Hunted (Book 2) (10 page)

Tressa lay on a bed, surrounded by emerald and sapphire
silken pillows, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. She'd been a
little sick the last few days. The healers at the castle attributed it to her
wild flight with the dragon.

Queen Jacinda had visited her a few times. She wasn't
exactly kind, but she hadn't been rude to Tressa yet. Perhaps Jarrett had overstated
her jealousy.

Tressa’s eyes wandered to the doorway of her chamber. She'd
been ordered to stay. To rest and heal. To let the guards outside her door know
if she needed anything.

Guards. She still wasn't allowed to leave. Not until
Jarrett arrived. Jacinda had made that very clear. Tressa wasn't clear on why
she was being held. Jacinda told her she'd sent the golden dragon to scoop Tressa
out of the desert so she could avoid the unforgiving dry heat. Every time she'd
asked why they hadn't brought Jarrett at the same time, someone would change
the subject.

For two days, she lay in the room. Food was delivered at
regular intervals. Beautiful, scrumptious oranges and lemons, with pheasant
roasted in pineapple juice. She'd never tasted such varied and glorious meals.
Clean clothes were brought. A tub was prepared for her every night. Women
brushed her hair and braided it. They anointed her skin with oils.

Tressa felt like a queen. A captive one, but when Jarrett
arrived, she'd be set free. At least that's what they promised.

The door opened without a knock. A maid slipped in the
room, her face flush, her cheeks bright red. "He's here. Your promised. He
has arrived."

Tressa leapt to her feet and ran to the window. She looked
out on the grand concourse. Sure enough, Jarrett's caravan had made it to
Risos. She waved to him, tossing flower petals off the balcony, but he didn't
see her. She was too high up, too far away.

"Does he know I'm here?" she asked the servant
girl. The same girl had tended to her, and gossiped with Tressa, since she'd
been shut up in this room. Tressa had worried about Jarrett, confiding in this
girl how much she was beginning to miss him. Being apart from Jarrett was more
difficult with each sun. Tressa was surprised how much she had missed him.

"I don't know," the girl said. She pulled her
hands out from behind her back, revealing a basket laden with flowers and oils.
"But I'm sure you'll see him soon. Let's make you beautiful."

Tressa sat still while the girl braided her hair yet again
in another intricate pattern. Had circumstances been different, she would have
begged the girl to teach her. Weaving was Tressa's specialty. Instead, she sat
quietly, letting the girl pamper her. Fragrant oils were brought out, rubbed up
and down her arms. Her feet and legs were slathered in the oil, the girl's
expert hands massaging out all the kinks and worries collecting in Tressa's
muscles.

A knock at the door startled both of them. It was the first
time anyone had awarded her the courtesy. "Come in," Tressa said.

She looked at the slave who mouthed, "Jarrett."

The door flung open and Jarrett strode in. Covered from
head to toe in sand, he unwrapped the scarf around his head, flinging hard
granules in the air.

Tressa's instinct was to cover her mouth against the flying
sand. Instead, she fought it and ran into Jarrett's outstretched arms. She
nuzzled her head into his shoulder. He smelled of camel and cinnamon. It was
the sweetest thing she'd ever sniffed.

"Jarrett!" Despite wanting to maintain her
composure, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm here." He grabbed Tressa's shoulders and
pushed her back. "Are you okay?" His eyes looked her up and down,
concern radiating from his eyes.

Tressa dipped her chin. Fear flooded through her. Now that
Jarrett was here, she let down her guard and admitted she'd been scared.
"Jacinda..."

"What about me?" The queen swept into the room.
"I've done nothing but keep you in the finest clothes and offered you the
most gracious hospitality." She stood with her arms crossed, waiting for
Tressa to challenge her. Jacinda’s frown morphed into a scowl. “Whatever it is,
I don't want to hear it. Now that you’re here, I want to know,” Jacinda craned
her neck, looking over Jarrett’s shoulder, “where is my son?”

Jarrett’s grip on Tressa’s shoulders tightened. She kept
the smile on her face, though her happiness at being reunited with Jarrett had
melted into fear. Tressa had no idea what Jacinda would do when she found out
her son was dead.

“Jacinda," Jarrett said, "Maybe we should speak
privately. Let’s allow Tressa some time to rest. She shouldn’t be dealing with
matters of state.”

Jacinda's eyes narrowed. "No." She looked back
and forth at Jarrett and Tressa. "Tell me now. Where is Henry? Did he
capture the throne? I haven't received word yet."

Jarrett stood in front of Tressa, shielding her.

"Jarrett, my pet, don't hold out on me."
Jacinda's voice dripped with poison-tinged sweetness.

Tressa stared at Jarrett's back, wishing she could give him
strength. Or that she could fly them out of there, just as the golden dragon
had plucked her from her camel. But they were at a disadvantage, completely at
Jacinda's mercy.

"Henry is dead." He said it without emotion.
"He was too young for the mission and I tried to tell you that before you
sent us. He wasn't ready. He couldn't control his dragon—"

Jacinda cut him off. "Don't speak of that." She
glared at Tressa over Jarrett's shoulder.

"She knows," Jarrett said. "Henry changed in
front of her. There was nothing I could do. In fact, Tressa has kept his secret.
No one else knows."

Jacinda snorted. Like a dragon. And why not? If Stacia was
a dragon and Henry was a dragon, then surely Jacinda was too. Tressa's skin
tingled, bumps crawling from her wrists to her shoulders. So far, the dragons
she’d met were all a little crazy or cruel. She thought of Connor, his sandy
hair and quiet smirk, and the way he roughhoused with his son, how he held the
baby so carefully. Would he succumb to the dragon's fire as well?

"He was a tad immature, I'll grant you that."
Jacinda waved a hand in the air, her golden tipped nails sparkling in the sun.
"Luckily I have another son, Harib. The one who so graciously brought
Tressa here. We will nab that Blue throne yet."

Jarrett cleared his throat. "Actually, Stacia is
dead."

Jacinda clapped her hands together and laughed. "This
is wonderful news. I'll send men right away to set up a regency before the
other dragonlords can get there. Tell me who killed that horrid bitch."

Jacinda stared at Tressa, then switched her penetrating
gaze to Jarrett. "No." A nervous laugh fell from her lips. "Not
her. Not the whore who tricked you into bed and into a marriage proposal. Impossible. She's just a girl."

"It's true," Tressa said, shocked Jacinda was
more upset about this than her son's death. True, Henry was a prick, but
Jacinda was his mother. Did she care for no one?

"How?" Jacinda sank onto a pillowed settee.
"Tell me." She draped her arms over the back of the bench.

Tressa took a deep breath. "I knew the dragon, I mean
Stacia, was going to kill me whether or not I fought back. So I did the best I
could."

Jarrett smiled, picking up her story. "You should have
seen her. She fought better than most men when tested by an unknown beast. Even
here, no one would dare stand up to our dragons."

"It's because they know better." Jacinda muffled
a yawn. "This girl is clearly a fool."

"She's the bravest woman I've ever met."
Jarrett's eyes softened as he looked back at Tressa.

Her stomach flipped. Three days away from the man, and she
felt like a silly girl in his presence.

"It wasn't just me," Tressa said, hoping to take
some of the attention off herself. "During the battle—"

"I stepped in," Jarrett said. He placed a hand on
Tressa's arm and gave her a knowing look. "But Tressa did all the
fighting. She dealt the death blow."

So he didn't want her to mention the other dragon. Maybe it
was for the best. They didn't even know where he was now. Hopefully he had
flown to safety.

"I will immediately send my best men to Ashoom to take
the throne." Jacinda folded her arms across her chest. "And the two
of you. I want you gone. Take this trash back where you found her. I have no
use for either of you."

"Jacinda," Jarrett sat next to her on the settee.
His thigh touched hers; his hand found its way to her knee. Tressa felt a stab
in her gut. She had no claim over Jarrett. Jacinda was his lover. He was only
keeping up the ruse to protect her.

"I didn't come here to flaunt Tressa in front of
you," Jarrett said. "I came here to tell you about Henry and to beg
for your help."

Jacinda's shoulders softened. Her face lost the pinched
look she'd had since Tressa first laid eyes on her. "My help? What do you
need me for? You have chosen another."

The pained look in her eyes told Tressa the truth. She had
loved Jarrett. Deeply.

"I need to talk to you about the village of Hutton's
Bridge," Jarrett said.

Jacinda's angry mask snapped back onto her face, her eyes
blazing and her lips pursed. "Not that again. Your trollop over there
tried to tell me she was from Hutton's Bridge. It's clearly a lie. Hutton's
Bridge is lost to us."

"It's not." Jarrett grabbed Jacinda's hands,
refusing to let her yank them back. "The fog has dissipated."

"No." Jacinda whispered. "It cannot be
true."

"It is. The villagers are missing. So is the
honey."

"Of course the villagers are missing. They've all been
dead for eighty years." Jacinda gave up the struggle against Jarrett and
left her hands in his, squeezing hard, drawing on his strength. "They are
dead, aren't they?" she asked Tressa.

She simply shook her head.

"Have you been making honey all this time?"
Jacinda's voice rose an octave.

"Yes," Tressa said, "but Jarrett has yet to
explain to me why the honey is so important. I keep telling him there is
nothing special about it."

Jacinda's nostrils flared. "You're such an ignorant
child." She looked to Jarrett. "I swear, I do not understand why you
have chosen her. If I had an inkling that you didn't care for her, I'd..."

"You'd what?" Tressa planned to draw Jarrett's
sword from its sheath if she had to. She may not have been born a fighter, but
over the last few months, that was what she'd become.

"I'd kill you." Jacinda said.

"I've killed one dragon," Tressa said through
gritted teeth.

Jacinda laughed. "I am not afraid of a little girl.
And I am nothing like Stacia. She was young. Weak. Barely able to control her
power. The only reason she remained queen for years was because Hutton's Bridge
cut her off from the rest of the Dragonlands. The Sands has the most powerful
fleet. We control the seas. No one went in, or out, of the Blue without my
permission."

"Jacinda, please," Jarrett said, coaxing her to
look at him. He shot Tressa an angry look. "We have to focus on what's
important. The honey. It's gone."

"We must know where the honey has been taken,"
Jacinda said. "For one to have so much control...they must be
stopped."

"And my people must be found," Tressa said.

"Your people are not of my concern," Jacinda
said. She sprang to her feet. "I must arrange for an envoy investigate in
Hutton's Bridge and look for clues to the honey's whereabouts."

Tressa stood. "When do we leave?"

"Leave?" Jacinda's eyebrows rose. "You're
staying here with Jarrett. As my guest until such time as you can be
married."

Guest? Tressa kept her anger closely guarded. She was no
guest and they all knew the truth of it. "Jarrett?" She appealed to
her only ally. "We should go. No one knows Hutton's Bridge better than I
do. I must be allowed to help."

His dark brown eyes were sad. "No, I think Jacinda is
right. You saw as well as I did what lurked in the village. I don't want to
risk anything happening to you."

Tressa wanted to yell, stomp, scream, but she knew the last
word had been given. There would be no changing their minds. Resigned, she sat
down in the nearest chair, sinking into the silken finery, her heart aching.

This was worse than any day Tressa had spent in Hutton's
Bridge, hidden in the magical fog. She could have left of her own volition,
even though she believed it likely meant death. Here, the exit was blocked by
three guards who stood sentry outside her doors all day and all night.

She knew because she'd periodically
tried leaving. Once in the morning after Jacinda and Jarrett had left her
there. Not long after eating her supper. And again in the middle of the night
when she'd woken from an unremembered nightmare. It had left her in a cold
sweat, panic racing through her veins, but she couldn't recall even a moment of
the horror that had forced her from sleep. Something joyous had been ripped
away from her, but that was all she knew. No matter how hard she tried to
remember, the details slipped away.

In a panic, she'd rushed the door,
flinging the heavy gold-plated door open, only to see three very wide-awake
guards standing outside her room, their arms crossed over their naked chests,
their muscular legs stemming from short skirts. Sandals bound to their ready
feet. Instead of charging them, she slunk backward into the room, closing the
door quietly behind her.

What was the point in fighting? They'd only overpower her.
Leo had taught her to walk away from a fight she couldn't win.

Tressa had snuggled into the pillows, pulling the silken
sheet up to her chin, letting it catch the silent tears that streamed down her
cheeks.

She'd never felt so alone. Even Jarrett hadn't come back.
She'd assumed he'd join her at night to keep up the guise of their
relationship. Instead the night only greeted her with a dark silence, the sky
pinpointed with starlight.

In the morning, Tressa broke her fast with an assortment of
fruit brought in by a silent servant, some she could now name, like pineapple
and kiwi. Others tempted her with luscious juice and brilliant colors. She
hadn't even seen some of the colors before and marveled at how strange and
beautiful the world outside of Hutton's Bridge could be.

When the door opened, she didn't jump to her feet to thank
the intruder for the visit. Instead, she glanced up with an uninterested eye.
Jarrett stood in the doorway, his eyes weary. Bags punctuated his lower
eyelids, dark as the night and heavy as Tressa's heart.

"I'm sorry I didn't come last night. There was
business to be tended to." Jarrett shut the door behind him and sank down
next to her.

"It's kind of you to visit me in my cell." Tressa
refused to give him any thanks. If he held so much sway, he should have been
able to buy her some freedom. What good was being his supposed betrothed if she
was only to be kept prisoner in Risos? They might as well have told everyone
the truth — that she was only a friend and he was helping her.

A stab in her heart reminded Tressa there was another
reason she was angry with Jarrett. They'd been separate for days. She wanted to
see him. Spend time with him.

Jarrett sighed and scratched his goatee. "I am truly
sorry about this. Jacinda is behaving poorly, but she is the ruler here. There
is little I can do to set you free."

"You have plenty of freedom." Tressa tossed a
kiwi slice on the platter. "I seem to remember you lecturing Henry about
how to treat a woman, how his mother would be disappointed in him for
attempting to assault me. If she's so keen on women and how they're treated,
then why am I being treated as a criminal?"

Jarrett laughed. "If you think this is where the
criminals are kept, then you need to learn more about Jacinda."

Tressa scowled and pursed her lips. She'd done little more
than sit around for days, waiting for him to arrive. She picked up the kiwi
again and popped it into her mouth. "I was kept in here, a virtual
prisoner. I'm not a criminal, and yet I was treated as one under house
arrest." She wanted to anger Jarrett. She wanted to hurt him for bringing
her to the Sands and subjecting her to this. Surely there could have been another
place to go to ask for help. Not everyone in the Dragonlands could be evil.

Jarrett unballed his fists and wiped his hands on a cloth
napkin, getting the dredges of strawberry out from between his fingers. "I
didn't have any other options. The Blue has been dismantled. It's likely pure
chaos in the Drowned Country now. North to Malum? Absolutely not. Northwest to
the Meadowlands? Those people have never picked up a weapon in their lives.
They simply ignore all war, and they equally eschew all pleas for help. They
are neutral at best, uncaring at worst."

"There's another, isn't there?" Tressa asked.
"The Charred Barrens where the Black Throne resides?"

Jarrett made a strange gesture with his hand, his first two
fingers fanned into a V. He held them in front of his lips for a moment.
"We do not speak of the Ruins of Ebon."

"Why not?" Tressa asked, eating more fruit. Her
hunger couldn't be slaked. As her irritation with him abated, her appetite
grew.

"It is an evil land, one where death reigns. To enter
the Charred Barrens is to die."

"If Jacinda won't help us, we should leave. We're
wasting time, Jarrett. My people are out there somewhere and I need to find
them." She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. "Please."

"Don't you think I know that?" He exploded.
"I don't know any other way to protect you. Calling you my promised saved
your arse. If Jacinda thought for a second that I didn't love you..."

"She'd kill me, wouldn't she?" Tressa asked, sure
she knew the answer.

"I still feel like you're in danger. If we were
already married, then perhaps Jacinda would give us what we wanted. A few men
to investigate the whereabouts of your people. Freedom."

Tressa's anger abated a bit. Marrying Jarrett out of
convenience would be a good solution if it truly meant her freedom. If they
both understood up front it was only a formality, then it might work. She had
feelings of some kind for him. Something stirred deep inside and she did feel a
modicum of jealousy when he was around Jacinda. But that wasn't enough to marry
a man. Yet, if it could help her find her people and restore some normality,
she might consider it. "Would you do that for me? And after I left, could
you somehow repudiate me? I don't want you to be tied to me forever. I'd hate
to ruin your life like that."

Jarrett sank back down to his knees in front of her.
"Tressa, I have lived all over the Sands. I have met and been with many
women. There isn't one I would rather marry than you." He leaned over,
kissing her on the lips.

She gasped, then returned the kiss with a fervor she hadn’t
known existed. Tressa's fingers lost themselves on the back of Jarrett's neck.
His lips pushed into hers, insistent. Hers responded with deep longing, her
tongue inviting him to taste her. Jarrett rested his hand on her hips, his
thumbs dangerously close to a place she'd kept only for Bastian.

Bastian!

Tressa jerked back. "I'm sorry. I just..." She
licked her lips, a blush spreading from her neck up to her cheeks.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
Jarrett backed away a few steps. "You don't think of me that way. I
already knew that. I won't take advantage of you."

She held out a hand to him, her fingers shaking. "It's
not that I don't think of you like that...I just...I feel like there's other
things left unsaid. I shouldn't be doing this with you when there's another who
thinks I'm waiting for him."

Jarrett nodded. "I understand." He smiled.
"It's just another thing I love about you. Your unerring loyalty. I should
go. There are plans to be made. Are you truly willing to go along with the
wedding?"

"Yes, as long as you understand I cannot truly make
any promises to you. Not yet."

His smile was tempered by reality. "Of course. And you
know I won't ever make you do anything you don't want to do."

Jarrett winked, then exited the room, leaving Tressa's
chest heaving for air. What had she almost done?