Broken Promise (The Broken Ones Book 3) (23 page)

She paused at the bathroom door, but
nodded. So he did know where she lived, and apparently she was now somewhere
near the sea, as she'd thought. Struggling into the dress, she waited a moment
to see if Aya would come, and when she didn't, returned to the room. Finding
Roan absent, she got her boots and sat on the bed to put them on while she
waited.

Having made plans with Bo while she
dressed, and evaded his questions as best she could for now, a giddy feeling
filled her. The Elves had lied. They lived.

Roan returned and she stood as he
approached. He tossed a cloak on the bed as she turned around for him to do up
her lacings.

"I want you to keep that on and the
hood up. Vesrin certainly has people watching for you."

"I will."

"If you see or sense anything
amiss, tell my men."

"I will." Finished, he stepped
back and she gathered up the cloak and put it on. "Stop worrying."

"This isn't a good idea."

"I need to see him," she said
softly.

He let out an irritated huff. "Yes,
I understand that. Do not take long. Explain the situation. Tell him about the riath."

She grimaced at that, but nodded.

His finger set under her chin, lifting
it so she looked up at him. "I am serious. You are due for another
withdrawal soon. Make your reunion quick."

Brushing his hand away, she straightened
her shoulders. "I know and I will. Can I go now?"

He led her out of the room and down the
long hall. Being the first time she'd left the room, she kept herself alert,
studying everything around her. The hall opened into a large room filled with
chairs, tables, and men.

Pausing at the entrance to the room, she
came up beside him, taking in the rowdy looking men now all staring at her. Not
all men, she did see Aya, who flashed her an amused grin.

One of the men seated closest to them
made a lewd gesture at her. "Brought the little whore out to play, did ya,
Captain?"

Roan stepped forward, but Aro sailed by
him. The man began to stand as she approached, but she kicked a foot out from
under him and roughly pushed him back into his chair.

He settled with a thump, clearly
startled as she grabbed the front of his shirt and leaned over him, putting her
face close to his. His breath stank, and her lip curled in disgust before she
spoke, her words clipped yet calm. "I'm no whore, and even if I was, you'd
do best to show some respect."

He looked over her shoulder at Roan and then
laughed nervously. "The kitten has some teeth."

Someone snorted. Aro glanced over to see
Aya reclining leisurely in her chair, a wicked grin on her face.

"Dres, darling. You seem to forget
this is the 'kitten' who killed an Elf and gutted another. While in chains. On
her own."

Dres raised his hands in mock surrender.
"I was just teasing, lass. No need to get so riled up. Pretty little thing
like you should–"

"Mind your tongue," Roan
interrupted.

"Yes, Captain."

Aro let go of his shirt and stepped
back, wondering if she should have punched him in the face so he'd take her
seriously. The thought gave her a start. When had she gotten so violent?

Roan stepped to her side. "No
fighting with my men," he said quietly.

"I blame you, making me wear this
rotting dress."

His eyes flicked over to her. "You
look nice."

"Go rot," she muttered.

Surprisingly, he chuckled and beckoned
two men she'd barely noticed from a dark corner.

Not human, was her first thought. They
stood out from the other men, at least to her. Too clean, too graceful. She
couldn't decide if they were young Were or Elves.

"Silas and Raythe," Roan
introduced them.

She nodded and waited while he gave them
swift instructions. When he finished, she headed for the only door to the right
of her.

"Hood up," Roan reminded her.

Flipping it up, she didn't look back.

∞ ∞ ∞

Whatever she expected to see when she
stepped out the door, the inside of large warehouse wasn't it. She stopped,
taking in the wide-open space around her. Elf lights hovered in the rafters
above, lighting the long building.

The two-story house had been built into
the corner. A landing ran along the front and around the next side. Wide, crude
wooden stairs led down to a dirt packed area before two huge doors, currently
double barred. Against the wall to her right she saw stacked crates and barrels.
To the left of the house more inventory spread out before her, everything from
lumber to hay to more crates and barrels.

She noted the bows and quivers of arrows
set along the house walls as two men on the landing greeted her escorts. They
directed her down the stairs and toward a regular door set off to the right.
Another man startled her, rising from his seat by the pile of crates.

She glanced over at Silas. "Are all
the guards necessary?"

"Sometimes," was his vague
reply.

Before she could ask something else, Raythe
put his arm around her shoulder. "Please stay close. Keep your head down
and hood up."

Shifting to pull away, his grip
tightened. When she looked over at him, he grinned and winked.

"We'll walk like so for a time.
Lord Vesrin is certainly watching."

"Roan–"

"His idea, miss. Not mine."

Silas opened the door and she and Raythe
squeezed out. She was not impressed. The glare of sun on snow made her wince.
Trying to glance up through her hood, she cursed under her breath. She could
barely see a thing.

"Where are we headed?"

She named the tavern she and Bo had
chosen near the west end of the market. Doing her best to discover where Roan
lived only made her frustrated. The young men took her up and down various
streets and alleys until she lost count of the number of rights and lefts.
Every time she tried to raise her head one of them would push it down again or
snap a quiet warning.

Grinding her teeth angrily, she couldn't
believe they'd go through such trouble to keep the location of the warehouse a
secret. Then she wanted to smack herself on the forehead. Of course the more
likely reason would be they were trying to lose anyone trying to follow them.
However, knowing Roan, keeping her in the dark would just be an added benefit
to their wild meanderings.

The guards, her escorts, and everything
else began to cause a gnawing worry in her stomach. Was she truly in such
danger? Would Vesrin once again attempt to abduct, or even kill her, in the
streets? Her mind played out possible scenarios as they walked. At least she had
her boot knives, but the rotting dress and heavy cloak would drastically impede
her movement.

Caught up in her thoughts, the sudden
recognition of familiar market sounds took her by surprise.

Raythe squeezed her shoulder. "Here
we are."

Her head snapped up, and this time
neither tried to stop her. Across the street stood the Drowned Fish and waiting
in front of it…

Bo!

Springing forward, she dashed across the
street, sidestepping those in her way and flinging herself into Bo's waiting arms.

Heart hammering in her chest, the relief
at seeing him truly alive and well left her struggling to breathe.

His thick arms wrapped around her,
squeezing her so tightly pain shot through her almost healed ribs.

She didn't care and just held him back
as tightly as she could. "You're alive, you're alive." A sob choked
her words, but she shook away the urge to cry. She'd done that already. Now was
a happy time.

"Ah, pup. You've worried–" His
voice cracked. "Worried us way too much these past weeks."

Pulling back, she looked up to see tears
streaking down his rough face. Her poor heart broke for him, for all of them.
Her lips trembled and she swallowed back tears again. "I'm sorry."

Ruffling her hair, he put an arm around
her and walked into the tavern. "No worries, not now."

She did note Silas had taken up a
position outside the tavern, but didn't see Raythe until they went inside. As
her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she found him quickly enough seated in a
dark corner with view of the entire tavern and the door.

At least Roan picked some decent men to
watch over her.

Bo led her to a seat on the opposite
side of the room. She dropped down to wrap her arms around Garen's neck as he sprung
out from under the table.

Burying her face in his soft fur, she
fought the urge to cry again.
I missed you so much!

As did I. Welcome back.

His words sent her happiness fleeing. She
had a lot of explaining to do, and the boys were not going to be happy.

∞ ∞ ∞

Luckily the tavern was fairly quiet,
being only midafternoon. After a few more quiet welcomes, the boys quickly
prodded her for what had happened. For the second time that day she told of the
events of her abduction.

Garen growled quietly under the table,
the vibration shooting down her legs since his head rested on her knee. Bo
cursed, loudly, and ordered more ale.

Reaching out, he took her chin and
turned her face back and forth, grimacing at the faded bruises. "Rotting
bastards."

You did well with your escape,
Garen commented
once Bo stopped cursing.

"Not well enough," she
muttered, and then told them what had happened since. She almost slipped,
telling the boys he was an Elf. If the need came she would, but didn't think it
important enough to cause the pirate's anger.

Bo leaned forward, head in his hands and
muttering under his breath.

"I thought you were dead," she
said quietly.

"I understand that," he
snapped. "Rotting Elves." Shaking his head, he leaned back. "How
bad is it?"

Shifting uncomfortably, she looked away
and saw Raythe covertly watching them. "Bad enough."

So what is the plan?

She glanced down at Garen.
That's
what we need to discuss.
She filled the boys in on her thoughts about Roan,
and why he'd agreed to help her, keeping their conversation to mind speech.

It is safe to assume he has everything
well thought out. I think it will not be easy to get you free of him,
Garen finally
said.

I agree.
Bo took another
swig of ale.
If what he says is true about the Elves still wanting you,
that's another issue. How well guarded are you?

She told them about the house within the
warehouse and all the guards and weapons she'd seen.
I'm quite certain my
escorts today aren't human either,
she added.
Were, I'm thinking.

Correct,
Garen
confirmed.

I never told them about you,
she said
suddenly.
As far as they all know, you've returned to the forest.

Let's hope the glamor continues to hide
my scent as well then. It would be safe to assume he has others also in his
employ. In our search for you, I was surprised at the number of Elves and Were
in the city.

Grimacing, Bo drummed his fingers on the
table.
I hate to admit it, but right now you're safest with him.

Anger spiked within her, flushing her
cheeks. "You're my family," she said harshly. Bo grinned. Gritting
her teeth, she shook her head. "I want to come home," she said more
quietly. "So…can we make home safer?"

Garen's ears perked up.
What did you
have in mind?

We've decent walls; make them better.
Fortify the place. Replace that rotting gate. Do something with the house
windows. We've water, so stockpile some other food and supplies. More weapons.
She looked to
Bo. "What do you think? Hale might be able to help."

"Help with what?"

She turned in surprise, a smile coming
to her face as the blacksmith sat down beside her. Leaning over, he gave her a
careful and quick embrace, pulling back with reddened cheeks as Bo chuckled.

Thank you, for helping Bo and Garen,
she said
sincerely.

It was the least I could do,
he answered in
quiet sadness.

Reaching over, she squeezed his hand.
It
wasn't your fault.

Shrugging a shoulder, he smiled faintly.

She and her boys filled him in on her
idea and he agreed to work with them to make their home safe enough for her
return… if she could get away from Roan.

Their conversation wore down and
returned to more mundane topics, such as how Elaina had taken the news of her
disappearance, and Bo's surprise at her support of him being away most of the
time to search for her. Out of the corner of her eye, Aro caught sight of
movement and cursed under her breath.