Page 79 of A Thief to Die For

Marian gasps.

My chest heaves. ‘No.’ That can’t be. I said her name. I said Marian’s name.

Didn’t I?

But one look at Marian’s horrified face, and I know.

‘Then I forfeit.’ Somewhere in the back of my head I know the deal was bigger than a marriage, but nothing else seems to matter right now.

I can’t marry Agatha. With the connection, we’d be joined – intertwined – forever. No one has ever broken that kind of bond.

The Commander gives a hard laugh. ‘You can’t forfeit. It’s too late for that.’

‘It’s not,’ I assure him, my voice lethal. ‘I won. It’s my prize. I can do what I want with it. And I refuse the marriage.’

‘You can’t refuse,’ he says simply. ‘Nobody breaks a deal with me and walks away alive.’

He’s threatening to kill me for not accepting my winnings?

‘And, careful, you’re hurting my feelings. Not to mention the feelings of my daughter.’ He waves at Agatha, who’s a few paces away. No one has dispersed from the cliff’s edge.

Agatha stares at the ground, and something twinges in my chest at adding my name to the list of people who’ve rejected her. But not enough to concede. ‘Are you sure it’s not because you’re giving her away?’

He scoffs. ‘Agatha’s honoured to be chosen for this. But it’s you who’s publicly refusing her. Is this any way to start off our alliance? We’re to be family.’

With the gentleness of a spear to my skull, it hits me what an absolute fool I was. How rash it was to agree to his terms. He made it so that no matter the outcome of the contest, he’d get exactly what he wants – information on Kingsland. Even in me winning, he’ll get every detail about my homeland. He’s just going to use Agatha to do it.

He was never going to let Marian go.

To hell with this. ‘You knew exactly which daughter I asked to marry in my terms. You cheated.’

‘Cheated?’ he scoffs. ‘Cheating would be shooting your opponent while he stands only feet away. If anyone cheated in this contest, it was you.’

‘I’ve already asked Marian for her hand in marriage,’ I grind out. ‘This was merely a formality.’

‘He did.’ Marian pushes forward. ‘And I accepted. I want to marry Ryland. Right now.’

Something dark and possessive settles on the Commander’s face as he whirls on her. ‘Absolutely not!’

‘Father, please,’ she begs, moving closer and clasping his hand. ‘It would mean everything to me if you’d allow this one kindness.’

It hurts to watch. I know how much bowing before him is costing her.

Suddenly he slaps her across the face. Her head snaps to the side, eyes closing in pain.

Guards jump to restrain me as I launch myself at him. ‘Don’t touch her!’ I snarl as my arms are pinned behind my back. ‘Don’t you lay a hand on her again!’

A guard’s knife presses painfully into my back, adding to my rage.

The Commander’s face is mottled red as he stomps up to me. ‘We need to get something straight: Marian is not available to you or anyone else. She is mine. You will honour your own terms of our deal, or you will die where you stand.’ Then he grabs Agatha and shoves her at me. ‘Where is Brother Thomas?’ he shouts.

‘Here,’ responds a guard. The crowd splits and the man who almost married Marian and me hours ago is revealed.

No.

The knife in my back digs in a little further, breaking the skin. I growl, straining against the hands holding me, until the owner of the blade speaks into my ear, ‘I’m glad I didn’t kill you yet so I can have a front row seat to this.’

I rip my arm free and let loose an elbow that connects with Soren’s head, then twist and knee another guardsman. I throw an uppercut. A cross. Another elbow. But someone kicks my leg out, dropping me to my knee and more guards pile on, holding me down.