This wasn’t the first time she’d had her swords at a man’s throat. Usually, they sneered at her, not believing that she could wield them. Or, whoever it was quivered in fear. She had never had someone stand solemnly, their face devoid of expression.
“And you are?” he asked. “Seems only fair that you give me your name since I gave you mine.”
“I’ve got blades pointed at your throat.”
His lips turned up slightly at the corners. “Your swords are short. Which means, you’ve got to get closer.”
Something tapped against her inner thigh. Runa frowned as she looked down to find a curved dagger in his hand, the blade set against her leg. No one had ever managed to do that to her before, and she didn’t like it. Now she knew why he hadn’t seemed bothered by her weapons at his throat. With just one flick of his wrist, he could have her on the ground bleeding out.
“Your name?” he pressed.
She stepped back and lowered her blades. “Runa.”
“Runa,” he said, drawing out the syllables.
Suddenly, she wanted him gone. She took another step back, needed to separate herself from him. Even if she couldn’t stop looking at his face. His light brown hair brushed his shoulders, the top part tied back with a strip of leather. Thick brows slashed over unusual eyes that were steady and penetrating. The color was a mixture of gold, green, and blue, as if they couldn’t decide which color to be.
As remarkable as his irises were, that wasn’t what kept drawing her gaze. His face was all hard angles, as if it had been chiseled from granite. The short beard he wore couldn’t hide his impressive jawline. But it was his full lips that seemed so at odds with the rest of his face. They were…sensual.
She’d never in her life used that word to describe anyone or anything before. But it fit him.
While she couldn’t see much since his cloak covered his body, there was no denying his broad shoulders. He didn’t act like a warrior, but she had a hunch that there was much about this man. Things that others underestimated. There was clearly more to him than he revealed, and she knew from experience that anyone who purposefully hid things about themselves did so for a powerful reason.
Brom might intrigue her, but she had no time for such things. She sheathed her swords and started to walk past him. Then she looked over her shoulder deeper into the forest where she knew the Gira were. “You should give these woods a wide berth,” she told him before continuing on.
“Why?”
Runa stopped and blew out a breath. Why hadn’t she just left well enough alone? Why did she have to warn him? Without turning around, she said, “There are dangers you can’t imagine waiting for you.”
“And how do you know of them?”
At this rate, she’d never leave. “Because I do.” She headed out, telling herself that no matter what he said, she wasn’t going to stop.
With each step she took, she expected to hear him call out to her. When he didn’t, she found herself frowning. It should make her happy that he hadn’t pressed her. And she shouldn’t care if he was stupid enough to ignore her warning and proceed deeper into the forest. She shouldn’t care at all if the Gira got him.
“Bloody hell,” she murmured and then stopped.
Her gaze rose to the sky, but the sun was quickly swallowed by thick, gray clouds. Snowflakes landed on her lashes, making her blink. She should keep walking. She didn’t know Brom.
But he knew you.
That’s what’d got her. She wasn’t sure how he knew her, but it was clear that he did, and she wanted to find out how. It wasn’t like the Coven to send a man after her, but then again, with Sybbyl ruling the group now, nothing was the same.
Runa turned and found Brom standing where she had left him. “What are you doing?”
“Watching you.”
She took two steps toward him. “Why?”
“Why no’? It’s no’ every day I encounter a woman who no’ only brandishes swords but also wears trousers. Even more curious is that other than the tracks you just made, there are no other footprints but mine.”
Runa wasn’t used to anyone being aware of such things. Normally, if someone noticed the lack of tracks, it didn’t matter because she was about to end his or her life. But she hadn’t been sent after Brom. Perhaps he was hunting her.
She walked closer.
He shrugged and continued talking. “From what I understand, this is no’ a safe time for a woman to be traveling alone.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for anyone to be traveling. You included.”
Once more, his lips curved into a half-grin. “Perhaps. You doona seem afraid of much.”
“Because I’m not. Why do you care?” She took two more steps toward him. Her gaze moved to his hands. She couldn’t see his dagger anymore, but she knew it was there.
He glanced over his shoulder to the forest. “You warned me. I’m simply doing the same.”
“You’ve done your duty. You can continue on.”
“That I can.”
Yet, he didn’t move. Runa took the last two steps that put her back where she had begun. “Who are you?”
“I told you.”
“Maybe I should’ve asked a better question. Like, how do you know me?”
“If I knew you, would I have asked for your name?”
Her gaze narrowed on him. “Answering a question with a question isn’t answering.”
Hazel eyes lowered to the snow-covered ground for a heartbeat before his head issued a single nod. “Nay, it’s no’.”
“You don’t intend to tell me, do you?”
When he didn’t utter another syllable, Runa spun on her heel and left him. For all she knew, he was a distraction that would keep her from discovering the truth. If the Gira who’d told her of her grandmother and sister being in danger was right, then Runa had to cover as much ground as she had the previous day. If only she knew where to go other than north.
The farther she went, the colder it got. The trek would’ve been easier if she had a horse, but she found that she moved quicker, especially in the forest, without one. Now, however, she wished for one of the animals. She could cover twice as much distance on horseback. But that wasn’t an option, at least not at the moment.
Runa left the safety of the woods. She tried to walk in a straight line, but she soon found that the snow was just too deep. She had no choice but to get back on the road. The open lane, however, made her easy to spot. She didn’t like being so exposed. But the farther north she went, the less that became an issue. There was simply no one around.
A prickling sensation along her neck had her pausing to look behind her. She half expected to see Brom, but there was no sign of him or anyone else. Nor did she sense any Gira, which made her frown, since something or someone had caused the reaction within her.
She turned back around and kept walking. All the while, she tried to come up with a plan. She had no idea where Synne was, and since the likelihood of her finding the Varroki was slim, her best bet was to locate Sybbyl and the Coven. That would be the easiest thing since the Gira would be near Sybbyl.
Runa crested a hill and spotted a small grove of trees in the glen below. She smiled and jogged to them. When she reached them, she flattened her palms against the bark and closed her eyes as she attempted to discern where the Gira were.