White Horse Black Nights (The Godkissed Bride, #1)(49)

Basten.

Oh, no. Basten will be here at any moment. What will he do when he finds Adan and me together? He’s spent the last eighteen days slamming his fists into men’s jaws for merely catcalling Lord Rian’s future bride. And Adan intends to run away with me.

Basten will kill him. Really, truly, kill him. I don’t think he’ll use a knife, either—he’ll want to use his fists to get the job done in the most painful, punishing way possible.

“It isn’t safe here,” I say in a rasping voice, grabbing Adan’s sleeves.

He nods in grave agreement. “I know. My brothers are waiting for us at the docks. They have a boat at the ready. We can take the river downstream, to a safe place I know.”

I stare at him as my thoughts stumble and stumble. He expects me to leave with him. And why wouldn’t he? He doesn’t know about my first, catastrophic escape attempt, or my message calling off our future together.

Blinking, I stutter, “Adan—”

He continues urgently, “We’ll have to leave Myst here, but I promise, it won’t be for long. She’s too recognizable, and we can’t take a horse by boat, anyway. We’ll come back for her. I swear.”

“N—no,” I stutter. “You don’t understand.”

He cups my face, gazing into my eyes. “What don’t I understand, my love?”

Once more, words don’t come. How can I tell him we were fools to think we loved each other after a single day? By the gods, maybe he is just as saintly as I first thought. After all, he upheld his end of our promise. He’s here. He moved heaven and earth to rescue me. Even his brothers are risking their lives to get me to safety.

I’m the one who was going to break our pact.

What am I supposed to tell him, that I’ve developed some kind of twisted entanglement with the guard meant to deliver me to Lord Rian?

I’d sound crazy.

Maybe I am crazy.

I’ve barely spent more time with Basten than I have with Adan. There’s still so much I don’t know about him, even if his grumpy, endearing growls do make my heart stumble. Am I being as foolish now, thinking this thing with Basten means something?

No. It isn’t the same. What I have with Basten—it’s unmatched.

Regardless, the truth is that it doesn’t matter. Whatever I feel for Basten, whatever we could become to each other in the future, it isn’t Basten Bowborn’s name on my engagement certificate. I’m to wed Lord Rian, not Basten. There was never a world in which Basten and I could be together. I’m betrothed to his master, and his asinine sense of loyalty isn’t going to let him break that oath. I’d hoped to earn his devotion so that he’d help me escape, but the chances of that were always slim.

Just look at the present moment. Where is Basten? Risking his life to help an old friend, that’s where. Not here.

“Sabine, come on.”

Gripping my hand, Adan makes for the exit. Torn, I throw a desperate look back at Myst, who kicks her front hoof against the stall.

Don’t go, she says. Don’t go!

I have just enough time to touch her velvety muzzle for all too brief a moment before Adan pulls me away.

I’m sorry, my brave girl, I say as I stumble along with him. I’ll come back for you. I promise. This is the only way I can escape my marriage.

She puffs angrily and continues kicking the stall. I’m vaguely aware my cheeks are wet with tears. My heart aches to be torn away from her, though it was always the plan to separate and then buy her later under a false name. In the meantime, Basten will find her—he’ll take care of her for me.

Adan stops at the stable’s entrance, scanning the street before wrapping a hand around my back and leading me in the opposite direction from the still-smoldering inn. I hobble on my wounded foot, feeling as stunned as if I’d fallen through ice into a freezing lake, unable to trust that I’m making the right decision.

But, I saw a chance—and I had to take it.

Maybe Adan will turn out to be the love of my life, after all. It doesn’t really matter. Right now, he’s only a means to an end. He can get me out of Blackwater and hide me from the Valvere family’s forces. This is the best shot I have for true freedom.

As to matters of the heart, well, right now, I need to save my damn ass.

Gritting my teeth, I banish all other thoughts out of my head—and my heart—and hurry with Adan toward the docks.





Adan’s vessel is a single-mast sloop that’s seen better days. Crabbing cages clutter the deck, along with barrels and some wooden buoys. It’s a humble fishing vessel, or at least disguised to look like one.

Three men sitting on the crab cages bolt to their feet when they see us hurrying down one of the docks. Moonlight bathes them in a bluish glow. These must be Adan’s brothers. They share his fair hair and sunkissed skin, though they seem older than him by at least a decade. Strange—Adan never mentioned he was the youngest of his family by far.

Of course, Adan hasn’t told me much at all. He’s a stranger.

My pulse scrambles as I worry, once again, if this is the right decision.

“Quickly,” one of the men orders, holding out his hand over the gap between the dock and the boat. “Pass her to me.”

Adan helps me step precariously onto the rocking sloop, where I clutch onto the deck railing to steady myself. He jumps onto the vessel behind me, and immediately starts untying the rope tethering us to the dock.