“The queen doesn’t…”Fear paralyzed her until she felt she could not breathe. “She is not aware of my escape yet, at least, I hope she is unaware.”
Ash sighed. “And when she discovers you’ve left?”
“I’ll be married.”
“Brilliant plan. You better hope it takes only a month to find your suitor, lest she come chasing after you. Until you are married, you are her property.”
“I am nobody’s property,” she all but yelled, clenching her hands into tiny fists. Breath whooshed out of her lungs as she leveled her gaze. “I will never be owned.”
“My dear, what the devil do you think holy matrimony is? A partnership? A fun little game? Mark my words, you will be owned, perhaps you should pray it will be by someone who doesn’t beat you.”
“It would not be the first time,” she whispered, willing the tears to stay put in her eyes where they belonged.
In an instant she felt a warm hand cup her chin, lifting it into the air as if he somehow needed to examine her. “Who would mar such perfection?”
She shook her head. “It does not matter.”
“Who?” he demanded, clenching her chin tighter. “Tell me now or, by God, I’ll discover it myself, if I have to kill every one of your royal protectors.”
“M-my stepmother… Ash you’re scaring me.”
His eyes were distant, and then the warmth returned to them. He released his grip on her chin and swore under his breath. “Apologies. I cannot…” He laughed bitterly. “…I cannot fathom it. That is the cruel joke that is my life. I am a hired hunter, a hired killer, yet I cannot, for one second, fathom someone laying a hand on you. It makes me—”
“What?” She breathed.
“—feel,” he snapped. “It makes me feel. A useless little emotion in my business.”
“Assassin.” Saying the word aloud made it feel more real. Her cousin had sent an assassin to rescue her? Was he mad?
“Shall I kill her for you, Princess?” Ash asked softly. “Say the word, and it is done.”
“Wh-what?” He could not be serious!
“I will make it painless, unless you’d rather I make it agonizingly slow. I will do whatever you order. All you need do is ask, and I will not hesitate to end her life.”
Stunned, Sofia’s mouth dropped open as she watched Ash close his eyes and relax against the seat. Though he was anything but relaxed — every visible muscle was flexed against his skin, as if one touch and he would explode.
With a shuddering breath, she blinked back a few ridiculous tears and muttered, “Thank you.”
Without opening his eyes, Ash responded, “For you. Anything for you, Princess. You may irritate me to no end, I may threaten and bark and bite, but I will protect you till my death. I will avenge your honor, and I will keep you white as snow.”
“White as snow?”
“Pure.” His voice was hoarse. “By God, you’ll be pure, and not just from any man that lays his hands on you, but from the ugliness of the world. I failed once in protecting someone from the darkness. I haven’t failed since. I will not fail with you.”
The rest of the carriage ride was met with such a tense silence that Sofia found herself so eager to exit the carriage she was tempted to jump from it. At long last, they reached the first and only coaching inn where they would be staying for the evening.
“Put this on.” Ash handed her a dark widow’s mask used for mourning.
“Are you intent on killing someone, then?” She tried to tease, but his scowl deepened.
“I mean to protect you from gossip. You are traveling with nine men, Princess. The ton may forgive many things. They may even look the other way when married women stray from their men, but traveling with nine of them? Alone? Without a maid? You may as well wear a sign that says Russian Whore.”
Sofia managed not to gasp at his rash words and jerked the mask from his hands and nodded. “Very well.”
“Thought you’d agree.”
She placed her hand on his arm. “Who died?”
His face went pale; he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing escaped but a slight crack of his voice.
“I m-mean, who shall I say died? A husband?”
Color returned to his face; again his eyes were lit with yellow. “A brother. And I am your husband.”
In a moment of panic, she asked, “Why can’t Pierce be my husband? Or Cornelius?”
“Oh, that’s simple.” He turned his back to her and walked off. “I am much better looking.”
“Arrogant wretch”
His chuckle warmed her body. Stupid man. Why did he have to be so difficult? And attractive. Heavens, but he was correct about that. Never had she seen a man whose smile melted her insides so completely she swayed on her own two feet.
Ridiculous! It was merely because she was frightened and had been confined to a small carriage with nothing else to do except feign sleep and pretend not to stare at the Adonis.
She looked down at the mask and covering and carefully placed it over her head before following the rest of the men.
Pierce leaned against the door to the inn and gave her an approving grin. “I’m surprised he lasted so long in that carriage with you. Tell me, Princess, did you pull a knife on him?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll just have to keep hoping, then,” Pierce said wistfully. “Now off you go. By now, the inn will know of our arrival. I am to see to the horses.”
“And what am I to see to?”
Pierce grinned wolfishly. “Why, your husband, of course.”
Sofia was suddenly sorry she’d asked. Pierce walked away without giving her a chance to defend herself. A very strong urge rose to throw a rock at his back, but he would merely laugh all the more.
“Prin—”
Ash smacked Cornelius on the back of the head and scowled. Cornelius fell forward. “Sorry, I mean Snow.”
“Snow?” Oh, this should be good. Sofia waited while Cornelius’s chest pumped up, making him look absolutely ridiculous standing next to Ash.
“I came up with it.” He looked around as if he was waiting for applause. The rest of the guards grinned and nodded their heads in approval.
“Did you now?” Her patience was quickly dwindling. Was it so much to ask for a hot meal and bath?
“Yes.” Cornelius confirmed. “You see, your skin is white, and Ash mentioned something to us about you being pure so we cannot touch you—”