Fearless Warrior: Isaacson Trilogy Book Two

9

Esmund remained by the creek for another hour, hoping the women would be asleep and he could avoid more awkward moments. He thought his plan worked, too, until Piper materialized before him. He had to stifle an unmanly shout of surprise at seeing her.

Dark smudges marred the skin under blue eyes, void of any other signs of exhaustion. By the set of her shoulders and the fierce angle of her brows, it was clear she was angry, but at what, Esmund had no clue.

Surely, not anything he had done, which meant the almighty Ulric had shown just how charming he could be, and now the women were hungry for blood and ready to take up torches and pitchforks.

"May I have a word with you?"

From the fire in her eyes, it wasn't a question.

"That depends. Your tone implies I might enjoy this proposed conversation, but your face says I'll leave your company in tears."

She gripped his arm and propelled him away from camp into a grove of trees. "I promise I'll handle your fragile feelings with as much care as you deserve."

That didn't sound good. "There you go again; your words want to be comforting, and yet your eyes scream for blood."

"I'll make this abundantly clear," she flung him up against a tree, "so there's no chance of misunderstanding." Her strength and speed stunned him into silence. She lowered her voice, "I will not allow you to hurt Elsie and remain unharmed yourself. She's been through too much and doesn't need to put up with your callous words. If I hear one more unfeeling comment about her looks or character, you will have me and my fireballs to deal with."

Esmund grinned, fighting the urge to make a sly retort. The last thing he wanted was for Piper to be mad at him. After her warning, he didn't doubt she'd follow through if she believed he deserved it. But he couldn't help himself. "Was that as enjoyable for you to say as I imagine it was? I wish I could threaten people with my wrath and fireballs. Although, in my case, people would take it the wrong way."

She frowned and narrowed her eyes as she settled her fists on her bony hips. "Are you always so-so...?"

"Charming, witty—oh, how about irresistible?" he winked and relaxed against the tree trunk. "Are any of those the words you're looking for?"

Her lips curled in distaste. "No."

He clucked his tongue, "What a shame—they're three of my favorites."

"How about aggravating, irritating, and obtuse?"

Esmund frowned and paused as though giving the matter some serious thought. Seconds later, he shook his head. "No, I don't care for those as much, and in case you didn't know, aggravating and irritating mean the same thing. People in an academic setting, commonly known as 'teachers' or 'learned,' refer to them as synonyms. Ooh, now I've got a new word for you to use when describing me—intelligent."

"I think pig-headed is far better."

"Now you're just being mean. In all seriousness though, what have I said that would be—I'm going to use a big word here, but you're also intelligent, so I don't think you'll have any problems following me—construed as hurtful to Elsie? I've been nice to her since I met her yesterday, which was no small thing considering she threw up on us."

The blood drained from Piper's face as she stepped back and swallowed convulsively while her eyes roved over his face. He waited and hoped she'd find what she was searching for so he could finish this annoying conversation and get a few hours of sleep before they had to get back on the road.

At last, her brow smoothed, and she folded her arms over her chest. "I believe you."

He studied her with narrowed eyes. "You're doing it again, being contradicting with your words and your face."