Retreat, p.12
Retreat, page 12
part #2 of Stormers Series
By the time a set of massive shoulders were outlined in the door, Hadley’s hands and feet were frozen and her lips were numb.
Brute? No, no. Not him.
Her heart hammering in her chest, Hadley shrank back, her fear growing to terror as she searched the barn, looking for somewhere to hide. If she climbed into the rafters, maybe he’d not be able to follow?
“Hadley? I followed your tracks. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to run in here.”
She squeezed her eyes shut as fear mingled with the chill running down her body. Luna quivered in her arms but stayed where she was as Brute’s heavy footsteps came closer.
Her eyes prickled with tears at her own stupidity. Of course it was Brute that was the real predator. It was always the ones that seemed decent, the ones who pretended to be kind and upstanding. Then when all eyes were turned, or the lights went out, that was when they showed their true colours.
Brute was just like Flynn. Expecting her to bow and grovel just for a meal. And now, Brute had come to her room then tracked her here like she was his prey.
Her stomach churning, despair curled miserably in her belly. Where could she run now? She’d come to the barn in the hopes Carl might give up only to find Brute was the real danger.
With his strength and the skill all the Stormers had, there was little chance she could fight him off. His voice startled her, his words confusing. “You can come out now. Carl knocked him out cold while I was trying to warn you to stay in your room.”
Her entire body reared back in terror as Brute’s face appeared. He crouched down as though he’d known precisely where she was located.
His hand reached towards her, and she flinched and gripped Luna so tightly she yelped. In the moonlight seeping through the barn, his forehead creased. “You don’t need to be afraid. It’s all clear. I scouted the area: no tracks, no signs anyone else followed him.”
She stared at him, her hands shaking until she realised Brute was holding a blanket. Her stomach knotted as she stared at it. There could be only on reason he’d brought a blanket.
He huffed a breath. “Look, I know Stormers have a bad reputation, and to be honest it’s mostly because we deserve it, but Cester runs one of the cleanest units in Azetaria.”
Her fear still holding her firmly in its grip, she failed to see the way Brute was backing away rather than towards her.
Her last hope disappeared as Luna wriggled out of Hadley’s grip and nuzzled Brute’s massive thigh.
He roughed the fur around her collar and sent Hadley a frown. “It’s bloody cold out here, girl. Why don’t we go inside, and you can see him for yourself?”
She flinched again as Brute’s arm extended again, this time the blanket was in his hand. Her voice was audibly shaky as she dared ask a question. “Him?”
Brute’s arm dropped as he reached down to scratch Luna’s ears. “Jax. For some stupid reason Cester turned him loose.”
Hadley sucked in a breath as Brute’s deep voice rumbled around the barn. “I’ll never understand the way he runs things. Duke and Kade are going to be pissed when they find out.”
Her heart still pounded as her brain stumbled to catch up with Brute’s words. His lips crept up into a smile. “You aren’t still afraid of me, are you?”
With a shaky smile that felt forced, Hadley shook her head. “I’m not used to people surprising me. I thought—”
I thought wrong.
He chuckled. “What’s that saying? Don’t judge a book by its cover? Come on, we’ll have a cup of mulled wine; that’ll settle your nerves.”
Despite his assurances, and despite him only touching her to wrap the blanket around her trembling shoulders, her nerves stayed on alert as they headed back to the tavern. “You know we could teach you a few moves if you like? A lady needs to know how to protect herself from bastards like Jax.”
Her eyes widened as Brute held the door open for her, surprising her further, causing her to send him a cautious smile. “But what can I do to a man Jax’s size?”
Your size.
Brute chuckled. “You can hurt men in plenty of ways. We’ll work on some training while we travel.”
The thought was strangely comforting. There was no reason to doubt his sincerity. And who better to teach her how to keep herself safe than a Stormer?
With her thoughts still whirling together, the first thing she saw as she entered the warmth of the tavern was Carl, standing by the fire and holding his nose as blood streamed down his chin.
Tables and chairs were strewn about, and the tavern owner was in the corner, hands wringing his apron nervously. At his feet, Jax sprawled out.
Carl removed his hand and sent her a scowl that reminded her of Kade’s. “Where did you run to?”
Hadley swallowed as Carl shot his glare towards the tavern owner. “Since we stopped him from trashing your dump and from robbing you blind, we’ll be wanting the fires lit in all the rooms. And a bowl of scraps for the dog.”
The tavern owner bobbed his head, eyes wide, fear etched on his face as he scurried away leaving Brute to tie Jax’s hands and feet together.
As Hadley’s heart rate started to slow, and the trembling began to ease, Carl sauntered towards her.
Her eyes widened as he swiped at his bloodied nose and grinned at her. “Told you I’d protect you, darlin.”
Despite the circumstance, Hadley’s lips tugged into the tiniest of smiles. Between Carl and Brute, she really was protected.
Kade squinted against the bright sunlight poking through puffy clouds, a streak of warmth lighting on his cheeks as he sat crossed legged on his bed. He pulled his gaze away and forced down another bite of the stew Martha and Ma Hamlin had made.
He nestled the bowl in his hands, trying to balance a dumpling on the edge as he stared out his window and wondered again when Ben would give the all clear to go outside.
Frustration ebbing through him, he placed the bowl on the bedside chair and leaned back against the multiple pillows Meg had given him.
Martha would be disappointed he’d not eaten. But what was the point? Even the simple task of chewing was laborious and made his head throb, stealing what little desire he had to eat.
He was bored. Sick of being stuck inside. Sick of being a weakling who couldn’t even carry on a conversation before fatigue choked him and made him wish for his bed again.
Ben had no answers. And Meg’s only answer was to pray to Cester’s God for healing, something Kade considered both irritating, and pointless. What use had prayer ever done anyone?
Duke and the rest of the Stormers were allowed to visit him but only for short stints, and only if they didn’t make him laugh. Which, Kade decided, was exactly what he wanted most: a chunk of normal after being treated like a child for too long.
He exhaled again and frowned at the window as he watched Cole working with the dogs. He needed to get up. Needed to move. To do something. Chop vegetables, pick up after the dogs, muck out the barn. Anything would be better than this. But every time he found a burst of energy, it seemed to dissipate almost as rapidly as it arrived.
He wasn’t too pig-headed to realise he needed to rest. But he also needed reassurance, and no one could give him the peace of mind he sought. Ben wasn’t answering the questions plaguing him. Either he didn’t know, or he didn’t want to say.
Kade closed his eyes, the scent of stew and the dumplings he usually loved doing nothing to stir his appetite. His thoughts drifted for a while, as they’d been doing lately, the more he tried to focus on them, the more they flickered about, just out of reach.
He gave up and allowed himself to quit fighting, and unsurprisingly Hadley’s face appeared. If all had gone to plan, they’d be nearing the capital.
When did it ever did go to plan? It hardly ever did for him. Maybe he was unlucky? Maybe Hadley had been better off going without him?
A knock at the door pulled him from his melancholy thoughts. Cester’s head poked inside, apprehension creasing his features. “Do you feel well enough to speak for a moment?”
Kade nodded wearily. “What is it?”
Cester stepped inside, and his hesitance increased as he picked up the only seat not being used as a table and dragged it alongside his sick bed. “I know this isn’t the best time. But we’re halfway through winter already, and I have a retrieval you might be interested in pursuing.”
Kade cocked an eyebrow. “Right this second?”
Cester shook his head. “Of course not. I’ve spoken to Ben, and he assures me you’re progressing at a steady rate, and he thinks this won’t be too taxing, as long as you can stay out of trouble.”
Kade’s lip curled at the statement. “When have I ever been able to stay out of trouble? It seems to follow me around.”
Cester’s forehead creased a little further. “Indeed, it does. But in a few weeks, you should be fit enough to leave, and by then Carl and Brute should have returned.”
Kade stared at him for a moment. Trying to process what he was saying. Tiredness was eating away at him again. “A few weeks? They’ll be back that soon?”
Cester nodded. “I’ve given them instructions for them to return by the end of the month.”
Kade’s eyes widened a little, before Cester added almost as an afterthought. “Luna is also with them.”
A surge of annoyance flooded through him, overruling the fatigue. “Luna is trained to heed all the Stormers. If Hadley has any problems with Carl, Luna won’t defend her.”
Cester edged back in his chair slightly. “You think that little of your cousin?”
Kade’s jaw slackened. “What? What are you saying? We all know what’s he’s like with girls.”
Cester eyed him in an infuriatingly calm manner. Didn’t he know just how bad Carl was? Was he completely oblivious?
“I had a word with them both, and I also asked Cole to teach Luna a new command; if Brute decides to leave them, he’ll share it with Hadley, and not Carl.”
The words stolen once again, Kade simply gawked at Cester and waited for his tongue to untangle. “There was time to do that?”
Cester nodded. “It takes approximately fifty times to teach a new command. Luna is the most intelligent and responsive of the pack; she learnt quickly.”
Kade shook his head slowly, carefully, still calculating the time, struggling to find cohesion in what Cester was talking about. Hadley was safe? Is that what this meant?
He gave Cester a squinty-eyed glare and found his speech beginning to slur once again. “Sounds like you figured it all out.”
Cester appraised him, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to assess whether he was able to carry on a meaningful conversation.
Annoyance brushed him again as Cester’s jaw worked, and his gaze fell away. “I’ll leave the rest for another time.”
Kade growled in frustration. “Just tell me, I’m fine.”
Cester’s eyes moved to examine the side of Kade’s head, where the gash was covered with a bandage. “I need you to go find the man who hired Jax.”
Kade’s mind began to whirl as he considered the words and their meaning. And what it meant for him exactly.
Would Ben really consider letting him go on a retrieval? A tiny bubble of excitement began to build as he acknowledged Cester wouldn’t be here without Ben’s permission.
Kade’s lips twitched, and he found them curving into a shallow smile. “Sounds like a blast. I leave when one of the others get back then?”
Cester’s smile was relaxed as he gave a short nod. “Once they let him know the princess is still in Amaria, they’ll also be letting the king know we’re still committed to finding resolution to this conflict. I’ve told them to let his majesty know my best Stormer will be looking into it.”
A surge of relief flowed through him. I’m still his best Stormer. Then the rest of what his captain said sunk in. “You’re not still trying to retrieve the princess?”
Cester shrugged his shoulders, and a teasing smile crossed his lips. “I explicitly explained they were not to make any promises.”
Kade chuckled lightly. “So, no then?”
“The less we speak of it, the less you have to deny. I’m counting on you, Stormer Kade. This needs to be handled tactfully. No getting into fights; this is all about stealth and discretion.”
Some of Kade’s enthusiasm waned at the warning, and the caution lacing Cester’s words. “Sure. I can be tactful when called for.”
Cester nodded again and got to his feet. “Look at it this way: it’ll be excellent practice for when you become captain of this unit.”
Kade stifled an errant yawn. “You still want to make that happen then?”
Cester paused by the door, his hand on the doorknob. “If you mean do I still want to propose to your sister, retire and find a simpler way to earn a living, then, yes, I do want to make it happen.”
Kade’s smile was weak. “Good to hear.”
Cester gave him another nod and promised to give him the details when the timing was right. Kade exhaled sharply before leaning his weary head back on the plump pillows.
“Captain Kade Dawson, Northern Division of Stormers,” he mumbled.
The faintest of smiles tugged his lips upwards at precisely the moment Kade’s stomach growled. And despite his tiredness, Kade reached for the bowl and didn’t stop eating until the stew disappeared.
No longer afraid of the muscled Stormer, Hadley smiled at Brute as she pulled her mount alongside him, leaving Carl to guard the rear as they’d been doing all throughout the journey.
Luna trotted along, sniffing at the ground, her nose dripping snow that thankfully had begun to ease now they were near the coast.
As they’d travelled through dilapidated villages, Brute began to mention they were seeking the lost boys of Azetaria, and most people had been happy to put them up.
But it wasn’t until they camped together in a barn, and he’d shown her the knee to the groin move Meg had used, that the entire story about Jax’s arrival had finally been resolved.
Brute reluctantly filled her in on what had happened. When Jax had arrived, and they hadn’t known if he was alone, things had been tense even with Jax attempting to smooth things over by buying them drinks.
The second Brute had slipped away to warn her to stay away and to scout the area, things had escalated quickly between Carl and Jax.
Her horror at learning that they’d tied him up in the pig pen, devoid of clothes and weapons, had tempered when Carl had told her exactly what kind of man Jax was and what he was capable of.
Whatever she’d feared happening, it was now clear that the two Stormers accompanying her were nothing of the sort of men she’d feared them to be.
Brute was kind and considerate, and while Carl wasn’t ceasing with his attempts to charm her, even he wasn’t entirely bad company. His humour made the trip a little lighter, and despite her concerns he hadn’t crossed the line once.
Her mount snorted, leaving a puff of white against the dreary horizon. To calm her nerves at having to speak to the king’s representative, she turned her attention to the guessing game Carl had involved her in.
Brute eyed her. “You look chipper this morning.”
Hadley cast a quick look over her shoulder and kept her voice low. “Carl bet me I couldn’t find out your real name. I told him if I find out, he has to quit flirting with me.”
Brute chuckled and scratched his chin. “What’s in it for me then?”
Hadley pulled her shoulders back a little and lifted her chin. “You’ll be helping me, isn’t that enough?”
Brute laughed so loud, his horse’s ears twitched in protest, and Luna looked back at him. “I’m already helping you by giving up a month of my holiday time. I think my quota of charity is used up.”
Hadley’s cheeks warmed, her belly tight with embarrassment. “Of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I do appreciate you coming with me. Really.”
Brute rubbed at his nose, red from the cold like hers. “Think nothin of it. Truth be told, you remind me of someone I used to know.”
Brute’s eyes shifted from her, and his voice was tight as he spoke quietly. “Wee thing she was. Just like you.”
He seemed to shake himself, the grin returning as he looked at her. “What do the Dawson troublemakers think it is?”
Hadley smiled though it was apparent he was trying to hide his pain. Her own grief meshing with his. Her throat grew thick, and her eyes misted. “Carl thinks it’s Ashley; Kade is betting on Sasha.”
Brute roared with laughter, effectively shaking the mood back to light once again. They carried on in easy silence, her thoughts tangled with too many to keep straight.
All other thoughts disappeared as she spied the sign marking they were inside Kingsport. Her nerves increasing the further they rode into the capital city that she’d called home.
Like the majority of the country, famine and sickness had stripped whatever vibrancy the city once possessed. Where once shops had quaint frontages, bright flowers, and flourishing markets in abundance, now paint was peeling off. And though snow covered a lot, come spring’s thaw, everything around her would look far worse.
The horses plodded on, Luna’s long legs keeping pace as Hadley scanned the area, trying to find landmarks to jog her memory. She’d only been in the upper district once before, but she’d been excited to go with her father to sell jams and preserves she and her mother had spent countless hours producing.
Hadley squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to silence the memory of a time when all her family lived, where she had felt safe, had a home, and a bed waiting for her each day.
There was no point dwelling on things that had past. There was no point dwelling on what could never be again. All she had was a hope in the future.
Carl’s sandy mount came alongside hers as they carried on down the empty main street. He looked sidelong and made his voice loud enough for Brute to hear. “We’ll find somewhere to sleep tonight, then go to the palace first thing in the morning.”
Brute nodded. “There should still be decent lodging near the palace.”
Carl’s lip curled in distaste, and he spat out an obscenity before Brute shot him an angry look. “I don’t like them any more than you do, but we go in there and start mouthing off, we’ll end up hanging.”
