Page 46 of Caught in the Devil’s Hand

“Don’t worry for me,” she said with a shake of her head. “Worry for the miller’s daughter. I’ll be back soon.” She bent to kiss his cheek before leaving.

The day was beautiful, clear, and breezy, but one could feel the tension in the village. Shouts occasionally disturbed the peculiar silence. No one was in the fields. The wind tossed her hair, and the sun warmed the side of her face as she stealthily crept between huts.

From behind the corner of a hut a few doors away from her own, she spied upon the raised wooden stage in the heart of the village, where festivals and occasional town meetings were centered. She first spotted Kimen, who was directing a large group of young men. Then she saw Akiji, the miller’s two sullen sons, and about ten other men, all wearing grim faces. She couldn’t hear a word of what Kimen was saying, but after a moment, small groups broke out of the larger, each moving in a different direction.

Each group would likely search their own slice of the surrounding wilderness, but probably not as quickly as she could run. If she started now, she could gain a large lead on the pair going in her intended direction. They would have to sweep the surrounding forest, but she could run flat out.

Deciding on her course of action, she turned and made for the path leading to the medicine field. She clambered up the first hill and skidded down the other side, not for Oka’s sake this time, but Vallen’s.

Not watching her feet, she accidentally slipped and landed hard on her hip, forcing a pained cry from her lips. After a few tears, she stood and kept going, furiously wiping away the moisture on her cheeks as she half limped, half ran the rest of the way to the clearing where they’d first met.

She couldn’t let them find him. They’d kill him, or he’d kill them. Either way, someone would die, and she didn’t want that to happen if she could stop it.

“Vallen! Vallen, I need you,” she screamed, turning in all directions. Birds were startled into flight. “Vallen, where are you?” For several minutes, she ran about the clearing, going from edge to edge, calling his name.

Time was running out. The searchers would be drawing near, and she couldn’t run the risk of them hearing her shouts, but she still called for him, hands cupped around her mouth to carry her cries farther.

Yet he didn’t appear. She tried screaming at her loudest, calling his name over and over again despite the pain in her throat. She turned in a full circle, seeing nothing but trees and grass, and screamed his name one last time. By the time her shout faded, she was staring teary-eyed at the empty path from which she had come. He couldn’t die. Not when the restoration of his humanity was so near.

“Vallen,” she weakly called, voice cracking. She gulped past the scratchy lump in her throat, pressing a hand to her stomach where her magic fluttered. Her eyes stung and she shut them quickly, willing the tears to go away. She wouldn’t cry, not for him. Who was he that she should cry for him? Who was he that she should feel any need at all to protect him?

By the dueling gods, he was the man she loved. That was it. That was the restless longing building up inside. She wanted to be with him because of love. She loved him, may the Divine One help her.

A twig snapped and she cried out in surprise, whirling around. From the edge of the clearing, Vallen pushed a low branch out of his way and stepped into the open grass. His sky-blue eyes, clear and bright, looked at her with obvious concern, and as she took in his unscathed appearance, a tear escaped and slid down her cheek. The gold tree embroidered on his dark green jacket was clean. No dirt or blood. The same with his pants and boots. He was perfectly fine.

“You screamed?” he called, mouth turning up in a smile as he completed his own inspection of her well-being.

“Vallen,” she whispered. Her feet moved of their own volition, and she propelled herself toward him. He came farther into the clearing, brow furrowed. She quickly closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself flush against him. “You’re safe,” she sighed, nuzzling the bend of his neck. His spicy musk filled her nostrils and assured her he was really there. His arms came around her, holding her close, and his lips brushed her temple.

“What’s wrong? Your screams scared the life out of me,” he muttered. “And you’re limping. Did someone hurt you?”

“They’re coming. They know about you,” she whispered, pulling back.

He knitted his eyebrows. “Who’s coming? Villagers?”

She nodded. “About fifteen men. They’re searching for a young woman who went missing. Everyone says a sex demon did it.” His forehead tightened even more. “I know you wouldn’t do that. I know.” A second tear slid down her other cheek. “And what’s more is I saw this girl leaving Majo’s hut last week.” He brushed at the tears glittering on her cheeks. “Whether she knows you’re real or not, Majo is using my questions to her as inspiration for some story to cover up what she did. She’s framing you.”

She fisted her hands in the fine material of his shirt and pulled him tight to her. Vallen engulfed her in a comforting hug, and his heart swelled almost painfully. She was worried about him.

He’d had his suspicions when he’d found her screaming her heart out at their meeting place. Judging by the tear on her cheek and the relief on her face when she’d seen him, he had guessed the inevitable had happened. He was ready for her to ask him to take her and her brother somewhere safe, having been either banished or slated for execution. He’d expected her to beg him for protection.

And he’d have gladly given it, but instead, she was there to warn him. To protect him. On top of it all, she didn’t believe the rumor. She knew he was innocent.

“Shumei,” he uttered, gently urging her with a roll of his shoulder to lift her face. Tears stained her cheeks. Her eyelashes were spiky with more of them. He looked down at her pink lips, which were puffy from her worried bites. Her heart thudded against his chest.

Something inside him crumbled, and he pressed his lips to hers, willing her to shed the despair on her face. He should have been the hopeless one, not her. She was already soft for him, lips parting to accept his tongue. She stretched her arms to encircle his neck, and he leaned down to deepen the kiss, trying to comfort her with his body.

He ran his hand over every inch of her he could reach. But she was still clutching at him and shaking, so he wrapped his arms around her and concentrated on their kiss for as long as he dared before disengaging the slow wrestle of their tongues.

“I’m safe,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’m safe, Shumei.”

“Thank the Divine One.” She sought another kiss, which he eagerly gave.

“I want you,” he growled, palming her backside. “I want to wrap your legs around me and take you right here, standing up.” He felt her shudder as she curved closer to him, but then he heard a sigh of disappointment.

“I want you too.” An understatement. She wanted nothing more than to climb his body. “But the men will be through here any moment, and I told Oka I’d be back within the hour.”

“Yes, of course,” he said, disappointment knitting his brow. He relaxed his arms, and soon they stood clasping only one hand.