy thud. His breathing was deep and even.